OBAMA FORGOT ABOUT US

OBAMA FORGOT ABOUT US………the re-write

As President Barack Obama starts the second hundred days of his second term, there’s something conspicuously different about his new cabinet; the absence of Black leaders and advisors (Charlotte, NC Mayor Anthony Fox and Congressman Mel Watt recently nominated).  Recently, Black Congresswoman Marcia Fudge of Ohio sent the President a letter stating, “You have publicly expressed your commitment to retaining diversity within your cabinet. However, the people you have chosen to appoint in this new term have hardly been reflective of this country’s diversity.” Ooopps…….How’s that workin Mr. Obama? When you compare President Obama to his predecessors, the decrease in Black appointments is shocking!

I hate to say this, because I’m not a Bill Clinton nut-hugger, but in American Presidential history, President William Jefferson Clinton has been, by far, the most transformational leader. Hum? Ol Slick Willie appointed seven Black cabinet members, the most of any President in history: Ron Brown as Secretary of Commerce; Mike Espy as Secretary of Agriculture; Hazel O’Leary as Secretary of Energy; Alexis Herman as Secretary of Labor; and Jesse Brown as Secretary of Veteran Affairs. Slick Willie also appointed Togo West as Secretary of Veterans Affairs and Rodney Slater as Secretary of Transportation. Compared to Obama, President George W. Bush also had more Black folks in his cabinet, including the first Black Secretary of State and Secretary of Education, Colin Powell and Rod Paige, respectively. Bush also appointed turn-coat Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State and Alphonso Jackson as Secretary of Housing and Urban Development.

For Obama, Eric Holder is the first Black Attorney General and the only Black cabinet member of his administration until nominating Fox and Watt. In sum, when you compare the first Black President to his recent predecessors, the number of Black’s in senior cabinet positions is very disappointing: Clinton (7); Bush (4); and Obama (1). Obama has not moved Black leadership forward, but backwards. Wow!! Moreover, while having Black’s in senior cabinet positions does not guarantee an economic agenda that will advance our people, it at least is a starting point and puts us in the driver’s seat. With President Obama, we’re not in the driver’s seat, or hell, even in the car dammit!! For me, the absence of Black folks in a second term is not only disrespectful to the whole Black community who voted 96 percent for Obama in 2008 and 93 percent in 2012, but also underscores a larger problem of economic and job opportunities for the Black community. If we objectively look at Obama’s Presidency, we Black folks are in a worse position than we were before he became president. At the end of January 2009, unemployment for Black folks was 12.7 percent. Four years later, the situation is worse, and unemployment is higher at 13.8 percent. Hum again??  For those of you who have read my articles and posts, you know I was not the biggest Obama supporter, but I worked my ass off to get him elected in 2008 and 2012.

Shortly after Obama announced his candidacy to run for the office of President of United States, in 2008, I hosted a Black Nationalist breakfast in Indianapolis to encourage the brothers to support his candidacy. This was a major gathering at the time, because many Black folks in racist red Indiana were strong supporters of then-Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and was encouraging folks to support her and not Obama! I supported then Senator Obama not because he was a brother, but because I truly believed in my heart of hearts that he was the best man to empathize, understand, and develop policies to help the Black community, the poor and previously under-represented communities. To my disappointment, the President has not only failed us, the Black community, but also has failed to surround himself with qualified Black people who could develop policies to help the most disenfranchised (us). The president’s agenda appears to be for everyone except Black people…his most loyal constituency. In 2012, two prominent Indianapolis lawyers convened a meeting between White House senior advisor, Valerie Jarrett, and a cross-section of Indianapolis’ failed, and failing Black leadership. The purpose of the meeting was to candidly discuss the President’s re-election strategy and policies toward Black folks. The meeting was initially cordial until I gathered the courage to ask Jarrett a question I have heard repeatedly in the Black community, “Over the past four years, what has President Obama done to help Black people?” Damn! After I asked the question, you could hear a motherfuckin pin drop! Ol Valerie, who is known as the chief ass-kisser to Obama, didn’t mince words when she responded to my question and proceeded to rattle off the administration talking points: the passing of Obama-care, the increase in Pell grants, etc. She concluded her remarks by saying that we should support the President because “we are family.” When I raised bonus questions about unshakable high unemployment in the Black community and not appointing a Black person to the United States Supreme Court (a move that could have a real and lasting impact on the future of our community), Ms. Jarrett then went for my jugular and said, “The President is the President of all people and not just Black people.” Jarrett is right as rain! The President is the President of all people, but ain’t we Black people part of the “all”? In the words of brother Langston Hughes, we “too sing America.”

