Commentary
Robinswing, Black Kos Editor

This primary season has served to rip the band-aides off of some of the deepest wounds in our nation. Hillary seems to me to be defiant. Angry. Intentional in her disrespect for Barack.

From where I’m standing her campaign illustrates the anger carried in the hearts of so many older women in this country. It is the bitter that goes unspoken as the punditz look at numbers and try to divine the real nature of the body politic which is apparently having an anger seizure. Some things are obvious.



Women are mad as hell. White women that is. Women of a certain age. Maybe Obama needs to speak to them. Let them know he understands their anger and that he is not the enemy. He cannot,must not stand in proxy for the anger, fear and frustration many of these women feel. If whites can proclaim that they had nothing to do with slavery and can’t be tarred with it by blacks, surely Obama can say I did you no wrong. I didn’t leave you for a younger woman; I didn’t hit you or hurt you. I have neither polished the glass ceiling nor did I erect it. I have not oppressed you. I’m dealing with the same oppressor as you.


This has been a primary in the most illuminating sense of the word. We are looking at the primer of our emotions. Much of what we are seeing pains the eye and pings the heart.

Some are lined up watching with horror as the threads of racism are being subtly woven into the fabric of this primary.


Those of us who are children of the Diaspora flinch as we watch the buzzwords of racism shift while millions are blissfully unaware. For months the feelings that are held by some of our citizens have raged under the radar. Race. We don’t want to talk about it. Not really. Obama tried. No one wanted to respond. Hillary could have. She could have stood up after Obama’s speech and said “Good on you Barack Obama. This is a conversation we need to have.” She could have promised that as president she would issue a presidential proclamation apologizing after all this time, to the descendents of slaves for centuries of slavery. She could have said that she wanted to acknowledge that slavery provided the foundation of this nation’s prosperity. She could have. She didn’t even try.

Instead we have women who are claiming that now it is time for those of us with vaginas to stand together. We are supposed to hold this black man accountable for all the sins of misogyny. How ironic.

A few of these white women actually seem to think that I should see myself first in terms of my gender even as they call me a black woman.( Note that black precedes woman.) Apparently there are those who think I am voting for Obama just because he is black like me. And you know what? They can kiss my black ass. Even if I was, it seems to me to be as fair as voting for white men, year after year after year.

I can give you all the policy reasons I’m voting for Barack Obama. Or I can simply say this... I would never vote for Condi Rice or Colin Powell. I said hell no to Clarence Thomas and find no pride in Bob Johnson. And if someone wants to accuse me of voting for Barack Obama simply because he and I are both black, I don’t give a flying phuque.

These people do not see me as someone capable of making a decision beyond the narrow definitions and parameters of their own bigotry.

Hillary goes around claiming that it took one Clinton to clean up after the first Bush and that she is the Clinton to clean up after this Bush. Bullshit. Let’s look at this another way. Historically, black folks cleaned up after white folk for generation after generation. We been cleaning y’alls messes for centuries. I think it’s gonna take a black man,Barack Obama, to clean up after all these white men. Yeah, I said it. And as Lou Palmer used to say, now run and tell that.

SPECIAL COMMENT
Terrypinder, Black Kos Editor


As a 26 year old man living in our “post-racial” society I'm often struck at just how far we still have to go.

I realize I started my last piece with this opening but hear me out. Today, I'm talking about BET.

Before I continue---I don't want people to think I'm some type of moralizing John McWhorter. I have read some of his work, and find that while our life stories sort of match (we're both from middle class, college-educated suburbanites), we diverge greatly in pretty much everything else. I'm a liberal. He more or less is not. So while it'll sound like I'm channeling McWhorter in my critique of BET, to some, it's all me. 100%.

I watch BET and note, that there aren't people like me on there. Outside of the few news programs they have, there's a lot of incredibly vapid programming, rap videos that do little to lift up the community, and Christian televangelist programs that have bought into the Prosperity Gospel (another issue I have, but we can save that for another day.)

