The Upright Man

He opposed foreign aid, saying that ‘he who feeds you, controls you.’ Decades before talk of cancellation of Africa’s debt became acceptable in world banking circles, Sankara called for a united front of African nations to repudiate their foreign debt. He argued that the poor and exploited did not have an obligation to repay money to the rich and exploiting.

Website: http://adiama.com/ancestralconnections/2010/01/23/thomas-sankara-the-upright-man/

Website to order: http://www.newsreel.org/nav/title.asp?tc=CN0205&s=Sankara

Boojum Hunting in the Caribbean

"However, away from the glare of the international media, a team of Cuban doctors has been working among the quake-affected. The Cuban government offered its medical expertise to the governments of Pakistan and India immediately after the magnitude of the destruction caused by the quake was known. The Indian government did not even acknowledge the offer. Pakistan, where the scale of disaster was humongous, was quick to accept the offer. The first Cuban medical team was in Pakistan on October 14, six days after the earthquake." (Frontline December 17, 2005)
In short order the Cubans had established 19 field hospitals staffed by more than 700 doctors – half of them women – working 12 hour shifts.
This was in Pakistan in 2005.
Pakistan is 14,000 miles from Cuba and the Cubans were working in foreign conditions, in fierce cold, in a country with whom Cuba had no diplomatic relations.
There are now more than 25,000 Cuban doctors working outside their country and an almost equal number of teachers
If you think that boojums are a figment of my imagination, consider this: Three weeks ago the US government identified Cuba as one of the countries exporting terrorism.
After 200 years, the heirs of Jefferson are still hunting boojums in the Caribbean

Black Agenda Report

Another Black Man shot down by Police

Fun Facts about New Orleans

Despite widely publicized advance warning, a "secret shopper" audit of the Quarter found rampant discrimination in local businesses. Bars had different dress codes, admission charges and drink prices—all based on whether the patron was Black or white.

That's pretty bold.

Counterpunch

Racial threat puts Ohio college on alert, on edge

"We'd be sitting at a lunch table and some guys would be sitting across the room, and they'd be screaming, like, 'n----- lover' across the table," Marengo said. "I had enough of it one day and I got up and I just started yelling at them and telling them, like, 'There is no reason for you to treat someone like that.'"

I'm askin' What exactly kind of punk black students attend this school? Seriously. Teeth would be lost when I was in school if somebody were so "bold" to talk that shit in the caf.

All I got to say to these black students. You need to get your Black Panther/Deacons for defense on. I'd be walking around on campus with a machette and any university official who gave me junk would be shown a picture of the threat. Serious I would be The Book Of Eli. Quick with the blade.



Washington Post

Garvey's Ghost TV 1-25-2010

Comment Money Shot

From the Comments on Roger Cohen's piece on China:

It is interesting to compare China and US. Both have a single-party democracy, that is both are ruled by a single group of elites. The difference is that in China these elites join the Chinese Communist Party, but in US these elites all work for Wall Street.

Security Fools

Paul Craig Roberts latest:

One Obama appointee, Harvard law professor Cass Sunstein, advocates that the U.S. government create a cadre of covert agents to infiltrate anti-war groups and groups opposed to U.S.government policies in order to provoke them into actions or statements for which they can be discredited and even arrested.

Sunstein defines those who criticize the government’s increasingly lawless behavior as “extremists,” which, to the general public, sounds much like “terrorists.” In essence, Sunstein wants to generalize the F.B.I.’s practice of infiltrating dissidents and organizing them around a “terrorist plot” in order to arrest them. That this proposal comes from a Harvard Law School professor demonstrates the collapse of respect for law among American law professors themselves, ranging from John Yoo at Berkeley, the advocate of torture, to Sunstein at Harvard, a totalitarian who advocates war on the First Amendment.

Herbert: "Blacks in Retreat"

Some decades ago, you would have heard a sustained outcry against such dire conditions among blacks, and there would have been loud demands for policy changes designed to bring more black Americans into the economic mainstream. You don’t hear much of that now. Too many so-called black leaders are much more interested in invitations to the White House and positive profiles in mainstream publications than in raising any kind of ruckus that might benefit people in real trouble.

And he's to my right.

