This is getting ugly....

Oh lord! This intra- racial fighting is getting ugly. Now my man Cornel is calling out half of Rev. Inc. and declaring him to be a "house negro of the Barack Obama plantation." (Isn't it amazing how far just one diss can go? O, next time send that man an invitation to your party.)

"Public intellectual Cornel West tore into many of this week’s speeches surrounding the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.‘s “I Have a Dream” speech, accusing everyone from President Obama to Rev. Al Sharpton of “sanitizing” Dr. King’s vision.

“Brother Martin himself, I think, would’ve been turning over in his grave,” West said of the event. “[King would have wanted] people to talk about Wall Street criminality, he wants people to talk about war crimes, or drones dropping bombs on innocent people,” he asserted.

“Instead,” he lamented, “we saw the coronation of the bonafide house negro of the Barack Obama plantation, our dear brother Al Sharpton.” West went further declaring that Sharpton’s decline was “supported by [MSNBC analyst] Michael Dyson and others who’ve prostituted themselves in a very ugly and vicious way.”

West and Tavis Smiley both lamented that black leadership has become “so sold-out” so as not to have the courage to be a “bull in the china shop,” break rank, and talk about “racism, poverty, and militarism” at an otherwise “bought-out” event." [Source]

Now I understand some of frustration that Brother West is feeling. We do need to be talking more about things such as "racism, poverty, and militarism". But  what country does Cornel West believe that he is living in? Negroes getting upset because Barack Obama didn't get into the White House and go all Huey P. Newton are as crazy as the republicans who foam at the mouth over the sound of his name. Just what the hell did you expect?

Let me repeat this again: Barack Obama is a politician, and he happens to be a damn good one. Politicians know how to raise money, run the government, and push all the right buttons to make Americans feel like their country is the greatest in the history of the world. That's it. The fact that this president happens to be black should be celebrated for its imagery and what it can mean for the future aspirations of young black boys watching him, but that's about it.
It's not going to change how business is done in this country and who gets the spoils.

If you Negroes want things to change, stop depending on poli-trick-sters like Barack Obama and start grass roots efforts to change things in your own neighborhoods. Start organizing locally to try and better the lives of people around you. Change is not going to come from Washington; it's going to come from your homes.  

Again, I am not sure what some of you Negroes were expecting, but I have news for you; it's not going to get any better for your agenda when Barack Obama leaves and when the next presidents come after him. Americans don't want to talk about things like "racism" and "poverty", and when they do, it makes them very uncomfortable. Look what happened when this president tried to address the elephant in the room. "If I had a son he would look like Trayvon".

Anyway, Barack Obama does need to have real folks in his ears-- besides his wife Michelle--- from time to time. It's just that when Negroes like Tavis and Cornel do the criticizing, it comes off more like sour grapes than constructive criticism and speaking truth to power.

  

 

Conspicuous by their absence.

Republicans like to claim MLK and twist his words to suit their own purpose. This is why I can't understand why they did so much to tarnish his legacy on the 50th anniversary of his famous speech.

In case you didn't know, organizers of the march invited "every top" republican politician and they all turned down the request. I guess there was just too many of us Negroes in one place. They must follow the 12% rule.

I will excuse the two living republican presidents because they were ill, but where were the others?

"Conservative commentators have had a lot to say over the last 24 hours about the fact that Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), the only African-American in the Senate, was not invited to yesterday’s March on Washington 50th Anniversary celebration. According to Bill O’Reilly, it was strange that “no Republicans and no conservatives were invited” to the event. As it turns out, that’s just not true.
As the Washington Post’s Ed O’Keefe reported today, “not a single Republican elected official stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Wednesday.” But it’s not because they weren’t invited. While Scott’s office has confirmed that the senator was not invited, many of his senior colleagues were.

Here’s a run-down of the top Republicans who were invited to the March on Washington anniversary event, and why they reportedly decided not to show.

• Former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush: It was notable that the two former presidents, Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, who spoke at the event were both Democrats, with the Bushes nowhere to be seen. The 41st and 43rd president were both invited, but chose to decline because of health reasons. In a statement, George W. Bush said, “There on the National Mall our President, whose story reflects the promise of America, will help us honor the man who inspired millions to redeem that promise.”
• House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH): The top Republican in the House declined his invitation because of a scheduling conflict. He is currently in Jackson Hole, Wyoming and had no public events scheduled for Wednesday. Boehner did attend an official congressional commemoration of King’s “I Have a Dream” speech on July 31st.
• House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA): According to the Grand Forks Herald, Cantor spent Wednesday touring oilfields in North Dakota with Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) and meeting with the North Dakota Petroleum Council lobbying group.
• Senator John McCain (R-AZ): Despite having voted against making Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a federal holiday in 1983, the event committee did invite McCain to speak, but he declined due to unspecified “scheduling conflicts.”

The Rev. Leah D. Daughtry, who served as executive producer of the commemoration, told the Washington Post’s O’Keefe that her committee began inviting members of Congress to attend four or five weeks before the event.
“We had a very concerted effort, because this is not a political moment. This was about us coming together as a community, so we wanted to be sure that we had all political representations,” Daughtry said. “We attempted very vigorously to have someone from the GOP participate and unfortunately they were unable to find someone who was able to participate.” [Source]

Anyway, apparently they held their own little get together at an exclusive club across town; far away from the poor people, progressives, and minorities celebrating the memory of Dr. King.

Conservatives actually mocked the event and took what was to be a special day down a partisan gutter covered with racism. Sadly, black conservatives played right along with their ideological masters, and they embarrassed themselves and their cause in the process.

"On the surface, President Obama gave homage to our founding documents and appeared to discourage those who seek excuses for their bad behavior. But this speech, peppered with Biblical references, seemed to use all of this as window dressing for his liberal agenda,” said Project 21′s Stacy Swimp. “He condemned segregated schools of the past and current substandard schools, but the contradiction is that he opposes school choice and promotes union supremacy. The same president who praised triumph over racial animosity contributed to it with his comments earlier this year on the George Zimmerman case.”

Stacy, get back to the house and go straight to the library. You have some reading to do.

Finally, I wonder how Stacy and her other black conservative friends feel about this guy?

"A Maine man was recently questioned by Secret Service officials after he posted an article about President Obama to Facebook with a potentially threatening message written above the photograph.

The Associated Press reported this week that 68-year-old Sabattus resident David Marsters was under investigation for posting a link last Friday to an article about Republican lawmakers seeking impeachment of Obama with a comment from the man that read: “Shoot the nigger.”