It all just looks like a modern-day minstrel show to me. I clearly am over thinking it, but I think the point stands. I can't be the only one.

Oh, I'm not!

Aaron McGruder, of the Boondocks fame, has made digs at BET for quite some time now, even to the point where two recent episodes of The Boondocks were pulled at threat of lawsuit. You can view these episodes on YouTube and elsewhere on the web. They're NSFW, and they're quite possibly the most offensive episodes of the series yet. I won't spoil it for you—you can go and watch them yourself. I felt they made his point about BET well, but they took the most offensive way possible to do it. The Boondocks satire hits the mark though, even when it's like “damn, did I just see that on The Cartoon Network?!”

http://www.enoughisenoughcampaign.com/

They're right. Enough IS enough!

Their goals are

1. We want media and music companies to develop universal creative standards for the music and videos they produce, market and distribute. These standards should include prohibitions against lyrical and visual content that (a) objectifies, degrades, or promotes violence against women; (b) promotes illegal activity; (c) portrays Black and Latino men as "gangsters, pimps, thugs, and players," and (d) celebrates the usage of the word "nigga" (and it's derivatives), "hoe" (and it's derivatives), and "bitch" (in reference to women),
2. We want companies that advertise on television and radio stations to develop the same universal standards for the networks on which they place advertising,
3. We want the Federal Communications Commission to enforce its congressional mandate to regulate indecency on the public airwaves (television, radio, cable, satellite, etc...) between 6AM-10PM,
4. We want the Federal Communications Commission to investigate allegations of "payola" in the entertainment industry,
5. We want Congress to pass legislation in support of consumer choice in the cable industry; i.e. "a la carte" cable. This would enable consumers to not choose undesirable networks as a part of their cable packages. According to a recent FCC study, "a la carte" cable would also reduce customer cable bills up to 13%,
6. We want local, state, and federal governments to divest public tax dollars and contracts from corporations that refuse to end their sponsorship of offensive lyrical content. (We have examples of such contracts and government relationships with such corporations.), and
7. We want mutual fund and pension fund managers to divest funds from investments in publicly traded companies that promote, sponsor, and market material that does not conform to the universal creative standards referenced above.

Perhaps their goals are a little lofty, especially 6. But don't you think #1 is fair? I do.

I mean I do like hiphop and all that, but not the stuff that I see on BET on a regular basis. And frankly, I am tired of the stereotypes.


Enough is enough!


And Bob Johnson (not OUR Bob Johnson, BET's Bob Johnson) needs to go away!

But I don't know, what do you all think?

In regards to the series The Urban Educational System: Part I - A Stategy At the School Level.

Section 1.4 was to be published in this issue of Week In Review, but will not be because my computer has decided to "rebel" against me in the final hour. I think the file is corrupted because it won't let me open it. And I can't find my Flash stick that contains a partial copy. So I'm having to re-type everything from my notes. As such it will be published next week. Deepest apologies. - Sephius1

The Economist ≫ One of America's most violent cities has suddenly become less so—thanks to smarter policing.

Baltimore's police chief, Frederick Bealefeld, prefers not to rely on divine intervention. With 282 murders last year among a population of 630,000, Baltimore was one of the most violent cities in America. But since last summer, the killing has slowed. The six months to March this year saw an impressive 28% fewer murders than the same period a year earlier. Mr Bealefeld credits smarter policing, and says he is cautiously optimistic that the trend will continue.

Television dramas such as “The Wire” may give the impression that Baltimore is a hellhole. It is not. Most of the city is calm and pleasant. Only a couple of areas are crime-ridden. And even in these areas, relatively few young men commit—and are the victims of—the most serious crimes. Last year, 89% of those murdered in Baltimore had a criminal record.