 Given the President’s poor ass record in propelling an economic and empowerment agenda for the Black community, we must begin asking the questions:

1.       Why are we so loyal to a President who is not loyal to us?

2.      What is it about our community that we continue to support candidates nationally and locally just because their skin has been “kissed by nature’s sun”?

3.      And more importantly, why are we still loyal to a Democratic Party that ignores us and takes our votes for granted?

 My questions do not suggest that we should necessarily change political parties, but they do suggest that the Black community must hold our political leaders accountable and change our strategy to ensure that we are fully engaged in the political process beyond November elections! I recently told a group of local mis-leaders that having an elected Black politician is not enough. I said that having a Black mayor, governor, or President does not guarantee, in and of itself, that the Black elected official’s agenda will be the same as the Black community. In order for the Black community to become “real” players in the political process, shaping a politician’s agenda, the Black community must do what every other community is doing……control our sorry ass politicians through money. Yea……that good ol money! In the past, the Black community has relied exclusively on our voting power to advance our agenda. However, voting power is meaningless when our elected politicians are eternally thinking about their next election and the amount of money they will need to win. If I’m right, then this would be more of a reason why the President should have made appointments that would not only make a difference in our community but further break down barriers in our beloved (?) country. Barack is not running for re-election, and should have felt empowered to appoint a very diverse cabinet and not one reflected of the status quo. Hence, this is the main issue I have with President Obama and his second term: Obama is more of a historical leader than he is a transformational leader for the Black community. If President Obama does not make some changes soon, at the end of his presidency he will be known as a historical leader………..the first Black President, but not a transformational leader…..the President who truly uplifted and catapulted Black people from cycles of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, and despair. As we observed across the nation the 45th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, I hoped that President Obama and others were reminded that we, too, have dreams that should and must be fulfilled. As always, I’m Phillip Norton, and keep the faith.

Why Are We Waking Up With an Obama-Ache…..The Re-Write!!

Question: Who will defend the indefensible Obama? Answer: There will be fewer and fewer Obamapologists, as each day passes. We Black folks have now been forced to come to grips with the finality of Obama’s second term. The Obama Hangover has begun, and I’m not talkin about the movie! The drunken hallucinations that fell upon Black America after the white folks of Iowa endorsed an educated, well spoken, skinny, brown-skinned corporate lover just after New Year ’s Day 2008, transferring white viability on a Great Black Hope…..is definitively over folks. It’s the morning-after in Black America….our neighborhoods now in economic and political ruin, submerged in the sweltering daylight of Obama’s second term and his numerous betrayals. And we don’t have a prescription for the “morning after pill”. It would be easy for me to say that the disgust of 2013 is motivated by Obama’s direct assault on Social Security and entitlements. However, the first Black President’s obituary ain’t written in his over-due budget. The onset of post-Obamaism has more to do with the calendar than anything else. Yep! Since Election Day, November 6, we Black folks have been forced to come to grips with the finality of Obama’s second term….. the impending emergence from the dream. Can’t you hear the sound of a big fat ass right-wing finger snapping? “In a few moments, you misguided fools will wake up.” Snap!!!!! The awakening will be uneven and, for many of us, dreadful: a dream dissolving into the rubble-strewn nightmare left by the Great Recession, a catastrophe that set us Black folks back as much as two generations, but which was not personally experienced by huge segments of the Black community. Instead, reality was camouflaged by the presence of a Black person in the White House. It was a narcotic effect like crack/meth, so potent in Obama’s first term, Black folks imagined themselves to be better off than five and ten years before, when the truth was the exact opposite. Black imagination took flight amid desolation. Studies by the Pew Research Center, confirmed by other reputable pollsters during the course of Obama’s first term, showed that Black folks were the most optimistic people in the country regarding our personal and family prospects and those of Black people as a group. Moreover, we believed that our condition was improved under the Obama presidency, when in fact we Blacks have been hardest hit of all U.S. populations. Meanwhile, every other ethnic group correctly understood that their economic situation had deteriorated. Hum?