Marsters, who is active in local politics and a candidate for town selectman, was reportedly questioned at his local police station for an hour. The Facebook post in question below:" [See article]

Relax David; the "post racial era" is almost over.









 

50 YEARS LATER.

I would like to ask you Americans reading this to take a break from your twerking obsession and watch MLK's speech tonight on MSNBC.

Unfortunately you won't get a lot of other chances to watch it, because MLK was not only a great orator, he was a smart businessman as well. (He sent his speech to the U.S. Copyright office and had his work listed as a work not to be reproduced for sale.) His speech will not enter the public domain until 2038, so, until then, the only way to legally reproduce it is to pay a licensing fee. 

Forget what others tell you, with all due respect to the Gettysburg Address, it's the greatest speech ever delivered in the History of this country. And it could not have come at a better time. Americans needed someone to appeal to their conscience and humanity at the time, and King's speech did just that. Back then we didn't have basic civil rights, and we were not viewed as equals by most Americans. That march to D.C. highlighted the hypocrisy of "American exceptionalism" at the time, and it put a spotlight on our most serious flaw.

That was 50 years ago, and I am glad to say that there have been some changes. But there is so much work left to be done. Laws have been passed to guarantee us equality, but now we have to work on getting economic equality and bridging the wealth -and educational- gap as well.

I loved the march, but we have some work to do in our communities. Some of you sperm donors need to be marching back home so that you can take care of business on the home front. That would be a nice start.

If we get our houses in order and start sending out children who value education and hard work the economic equality will come.

That's not something we have to dream about; that can be our reality.





 

 

The Voter (Suppression) Project.

I am in the middle of something, so this post will be short and to the point.


Anyway, a gentleman named Jay N. DeLancy claims that he started some outfit called the "Voter Integrity Project" , and he posted an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal about voter fraud. In it, he declared that "only lawful" voters should vote. In the same article he also made some very serious and specific charges and allegations about voter fraud down in North Carolina. (Keep those folks in your thoughts. They are under siege.)

There was one little problem, though: he didn't provide any links or names.
He claims that he met "countless eyewitnesses to voter fraud", but failed to give us even one name for his article.

If there was such an eyewitness, why didn't they report it to election officials? That was a rhetorical question. We know why. There wasn't any.

Personally, I smell a rat with this guy and his "Voter Integrity Project". I think that this is all in his head. This is just another desperate and lame attempt by those on the political right to keep people from voting.

Sadly for them, Colin Powell was right; it will all backfire in the long run.

Here is the link.

"Any state seeking reform gets brutally attacked by activist judges, the media, and even Hillary Clinton. Despite race-baiting vitriol from fraud deniers, North Carolina had made great strides to mitigate our corrupt election laws..."

Translation: We are trying our best to keep those minorities and immigrants from voting, but we are being overwhelmed. They have learned to use the courts and the media to get the word out, and now we are getting desperate.

Jay, I will wait for those links and some names......

America's sexual double standard, and not all snitches get stitches.

I do not come to bury Miley Cyrus tonight, that would be way too easy. Instead, I come to bury the American public.

Everyone is up in arms about the aforementioned Ms. Cyrus and her VMA performance last night. "Twerking" is not a good look for good little white girls who happen to be former Disney Child stars. The thing is, though, methinks Americans are being a little hypocritical and practicing some serious double standards when it comes to her...ahem ahem...performance.

Why isn't anyone upset about Mr. Paula Patton's behavior last night? Wasn't he being a bad boy as well? The last time I checked they were both dirty dancing on that stage.

I hear that the talented Justin Timberlake gave a wonderful performance last night as well. This is ironic, as it was the same Justin Timberlake who was involved with the last major sexual brouhaha on American television. There were double standards with that one as well. This time it was Janet Jackson who felt the puritanical wrath of the American public, even though it was Justin Timberlake who pulled away that now infamous piece of clothing.

The moral of both of these stories is simple: In America, girls can't do what boys can do when it comes to sex.

Finally, if you think that it is only people in the hood have a "no snitching" culture you might want to think again.

"THE DRUG WAR paid a visit to Stacy Litz's Powelton Village apartment on a Thursday afternoon, armed with a warrant, handcuffs and an offer.

It was September 2011, and Litz was well-aware that any deal, even a nickel bag of weed, could make her a target, but she'd chosen sides long before the law came knocking on Baring Street. Litz was a political-science major at nearby Drexel University at the time, fully engaged in libertarian and anarchist causes, denouncing government for poking around in private lives.

Litz, now 23, said that she purchased psychedelics off the Internet to use and sell to friends, that she wasn't a kingpin by any means. But one customer who bought LSD from her turned out to be an undercover officer with the State Police.

"I thought to myself, 'Oh wow, this is happening.' They didn't have their guns drawn or anything. They offered me coffee. They were being nice," Litz said, recalling her arrest during a recent interview with the Daily News.

The bust didn't make Litz an outcast among her peers in the Students for Liberty, the Drexel Student Liberty Front, the Center for a Stateless Society or the larger, worldwide libertarian community with which she interacted online.
The decision she made after her arrest did that. [More]

Don't worry folks; all is well that ended well with Stacy. No jail time, no record, and she finished college and even spent some time in law school.

"Police told Litz that she wouldn't be paid for her work, and she assumed that her identity would be protected. It didn't take long, however, for everyone involved in her lone deal as informant to figure out that she was the "X" in the equation, she said.

Her name spread across the Internet, on Facebook and on libertarian forums and blogs, her story included as a cautionary tale about whether a "snitch" can be rehabilitated in a booklet called Rats! Your guide to protecting yourself against snitches, informers, informants, agents, provocateurs, narcs, finks, and similar vermin.

"No one wants to know the whole story," she said of her detractors. "No one can put themselves in my shoes."

Mike Salvi, who runs a Philly meetup group called "Truth, Freedom, Prosperity," has spoken to Litz, understands her story and believes that she just needs to live with her decisions. When it comes to regaining the trust of her former circles, her actions, he said, will speak louder than her apologies."

Stacy, look at the bright side, at least you didn't get "stitches".

Ten things I have learned.

I have learned a few things over the past couple of days and I would like to share them with you. Why? Because deep in my heart I believe that we can learn--and grow--together as human beings.

1. I learned that if FOX NEWS was around they would not have covered the Civil Rights march on Washington in 1963 because there was just too much "race- baiting" going on. You see, in the world of FOX News, they are the only ones allowed to be race- baiters.