NY Times

Real Deal on Yele

But tax experts say it's routine for individuals to charge their own charities, so long as services are being provided in return. "The tax rules do not prohibit related party transactions," said Marcus Owen, former chief of the IRS unit that oversees non-profits.

And the filing also stated that the charges were "below market." This is an important distinction supporting legitimacy, according to Owen, who said that rules require that they be at no more than market value.

CNN Money

Yeah, they tried and succeeded on this same tip with Garvey.

Garvey's Ghost TV 1-18-2010

Senegal offers land to Haitians

President Abdoulaye Wade said Haitians were sons and daughters of Africa since Haiti was founded by slaves, including some thought to be from Senegal.

BBC

Wyclef Responds to critiques

A Message from Marcus Garvey

Fellow Citizens of Africa.

I once trod the earth. I looked around and saw the conditions of my fellow Africans and I asked: Where is the Black man's great nations? Where are his captains of industry? Where are his big thinkers? Not seeing these, I set about to address these deficiencies. I set about to organize the millions of black men and women into a unified force for the liberation and build up of Africa. I set about to create a steamship company to impress upon the African the importance of being economically independent.

I called upon Negroes everywhere that regardless of their citizenship, that we have a common interest in the development of Africa and to connect up with our brothers and sisters in the Caribbean and central and south America. For this I was ridiculed and framed up. So called "leaders" in America and Jamaica conspired with government agents to discredit me and the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League. They aimed to discredit and thwart the Black Star Line. They said that my "scheme" was only a means to part people with their money. They said that it was a waste of time and effort.

Now I look upon the world and I see the destruction of Haiti. Our first independent Black nation in the Western Hemisphere. I see the island that scared Thomas Jefferson and the slave holders in North America. I see the people who inspired revolution in South America. And again I am forced to ask: Where is the black man?

Where is his red Cross? His red Ankh? His red Ako-Ben? Where is his big ship carrying supplies under the Black Star of Ghana? Where is his big plane carrying loads of food and supplies from our lands where there are three growing seasons? Where is his organized search and rescue? Where is his heavy equipment? Where is his medicine and floating hospitals?

Today the African living in the west is richer than any generation of African than any other time. Today Africa with it's so called independence is no less a slave to the colonial powers than it was during my time on earth. It has been nearly one hundred years since I last trod the earth and still we are dependent upon non-Africans for basic things. We import clothes from China and then wonder why we have high unemployment. We import food and wonder why our farmers are poor. We import transportation and wonder why we have no expertise in design. So when we import rather than produce and purchase for ourselves, we find that we lack the finances, we lack the intellectual resources to develop for ourselves and therefore leave ourselves vulnerable to such tragedies. And then
our representatives must go, hat in hand to our former colonizers, with sad eyes and a smile, for help.

Yours, in spirit

Marcus Garvey

Follow up on Prop 8 Arguments (response to e-mail)

A reader asked me the following in regards to my opinion on the Prop. 8 arguments as presented by the LA Times (they have a video here):

think you make a compelling case about the Utah precedent, however I am
curious about what you think about Brown v Board 1. SpecifIcally, I am
inclined to compare the Prop 8 couple's testimony thus far to the "Doll
experiment" used in Brown. Where African American children were given a
choice between a black doll and white doll and asked which is better. They
consistently chose the white doll, the experiment was meant to underscore
the psychological ramifications of de jure racism. It was one of the most
compelling arguments of that case.

I have written my position on the Brown decision.

As discussed in the linked text, I believe the reader to have lost focus on the legal girding of Brown V. Board. Brown v. Board is an upholding of the 14th Amendment right of equal protection under the law. As discussed in the text, the discussion of feelings of inferiority are so much nonsense used to "grease the wheel" and make a sympathetic case. Furthermore I show how even in the decision there is a clear focus on the supposed damages done to "negroes" while there is an implied statement that white students suffer no ill effects from segregation. Negroes need whites around in order to feel good about themselves while whites thrive in the presence or absence of Negroes. Thus while the court may have been inclined to make a statement on racism legally it has no grounds to base law or legal rulings on the "feelings" of the plaintiffs or defendants.

In reference to the Doll experiment, I have also weighed in on this subject. Of interest in the latest rendition of the Doll experiment as conducted by GMA, was that all the students are in "integrated" schools and one of the students I discussed was biracial and many of them, particularly the girls, still had negative attitudes towards the black dolls. From that, it can be argued that Brown V. Board was an total failure in addressing the "feelings of inferiority" among "Negroes".

