Racism visits Jackie again, and when Negroes say stupid things.

Tonight my racism chase takes me to Brooklyn. A borough of New York, which, in my opinion, happens to be wonderful place to visit. Sadly, though, the big R is everywhere.
 

"A statue that honors baseball icon Jackie Robinson has been vandalized with racial slurs and Hitler references — in Brooklyn of all places.

The defaced statue — which shows teammate Pee Wee Reese putting his arm around Robinson — was discovered Wednesday morning outside of MCU Park on Coney Island where the Brooklyn Cyclones play.

Robinson broke baseball's color barrier in 1947 as a member of the Brooklyn Dodgers, a story pushed back into the mainstream recently because of the Robinson biopic "42" that came out earlier this year.

As the film shows and history knows, Robinson had to overcome the racism of the era to become a baseball star. Racial epithets were hurled his way like they were pitches.

You'd like to think our society is beyond such things in 2013, but then an incident like this happens and you realize sometimes you give people too much credit. Even if just a few isolated, hate-filled knuckleheads are responsible.
The New York Daily News has specifics:

A manager at MCU Park stumbled upon the defaced statue about 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, cops said. Among the hate-filled messages written in black marker on the monument to Robinson and his Brooklyn Dodgers teammate Pee Wee Reese were: "Heil Hitler," "Die n----r," "F--k n----r" and "F--k Jackie Robinson."

The discovery disgusted the Brooklyn Cyclones organization.
"The statue is a symbol of tolerance," said Billy Harner, director of communications for the Cyclones. "It's an absolute tragedy that someone would deface it the way they did."

 Harner said the incident happened sometime after the Cyclones game Tuesday night.

Work started almost immediately to clean up the statue." [Source]

It's a shame that they can't clean out the hearts of some of the folks here in America. I mean if they hate on Jackie Robinson of all people there is no limit to their ignorance.

Speaking of ignorance, I am really through with this Negro, Lee Daniels. I know that he is a Philly guy, but come on now.....

"Speaking to reporters at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Orlando, Florida, Oscar nominated-director Lee Daniels (Precious, The Butler), said that it is possible for White people — particularly in the Deep South — to “really love” Black people and still call them “n*ggas,” reports Politico.com.

Delving into the “strategic” use of the n-word in ‘The Butler’ as it was used by former President Lyndon B. Johnson against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement, Daniels opined that obvious displays of racism can be misleading:

“For me, it was very strategic,” Daniels told a group of reporters at NABJ. “When we did use it, it was used later on by Cuba [Gooding Jr., as the head butler] making fun of someone that did use it, Lyndon Johnson. It was sort of the joke that this guy uses it. So when he says it and talks about, it opens up —  like Paula Deen — the concept of white people loving us and really loving us and feeling that it’s fine to use the word nigga. That’s how Johnson felt. He did something that was incredible for us. That’s trying to be taken away from us right now. And yet, he used that word just like ‘pass the grits.’ Racism is a very hard thing to explain, especially in the South.”

As previously reported by NewsOne, Paula Deen was fired by the Food Network and lost countless endorsements over her use of the word “ni**ers” and her plantation fantasy of planning a wedding reception with Black men serving food dressed as Antebellum slaves" [Source]

This Negro might be worse than the bone head who sprayed racist graffiti on Jackie's statue.

Finally, yet another Philly connected Negro did and said something really stupid the other night at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) conference in Orlando. This time the culprit was former Eagle, Hugh Douglas.

"Hugh Douglas, a first-round pick of the Jets in 1995, apparently had too much to drink last Friday night when he accosted his “Numbers Never Lie” co-host Michael Smith and vowed to beat him to a pulp during a party thrown by the National Association of Black Journalists at the House of Blues in Orlando, Fla.
"The Big Lead website reported Douglas called Smith an “Uncle Tom” and a “House n-----.” Douglas, a 6-2, 280-pounder who spent 10 seasons in the NFL, was apparently trying to get on stage to join the DJ. He became incensed when Smith was hesitant to assist him. That’s when Douglas threatened to punch Smith out.