Mr Bealefeld thinks the murder rate has fallen because the police are paying more attention to the most violent offenders. One helpful new tool is a registry for gun offenders which the mayor, Sheila Dixon, announced last year. Like sex criminals, anyone who commits a crime using a gun must register his whereabouts with the police as soon as he is convicted or once released from jail. Failure to do so can get him imprisoned again for up to a year.

The logic is simple. Of the 135 people arrested for murder in Baltimore last year, nearly half had a prior conviction for a gun offence. So it makes sense for police and parole officers to keep close tabs on former gun criminals....... More ►

Ebony the nations oldest and largest black news magazine has published its list of the "150 Most Influential Black Americans."

Ebony / Jet ≫ "The Most Influential Black Americans"

Since 1963, the section has been one of the magazine's most talked about features, highlighting talented individuals whose influence shapes America.

This year, the "Ebony Power 150" kicks off with a look at 20 young rising stars who are emerging as part of the next wave of Black leaders in America. The complete list focuses on eight categories: Politics & Law, Business, Religion, Arts, En tertainment & Media, Education, Military and Public Service. The list was compiled by the editors of Ebony in consultation with national experts and leaders in the field, the two criteria being:

1) In the past year, did the individual transcent his or her position and exhibit widespread national influence?
2) In the past year, did the individual affect in a decisive and positive way the lives, thinking and actions of large segments of the African-American population, either by his/her position in a key group, or by his/her personal reach and influence.

Although our list is populated by dynamic individuals with extensive resumes, only one accomplishment per individual was allowed....... More ►

Call me an elitist but this next story should be under lack of culture . Black people and white people are sometimes too much alike! We both seem facinated by the same type of dumb stuff on TV.

The Root ≫ Good Luck Finding The Reality in Black Reality TV

The only thing missing from black family reality television is the reality.

The simple formula—high-profile black celebrity and family live a scripted and sometimes not-so-scripted life in front of the camera—has proven to be a ratings winner. This combination of pseudo-reality and celebrity—for which TV audiences seem to clamor, follows a pattern in which mainstream viewers seem extraordinarily willing to buy into a patently false lifestyle portrayals (The Hills, The Kardashians) in which the fantasy of effortlessly acquired wealth and material excess yields a loyal following on TV, turning nobodies into red carpet somebodies, while reviving sagging celebrity careers.

Add black folks to the mix of reality/celebrity/fantasy shows, and you've got the perfect antidote to HBO's The Wire, arguably just as much a reality show as anything else on TV.

Deion & Pilar follows the success, if not buzz, of Snoop Dogg's Father Hood on E!, in which the rapper tries to instill discipline in his brood, against the backdrop of his own history of decadence.

In one episode, Snoop's wife tries to introduce a healthier diet by banning him from fried chicken. In another episode, Snoop takes a yoga lesson, and in a third, soccer star David Beckham gives Snoop's kid's soccer lessons. Ah, the life of a gangsta-rapper-turned-doting-dad....... More ►

This is an interesting story. It also give a chance to plug a new blog the Black and Green Blog. which hopes to mobilize more environmental awareness in urban areas.

The Root ≫ Stay Black (and Green)

Similar to most kids, I liked new things. Especially when they were shiny. I remember how quickly I lost interest in playing with my C-3PO figurine after it started to dull. So you can imagine that I was a little put off by the fact that Paw Paw, my paternal grandfather, would always wash and reuse aluminum foil. Why would we use a scraggly wrinkled sheet when there was a damn-near-full roll of crisp and clean foil available? In addition to foil, Paw Paw reused anything that could be reused until it was on its last leg. Why? "Because it's wasteful to throw it away," as he used to tell me.

If you need to purchase aluminum foil, buy it recycled since up to 95% less energy is used to produce recycled foil than foil made from virgin aluminum. After using it, you can wash it, dry it, fold it, and reuse it at a later date. And when you're tired of looking at a scraggly wrinkled sheet, put it in your blue bin to be recycled again. 'Cause it's wasteful to throw it away. If your city doesn't recycle aluminum yet, first clown them, then raise some hell and take matters into your own hands until they do.