 Back in January of 2010, I wrote:

“Obama'aid is a mind-altering substance, a hallucinogen. It makes Black people see progress when they’re actually facing disaster. Obama-on-the-brain also behaves like an opiate, blocking out pain. Black folks ability to apprehend political and economic danger is compromised by Obama-induced delusion, while the opiate effect prevents Blacks from knowing where and how badly they’ve been hurt. That’s a fatal combination.”

 Although we Black folks contributed 19 out of every 20 of our votes to Obama’s reelection, there was no escaping that this was the last act in the ritual. I can’t blame the people for having their personal Mardi Gras, even if it is a five-year party. However, it is unforgiveable for our so-called leaders to allow the whole town to burn down during the party.  There’s a lot of historical re-writing to do, if the fakers are to include themselves in a movement from which they have been effectively absent for five years.

For the enormously dysfunctional Black Mis-leadership class, the winding down of the Age of Obama is now cause for their sad and frantic repositioning, and for the revising of their own sorry histories. Black politicians and movement personalities who for four years couldn’t even bring themselves to formulate a single demand of the administration in power, now claim to be working on a “Black Agenda”! They have discarded the old and unfinished Black historical agenda on peace and social justice in deference to the First Black President. Now that Obama’s days are numbered, these lazy ass misleaders must hustle to readjust history to show that they have, indeed, been “on the case” since 2008, when the bottom fell out of the Black American economy. Do not let them do that! There’s a lot of historical re-writing to do, if the fakers are to include themselves in a movement from which they have been effectively absent for four years.  The clock is ticking on those who have put the political fortunes of a Black corporate elitist in the White House above the interests of Black people and the global human community. What will the misleaders do with their wagons when there is no Obama for them to circle around, or when he has totally discredited himself even among his most loyal constituency, as with his stance on entitlements? Revisionism becomes the order of the day. Yesterday’s cheerleaders for Obama are now scrambling to find harmless roles of simulated protest from which they can rebuild their resumes as defenders of the people’s interests. Submissive members of the Congressional Black Caucus will decide that it’s time to regurgitate, rather than swallow, Obama’s meals. But some of us have kept a record, and kept the faith. And we will not forget who did what in the Age of Obama. I’m out!

I’m Still Pickin Cotton, and I Have Some Jewish Friends with Me!!

One of the beautiful things about hosting a blog site is that you can respond to very thought provoking and sincere questions with an entire post.

Quite a few of you were taken by surprise and somewhat upset with my stance on Israel and the Jewish people. And given the unfortunate events taking place in the Middle East right now, I can honestly say that I understand where some of you are coming from.

But as sorry as I am for the innocent victims on the Palestinian side, I’m just as sorry for the countless Israelis who have been killed by suicide bombers and other despicable acts of terror over the course of that country's history.

So why do I defend Israel? Wow, where do I begin?

First, a little history lesson: Many of you are under the false assumption that the Israelis took away the Palestinian homeland and are now occupiers in a land that they have no claim to. (Kind of like us folks in America and what the white folks did to the Natives, I guess) But you would be incorrect. See, there was never a country called Palestine. Jews came from Judea not Palestine. There is no Palestinian language, no Palestinian culture distinct from other Arabs, and there has never been a land governed by Palestinians known as Palestine. NEVER!

Jerusalem has never been the capital of any Arab or Muslim entity. I’m not religious but I’ll play along, because I know that most of you are. King David established Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and Muhammad never visited Jerusalem even once. Not once!! Jerusalem was under Turkish rule from 1517-1917, and under British rule from 1917 until 1948. Intense Jewish prejudice caused many Jews to flee Arab countries and most Jews in Israel today are of Arab, not European decent. Hum?

Jews purchased that land from Arab landlords, and there was an Orthodox Jewish community living in Palestine long before the rise of Adolph Hitler in Germany forced many Jews to flee like hell from Europe and settle in Israel.

Now I ask you, what were the Jews supposed to do? Our beloved America had turned many of them away after they tried to flee the tyranny of the evil one. So Jews established their own homeland. A homeland, by the way, which they have had to defend in four wars against Arab aggression. A homeland which is the only one they can call their own, (the Arab world has over 20), and a homeland which they have managed to do a pretty good job of keeping their own citizens happy in.

