From The "Leaders Wasting Our Time" File

The above cartoon was printed in the Florida Times-Union.

In this cartoon a shooter with a T-shirt with the words "Stop Snitchin'" tells two kids who have apparently witnessed the murder that they are "good little ho's" for saying "I ain't seen nuttin'".

The so called the Jacksonville Leadership Coalition called the cartoon "racist, culturally insensitive and degrading to African-American women."

Draw U Brakes! While the cartoon is definitely "degrading" it is nor racist or culturally insensitive. Rewind a few months when 60 minutes had Camron on their show where he said straight out on national (and via YouTube an international audience) that "we" supposedly meaning people in the "hood" don't "snitch". I've already gone into what an actual snitch is so I won't go into that again. Anyway. Camron said that if he knew a serial killer lived next door, he would move, but not tell anyone about the killer. He said it with a straight face. He was not joking. When the stupidity of his comment came to light (most likely through his publicist) he issued a clarification statement on the matter. Pure BS in my book. But if it wasn't enough that a famous and rich MC would take to the public airwaves (in front on white folk no less) and claim that he doesn't snitch because "that's how we live", I'll turn the reader's attention to his beef video "Curtisss" which has numerous references to snitchin', street life, and how people in the 'hood and "of the streets" don't "snitch" and if a person is not from "the streets" then they get what amounts to a "snitch pass". So since I don't do "street." I'm not offended when a cartoonist of any stripe puts the stupidity of the "street code" on blast.

Thanks man.

But it get's worse. After Camron made his "I don't snitch" statement, we were treated to a panel of children who in effect said the same thing that this cartoon depicts. Now it doesn't go down the way the cartoon shows it, but that's the purpose of a political cartoon. it is to exagerate the point to make the point. The point is that unfortunately many black people in poor neighborhoods allow certain criminal activity to be seen as "authentic" black culture. It is not and I, for one am insulted that such a criminal mindset is being passed off as "real" black culture. The "stop snitchin', street life mentality is RACIST. It is culturally insensitive and degrading to African-American women AND men.

So when the Stop Snitchin' DVD's stop being produced and sold by black men. When the black on black crime stops. Then we can complain about a cartoon. Until then, just like the Danish paper had the right to post the Mohammed cartoons, so does the Florida Times-Union. That's freedom of press and speech for you.