2. I have learned that if you are from a large black family it might not be a good idea to all go out to a restaurant and celebrate any particular occasion all at the same time. If you do, try to go to a restaurant where there aren't quite so many white patrons. Apparently too many of you in one place tends to "threaten" white customers.

3. I have learned that you Negroes believe so much in "CP" time that you even show up late for your own funerals.

4. I have learned that while America focuses on the random and senseless killing of a stranger in Oklahoma, their fellow citizens continue to commit horrific and senseless crimes against their own family members.

5. I have learned that Colin Powell and Attorney General Holder understand who they are and where they stand in America.

6. I have learned that people like Star Parker and Clarence Thomas do not.

7. I have learned that Donald Trump is a fraud and a possible lawbreaker....wait, I already knew that.

8. I have learned that George Zimmerman is most likely a sociopath...wait, I, and others, already knew that as well.

9. I have learned that because of the culture of guns and violence in this country we will continue to have  accidents situations where there is a tragic loss of life.

10. Finally, I have learned that Democrats will continue to dominate national politics in this country, not because they are anything special, but because the other party is so far off the rails.

*Pic from The Constantine Report.





 

  

George goes gun shopping, and there is a new town in North Dakota.

You Negroes in Florida better stay in your houses for the next few days. George Zimmerman just went gun shopping and he is getting his hands on an even more deadly killing machine than the one he used to kill young Trayvon Martin.

"George Zimmerman who is already packing a pistol, toured a gun maker's factory this week and asked whether he could buy a shotgun.

Zimmerman, acquitted a month ago of killing teenager Trayvon Martin with a Kel-Tec 9 mm pistol, toured the Kel-Tec plant on Thursday in Cocoa, Fla. The plant is about an hour's drive from Sanford, the community where Martin was killed.

Zimmerman, 29, took a tour of the assembly plant and asked about the legality of buying a shotgun and smiled in a photograph with an employee, according to TMZ, which first reported the visit.

Representatives for Kel-Tec were not immediately available for comment, but the Kel-Tec web site says weapons are not sold at the plant. The site also states that they do not give tours, but that "Special arrangements can sometimes be made for Military, Law enforcement, or Educational purposes only." [Source]

Remember when his lawyer said that George would have to go in hiding and is in fear of his life? Well I hate to say this about a fellow officer of the court, but he lied.

Still, if George wants to just get away from it all and hang out with some like minded people, he might want to head to a little town called Cobsville. I  hear it's nice up there this time of year.

"A neo-Nazi activist has made public his plans to take over a small North Dakota town and turn it into a paradise for white supremacists seeking refuge from “Mexican illegal invaders” and “leftist journalists.”

According to the Hatewatch blog, a 61-year-old man named Craig Cobb has bought plots of land in Leith, N.D., a town of only 19 residents (only one of whom is black). Upon moving into the town, Cobb has invited other like-minded people to move in with him and help turn the town into a white supremacist haven he would like to name “Cobbsville.”

“I didn’t have a clue who the guy was until he showed up,” Leith’s current mayor Ryan Schock told the blog. “All I know is he bought that house sight unseen, $5,000 cash, and had no idea what it looked like, where it was, other than he knew the directions to get to Leith.”

Cobb wrote last year that anyone who moves onto his Leith property would be “required” to fly a “racialist banner,” such as the Nazi flag, at all times. He also asks that any new residents “import more responsible radical hard core [white nationalists]” and register to vote in the state so they can change local politics.
“Imagine strolling over to your neighbors to discuss world politics with nearly all like-minded volk,” he wrote. “Imagine the international publicity and usefulness to our cause! For starters, we could declare a Mexican illegal invaders and Israeli Mossad/IDF spies no-go zone. If leftist journalists or antis come and try to make trouble, they just might break one of our local ordinances and would have to be arrested by our town constable.”

To that end, Cobb has constructed a concrete prison, where he would like to lock up “recalcitrant journalists and lefty commies who violate the codes or peace of the community.”  [Source]

I bet they don't even have a Starbucks.

Finally, if you are heading to D.C. for the big march tomorrow, remember to wear some comfortable shoes.

This victim will be treated like a victim.

It's a real tragedy what happened to that Chris Lane fellow, but as an Australian, why was he even in this country on a  baseball scholarship? Don't they play cricket in Australia? And why was he out jogging by himself? Where was his girlfriend? And how do we know that he was just out jogging and not trying to score some drugs....

If you are reading this and thinking to yourself that Field Negro is out of his mind and how dare he disparage the victim of this tragedy in such a contumelious manner, you probably understand how those of us who wanted George Zimmerman tried and convicted for the murder of Trayvon Martin felt.

Chris Lane, like Trayvon Martin, is dead. Two young men cut down in the prime of their lives. Lane was killed because a bunch of thugs; one black, one Hispanic, and one white (sorry FOX News, one of his killers was white) decided that they were "bored" and it would be cool to just bang a random stranger.
Martin died because some dude decided that he didn't belong in his neighborhood.

The difference is that Chris Lane's killers will never see the light of day ever again, or, if they do, they will be too old to enjoy it. Martin's killer, on the other hand, is a free man who is basking in the glow of his celebrity status among those who believe that he did us all a favor by killing Trayvon Martin.

Martin was portrayed as the bad actor, and every negative thing in his background was highlighted over and over again by the media. His killer's sordid past was kept under wraps, and only those of us who took the time to go outside of the main stream-- news media-- bubble (thank you Mr. Capehart) were able to find out about all the skeletons in George Zimmerman's closet.

I am sure that Chris Lane was a nice guy, and I am just as sure that we will be hearing what a nice guy he was over and over again for the next few days.

That's fine with me. He was the victim here, and he deserves to be treated as such.

I just wish that another young man could have been treated the same way.  

That Katrina thing was Obama's fault, and the right wing conjures up a racial lie.

So there is this poll out that found that Louisiana republicans split as to who is to blame for the hurricane Katrina disaster. 28 percent of them blame George Bush and 29 percent of them blame president Obama. Then there is the other 44 percent who are not sure exactly who to blame. [Source]

This would be funny if it wasn't so sad. But these are the same people who have made folks like Ted Cruz and Rand Paul political rock stars. The same people who, when polled, said that interracial marriages are wrong, and who consider president Obama a racist because he got his children another dog that happens to be black.

Honestly, this takes the phrase "low information voter" to a whole different level.

Finally, some last words on that killing in Oklahoma. The one where FOX NEWS tried to create a racial conflict by lying about the facts in the case.