Smith attempted to walk away, but Douglas grabbed him by the wrist before party-goers intervened to break things up. An ESPN spokesman said network suits were aware of the altercation and “were looking into the situation.” Still, it remains to be seen if Douglas and Smith will be able to work together." [Source]

Hugh, Michael Smith is not the "House n*****", you are. Having too much to drink in a public setting and not being able to control yourself is house Negro behavior.










 



 



 

Those buses again.

I was prepared to rip the people of Beavercreek, Ohio tonight , but I am not going to do that. I am going to leave these wonderful apple pie eating Americans living in their Rockwellian paradise, alone.

I know that they want to keep you Negroes out, and honestly, given your behavior of late, I am not sure that I can blame them. You Negroes better thank your lucky stars for the federal government, because without it you would be some walking fools.

 "Oh Field stop it, you can have violence and bad neighbors no matter where you live. Look at what happened in Saylorsburg, Pennsylvania.  I bet they didn't see that coming."

Yes, but you can never be too careful.

Anyway, these folks from Beavercreek don't want to put some bus stops in their neighborhood because they just don't want another Trayvon type situation on their hands.

"A lily-white Ohio suburb is doing everything it can, including risking millions in federal highway funding, to keep mostly minority bus-riders from a nearby city from entering their community. The showdown began in 2010 when the Greater Dayton Regional Transit Authority proposed adding three new bus stops in Beavercreek, a largely white suburb 15 minutes east of Dayton.

These new stops would give Dayton bus-riders access to Beavercreek’s major shopping mall and nearby businesses, as well as a medical clinic and Wright State University.

Facing the prospect of buses coming in from Dayton, the Beavercreek City Council began enacting as many hurdles as they could to stop the new bus stops. Among the dozen roadblocks included mandating that bus shelters included heated and air conditioning as well as high-tech surveillance cameras, features that would be hugely expensive and are not common at other stops. Unsurprisingly, these demands couldn’t be met and the council rejected the expansion. “We turned downed an application because they didn’t meet our (design) criteria,” Beavercreek City Councilman Scott Hadley explained to Eye On Ohio.

Many in the area argue that their opposition boils down to a simple reason: race. According to the 2010 census, 9 in 10 Beavercreek residents are white, but 73 percent of those who ride the Dayton RTA buses are minorities. [Source]

Hey, at least you Negroes can sit anywhere you want to on the bus now, you just can't stop anywhere you want.

How would you like to be one of my Gay brothers and sisters? Just like you had to do back in the day, they are now finding themselves having to go to the back of the bus. (I bet poor Rosa Parks didn't see this one coming.)

"We're out there aggressively making sure this never happens again because this does not belong in Albuquerque, New Mexico," Berry told KOB-TV. "This does not reflect Albuquerque, New Mexico, and as the mayor I'm upset about it, and we want to make sure we get to the bottom of it."

Good for Albuquerque, now if we could get the people of Beavercreek, Ohio and like minded individuals to think like that we just might make it to the 21st Century.

  



 

 

Here comes The Butler.

I have heard some good things about the new Lee Daniels movie, The Butler, and I really wish that I could embrace it, but sadly, I cannot.

I am sure that there is some fine acting in the movie, and knowing Hollywood (and America) the way that I do, I am sure that it will win a bunch of awards. But I feel the same way about this movie as I did about The Help: Just America glorifying the subservient obsequious Negro who, during times of oppression and injustice, tolerated it with a turn the other check kind of dignity that while admirable, did not improve his or her condition.

Americans love feel good movies where the subservient black suffers with quiet dignity and the white who is sympathetic to his plight can play the hero. It's why Hollywood keeps making movies like Driving Ms. Daisy, 42, The Help, and The Butler. It's why you will never see a major studio green light a project about the life and times of Fred Hampton, H. Rap Brown, John Rock, or Angela Davis. Films about those folks would make us too uncomfortable.

"The Butler is filled with cultural inside jokes that the 25 or so African-American attendees (mostly press), got instantly. The characters, rounder than we’re used to seeing, darker skinned, many far from the silver screen standard of beauty could’ve easily been our grand parents, aunts and uncles. Terrence Howard was everyone’s shiftless neighbor and despite missing his front tooth, charmed Oprah into an affair. Even Lenny Kravitz – who in real life manages to look sexy walking down the street in last Tuesday’s clothes and a man purse – was down played to just another handsome Black man who married a big sassy Black woman in an obvious wig.