Oh come on Angry Black Man, what about the poor Palestinians living in Gaza and the West Bank? Don't they live under Israeli Occupation? You mean the Palestinians who can't get their own shit together? The ones who fight among themselves for control and power as much as they fight the Jews? You talkin about those Palestinians? Let me see now; Fatah rules the West Bank, while Hamas rules Gaza. Nice….. A "Two State Solution"? Try a three state solution; because I guarantee you that no matter what, those groups are going to be fighting among themselves for power.

But the Jews are easy targets. Why isn't anyone blaming the other Arab states for leaving thousands of Palestinian refugees hanging after the 1948 Arab Israeli conflict? Why don't we point our trembling indignant ass fingers at that scum, King Abdullah of Jordan, for betraying the other Arab nations? Why aren't we outraged at that thief, Yasar Arafat, who stole millions from the Palestinian people? Because it's easier to blame the Jews? Why don't we blame the British for making three different promises with despicable intentions in mind with their infamous "Balfour Declaration" after World War I?

So why am I defending the Jews? Because they stood by my side when the chips were down. Hell, some of them hung by my side. Because they helped to start organizations like the Urban League, and the NAACP. Because of stories I hear about Ida Wells in Memphis, Tennessee when Blacks organized a militia called the Tennessee Rifles to defend themselves, and it was a Jewish shopkeeper who risked his life to get them those rifles.

Because I have mad love for Haile Selassie (Save the Rasta jokes) and when that tyrant, Colonel Mengistu Mariam, overthrew him and started persecuting the Beta Israel people in Ethiopia, it was the Israelis who took them in. (Yes, there are actually Jews from Africa.) Maybe I got tired of seeing Jews trying to just live their lives, only to have their heads cut off on the Internet to make a fucking point. Maybe I like the fact that it's a Jew who started the Southern Poverty Law Center which tracks racist groups in this country and is one of the best run organizations in America. Maybe I like the fact that they don't proselytize to me about their faith like some people.

I know that Jessie and the rest of Rev. Inc. have made it cool to demagogue against Jews in this country. And the only thing that many Black folks and Jews have in common is love for a certain chosen one. If you’re Black and conscious, it's the hip thing to do; bash the Jews.

Remember when Professor Griff of Public Enemy told the folks in London that "if the Palestinians took up arms and went into Israel and killed all the Jews it would be cool"?

Sorry, I won't bite. The Jews are the least of my problems. To steal a line from the aforementioned Public Enemy, I won't "believe the hype".

Republican/Tea Party/GOP "Autopsy Report"