Hats off to Tommy Christopher:

"On Wednesday morning, Fox and Friends aired a segment in which they ostentatiously wondered why Revs. Sharpton and Jackson “haven’t come forward and said anything,” and even though they displayed a photo of the three suspects, which clearly showed that one of them is a white male, they quoted an Allen West tweet that said “Three black teens shoot white jogger.”
The Daily Caller actually improved on F&F. Initially, they ran a photo of the wrong Michael Jones, and issued this “correction”:

This, of course, changes everything. Edwards and Luna are being charged with first-degree murder, whereas Jones is charged with “using a vehicle to facilitate the discharge of a weapon and accessory after the fact of murder in the first degree.”
There’s your angle, Rev. Al. The one with the lightest skin got the lightest charge. The one who looks the least like Obama will get the least punishment. Let the racebaiting begin.

Here’s the photo The Daily Caller originally ran, with the wrong Michael Jones:

 

A Duncan police source confirmed to Mediaite, Wednesday morning, that 17 year-old Michael Jones is not “the one with the lightest skin,” he is a white male. It is true that 15 year-old James Edwards and 16 year-old Chancey Luna have been charged, as adults, with first-degree murder, while Jones is charged as an accessory after the fact, but Jones is also reported to have said “I pulled the trigger” in court Tuesday:

As the boys appeared in an Oklahoma courtroom, a 17-year-old blurted out, “I pulled the trigger,” then wept after a judge told him that Tuesday’s hearing wasn’t the time or place to sort out the facts of the case.

The three teens allegedly shot and killed Chris Lane “for the fun of it,” as infuriating a motive as there is, but so far, there is no indication that race played a role in the selection of the victim, and unlike the Trayvon Martin killing, the alleged perpetrators in this crime were almost immediately arrested and charged. Like other crimes that have been posited as “double standards,” there is no factual basis for comparison, and no one has explained what, exactly, they would expect Rev. Al to say.

That there is a chance to continue the Zimmerman defense team’s contention that it is reasonable to profile young black men, an opportunity to present young black men as products of an inherently violent culture. That one of the suspects is white is a complicating factor that some, it appears, are choosing to ignore.

To be clear, their premise would be equally false if all three suspects were black, but the fact that they’ve chosen to ignore Michael Jones’ race indicates a commitment to that premise no matter what the facts say. The oldest of the three suspects, who declared in open court that he “pulled the trigger,” is a white male, so perhaps these conservative outlets ought to be praising Al Sharpton for not coming out and saying that the lesson here is for black kids not to hang around with white kids. If he did, he would be rightly condemned, but such a declaration would be no more absurd than the idea that he should weigh in on a tragedy that, thus far, appears to be taking as just a course as is possible.

There’s definitely something wrong with the people who killed Chris Lane, but it’s not the color of their skin."

"I want them to rot in hell". That was the sentiment of the deceased man's girlfriend.

Mam, I feel your pain, but there are a few other people who I would love to see rot right beside them.















 

The Apartheid president.

Congrats to The Butler for being the number one movie at the box office this past weekend. As I wrote earlier, it was destined to be a hit. I won't be seeing it, but apparently conservatives have been watching it and they don't like what they see.

"Ronald Reagan biographer Craig Shirley appeared on Fox News Monday afternoon to criticize Lee Daniels’ The Butler an Oprah Winfrey-produced biopic of the White House butler who served under numerous presidents, a film that is drawing heat from conservatives over its portrayal of Reagan.

Most objectionable to Shirley and others is the film’s take on Reagan’s refusal to sanction South Africa over Apartheid. “It’s a very complex issue, and it was presented in a very simplistic fashion,” Shirley said. “It’s accurate to the extent that Reagan opposed the sanctions, but not accurate as to why he opposed the sanctions.”

Shirley argued that Reagan was constrained by Cold War politics". [Source]

This is classic conservative speak. Rather than acknowledge that they were on the wrong side of history; they try to rewrite it.

Seriously, what could have been so "complex" about Apartheid? Ronald Reagan, the patron saint of the conservative movement, is the same guy who chose Philadelphia, Mississippi- a place where three civil rights activists were murdered- to give a speech on states rights, disparaged America's greatest African American hero, and tried to appeal to bigots in his base when he tried to paint African American women as "welfare Queens."

Nope, there was nothing "complex" about Apartheid. It was a racist policy("state sanctioned segregation") put in place by a racist government to hold down blacks in that country. Reagan knew that and he supported it. It's really that simple.

Finally, there is sad story out of Oklahoma. Three young thugs shot some poor dude from Australia to death just for fun and because they could. In case you Aussies didn't know, that's how we roll here in A-murder-ca. It's all about the guns.

There were a couple of killings last night in Philly as well, and three more in a little town 20 minutes from here called Chester. Just another typical summer night in Killadelphia.

Conservative radio and wingnuts in general are playing up the racial angle of the killing in Oklahoma, and there are even calls to label it a hate crime. Some idiot named Mike Gallagher was ranting on the radio about a white march for justice and a movement led by white people for this Aussie baseball player like there was for Trayvon Martin.

Not quite. Maybe, like Zimmerman, they thought that they could just kill someone and get away with it. But, unlike Zimmerman, they were all immediately arrested ---as they should have been--- and will be tried as adults for their alleged crime.

But still, I will be willing to march for justice with my white brothers and sisters, as long as we march against the NRA and their enablers as well.  

  

Did Regal profile Negroes from "The Butler"? And the GOP minority outreach continues.

Oh lawd! If Negroes who are going to see "The Butler" of all movies are getting profiled, we have a serious problem here in America.

"The new Civil Rights drama Lee Daniels’ The Butler is a smash hit, but according to some Regal Cinemas patrons in Silver Spring, Maryland, the theater's security for the film was a colossal bomb.

A Twitter user named Tiffany Flowers reported that patrons of the Silver Spring Regal Cinemas had their tickets to The Butler checked twice, and were greeted in the theater by armed policemen. Managers at the theater have been directed not to comment, referring media inquiries to a phone number that’s unmanned on weekends, but Washington ABC affiliate WJLA will air a report on the story this evening."

Of course, as is always the case, there was the corporate double speak.

"Russ Nunley, a spokesman for Regal Cinemas, emailed theGrio the following statement Sunday afternoon:

'Regal Entertainment Group routinely employs security personnel to ensure the safety all of our guests and staff. When a theatre experiences sold out showings of any feature, security will assist with crowd control and guest assistance throughout the facility, including auditoriums."

This weekend our Majestic theatre experienced a tremendous guest response to the feature the ‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ such that additional showtimes were added to meet our guests demands.