As stated earlier, such legal arguments were legal greasing but did not address the actual legal foundation of the Brown V. Board decision and therefore while they pay be emotionally swaying, such emotional arguments ought be completely disregarded in regards to Prop. 8.

What I see in the Anti-Prop. 8 movement and indeed within the larger movement is to have homosexuality psychologically acceptable in the larger society. It proposes the normalization of such behavior. That is their business. The problem is that as a legal strategy I think such emotional arguments will fall flat. If they want to use the example of Brown V. Board then they are going to have to stick to Equal Protection argument. IE: we do not get x,y.z government benefits.

Although unlikely, it is entirely possible that the govt. may decide to restructure such benefits (I'm having a hard time with the term "rights" for much of what I've seen discussed) in such a way that they only apply to the individual and the individual opts to cover whomever they want. For example, had single payer been passed by the government, the entire health benefit argument would be tossed out, because everyone is covered regardless of marital status.

Another example would be SS benefits that are passed from a deceased spouse to the surviving spouse. SS could be restructured such that blood relatives or any designated non-blood person would receive benefits. In that way the government does not make any provision for married couples but married couples AND single, co-habitating, common law, or whatever are ALL free to designate who they want their govt. benefits to go to.


In my opinion the only equitable means of dealing with this issue that does not run afoul of religious liberties, is to have all levels of government get out of the marriage business. No city hall ceremonies. Marriage remains the social institution it is and would be performed by any religious or social group that the people involved wish to deal with.

The states can do what they do when people form legal businesses. The submit an application to form a "domestic partnership" with as many or few people as they want. The state simply certifies the declaration of this domestic entity. That is all. Everybody has a domestic partnership regardless of what genders are involved or how many people are involved. This would legally help hospitals with privacy laws that prevent non-relatives from access to or making decisions for patients. Show your certificate and that's taken care of.

I think the above is the best way to address the legal "equal protection" issue, without running into the sociology and cultural issue of what is and who should be recognized as "married".

Dear Pat Robertson (and the chick standing next to him)

The Vile Pat Robertson

VIDEO- Pat Robertson: Haiti disaster due to Haiti's "pact at the Devil.

http://www.thepoliticalcarnival.net/2010/01/video-pat-robertson-haiti-disaster-due.html

Some donation Ideas for Haiti

For those who are contemplating sending stuff to Haiti you should consider a few things. Send toiletries. Think about it. Homes are destroyed and the bowels do not wait for construction. People need to relieve themselves and will need to clean up after themselves. donating toiletries will help to prevent waterborne and contact diseases that spread due to unsanitary conditions.

If you have the means, portable generators AND portable solar chargers are a good idea. People are without power. Haiti is blessed to be somewhere with much sunshine. people with cell phones and radios are going to need power in order to get news in and out of Haiti. Solar chargers can keep communication devices up and running. The ability to communicate is important. Generators are obvious but need fuel to run which could limit their effectiveness. long term though they will be needed once the initial triage is done and construction starts up.

Water purifiers. I'm not an expert in this field and I don't know much more than the Brita filters I use. But potable water is in need and who knows how much of the water is not purified. Non-purified water can lead to a number of gastro-intestinal diseases that are easily transmitted and are the second wave after the earthquake.

Of course there is a need for non-perishable food items (canned food). Food has been a serious issue in Haiti for a long time and no doubt is going to be worse now. While you or I may not indulge in many canned foods for health reasons. fact is that this is a survival issue for many Canned food is beats no food.

[update] I forgot to mention tents. It's near 90 degrees F over there as a daytime high. People need shelter and tents.

Really these things are more important than clothes right now. You can wear clothes for many days without much ill effects but being exposed to the elements is not good.

Haiti

YELE HAITI EARTHQUAKE FUND (www.yele.org): Text YELE to 501501 to donate $5 via your cell

Prop 8 arguments

The L.A. Times, in a report on the testimony in the Prop. 8 case reveals a few things:

Much of the quoted testimony, which may not be the entire or best testimony, show that there is an emphasis on social acceptance rather than actual legal issues. For example:

Jeffrey J. Zarrillo, one of the plaintiffs, was the first to be called to the stand. Zarrillo, 36, a manager in the entertainment industry, testified tearfully about being denied the right to marry Paul T. Katami, his partner of nearly nine years and a co-plaintiff.