The post-mortem of last November's elections showed the racist GOP got it's ass kicked because the party no longer reflects the values of this rapidly changing America. In the months since, we've seen the racists sorta-kinda pivot on the issue of immigration, push (really not quite ready for primetime) Cuban/Hispanic’s like Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz to the forefront, and promise to do some deep soul-searching in a quest to discover just what went wrong and how they can fix it if they want to remain relevant in this “new” America!  As an outsider/agitator, I've sorta enjoyed watching the bickering and in-fighting. It's clear the GOP knows it has a problem attracting any voters other than white men and aging Southern whites, but what's still unclear is how they plan to actually expand their brand. Earlier in the week, the RNC Chair, the interestingly weird named Reince Preibus, released the party's findings and blueprint for their return to importance.
The Republican Party ended months of supposed self-criticism with a silly wide-ranging plan to transform itself into a modern, welcoming home for a fast diversifying America. Preibus presented a 100-page blueprint designed to rebuild his struggling GOP after a four-month analysis, and he delivered a blazing assessment of the party’s problems appealing to women and minorities.  The plan called for Republicans to accept immigration reform, renovate their digital and research operation, and hold a shorter, more controlled presidential primary season.
Preibus also announced a $10 million plan to ship racist GOP operatives to Black, Latino and Asian American communities, which voted overwhelmingly to re-elect President Obama. But even many Rednecks who praised the proposal said it was only a limited response to their problems, which include policy positionsm that turn away minority groups. The RNC’s road map comes after last weekend’s Conservative Political Action Conference, the biggest annual gathering of kooks, racists, and conservative activists, which brought new attention to the differing ideas gushing through the Republican Party.
If you're into really boring, really pointless reads, you should give this 100 page "report" a gander. It's as exciting as a Charlotte Bobcats game, and unfortunately will take you about twice as long to finish. I made it to page 15 before it was obvious that the GOP still ain’t got a fuckin clue how to relate to Black folks. In fact, I'm not sure they even want to. Of for that matter, should. I mean, we've seen firsthand what it looks like when the Rednecks try to discuss their own race related issues. That shit wasn’t pretty.
Let's face it: The Demo’s don’t have another Barack Obama in the queue. If Hilary runs in 2016 (and after this, I'm pretty sure she is), she'll have a pretty good chance of winning, because there doesn't appear to be another Democrat with such magnetism anywhere in the party's minor leagues. 
The right-wing has shown that by gerrymandering enough Congressional districts, it can retain power in Congress. The party is also running the governor's mansion in 30 states. And all jokes aside, the party would probably be in charge of the Senate if they hadn’t elected a handful of idiots/kooks/blathering idiots for seats in 2010 and 2012. A bit more discretion and the GOP would likely be firmly in charge of everything but the White House right now. Call me silly, but that's not exactly cause for alarm. 
If Clinton doesn't run in 2016, who are the Democrats gonna trot out? Chris Van Hollen? Joe “Budden” Biden? Martin O'Malley? Forgive me while I go take a nap. I'd probably vote for Chris Christie over that trio of losers, if only for utter entertainment purposes.
 If I'm the GOP, I'd say to hell with all this outreach shit and double down on obstruction and resentment! It's not like that formula hasn't been wildly successful to date. And with Obama Care, elderly white seniors will live (and vote) even longer. If it ain't totally broke, don't fix it. Fuck an autopsy. 
 I will, however, say this: if the GOP wants to spend some of that $10M outreach money, I can darn sure help them motherfuckers. PayPal is color-blind.

Politics, White Folks, Drugs, and Fools

Shout out to all the hypocritical Negroes who complain about BET being an embarrassment to Black America, but still look at it 24/7. Also, bonus shout out to the fellas who dial those sex lines featuring white chicks advertised on BET. Yep, diversity is a good thing son!!
But check this, since my old man said, "dumb niggers are dangerous", I’m gonna take his advice, so for this post I’m gonna change the skin color of my target audience. Are you kidding me, although a few Black women (and men) could fit these shoes, I’m not ready for another ass kicking. So today, it’s White Folks, Politics, Drugs and Zip Damn Fools, because they all have something in common. Hum, you say?
Let me start by saying I’m leery of white people, okay. Now don’t take that wrong. Hell, I have one white friend, and I’m not a racist by any stretch of imagination. Wait, does that have the same feeling/flavor/sting as a white person saying "I have Black friends’? Well, all the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty back together again. Yeah, figure out how that relates to anything I’ve said. Nevertheless, I’m gonna say it, I have a white friend!!
But listen, I hate white people. Yup, I said it. I really hate em. They’re ugly, stupid and obnoxious. And they’re a bunch of narrow minded privileged bigots. I see white people as a scourge that needs to be eliminated from the world. You’re sitting there thinking "damn this motherfucker is crazy", ain’t you? Well, therein lays the problem…..because you know what? Most of my opinions are really on point and need to be said. Only problem is, coming from my mouth they tend to lose legitimacy. I’m a Black man, but hold that thought.
Okay, white folks are now on the floor, so let me drag out drugs, politics and a few fools.
Well, I have to raise my hand for a friend. She was a heroin addict for over twenty five years. Since the age of 25, she loved the comfort heroin gave her, however, back then, if you would have asked her if she was an addict, she would have told you hell no. How could she be an addict? She had a college degree, a high five figure job, a family and a nice home. That’s certainly not the stereotypical image of an addict. Yet, every day of her life, some years ago, she was flying high in the sky, flying high without ever leavin’ the ground. She went to the places where danger awaited her and it was bound to forsake her, but she was so stupid minded. She couldn’t help it, she was stupid minded, and she’d go crazy when she couldn’t find it. In the mornings she’d be alright, but soon the night brought all the pains, the pain, oh the pain! Yet she’d go to the places where the good feelin’ awaited her, self-destruction was in her hands, Oh Lord, so stupid minded. She was hooked to that boy who makes slaves out of men and she’d go crazy when she couldn’t find it. Believe me, she was flying high without ever leaving the ground, and she didn’t see nothin but trouble! She had to cry out, "help me somebody".
Damn, yawl gonna have me crying up in here thinking about her bad days. And check this; many of you may have noticed that many of those words were from Marvin Gaye’s song "Flying High". Many of those words were his, and I cried while writing them, because she fought those exact same demons. And, Marvin didn’t win his battle.
Okay, this pie is about ready to put in the fiery oven. We have white folks, drugs and a fool, so now we need a cup of politics, and then it’s patty cake patty cake, baker man, I’m gonna spank this thang with a very heavy hand.
As political debates go, the lines of opposition are usually drawn deep in the sand. Each side digs in, gets very entrenched in their positions, and then, nobody budges. And again, my old man told me not to be anybody’s fool and don’t play another man’s game, so taking his advice, I generally don’t get too involved in the tick-tack-patty-wack of local politics. But sometimes I’ll listen on the sidelines and add a little commentary on the ongoing affairs. So, in short, I don’t do local politics, I do people. But birds of a feather flock together and why do fools fall in love? Huh?