At no time did local management receive any guest complaints or concerns about our security or staff, who worked diligently to meet all of our guests needs.

To the extent any guests were dissapointed with their experience, we welcome the opportunity to address their concerns and provide them the best entertainment experience possible in their future visits to our theatres.[sic]'" [Source]

I call bull s**t. (This is the same company that tried to stiff their employees because of the passing of the ACA.)

And it's not like we are talking about a movie like New Jack City or Juice, here.
This is hardly the type of movie that would attract a large crowd of rowdy "young bucks".

But hey, you never know, some nut could get a gun and just start killing people in the theater.... Wait.....Never mind.

Finally, in spite of some obstacles along the way, the republican party is still trying to reach out to minorities and become the "party of Lincoln" again. Unfortunately, though, there is a problem;actual republicans.

Oh well, hopefully they will get their act together soon and start giving us some real ideas that can add to the political debate and give us some solid ideas from their perspective that can help us move forward as a country.

I know that it's a long shot, but a man can dream.

Choosing the Constitution when it's convenient, and the heartless tea party people.

Have you ever wondered why some of the same people who are upset about the NSA spy program and how it potentially violates our constitutional rights  are mum about the "stop-and- frisk" program in New York? I mean you can't have it both ways. Either you are for adhering to the constitution or you are not.

If you are not comfortable giving up some of your freedoms to keep you safe from al- Qaeda, then why are you cool with giving up some of your constitutional rights to protect you from a few street thugs? That was a rhetorical question. I know why.

Anyway, given Ray Kelly's position on "stop-and- frisk" I would be very disappointed if president Obama picks him as the next head of the Department of Homeland Security.

“I’ve spent some time in Washington. I know it’s wise to keep my mouth shut at this time,” Kelly told CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

And the president would be wise to look elsewhere. Given his administration's record on privacy of late, picking Kelly would be like picking a priest to head the Boy Scouts. It might work out in the long run, but there is that whole perception thing.

Finally, there is a reason I don't like those tea party folks, and it's not just because most of them are a bunch of unapologetic racists and that they are destroying the country. 

The following story should give you a similar feeling about these folks.

"During a town hall meeting in Murfreesboro, TN, tea party Congressman Scott Desjarlais told the daughter of an undocumented immigrant looking for advice on keeping her father in the country that he would have to be deported.

Mr. DesJarlais, I have papers, but I have a dad who’s undocumented,” eleven year old Josie Molina asked the congressman. “What can I do to have him stay with me?”

“'Thank you for being here, and thank you for coming forward and speaking,' DesJarlais answered. 'This is a big, intimidating crowd, and I appreciate you coming forward and asking a question. But the answer still kind of remains the same. We have laws, and we need to follow those laws, and that’s where we're at.' The crowd cheered Desjarlais's response." [Source]

That's right, I despise them because they are just a heartless group of people.




 





    

"Facial profiling" in New York, and Rand runs his mouth in Kentucky.

Let me start this post by saying that folks in New York should learn not to judge a book by its cover. Tonight I have to stand up for that Duck Dynasty dude who got tossed out of a fancy New York hotel because they thought that he was a homeless man.

They are calling it "facial profiling" because of his bearded look, but I am calling it something else: class discrimination. That, like racial discrimination, is a serious problem in this country.

"The first thing that happened to me at the hotel was I got escorted out," Robertson said of what he called a "facial-profiling deal," as the Louisiana clan is known for their long beards.

RELATED: WILLIE ROBERTSON OF 'DUCK DYNASTY' SAYS HE WON'T RUN FOR CONGRESS Robertson continued to explain that the employees simply had no idea who he was.

"I asked where the bathroom was and he said, 'Right this way, sir.' He was very nice, he walked me outside, pointed down the road and said, 'Good luck.'"

Jase, welcome to our world, and let me speak for black folks by saying that we feel your pain. But here is the good news: tomorrow you can shave your beard and you will never have to worry about "facial profiling" again.

Finally, I am pretty sure that Rand Paul is running for president in 2016 because he is doing his best to lock down the white vote.

Paul agrees with almost 70% of his fellow white Americans that black folks are not being disenfranchised at the voting booth. Of course blacks folks tend to disagree. Some black folks are even suing to be able to vote without barriers being placed in their way. One, in particular, is 92 years old. (Rand is hoping that she won't be around in 2016)

"And while census numbers back up the senator’s statement, with Blacks voting at 66 percent when compared to 64 percent for Whites, it also must be noted that one of the chief catalysts of African-American voter turnout in 2012 was voter suppression.

With Republican lawmakers pushing last-minute voter ID laws to seemingly stifle the Black vote, African Americans showed up at the polls in unprecedented numbers."

Rand, you might want to stop all the race talk. The last thing you want to do is fire up those Negroes again.

American gumbo, and twenty five thousand reasons not to take money from a racist.

That Anthony Karen is one special kind of photo journalist. Forget the great pictures (just look at Uncle Jeb in this one), how did he even live among these people to take them? Oh well, I guess it takes all types of stew to melt in this great pot of ours to cook American gumbo.

"New York-based photojournalist Anthony Karen has a knack for getting inside of some of America’s most secretive organizations.

A former Marine, Karen is the author of The Invisible Empire: Ku Klux Klan, and White Pride, both of which document white supremacist culture. In dozens of photo essays, Karen has dealt with American subcultures ranging from skinheads to Kansas’ Westboro Baptist Church.

“

I have a keen interest in religious ideology and marginalized subject matter. I prefer documenting long-term stories, because I feel a story can always be improved upon; there’s always some nuance that you’ll discover with subsequent trips. This methodology has proven helpful as I develop as a photojournalist,” Karen told Slate in an email.

“I think a lot of the credibility I’ve earned also stems from my basic philosophy that you need to give some of yourself in order to receive anything back,” Karen told FotoEvidence.

“I spend time with people, I listen to what they have to say, and I treat each person as an individual. I don’t have to believe what they believe, but whenever I’m in someone’s space, I feel I’m obliged to observe without judgment. That's not to say I wouldn't intervene if I felt a situation called for it, but I choose to observe moment to moment and simply take in what I see and experience without presumption or pretext.” [More]

Whatever dude. Better you than me.

Finally, I have a message for Rev. Al: Just because someone gives you money doesn't mean that you have to take it. Not all money is good money.

Now Bill O'Reilly is using the fact that he broke you off to take the "some of my best friends are black" card to a whole different level. I know you saw that check and it made your eyes get big, but sometimes you have to consider the source.