 

But as I sat there, a row in front of an offensive White woman, drunk from her own entitlement, watching painful truths about the history of my people in this country, I couldn’t help but wonder: What does ‘Black’ mean now? 2013 - long after we’ve twice elected a black president but failed to convict the killer of a black teenager - what is the ethos of this culture of mine?

 

I grew up Black – not just as a race but a verb. Weddings in church basements, in households where Martin Luther and Luther Vandross were equally revered. We attended home goings that lasted from day into night. My aunt, the crackhead, would do anything for you – just don’t leave your purse around her. Summers meant family reunions in matching shirts that always alternated between yellow, purple and red.  And our grand parents raised me, along with a number of my cousins. And every time we’d hear of a particularly heinous (or stupid) crime we’d collectively wish aloud, “I hope he’s not Black."

 

Those were great points about the black experience and what it means in 2013, but you didn't need The Butler" to make them.   

  

America and the F word.

“When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

Conservatives actually like to claim that it is liberals and not the right wing who are the real fascists in American politics. One of their more high profile thinkers even wrote a book about it. Yes, as laughable as it might seem, some clown named Jonah Goldberg actually found enough words to fill up a book with this theory.

Anyway, in case you were wondering what makes a fascist, I have found the following characteristics outlined in an article by a respected Doctor who has studied fascism. (Thank you twitter fam)

Read it and tell me who more fits the bill.

"Dr. Lawrence Britt has examined the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia) and several Latin American regimes. Britt found 14 defining characteristics common to each:

 

1. Powerful and Continuing Nationalism - Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.

 

2. Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights - Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.

 

3. Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause - The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.

 

4. Supremacy of the Military - Even when there are widespread

domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.

 

5. Rampant Sexism - The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Divorce, abortion and homosexuality are suppressed and the state is represented as the ultimate guardian of the family institution.

 

6. Controlled Mass Media - Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.

 

7. Obsession with National Security - Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.

 

8. Religion and Government are Intertwined - Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.

 

9. Corporate Power is Protected - The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.

 

10. Labor Power is Suppressed - Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.

 

11. Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts - Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts and letters is openly attacked.

 

12. Obsession with Crime and Punishment - Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.

 

13. Rampant Cronyism and Corruption - Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.

 

14. Fraudulent Elections - Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections." [Source]

 

America is a constitutional republic, right?

*Pic from addictinginfo.org

 

 

 

RACE WAR I

Glen Beck is pretty sure that there is a "race war" coming and that President Obama is the man responsible for setting it off. Beck thinks that the president --and many in his administration- are "racists."

I sure hope that white folks aren't counting on Beck to be on the front lines in the war, because Glen doesn't strike me as the type of guy who you want to be in a foxhole with when the going gets tough.

"On his show Friday, Glenn Beck became convinced that many members of the Obama administration act like racists, after breaking down the “anatomy of a racist”: they see groups over individuals, they lack objectivity, and they seek power through conflict. Beck concluded that the president and his allies are trying to sow the seeds of a race war.

Beck has previously leveled these same charges at Obama, calling him a racist who is uncomfortable with white people four years ago, but in an exchange flagged by Right Wing Watch, this time he upped the ante to suggest they are actively pushing for racial violence in the United States.

“It will be a crisis of some sort that will set off a race war or some sort of chaos in the streets. That’s the cycle of hate, and I am convinced that we are now just waiting for the crisis. The seeds are being planted every day and everything that doesn’t become the crisis just becomes another seed, another ember that is waiting to set the entire house on fire.”

He concluded that the “race leaders” in power are going to “take us to places none of us ever want to go.” '[Source]

Just what the hell is a "race leader"? And does Mr. Beck consider himself one?

I am curious to know how much longer this FOX race fetish will last. I suspect that it will last as long as it takes to change the conversation from the travesty of justice in the Trayvon Martin case to placing the blame on the black community for his death.