Remember when I said I have a white friend? Well, over the last year, over at my blog "Angry Black Man" I had been noticing the comments of this one white dude, they were quite different than most political debaters. His had a ring of openness and honesty that I’ve seldom seen in most political discussions. It was obvious to me that the man had a wealth of wisdom, and an education. I asked myself, "Who is this white dude that’s not afraid to call a spade a spade, and bigoted dumb white folks… bigoted, racist ass dumb white folks?" Now you know, and he must obviously know, that his penchant for holding up a mirror to some of our evil white brothers could get a white man barred from the shores of America. But Homer is not alone.
Remember my paragraph that opened with "But Listen, I hate white people"? Well, actually, those ain’t my words; they belong to Joanna, who just happens to be a white woman. Damn, she was throwin blows on white folks, and her skin is like soft fallen snow. Wait, I don’t know if she’s soft, but I know she’s white. She seems to have acquired the honesty and lack of fear to speak about the evil ways of some white folks.
Joanna asked if I’d consider doing a guest post on "racism" or "drug addiction". See, about a year ago she dropped by my blog and witnessed some of my trials and tribulations; many of which concerned my personal failings and the consequences of such. I even sent her a copy of one of my speaking engagements. She apparently wanted to see if I was Memorex or just talking shit. Well, here I am, she has invited me in her house.
So now I have to bring this home by first mentioning a few words of my youngest son. He has a saying: "show me a 4-10 year old jerk child, and I’ll show you an adult asshole". Now, you know what; think about that for a few seconds. Take a little time to drift back in your memory. Think about those kids in your classroom who were sleep, jacking around and were just being a damn nuisance. They usually could be found in the back two rows of the classroom, talking shit and doing nothing other than the prescribed school activities. They certainly weren’t trying to learn anything. Where are they now? Well, I’d bet my last Hennessy flavored blunt (I love weed) that they’re still jerks, on Gilligan’s Island, lost in space, in jail, an institution, or they’re dead. But listen, I’ve come to believe an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, so the bulk of the blame doesn’t fall at their feet.
In walks the white racist, the bigot, and fools that fall in love with whomever and whatever. Now hold on tight, fasten your seat belts because I’m about to make a quick left turn. I’m going to drive by the house of a white fool. He lives at the intersection of Ignorance Avenue and Fools Road. We’ll be looking for a person that knows no sorrow. By definition he or she will be careless, callous, indifferent, and never breaks up or softens up for wrong doing. They hate knowledge and resist instruction. He or she won’t be hard to spot because again, by definition of the word fool, they despise wisdom and are closed minded. The biggest fools are deficient in judgment, sense, or understanding. They are easily deceived or duped and willingly engage in buffoonery and trifling activity. Damn, I better turn this car around, I’m wastin gas. There’s a white racist fool on every corner.
Look, we may not be who we think we are, nor want to be, but wisdom is learned by going through a storm, not by listening to popular opinions, or by living in the realm of a false self-image. My friend, by the definition of the word "addict", and by her actions, was a full blown addict. When she accepted that cold hard fact, it behooved her to take the responsibilities that would lead her out of her dark abyss. She had to admit to herself that she was a damn fool who wasn’t fooling anyone except herself. Now that was a hard pill to swallow. It wasn’t the shoes, it was her. It certainly wasn’t white folks, it was her. Her man, friends and family didn’t put drugs in her system, it was her, and she was the gatekeeper. She was the biggest fool around, but what about a time called now? That’s my motto, "What About a Time Called Now?" When in our life do we make a decision to really change? Is it when our backs are against a wall of no return? Is it when we become seriously ill with some disease that John Hopkins can’t cure? Why should we expect white folks to change? Their momma was a racist and their daddy was too, and they fell from that tree. The Tea Party, and all that flock, love flocking together. They’re obviously not looking for wisdom, and they love engaging in buffoonery and trifling activity, so why should they ever consider changing? They’re not going to be denied the basic rights afforded all Americans because of the color of their skin. And please, talking about a dark pit of lost hopes and no return, what kind of special kind of white racist would idolize that Black Bozo the Clown, Clarence Thomas?
Damn… drugs, white folks, fools and politics……… there’s a distinct connection. Some white folks exhibit the exact characteristics of a pimp or die, stomp down drug addict. Just like drug addicts and alcoholics, they love what they do, and they have no apparent reason to change. They would cut off their nose in spite of their face, and sell their wife’s poontang before they’d give a Black man an even playing field. All their friends are doing "it", so those birds are going to flock together. When they drink their hate and racist juice, it makes them feel powerful and in control, and to a large degree they are, so why should they change?
This is not an indictment of all white people. It’s an observation of the evil intrinsic nature of all humans. We all can be duped and led astray. Hey, as I said, I have a white friend.
Damn it, I was supposed to write a post on racism or addictions. You know, like drug and alcohol abuse and related treatments, but I got side tracked. Well, maybe not side-tracked, but I don’t know how much truth a person can handle in one day. See, Joanne has a link on her blog, one of those paid links "Drug Abuse Centers". Well, I have to say this too….. Treatment centers are one of the biggest pimp games in town. They’re a dismal failure. Hey, I’m talking about something I know about. My friend found herself in one the most respected treatment centers in the world. Oh yeah, and look…..the average numbers of "treatments" before a person gets a tiny whiff of a sustained recovery is 4.5 times, in and out those doors. It’s called "treatment", not a cure.
If you keep going back for treatment, somebody keeps gettin paid. Now hold up, the average cost is thirty to fifty thousand dollars! And guess who owns and runs those facilities… white folks! Oh yeah, there’s a whole lot of pimpin going on, and unfortunately they’re the only game in town. But I didn’t have time to tell you all the maddening news. But maybe if I’m invited back into your world, we can get down to all the sickening details. Recovery is possible but the overwhelming majority of people, who find themselves battling a substance abuse problem, never make it to the other side. Don’t look now but the numbers are less than two percent. That’s a cold hard fact, and I’d like to tell you why that’s true.