If someone who is dealing illegal pharmaceuticals here on the streets of Philly  wants to break me off with some dollars just because he can, I would politely decline the offer because I know that somewhere down the line my interactions with this individual would come back to bite me.

Actually, Bill O'Reilly might be worse than a Philly drug dealer, because if a drug dealer gave me $25,000.00 and he said that it was for Christmas gifts for kids I doubt that he would later use it to advance another agenda.  

Rev. Al, consider yourself bitten. 







 

The rise and fall of Jesse, Jr.

It's sad to see yet another black politician convicted of violating the public trust and misleading the American people.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison, and his wife, Sandi, was given a year.

That's a big fall for a guy who was sitting on top of the world and who was a great politician and rising star in the Democratic Party.

 "I misled the American people....I also want to apologize to my dad and my mother," Jackson said, wiping away tears. "I take responsibility for my actions and I'm very sorry for what I have done..."   

You should be, Jesse. Hopefully you will take this time to reflect on all the good you could have done for your community instead of being locked away on our dime.

Unfortunately what Jesse Jackson did is not that unusual for a politrickster.  Sadly, but for the double standards in American life, many others would be under the same type of scrutiny.

Take, for instance, Bob McDonnell, the governor of Virginia.

"Question: How is it that the Governor of Virginia hasn’t been indicted on corruption charges?

Virginia’s Governor Bob McDonnell has been quick to remind everyone that “he hasn’t broken any state laws” as revelation after revelation has come out (none of which he has denied…) on an endless number of undisclosed “gifts” from a rich businessman.  Nothing was “wrong” under the law, but then — whoops — he then repaid the millionaire businessman.  It appears clear, as it has for months, that the Governor violated state law by not disclosing the gifts.

 The repayments the Governor has now made include $52,278.17 for a “loan” to the Governors wife in 2011 and $71,837.00 for two other “loans” in 2012 as well as $15,000 to pay for the wedding of McDonnell’s daughter.  That transaction had McDonnell’s signature on it.  Will McDonnell repay the $53,000 a lawyer protecting him in this fiasco billed Virginia? No word on that yet.

Additionally, the governor’s wife spent money from the governor’s PAC at Nordstom’s and Bergdorf-Goodman.  Sounds a lot like what former Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr’s wife Sandi was prosecuted for doesn’t it?  Is the U.S. Attorney in Richmond asleep? The Governor has received $120,000 in trips and gifts from a business man he then did a big favor for.  The Governor hosted a product endorsement event at the the Governor’s mansion. What else has to happen for there to be an indictment?" [More]

Oh I know I know. *raising hand* Get a tan and an Afro wig?

    

Henrietta's cells, and a sad anniversary.

America owes us so much and there are still some folks who refuse to show us any love. I am thinking about Henrietta Lacks and her incredible contribution to health and science. If you are reading this and you have never heard of her you should be ashamed of yourself.

But take heart, hopefully after reading this post you will be able to show off your Henrietta Lacks knowledge to your friends.

"When Henrietta Lacks was stricken with an aggressive cancer more than 60 years ago, doctors who treated her at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore took cells from her tumor without her permission or knowledge, as was common practice at the time. They soon learned that the cells were just as aggressive in a laboratory dish. Instead of dying quickly as previous cell lines had, they kept replicating at an astonishing rate, earning them the label “immortal” and making them immensely valuable to any scientist who wanted a stable base for experiments.

The cells, called HeLa cells, are ubiquitous in labs around the world and have been used in more than 74,000 research studies on almost every disease. The cells have helped researchers develop a polio vaccine and gain insights into cell biology, in vitro fertilization, and cancer, among other advances.
      

The enduring constant in this saga has been the cavalier treatment of the Lacks family by medical researchers. Neither Ms. Lacks nor others in her family were told that extracting cells from her tumor (and later taking cells from some of her relatives) was not being done for their benefit but for the benefit of science.

That condescending attitude changed last week when the National Institutes of Health announced an agreement with the Lacks family that will restrict N.I.H.-financed research on the genome of HeLa cells (not the use of HeLa cells in experiments) and place two family members on a committee to approve such research.

 

The family was especially concerned that publishing the full genomic sequence of HeLa cells would violate its privacy by revealing abnormalities in genes that could be transmitted to later generations. Although the deal does not apply to projects not funded by N.I.H., the agency hopes all researchers will honor it." [Source]

 

Taking this woman's cell for 62 years without her permission was not cool. And using her cell to replicate an endless cell line which is now being used all around the world is definitely not cool.

 

The thing is, knowing black folks the way that I do, all they had to do was ask.

 

Finally, since we are talking about History, on this day in 1906, African American soldiers stationed in Brownsville, Texas got into it with the locals of that town.

 

Read up on what happened in Brownsville and tell me if you think the actions of President Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft were that of honorable men, and why so little is known about this sad chapter of American history.   

 

 

Hannah, Alexis, and the American media.

I am glad to see that authorities (and the news media) left no stones unturned to free Hannah Anderson after that psycho kidnapped her and killed two members of her family. (Mr. DiMaggio, I hope you packed light for your next trip; it will be warm down there.) Not surprisingly, this story had cable news outlets crawling over themselves to get to it this weekend, and as far as Hannah is concerned, all is well that ended well. (They are talking about it now on CNN.)

Of course there is another story of a teenager that was kidnapped, but you might not have heard of this one.

"Kidnapping suspect: in custody. Teen girl: still missing.

Authorities arrested Randolph Taylor, 48, in connection with the disappearance of Alexis Murphy, 17, of Nelson County, Va.

"It's been determined that she really was abducted, and we have a suspect and they're in custody. That's major," Murphy's aunt, Trina Taylor, told local station WWBT.

The FBI announced the arrest Sunday night.

Murphy was last spotted at a Liberty Gas Station near her home in Lovingston on Aug. 3 about 7:15 p.m. She was wearing a pink blouse, floral-print spandex pants and brown boots and carried a gray purse.

Murphy is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and African-American, and she weighs about 157 pounds. Her right nostril and the left side of her upper-lip are pierced.
RELATED: FRIEND: KIDNAPPING SUSPECT HAD CRUSH ON MISSING TEEN   Hundreds of people braved the rain for a candlelight vigil to support Murphy’s family at the Nelson County High School football field Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Murphy was last seen at a gas station near her hometown in Lovingston on Aug. 3 about 7:15 p.m. Her friends are wearing pink in honor of Murphy, who was last seen wearing a pink blouse.  
Murphy's mother, Laura Ann Murphy, spoke briefly at the end of the conference, offering an emotional appeal for help finding her girl.