"He is the love of my life," Zarrillo said. He testified that marriage "is the logical next step" for him and Katami. It would send the message that they are serious and committed to each other, he said. Checking into hotels with Katami is often "awkward," he said, as clerks sometimes ask if they meant to reserve a king-size bed.

Well perhaps logical to him but the big flaw in his statement here is that the courts have no jurisdiction over "awkwardness."

Katami, 37, a group fitness manager, called himself "a natural born gay" and testified that being denied marriage felt like being "relegated to a corner."

"I don't think of myself as a bad person," Katami said in response to questions from Boies...

All of the plaintiffs testified that domestic partnership is substantially different from marriage. They complained that they do not have access to the word "marriage" to explain their relationships and feel either shunned or pitied.

Nor does the court have any jurisdiction over feelings of inferiority. It would be a particularly bad precedent for the court to make the decision based on emotions rather than actual legal issues.

However a witness for the plaintiffs made a particularly strong statement:

The day ended with testimony from Harvard professor Nancy Cott, an expert in the history of marriage in the United States.

She said Cooper's opening statement that marriage between two members of the opposite sex was universal was inaccurate. Ancient Jews were polygamous, she said, and in some countries Muslims can marry several women.

Which leads to my oft stated position that the hypocrisy of the pro-same sex marriage movement is that it does not actually promote marriage equality because it too discriminates against persons who wish to marry more than one woman (or man). This is a blind spot caused by the generally Christian backers of Prop. 8 How they, with a straight face say that Marriage has always been between one man and one woman, is beyond me. Solomon had many wives.

That blindness also causes them to not realize that they have a strong argument in their favour in the form of the state of Utah. Utah was admitted into the Union only after it was forced to abridge the religious and personal freedom of it's citizens. This is a strong precedent in favor of prop. 8. If the govt. can claim, that there was and still is a compelling interest in abridging the religious and personal freedom of Mormons and any one else who wishes to practice polygamy, then it can certainly make the same claim in the case of same sex marriage. If I were a lawyer in the pro prop 8 camp. I would hammer this theme.

Ultimately I believe exactly what Judge Vaughn R. Walker asked:

U.S. District Judge Vaughn R. Walker asked if the state should simply get out of the business of issuing marriage licenses.

"That may solve the problem," Olson said, but it "would never happen."

That would be the only way to be "equal".

On the Anti-Prop 8 side, they will need to keep the talk about the legal issues surrounding services, particularly by the government that are denied to them on the basis of marital status. The risk for them, is that the government could go where I think it should, and simply not give out marriage licenses to anyone and everyone would have a "civil union" or "certificate of co-habitation" or whatever they decide to call it.

Oh and the comparisons to Dred Scott are entirely out of order. Dred Scott (and by extension Loving) was about the legal designation of blacks as less than human and therefore not even covered by the laws of the land. There is no argument being put forth that homosexual men and women are not human. Anti-Miscegenation laws were again based on white supremacist science that claimed that not only were blacks sub-human but because of that the offspring of such breeding would be sub-human as well.

Garvey's Ghost TV 1-11-2010

Why Is Reid Apologising?

Senator Reid has apologised for predicting that Obama would be president because he was "Light Skinned" and had "no Negro Dialect."

Why?

He is absolutely correct. Not only that, but he is not the first or only person to have pointed this out. Anyone who has been paying any attention to race in America knows full well that real black men scare the bejesus out of white folk. On the premier episode of Garvey's Ghost TV I discussed the African-American man who was told by his boss that he "intimidated" people when he wore suits.

Reid has said nothing wrong and said nothing that is historically inaccurate so why is he apologizing? He's apologizing because a set of black folk who: a) don't know history b) are completely stuck on themselves since Obama was elected love for nothing less than to "stick it to the white man" regardless of fact.

Oh so you don't believe Reid was correct? Well I wrote about it back in February of 2008 quoting an article by Heather Grey:

Then I met with a white friend who's a Ph.D. and teaches at one of the local Universities. She was so excited about Obama and has given him financial support. "I am tired of the black/white scenario in America. I'm pleased that Barrack has a white mother and a black father. He's of a mixed race. This is important and changes the landscape."