Meanwhile, we will all just keep building our bunkers for the impending war.

Riley goes home, but sadly, Roger is still here.

Riley Cooper has been dismissed from Eagles camp. Apparently he wants to go through counseling and clear his head before he tries to play football again.

"The last few days have been incredibly difficult for me," Cooper said in a statement. "My actions were inexcusable.

"The more I think about what I did, the more disgusted I get. I keep trying to figure out how I could have said something so repulsive, and what I can do to make things better.

"The organization and my teammates have been extremely supportive, but I also realize that there are people who will have a tough time forgiving me for what I've done. The best thing for me, and for the team, is to step away for a period of time."

Riley, the more I watch that video the more I realize that you have used that word many times before. And that the anger you showed to that security guard was not because he was a security guard playing wanna-be cop at a country and western, concert. It was because he is a black security guard playing wanna-be cop at a country and western concert.

The truth is, quite a few of Cooper's black teammates were not feeling him in camp, and the tension was noticeable. This, of course, did not sit well with the Eagles organization, and they had to do more than just fine him.

Michael Vick stood up for Cooper, but he had no choice. He is the most high profile player on the team and he is fighting for a job. Besides, the Eagles took a chance on him when America would not.

The saddest part of this entire story of course is the reaction from the NFL and the behavior of its gutless and disgraceful commissioner.

"I'm glad to see the club stepped up and took a decisive action quickly, and that's the important part of this. We do not penalize at the club level and the league level for the same instance. That's not something that we do (per the collective bargaining agreement). ... We will not be taking action separately from the club."

I can't tell you how much contempt I have for this recreant loser whose league will fine a player for wearing his sox too high or for celebrating a good play, but wimps out of sending a message to one of the players in his league who displays racist behavior for the entire world to see.   

 "The NFL stands for diversity and inclusion. Comments like this are wrong, offensive, and unacceptable." [Source]

Riiight. This from a league who has a team in it called the REDSKINS!

Riley Cooper was sent from camp today, I only wish that Roger Goodell could have been sent packing with him.







           

The GOP turns to Jesus.

If you are a person of color and you are trying to get paid, this might be a good time to grab that bible that has been sitting around the house and brush up on your scriptures.

In case you haven't heard, the GOP is trying to reach Negroes of faith. I suggest that you start a church and start reaching out to those GOP folks. Apparently they have some money to spend. And don't worry if your church only has a congregation made up of you, your cousin, and a couple of childhood friends. It's all good. Republicans will not know the difference. It's not like they are ever going to go into your neighborhood to find out if your church is real.

"As Republican Party state officials across the country continue to give restrictive Jim Crow voter ID laws the modern spin, their cohorts on the national level are reportedly reaching out to a certain sect of the Black community. But how do you “reach out” to a community you’re purposely trying to keep away from the voting polls? Exactly.

In a recent piece for New York magazine, writer Grace Wyler reports on the GOP doing “something historic at an Evangelical confab in Iowa.” That would be an organized attempt at drawing the Black Christian vote with the aid of Black church leaders. As pointed out in the report, it’s not exactly a brand-new concept. After all, former President George W. Bush made similar attempts during his time in office.

Still, the GOP is taking it one step further — organizing as a party versus just allowing its candidate do the leg work for them.

But in Iowa last Friday, minority church leaders finally got a seat at the table, when a group of about 20 Black and Hispanic pastors joined 400 Iowa evangelicals in Des Moines for a two-day Christian Right confab. The pastors heard speeches from Senate Tea Party darlings Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and sat down with Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus to discuss how the GOP could better establish relationships with churchgoers in Black and Hispanic communities.

Republican strategists said that Friday’s meeting was the first time in recent memory that the Party has made a concerted effort to include Black and Hispanic church leaders in developing the GOP’s minority outreach strategy. While individual candidates — most notably former President George W. Bush — have brought on Black Christian leaders to advise their campaign strategies, the party proper has lacked a cohesive plan to build relationships with Black and Hispanic Evangelicals in between election cycles.