"If anybody knows anything please, let us know, please," she cried.
Anyone with information about Murphy's disappearance is asked to call 434-263-7050." [Source]

Alexis, I know that your case didn't get the same amount of publicity that Hannah's did, but ultimately, I hope you meet the same fate.

Finally, we all say this coming. A Federal Judge in New York has found that here in America it's not cool to profile a bunch of people because they happen to fit a "vague or generalized description" of a bad guy. She has found that "Stop & Frisk", as it is carried out in New York, is illegal.

Of course New York's diminutive billionaire Mayor was not pleased.

"There is just no question that stop-question-frisk has saved countless lives. And we know that most of the lives saved, based on the statistics, have been black and Hispanic young men," a combative Bloomberg told reporters at City Hall, where he denounced the finding by Judge Shira Scheindlin that cops had been making "unconstitutional stops and conducting unconstitutional frisks" based on race.

The mayor said, "It's worth remembering that as recently as 1990, New York City averaged more than six murders a day. Today, we've driven that down to less than one murder a day.

"Think about what that change really means: if murder rates over the last 11 years had been the same as the previous 11 years, more than 7,300 people who today are alive would be dead" - and many of those lives were saved by stop and frisk.

"I worry for my kids and I worry for your kids," Bloomberg said. [Source]

Stop it! Your kids will be fine. And thankfully, at least for now, so will the Constitution.

The ignorance of Erin Burnett and the "white privilege" industry.

Thanks to Oprah Winfrey, we now know that even when you have access to a billion dollars, "color arousal" can still affect your life. It's one of the sad realities of living in a color aroused world. We have all been there: The white guy or gal with barely a high school education shading you in an expensive store or high end area because they think you don't belong. It has happened to Oprah before, and given her age and status she can expect it to happen to her again.

But this post isn't about Oprah and her experience, it's about one particular anchor woman reporting on it.

Lately it has been the norm for those in the majority population to shout down claims of racism. FOX News has been leading this ignorant meme parade, but thanks to clowns like Erin Burnett over at CNN, the torch of ignorance has been passed.

CNN's Erin Burnett, covering the story of the Swiss store that told Oprah Winfrey a purse she wanted to see was "too expensive," offered a cringe-worthy assessment of the situation. Burnett first falsely suggested that Oprah herself was trying to play the race card and then compared Winfrey to a hooker.
Burnett's remarkably tone-deaf commentary can speak for itself. At the beginning of the segment, she played a clip of the Entertainment Tonight segment during which Oprah first told the story.

In the clip, Winfrey says, "I could have had the big blow-up thing, and thrown down the black card and all that stuff, but why do that?" Burnett then picks up the interview with filmmaker Safiya Songhai.

Oprah's made it very clear. She thought this was an act of racism; she was subjected to racism. She says, look, I could have thrown down the whole black thing, but I chose not to.

"The whole black thing," Burnett says. Winfrey could have "thrown down the whole black thing." Except that it is obviously not what Winfrey said. When Winfrey says "thrown down the black card," she makes a gesture as though she's putting down a credit card. Because that's what Winfrey means: she could have laid down the exclusive black American Express she carries to show that she could afford the purse, but she didn't. Winfrey even accentuates "card" — "I could have thrown down the black card" versus "the black card" — but Burnett doesn't pick up on it. Because to Burnett, Winfrey is being overreactive in suggesting it's about race.

I am sure Burnett knows what at Amex black card is, in fact, I bet she probably has one. So her not picking up on the fact that Winfrey did not mean the "race card" but that she was literally talking about a black card was even more mind-boggling.

But this is where we are in America; the people who report on the news and who are supposed to be leading the national conversation on things such as race are all morons who bring their own ignorance and prejudices to the table for the rest of us to ponder and digest.

Burnett, speaking from her perch of white privilege, was quick to downplay Winfrey's experience and blame it all on Winfrey's own racial sensitivities. The fact that Winfrey happens to have a big bank account makes her actions even more egregious in the eyes of people like Burnett. "How can she cry racism when she has money and America has been so good to her?" As if that makes the sting of racism hurt less.

"Burnett says that it may not have been about race — it may instead have been like the scene in Pretty Woman, when a prostitute is turned away from a high-end store. "It's sort of like that moment," Burnett says. She continues:

They didn't want a hooker in their store, and they knew she was a hooker. But you look now, and they say, well, was it just that they thought she couldn't afford it. And if so, even if it wasn't overt racism, did they say, well, because this woman's black, she can't afford it.

This is literally what Burnett says. The most generous assessment of that statement is that perhaps the store wasn't being racist, they simply thought that because Winfrey's a woman who's black, she can't afford it.
Which is the definition of racism. 

It's easy to see how race played a role in Winfrey's experience. Burnett tries twice to suggest it's not, first by implying Winfrey threatened to play the race card (which she didn't), and second by saying that it may have just been because they assumed Winfrey was poor because she was black (which is racist). [Source]

Of course it is "racist". And Burnett is no different than the woman who served Winfrey in that store in Switzerland called Trois Pommes.




     

Paula beats out Dr. King.

I have a lot of friends who live in the Atlanta area. It's a nice city with some good people. But then you think about the state that it is in and you have to step back a little bit. Not the Pistolvania is much better, but as bad as some of the folks are here, I am pretty sure that you would not have the following kind of poll numbers in the Keystone state:

"Paula Deen may have lost support from her sponsors, the Food Network, and much of the public but, according to a recent poll, there’s one area in which she’s still going strong: among Georgia Republicans.

According to Public Policy Polling, the embattled Southern cooking mogul has a whopping 73% favorability rating with Georgia Republicans, even following her recent and well-publicized “fall from grace” involving her past use of racist language.

Deen previously admitted to using the “n-word” during a suit filed by a former employee alleging “violent, sexist, and racist” behavior from both the chef and her brother “Bubba.” She also received strong criticism for her expressed desire to have a “Southern plantation-style” theme wedding for her brother complete with all-black waitstaff, apparently harkening back to the days of slavery in the American South. Following this admission, and the ensuing controversy, the Food Network (which airs her show Paula’s Home Cooking) and numerous other businesses have ceased relations with the chef.

The real kicker here is that, according to the PPP, her favorability is markedly higher than another famous southerner –Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He garnered 59% favorability among self-identified Republicans in the state." [Source]

Hmmm, 73% for the racist Queen of fried chicken and 59% for Dr. King. Kind of why I am keeping as far away from that republican tent as possible. No wonder their minority outreach isn't going too well.