So why is Reid apologizing? Seriously. If people claim they want to have "honest" conversations about race in America, then you can start right there. Reid ought not to have apologized. Sharpton ought not to have twitted junk like this:

I told Sen. Reid that there was some uncomfortable truths about how some Americans see some Blacks different than others, the words he used Bad and certainly offensive[sic]. There was a lot of very offensive statements made in 08 by Pres. Clinton, then Sen. Biden and even some blacks

They weren't offensive to anyone with a clue. Only clueless, no history knowing idiots would be offended by the comment and, you know what? Clueless, no history knowing idiots do not deserve apologies.

On a side note, I have to say this. I'm starting to be particularly annoyed by Rev. Al. Anyone who's followed this blog knows I've gone to bat for Sharpton. Repeatedly. I've been a general supporter of him since he was wearing sweatsuits with a gold medalion. I'm talking "Day's of Outrage" and shut down subway stations. I go way back. I completely understand maturing. I totally understand making a living. But of late he has been doing some stuff that is seriously questionable. I'm extremely concerned with him on board this "education reform" that has been pushing Charter Schools and is being led by someone who has been extremely hostile to black teachers. I've watched his tweets and I'm not impressed. Not at all. Then he ran his mouth of regarding that Basketball player when the facts regarding guns and athletes made the public commentary completely uncalled for. As of today, no more going to bat for him. But I should have known when the Sean Bell protest in Harlem had the "permission" of the police.

Anyway, I'm sure there are a whole lot of "Negroes" who will be exalting in Reids comeuppance at the cost of their own intelligence.

D.K. Wilson Sets it Straight

How can this be an NBA problem, or a young Black man problem? Or a rap music problem? Or a gang problem? How can that be, Al and Stephen and Bob Ley who, on ESPN's investigative news show, Outside the Lines he hosts, said, "The NBA has a gun problem."
How can this be Bob when you hosted an OTL special about guns and professional athletes and the star of your series was --------- a White baseball player? Stephen A., you worked at ESPN when that special was aired.
You mean to tell me you both forgot the player said most, if not all of his MLB-playing friends are strapped; that he said he stays strapped and if anybody wants trouble he's not afraid to shoot first and ask questions later?
Did no other sports writer or columnist in this country watch the week-long OTL special on guns and athletes? Didn't hear about it? Didn't know someone who DVR'd it?
Nothing?!

Counterpunch

A pill to "cure" naps?

From Essence via the Black Snob

According to NaturallyCurly.com, the Australian scientists that discovered the curly gene (aka trichohyalin) are now working on creating a pill that would "cure" genetically textured locks. This pill would render relaxers, texturizers, and flatirons obsolete--but it could also signal the end of luscious, Tracee Ellis Ross-type curls, forever. The thing is, if scientists can isolate the gene that causes curly hair, what's to stop them from one day reversing or removing the gene altogether? It's a chilling thought.

And I wont EVEN go into how the original comparo was to Tracee Ellis Ross, you know the not so black daughter of Dianna Ross. Really. But you know, it's Negro thinking like that why such a thing will, if produced, will be a smash hit. I already have to stomach seeing skin lightening creams, full of poison, on the shelf of the predominantly black supermarket I frequent.

Christians Banned from using the Word "Allah"

I had to read this shit twice to make sure I read it right:

Later in the day, small crowds rallied outside two major mosques in the capital, in a growing protest over a court ruling that overturned a government ban on the use of “Allah” by Roman Catholics as a translation for God.

of all the ridiculous speech laws. And for this Three churches are firebombed. How dumb are these people:

The government has appealed and has been granted a stay of the High Court ruling on Dec. 31 that allowed a Catholic newspaper to use the word “Allah” in its Malay-language editions.

The word has been widely used as a translation for the word “God” in Malay-language texts and services, particularly among Christian indigenous tribes in the remote states of Sabah and Sarawak.

It is also the common word used to describe the Christian God in Arabic-speaking countries like Egypt and Syria and in Indonesia, the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation, whose language is a variant of the Malay language.

During the current dispute, many Muslims here have argued that the use of the word by other religions could confuse believers and tempt them to convert from Islam.

Yeah, wouldn't want that would we.

And then people wonder why certain European countries start passing anti-Muslim laws.