How the Sugar Sweet Rap Beats of Today Hijacked our Music, Arts, and Culture!!

Music……..It’s that unifying thing that bonds folks together who don’t even know each other, but because of the mutual love in our souls for that particular song, certified strangers are in actuality friends who have not yet met each other. Hum? Ain’t that a beautiful thing?

The interesting thing about this phenomenon is that the very same song can mean so many different things to so many different people. That’s another amazing thought. It goes even deeper than that…..music is a very powerful instrument that can motivate an individual or an entire people who share the same culture, to do exceptional things. Really exceptional things!

Music has a special way of touching your soul in places that no person can touch, because that song can literally take you back to that place you were when that song was popular. It can remind you of that person you haven’t seen for decades. It can make you feel emotions that you thought were long gone and banished, but are now just as fresh as when you lived through it all because of a song.

Time doesn’t minimize the emotions that flood every fiber of your being once that song stirs up what was so hidden deep down in the inner recesses of your soul. The Black community today doesn’t really have that connectedness to each other, and one of the reasons are because our entire culture has been hijacked by the corporate interests, as a new culture has been created for us to absorb with deadly results. We see it every day around us, but the change has been so gradual that we in essence have become that live frog slowly cooking in the pot of water on the stove that is coming to a slow boil without even realizing that he will soon become a meal.

This is not the world that I grew up in, and the music that I was immersed in from back in the day is what I utilize to escape this madness! No, I’m not in denial of the work that must be done in our communities, but in order to maintain my motivation to make a difference in my community, I must go “back” to when my world practiced a bit more of the ideals that I think are lacking so much today. I do this through deep meditation and absorbing the music from those great days.