Finally, I am glad to see Eric Holder's Justice Department reviewing the Ramarley Graham case up in New York. What happened to that young man was just wrong. Shot in his own home by a New York police officer who claims that he feared for his own life. Of course the young man was unarmed, and the officers kicked in his door and initiated the confrontation.

A Judge in New York dismissed manslaughter charges against the officer and he is now free to go back to the streets and do his thing.

"There was something haunting about the moment in the Bronx courtroom when the decision was announced regarding the charges against the police officer who shot and killed Ramarley Graham. As the judge dismissed the manslaughter charges against the officer, Constance Malcolm, the mother of the dead 18-year-old, shrieked in grief and shouted so heatedly at the judge that she was removed from the courtroom.

“I am angry and cannot express my feelings alone,” she said, speaking to reporters afterward. “I am ready to take it to the streets and the highest of the highest. Please be prepared for a major protest.” She was later hospitalized after the emotion of the experience.

Acting Justice Steven Barrett, of the State Supreme Court of New York, said in his ruling that the prosecution failed to give precise instructions to the grand jury that indicted Richard Haste, the police officer who faced manslaughter charges.

The judge further explained that the members of the grand jury were not provided sufficient information that Haste had been told that the teenage Graham might have been carrying a weapon. “With not great pleasure, I’m obliged in this case to dismiss the charges.”

There remains a huge problem here. An 18-year-old young man is now dead, killed by an overzealous police officer who soon discovered that Graham was unarmed. With the justice’s decision, no one has yet been held accountable for the death of this young man." [Source]

Sound familiar?

Trying to find common ground.

Let me start this post by acknowledging the attack of that young man in Florida by three young men of color. Their actions were reprehensible and wrong, and they should be punished to the fullest extent available under the law.

Having said that, the young man they attacked is still alive, and contrary to what wingnuts would have us believe, the attack on him was not racially motivated. I know conservatives are playing the race card, but sorry, that's just not the case here. And just because some black punks attack a person who happens to be white, it does not mean that Rev. Inc. (I should have trademarked that) should make a public statement about it. So please stop calling for Al Sharpton and Rev. Jackson to speak up for the young man who was attacked on that bus. The young man has plenty of you white folks to do that for him. 

So anyway, in my endless search to find common ground with these racial issues that divides us in America, I am always looking for folks on the other side who can meet me halfway. I thought I found one in Kevin McCullough, but then I read his entire screed and.....

"Despite all of the genuine hopes, by millions of people, of every tribe and tongue from every corner of this planet, an excruciatingly sad reality is being made perfectly clear.

The issue of race--and more specifically America's brand of racism--will never be defeated.

As the father of a multi-racial family, this reality strikes at the disappointment my soul feels about many things in our nation today, but none more personal.
Some who see the headline to this piece will immediately assume I've taken a position in this fight. Because I merely observe what is evident, and state my observation publicly. Some whites will believe I am attacking them. Many African-Americans will believe I am championing their grievances. The truth is neither, the truth is both, and the truth will never be admitted.
For it is impossible to cure a societal sickness, when parties don't wish for it to be cured!

And while there are some pockets where racial bias presents itself in the white to black reality of our culture, the overwhelming abusers of race, the manipulators of skin color, and the purveyors of hate based on ignorance and ill will--are actually those who claim they are fighting against it.
The case of Travon Martin's death is the complete evidence of that last assertion.

No where, was there an ounce of evidence that the man who shot Travon followed him, reported him, or defended himself against him--even for his very life--based on the color of Travon's skin. Yet "civil rights 'leaders'"--who in reality have more moral authority being a clown in a local circus than thoughtful and genuine purveyors of racial understanding--manipulated every element of fact in the case to convince the sleeping media--who refused to do their homework--that the man who shot Travon was racially motivated, racially biased, and hateful of races different than his.

None of which was proven in the elongated case, coverage during, or clownery following the conclusion.

Simply put, the Sharpton, Jackson, Holder, and Obama rhetoric--though stating it was dressed in compromise--actually was intended to incite further anger, resentment, and furtherance of the untruths told for months in the case.
So if the "civil rights 'leadership'" is throwing gas on the heated embers, how else will those--who choose not to investigate facts for themselves but accept these voices wholesale--react?

The accumulation of power in the minds of the four leaders mentioned above is more important than truly trying to find resolution, understanding, and accuracy.

Another bit of evidence in the matter is that when voices of reason do speak (i.e. Lisa Fritsch, Charles Barkley, Dr. William Cosby, et. al), based on seeing the facts for themselves and then urging calm they are shouted down. Or in Dr. Cosby's case--"Reverend" Jesse Jackson in a moment of candidness--utters desires to remove Cosby's anatomical manhood.

Also readily evident to any who would be honest is that when there are voices who point out that current solutions being touted for suffering neighborhoods are not working, squeals of "racism", come the same grievance inciters. So when a popular commentator on the largest news network points out the inconsistency of punishing a Latin American man harshly for an accidental death, while more or less ignoring the character, grooming, and integrity of African-American men who go on killing rampages in wholly African-American controlled neighborhoods is at a minimum hypocritical.

The truth--the cold hard truth--is that this cadre of voices (Sharpton, Holder, Jackson, Obama, et al.) benefit far more by practicing racism in theory, rhetoric, and actions, than by ever seeking honest resolutions. They continue to be propped up by those who keep themselves intellectually shallow of fact. And a handful of media outlets--mostly operated by NBC--seem to pander on the issue instead of seeking intellectually rigorous, heartfelt, passionate solutions to the problems that face the nation.

This combination of dishonesty, access, and support now furthers racist outcomes and those involved are directly contributing to the anger, vandalism, and violence that follows in its wake.

As the father of a son whose skin is darker than any of the men mentioned in this article, my fear is what consequences he faces, because of their vanity, selfishness, hubris, and greed.

See in order to end racism, you must not merely tolerate people who are different than you--but begin to truly honor, serve, and love them.
And it is the absence of honor in the character of today's "civil rights 'leaders'" that betrays their true intention: to practice racism, and to profit from it for themselves indefinitely." [Source]

Nice try Kevin, but by attacking "today's civil rights leaders" you have declared your allegiance to your ideological soul mates and you are not an honest broker. You have taken a position in this fight, and declared your fidelity to a particular point of view. Clearly your "hopes" are not as "genuine as you allege.  

I feel sorry for your son. It's not the "vanity, selfishness, hubris, and greed" of the civil rights leaders you should worry about; it's your own.