Former Oklahoma congressman J.C. Watts has long pushed his party to reach out to minority voters. In the article, Watts laments, “The party has done very little to bring Black and Hispanic Evangelicals in to the fold. If you’re going to tell me that’s too harsh, then I’ll say, Fine. They’ve not done much. You can probably put in to a thimble what the RNC has done to create any kind of network.”

He went on to add, ”It’s about having relationships, and that covers a multitude of sins." [Source]

"THE FIELD NEGRO DELIVERANCE TABERNACLE". How does that sound?

*Pic from Eurweb.com.

Riley is caught off guard and George is caught speeding.

Most of you who come to the fields on a regular basis know that I live in Philly and I am a huge Eagles fan. Come football season I ride with Gang Green no matter what. So it is with a heavy heart that I have to report tonight that the Big R has struck Eagles Nation.

One of Tim Tebow's best buds -and his roommate from college- was caught dropping the N- word at a good ole boyz concert. Now Riley Cooper is no politician or person influencing public policy, so if he is a closet racist it doesn't really bother me that much. It's all par for the course as far as I am concerned.  What does bother me is the distraction that he has become to my team.

"Embarrassed Eagles receiver Riley Cooper stood fittingly with his back to a wall outside the team's training complex press room Wednesday night, apologizing for a racial epithet used after a confrontation with an African American security guard working a June 8 Kenny Chesney concert.

The six-minute, 45-second apology -- which followed a Twitter apology -- was only the beginning for Cooper, who was fined an undisclosed amount by the team and now awaits word on whether the NFL will tack on more discipline.
The receiver said he intended to apologize later to his teammates, many of whom are African American, following a 7 p.m. walk-through practice.
VIDEO: Cooper's outburst

"It's going to be very difficult for me. I'm going to tell them, 'I'm extremely sorry,' tell them exactly what I'm telling you guys. There was a confrontation and I handled it extremely, extremely poorly,'' Cooper said to 25 reporters and six local television cameras. "This is kind of the lowest of lows. This isn't the type of person I want to be portrayed as. This isn't the type of person that I am." [Source]

Actually, Riley, that is exactly the "type of person" that you are, and it's only the "lowest of lows" because you got caught on camera. Sadly, you are a pretty good receiver, and with one of our other top receivers out for the year with a torn ACL, you were going to be number two on the bird's depth chart. Now every time I see you going over the middle I am torn between wanting to see your head separated from your shoulders by some crazed linebacker or you catching the rock and taking it to the house.

Good luck with the apology tour with your teammates. I hope they make that extra block for you this year. I am sure you do as well. We wouldn't want one of those N*****s ending your career.

Finally, it looks like child killer, George Zimmerman, is in the news again.Unfortunately for George he was caught speeding with a gun in his car. Fortunately for George he was stopped in a place called Forney, Texas.

"Hey, ain't you the guy that killed that N****r boy down in Florida? Sir, you have a nice day, and let us know if you have any problems down the road. We will be glad to provide an escort for you."

Ok, so maybe it didn't quite go down that way, but I wouldn't be surprised to hear that it did.

"Zimmerman, who informed police that the weapon was in the car shortly after being pulled over, was asked where he was going, to which he responded, "nowhere in particular," according to the site.

CBS News reports that, during the traffic stop, which occurred at 12:54 p.m., Zimmerman also asked the officer if he recognized him from television.
This is the second time Zimmerman has been in the news since his trial ended on July 13.

Three days later, Zimmerman reportedly came to the aid of a family trapped under an overturned SUV on a Florida highway, pulling two children and their parents to safety".

Yes George, I am sure that he recognized you. This is why you were only given a warning for speeding with a firearm in your vehicle.

Oh, and about that "overturned SUV, story.......

His Home might need improvement, and five things for Don.

I was going to blog about Tim Allen and his confusing and convoluted diatribe about the use of the "N-word" but honestly, it's not even worth it. For the life of me I cannot understand why certain white folks feel so strongly about being able to say the word, Nigger.

 "I've had this argument on stage a million times. I do a movie with Martin Lawrence and pretty soon they’re referring to me, 'Hey, my n*****'s up.' So I'm the n***** if I'm around you guys but seven feet away, if I said n*****, it's not right. It's very confusing to the European mind how that works, especially if I've either grown up or evolved or whatever, it literally was growing up in Colorado, with Hispanics and Anglos, that's all I remember. So when Paula Deen (admits her language), they go after her, and now we've gone backwards in the world. She said n***** in '83 or something?"