Africa Take Note

Fighting Trend, China Is Luring Scientists Home

Recently, though, China has begun to exert a reverse pull. In the past three years, renowned scientists like Dr. Shi have begun to trickle back. And they are returning with a mission: to shake up China’s scientific culture of cronyism and mediocrity, often cited as its biggest impediment to scientific achievement.
They are lured by their patriotism, their desire to serve as catalysts for change and their belief that the Chinese government will back them.
“I felt I owed China something,” said Dr. Shi, 42, who is described by Tsinghua students as caring and intensely driven. “In the United States, everything is more or less set up. Whatever I do here, the impact is probably tenfold, or a hundredfold.”

BAR declared Black Politcs Dead...

Garvey's Ghost made that declaration years ago. In 2007 I wrote:

The current generation of the black middle class, which incidentally are the early edges of the Hip Hop generation, is only interested in a few things: money and access. As with the rest of us in this generation, we learned all to well that rocking the boat and talking that "black shit" was an expressway to being marginalized and a "promotion killer". If we can't go natural, speak our minds and wear "um-foo-foo" shit, then no way we are going to allow McKinney to mess us up.*

In 2006 after Cynthia McKinney was defeated in her bid for Congress I wrote:

More important to me though, is the sign that this defeat indicates for black protest politics. One would have hoped that the increase in affluent black people in Georgia's 4th district would have meant that a stand up person such as McKinney would have a relatively easy time of it being able to raise funds from a local, affluent group of black folks who could insulate her from the racists whites around her who have, as of today called her a "bitch" and a "Ho". Instead we have seen that this affluent class of blacks are far from their humble roots. Instead of "truth to power" they actually voted for a person who made a clearly "racist" remark that in other circumstances would be directed at them. Instead of holding the Democratic Party's feet to the fire for it's blatant discrimination against McKinney, this group has voted for someone less likely to "rock the boat." Indeed these voters have forsaken the letter from a Birmingham jail written by their native son Dr. King Jr. in which he lamented even the black clergy and other leaders for their willingness to "go slow" and "not rock the boat" and to stand up for principle. Indeed it would appear that with their newfound wealth and societal acceptance, they are slowly becoming that which was marched against. To vote McKinney out of office because the police harassed her, when we know that police do, in fact harass black people, is a poor political decision (even though it was a bad decision on McKinney's part). To call McKinney "looney" because she dared to be the first to ask the important questions regarding 9-11 and the Iraq war, is a bad political decision. When the purpose of congressional representation is simply to see how much money the representative can get out of the treasury rather than the sworn oath to uphold the constitution, which no one can say McKinney has not done. then black voters become no better than many of the people of other races they read and talk about in private. And if that is the direction that the "upwardly mobile" affluent class of blacks are going, then Black protest politics, which has been traditionally rooted in steadfastness, truth and fairness is dead and is being replaced with a politics compromise on principle, unethical behavior and selfishness. One only needs to look at Andrew Young, who went from labor activist to a front man for corporate exploitation. My how the potentially mighty have gone to sleep.

In reference to the election of Obama I wrote:

the COINTELPRO program that was instituted by the US Government to neutralize certain types of black leadership and prevent the rise of a "black messiah" and if possible create one.

One would have to understand that this "black messiah" of which Hoover was so concerned about was one who spoke and acted in such a manner as it threatened the power of entrenched interests. That is, they feared that such a person would be able to have what would be considered a negative effect on US policy both internally and externally. Internally, such a messiah, would organize black people to resist racist oppression by the police and threaten businesses that prey upon black people. At an extreme the government was concerned that black people would rise up in an armed rebellion against the US government. To be clear, that was the extreme concern. However, As seen in the activities against Marcus Garvey (victim of the FBI predecessor MIB), Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, simply speaking out and organizing against the US government activities worldwide in such a manner that even some white people could understand was seen as a threat that needed neutralization.