Recognizing that people of color have been protectors of the earth for millennia, a few of my brilliant friends and I took matters into our own hands and started the Black and Green Blog. This blog provides readers with practical tips and tools (like the one above) for living in a way that honors the earth and leaves it intact for our children and grandchildren. Check us out....... More ►

A conversation with environmental activist Majora Carter about integrating the movement, how to stop dumping on our communities, and why planting trees won't kill hip-hop

The Root ≫ How the Bronx Turned Green

It's not surprising that many African Americans give Earth Day a pass. When you live poorer and die younger in the land of plenty, it can be hard to get excited about protecting the planet at large.

The oppression of black people covers centuries of troubled terrain from forced agricultural labor, to contemporary land loss, to racialized proximity, to polluting industries. For African Americans, nature's bounty has always stood in stark contrast to human suffering.

It's not that black Americans don't care about the environment. In fact, public opinion data show that there is no clear "green gap" between black and white Americans. But blacks are more likely to care about green issues that most directly affect their lives. While whites express more concern about climate change, wilderness preservation and endangered species, African Americans express more concern about pollution, locally undesirable land uses and human health outcomes. Asthmatic children are far more likely to turn African Americans into environmental activists than disappearing polar bears...... More ►

This was the best story I have read in a while. It shows what people, and civic organizations like unions can do when their government decideds to sit on it's hands.

NYTimes ≫ Zimbabwe-Bound Ship Heads Back to China

A Chinese ship carrying armaments made by a Chinese state-owned company and bound for Zimbabwe has headed back to China without unloading its cargo of bullets and mortar bombs, a spokeswoman for China’s foreign ministry confirmed at a briefing Thursday.

The Chinese company has already decided to send the military goods back to China in the same vessel, the An Yue Jiang,” said the spokeswoman, Jiang Yu.

The ship had sailed into Durban harbor in South Africa last week. The South African government had already issued a permit to allow the arms to be trucked across South Africa to landlocked Zimbabwe when dock workers declared they would not unload the weapons and an Anglican archbishop convinced a judge to temporarily bar the arms delivery across South African soil.

The campaign has since pressed other countries in the region to reject the shipment, a call that had gained important backing from Zambia’s president, Levy Mwanawasa, who heads a bloc of 14 southern African nations...... More ►

As a Caribbean-American let me tell you we love dominos like laomost nothing else. In times of suffering people often turn to simple pleasures. But as my wife would say "being men they have to do this....."

NYTimes ≫ For Haiti’s Jobless, No Cost to Play. But Losers Pay

There was pain in Jean François’s eyes, real suffering, an awful look of woe. It might have been that he had little to eat that day, or his lack of a job or any real hope of securing one. Perhaps it stemmed from the squalor in his neighborhood, a sprawling and rather depressing slum of tin-roofed houses. Looking on, one wanted to help this desperate 29-year-old man, console him, somehow help him break out of what was clearly a deep funk.

But there was nothing to be done. It turns out that Mr. François’s life was not the immediate source of his desperation. It was his losing streak — and the dozens of clothespins clipped onto his face, arms and belly.

In marked contrast to Mr. François’s glum look, the other men crowding around a raucous domino game under way in Port-au-Prince’s Cité Soleil neighborhood on a recent afternoon were smiling with glee. They doubled over in laughter every time they looked at Mr. François. A chorus of roars rang out each time he lost another game and more of the clips were attached to his ears, cheeks, chin, forearms and midriff.
...... More ►

I always read these diaries

Diaries by StormBear (dopper0189)
┗ Black History: The Causes of the Civil War......More ►
┗ Black History: The Underground Railroad......More ►



Arizona: The Black Student Association Disparages American Values And Western Civilization......More ►
┗ by The Rollback Campaign (dopper0189)



PA and the Persistence of the Race Chasm......More ►
┗ by davidsirota (dopper0189)