Back in the day folks like Tim Allen and Paula Dean called us "Nigger" so much that I bet some blacks folks thought that their name was actually, Nigger. Not anymore, and I honestly think that this bothers some folks. This is why we have the constant cries of double standard because we are allowed to use it to each other (sorry Don Lemon, that will not be changing anytime soon) and they can't.  

Finally, I really wanted to feature an article by Lauren Victoria Burke, an editor over at Politic365. My only wish is that Mr. Lemon reads this news site, and that he will check out Lauren's post over coffee tomorrow morning.

"CNN let Roland go and kept this? –> see video On this whole Don Lemon thing, it is a shame to waste time on 24 hour cable’s many flim flam artists — but in this case it’s a must. You see, Don actually believes he’s right. Anyone left who is confused on the question of whether a person can be mis-educated yet have a national platform has found their answer.  With that, I want to bring something up that’s been on my mind for some time now. Which is: If journalists can’t confront complex issues in a smart way they should shut up.

Yeah, yeah, I get it: If you can get paid to run your mouth why not right? Ratings, attention, fame: Good for you Don Lemon — look at you go. Just “pull your pants up,” everyone.  I guess any flunky on TV could come up with “Don’s 5 points”, and wouldn’t you know it, one did.  Sadly, TV’s Billy O and Double Down Don have no solutions. Long after these guys are gone harder questions will remain.

The deeper questions: How did we get to the place where the N-word is used casually in music and 1 in 28 kids in the U.S. has a parent behind bars? How do we break the cycle? This is where TV flunkies Don and Billy O fail. We are the country that leads the world in putting humans in cages. Why is any so-called journalist acting shocked that American youth have adopted prison culture with 1.5 million kids with a parent in jail? It appears a network anchor knows nothing about the effects of the war on drugs. Scary.

It took Michelle Alexander 332 pages to detail those effects, particularly on Black communities, in The New Jim Crow. Perhaps Don and Billy should read more. Or how about a viewing of The House I Live In? It’s never surprising when a Fox anchor doesn’t care to learn these issues. But one of the only Black anchors on a major network?

So if Don wants to “really fix” problems I say we start with “fixing” Don. Here are 5 things to consider Don — I write directly to you and no one else. Because it’s time for “tough love.”

1.
News reporting around the story of a 17-year-old who was followed and then ended up being shot to death is not the time for “lessons to Black people.” Only if you are a brainless dupe who is too stupid to see you’re a dupe could you fall for the wingnutty spin that switches topics from Trayvon to “black on black” crime. Don, what’s with opening you’re 7 minute “discussion” as if it’s somehow related to the death of Trayvon Martin — then saying you know it isn’t — then launching into how correct Billy O’Reilly is then rolling a clip of him doing just that? Everyone knows the first rule in the Fox debate playbook is “change the subject.” The only reason Billy O is talking about problems in the black community is as a device to change the subject from Trayvon. Billy will only return to the subject when he needs a handy way of saying Blacks are f’d up. And what did you do: Dance like a reverse Jolson to his narrative.
2.
The N-word and pants sagging are the end result of pathology not the start of it. No one exits the womb doing these things. Sitting in pious judgement without considering a myriad of factors is a precarious adventure. But sure, it’s great for ratings and getting booked on The View? And do I have this right: You’re a gay black male and you don’t appear to understand what it is to be judged by others who don’t know you simply because you belong to a particular group? I hope I don’t have this right.

And so you and Billy O want to talk about black males and the American criminal justice system? Well hot damn, let’s talk. The NYPD has stopped over 4 million innocent people in over 10 years and the majority of those stopped were innocent black and latino males. Police Commissioner Ray Kelly apparently wants to “save” black and latino males from being subjected to 4th and 5th amendment protections even though crime is at a record low in NYC. But there are no drugs and guns in Bensonhurst or Staten Island?  Perhaps you should consider who the disproportionate target of law enforcement is in the city you live in — even when that target is innocent and there is no probable cause.  Over 473,000 innocent people were stopped last year — 55% Black.  Find an interview.