To that end, the government did it's very best to destroy the most visible black leadership throughout the late 60's and early 70's. To that end we find that Dr. Frances Cress Welsing observed that black youth got the message: To stand up for black folk could get you killed. Black people have found themselves thoroughly declawed. Many former revolutionaries now sit in tenured positions at white institutions of higher education trying to make a living by recounting their lives as members of such and such organizations or they have become born again in various religions or become so called conservatives if they are not in jail, exiled or in mental institutions. While the black middle class is the largest thus far and the list of Black businesses with millions if not billions in assets have been growing steadily. Another side of black America has seen itself faced with huge incarceration rates, high unemployment among males approaching or surpassing 50% in certain urban areas and a below average marriage rate. On the international scene we have former revolutionaries as the primary terrorizers of their now "free" countries. We find Haitians eating dirt, rigged elections in Kenya spawning all manner of bloodshed...

In the end having largely ineffective black people who are good for the whims of the political and economic elites was the goal of COINTELPRO. Yes it may have been couched in language of targeting persons and organizations, but the larger goal was to put black folk back in the box. Today so called "black nationalists" are generally known as low lives, sexist men, with little job prospects with a propensity to father children they can't raise (yes this was said to me). Obama speaks this language of the old, bitter, out of touch black radical. He has repeatedly made these comments in reference to not only his pastor but by extension to those who think like him as evidenced by his comments on the white catholic priest. The fact that these statements can be made and go unchallenged by the majority of blacks, is a testament to the success of COINTELPRO.


So for anyone paying attention the declaration by Bruce Dixon is a late echo of a long announced fact.

Holocaust denial in the Arab World

On the Arab side, the most rational narrative—later we'll mention the denialist escalations that are on the rise at present—may perhaps be summarized in these terms, "We had nothing to do with the Shoah. Anti-Semitism is not an established tradition for us, but a European phenomenon. Zionism is a colonial movement that really took off in Palestine under the British colonial mandate, even though there were earlier instances. In consequence, it's a colonial implantation in the Arab world, on the model of what was seen in South Africa and elsewhere." It's the war between these two narratives that I explore in this book.

A good read.

World War 4 Report

Ireland Passes anti-blashphemy law

Utter foolishness:

Last Friday morning in Ireland, about 30 minutes after a new law took effect with the new year that makes blasphemy a crime punishable by a fine of up to $35,000, a group of Irish atheists invited the government to prosecute them by publishing 25 blasphemous statements on an Irish Web site.

According to the updated Irish Statute Book, the criminal blasphemer is defined as someone who “publishes or utters matter that is grossly abusive or insulting in relation to matters held sacred by any religion, thereby causing outrage among a substantial number of the adherents of that religion, and … intends, by the publication or utterance of the matter concerned, to cause such outrage.”

NY Times

Nigerian Bomber

While I cracked wise on the fellow on GGTV but on a serious note, I had discussed the following with a few people:

“First of all, i have no friend. Not because i do not socialise, etc but because either people do not want to get too close to me as they go partying and stuff while i dont, or they are bad people who befriend me and influence me to do bad things. Hence…i feel depressed and lonely. i do not know what to do. And then i think this loneliness leads me to other problems. As i get lonely, the natural sexual drive awakens and i struggle to control it, sometimes leading to minor sinful activities like not lowering the gaze…. And this problem makes me want to get married to avoid getting aroused.”

It is a dangerous mix of sexually repressed young men and strict religion. I have long had issues with the whole "religious" philosophy that I observed among SDA's (but by no means limited to them) of a us vs. them. They are "out to make us sin." The view that life and non-(insert religion here) are out to get them. The whole fear mongering of completely natural and normal sexual feelings which is the norm in many denominations (not all) is very troubling to me.

Sex is bad, but apparently killing is OK.

Counterpunch

Garvey's Ghost TV

Part 1:


Part 2:

Danish Cartoonist Attacked in Home

The 74-year-old artist told his employer, the newspaper Jyllands-Posten, that he had taken refuge from the attack in a fortified bathroom built into his home by the intelligence service, and was there with his 5-year-old granddaughter as the assailant, armed with an ax and a knife, tried to break in.
The newspaper quoted Mr. Westergaard as saying that the attacker shouted “Revenge!” and “Blood!” as he tried to smash down the door in the minutes before the arrival of the police, who had been notified by the artist’s setting off a panic button.

NY Times


And people were shocked about the Minaret ban. Keep this kind of thing up and it will be a lot more than building codes.

Imani

All of us may not live to see the higher accomplishment of an African Empire- so strong and powerful, as to compel the respect of mankind, but we in our life-time can so work and act to make the dream a possibility within another generation.

-Marcus Garvey