Personal behavior is very important. And that behavior is often driven by the (read: limited) choices we have in front of us. Let’s ask ourselves: Is arresting kids better than suspending them? Are we making it easier or harder for people to get a criminal record? And when they do: Do we make it easier or harder for them to re-enter society? When stats show that black males are sentenced 20% longer what effect is that likely to have? Does our society make it easy for people to attend college? Does a poor kid have the same educational opportunities as a rich one in America? When a poor kid sees few opportunities what decisions is he or she likely to make? Last I checked there were 50 million Americans — 1 in 7 — in poverty. That’s a lot of people facing the above questions.

3. 
Your “respect where you live” advice was my favorite. “I’ve lived in several predominately white neighborhoods in my life, I’ve rarely witnessed people littering,” you say. Stopping litter will save us? 

Well how about you stop littering: On the group you are in. Ask yourself: Would anyone in any other religious or ethnic group in America do what you did on live TV to the group they are a member of? Think: Would Thomas Roberts or Capehart rag on gays on the air as you did on Blacks? Would you? Would any Latino anchor take to the air and “call out” Hispanics? Would Fareed Zakaria do a screed like yours on Muslims? Would anyone of the Jewish or Catholic faith be critical of others in their group in this way? And the Catholics had a sex scandal.  Every group has their issues.  Sit back, close your eyes and ask yourself why no other group in America but African Americans do public self flogging as celebration. 

4. 
Remember the last line from Adolph Ceasar’s character in A Soldier’s Story: “They still hate you…”  Well President Barack Obama finished high school. He got a B.A. from Columbia U. He then graduated Harvard Law School. He became the 44th President of the United States.  And people demanded to see his birth certificate. You think you can escape from blackness by winking to Bill O’Reilly who demands the President’s “hidden college records.”  You’re reminding me a bit of Sgt. Waters in A Soldier’s Story with this episode.  The line, “you know the damage one ignorant Negro can do…” has many interpretations. 

5. 
Finally you may want to take note that the same people who now suddenly want to talk out-of-wedlock babies are the same people who advocate against sex ed in schools and contraception. The same people who want to abolish the Department of Education and cut funding for public schools are the same people who request $30 million to throw more people in jail even after that policy has proven it does not work. Chicago’s mayor “finds” $300 million for a sports stadium but closes 46 schools to “save money.” Chicago’s Senator finds $170 million for a prison but no money for summer jobs? Black youth unemployment is 46%. How about 7 minutes on that?

If I’m wrong I apologize but I’m going to go ahead and bet you didn’t study sociology, criminology or psychology. I’ll bet you’ve spent an entire life in journalism — a life of watching and not doing. I can speak first hand on what a vacuous vocation that can be. It can be a brilliant profession. It can also reveal deep ignorance." [Source]

One correction for Lauren, there is nothing ignorant about what Don Lemon is doing. He knows exactly what to do to become known and to drive up his ratings.


 



 

Don's five point plan.

I need to holla at my boy Don Lemon real quick. The CNN host has been catching some heat from his my people after his recent rant about what is ailing the black community. (Memo to Don: Never start an editorial about black folks by invoking the name of Bill O'Reilly.) 

Don thinks that if we could just get the young bucks to start pulling up their pants and stop dropping the N-word, we would all of a sudden get black unemployment down to 7%, and get the government to start focusing on urban issues. He thinks that implementing his five point plan would get the GOP to start focusing on passing legislation that would address things such as education and fighting crime, instead of how to control a woman's body and defunding "Obamacare".

The thing is, I actually agree with some of the things that Don talked about, (most black folks do) but when he goes on CNN of all places and preaches down to us as if these aren't things we talk about all the time, it's a problem. I am guessing that if Don had made these statements on BET or TV One (sorry Oprah, not OWN; I still don't trust you to keep s*** among us) most black folks would not have a problem, but putting white folks in our business to the delight of clowns on the right and the FOX NEWS crowd is not cool. It's never cool to side with the "professional assassins" of black folks. Besides, I have news for Don: the people he should be trying to reach are not watching his show on CNN. Some of the people that he and the bloviator over at FOX like to bash are the ones that he is going to have to reach out to get the message across to a generation of lost souls. Some young buck in North Philly who dropped out of school in the 10th grade and is slinging dope on the corner is not going to listen to two talking heads who are paid to drive up their ratings on television. One is an egomaniacal racist and the other is a sheltered dude from Baton Rouge who sometimes means well but cares about his television career more than improving the lives of black folks.

"And number one, and probably the most important, just because you can have a baby, it doesn't mean you should. Especially without planning for one or getting married first. More than 72 percent of children in the African-American community are born out of wedlock. That means absent fathers. And the studies show that lack of a male role model is an express train right to prison and the cycle continues. So, please, black folks, as I said if this doesn't apply to you, I'm not talking to you. Pay attention to and think about what has been presented in recent history as acceptable behavior. Pay close attention to the hip-hop and rap culture that many of you embrace. A culture that glorifies everything I just mentioned, thug and reprehensible behavior, a culture that is making a lot of people rich, just not you."

The irony is, of course, that the people Don says that he is "not talking to" are  the only ones who are listening to him, and we all want to know why he chose this particular forum to have his conversation.

Passing laws to suppress votes, and a shaky rescue in Florida.

This post won't be long because I am on the road and not in my comfort zone if you will.

Anyway, I was browsing the web this morning, and I saw where Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has declared that her prediction as it relates to the supremes striking down a key enforcement provision of the Voting Rights Act having dire consequences, is turning out to be spot on.

Take, for instance, what is happening in North Carolina. The state's republican lawmakers have lost their minds now that they have taken control, and they are now going to make sure that minorities and poor people have no access to the ballot box. No pesky federal government to watch over how they disenfranchise thousands and thousands of people. I suspect that it won't be long before we go back to the days of having to prove we can read and write or that we own property before we can have the privilege of voting in some states here in America.

Down in Texas (I wish they would just go ahead and secede) they are  doing their  best to suppress votes as well, and the only thing in Texas in more danger than poor people and minorities is a woman's womb.

I was glad to see Eric Holder address this issue at the Urban League get together in Philly. He has vowed that his justice department will be watching these states and will be proactive in coming months. (*Breaking! The Justice Department is asking to reinstate The Voting Rights Act in Texas.)

We will see. I like Holder, the fact that wingnuts hate him so much is reason enough for me to like the guy. All that hateration from the right wing; he must be doing something right.

Finally, this Zimmerman rescue story. I am not big on conspiracy theories, but....

"This was a suspicious story from the beginning.

 

We have seen news reports of protesters doing thousands of dollars of damage to be wrong. The claims of separate attacks by protesters over the Zimmerman verdict turned out to be false. Now added to the list of  false news reports appears to be the story of George Zimmerman heroically rescuing a family of four from a burning SUV.

The initial report was that George Zimmerman was ‘just coincidentally’ driving by after a car accident occurred, that he leaped out of his vehicle, fire extinguisher in hand, to come to the rescue of the family of four trapped inside as the vehicle caught fire, pulling them to safety. That was followed by the claim that the family he rescued had planned a press event to thank George Zimmerman, but that they canceled due to threats from Trayvon Martin supporters.

It appears they may have canceled the event because they did not want to be part of the fraud of making Zimmerman out to be a hero, when that story was not precisely true.

What did occur was that an accident occurred where a car slid on its side into a median. People at the scene called 911, which went to the Sanford office of the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office. BEFORE responding to the 911 call, News Ball.com reports that Seminole Sheriff’s Dept. Officer Patrick Rehder, a self-styled friend and supporter of Zimmerman, contacted Zimmerman by cell phone directing him to go to the accident so as to appear to be a hero.   News Ball.com also provides a social media screen capture of a curious statement about Rehder taking pleasure when someone gets credit for something they did not do.

Rehder’s name appears on the accident report as the responding officer; social media shows his connection to Zimmerman." [Source]

Wingnut sites, of course, have a different take on things.

I am not sure where this is all going, but it should be interesting to see it all develop.