Art, music, literary works, film, and all things creative are needed so much, and are the lifeline and precursor strength and unity for all Black communities. Once tampered with, it can yield disastrous results to say the least. Isn’t it evident in the present day as we see a stark difference from when we grew up?

I will be turning 58 in August 2013. This places me in a very unique position as are so many others who are aware and conscious in this age group to be able to see how far off of the mark we have gone, and how important it is for us to bring back those quality thought provoking creations through the arts that speak truth to power.

I, in my own small way have committed myself to doing just that, as I challenge all artists, musicians, spoken word artists, playwrights, actors, and comedians to step up the message in your work while still maintaining your sense of individuality. This is important, because we as creative thinkers have more power to affect the community around us than we actually give ourselves credit for.

 The so called “powers that be” may be able to control the thinking of the masses through their powerful media outlets, but singular artists who have banded together to bring a bold awareness to the people cannot be stopped as long as we remain uncompromised and unable to be sold out for a few dollars.

 Understand that it is those of us who have the great talents that are most likely to be the people who are more of a threat to the oppressors of this world at this time and all throughout history. It is those who think outside of the box and see beyond the veil that has been pulled down over the eyes of the masses that will eventually see the light because of the collective work that we do as artists.

 I’ve said it before on several other articles that I’ve written and I will briefly touch on it again to clarify my point. The downtrodden oppressed communities are the places where creativity will always be produced on a higher level because of the limitations of the amenities of the rich. We don’t have certain things in our poor communities, so what do we do? We go out and find a way to create something of a similar functionality. We find a way to get it!

 When you see graffiti on walls in the hood, that’s really an example of the frustrations and passion coming out in an uncensored fashion. It’s a way of expressing feelings, and it’s also a way of escaping the pain of living a life that is surrounded by hopelessness and hurt. We find a way to get around the reality of living in the box.  Also, it is those people who are the creative types that are the first to sound the drums for revolution and change.

So in order to continue to execute their deadly grip on the lives to which they suck the blood from like the leeches they are, the white man must find a way to discourage those downtrodden to not even consider developing their creative sides and forging forward. The money will be good because this is what they will use to hold you down, and after a time the revolutionary spirit from within will be diminished out of the fear of losing the few amenities that your oppressor has afforded you! Hum?

The white overseer knows that to banish those who beat the drums of revolution through their unique brand of creativity will leave a people without a common drumbeat to step in unison in their battle march. Without a unifying culture through music and the arts, we will be a people divided, hearing multiple confusing commands through a fraudulent culture created for our demise by our enemy.

This is a very serious thing, and because the beats sound good on these trashy ass songs, we suck it up without a second thought! But haven’t you heard of the term “sugar in the medicine?” Well in the case of our stolen hijacked culture it’s a case of sugar in the poison!

So if we have to reminisce and go back to a time when our creations were pure then so be it! If we have to rock some Marvin Gaye that raised our awareness in an ever changing world or play The Supremes so that our young girls can see what esteem building music sounds and feels like, then so be it also!

We can’t afford to go on this downward spiral anymore, and we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do to stop it! The negative momentum has been proceeding without resistance, so it will take a concerted focused effort in order for us to bring it to a dead halt! Let’s bring our true culture back and enjoy the benefits that come from it – the love, the brother/sisterhood and the collective sense of community!!!

My Father and Emmett Till

My old man enjoyed telling stories. Some educational… some fictional... some heartfelt…some exaggeration. Some too damn everything to actually be true.  Most of these stories, though, are now etched in my consciousness to the point that I can start, pause, exaggerate, and finish them as well as he used to. Maybe he was just a master storyteller. Maybe I just heard each of them too many times. Either way, they became such a part of our love/hate relationship that it feels like they’re my stories now too.

Some of these stories are a bit more memorable than the others, though, and one of these involve the first time he became aware of Emmett Till. He was thirty-five years old when the famous Jet Magazine featuring Emmett Till’s gruesomely disfigured face hit the newsstands. It was at that moment that the civil rights struggle became real to him. That’s what he told me. Sure, he was aware of how volatile things were becoming in the South. And, although Gary, Indiana wasn’t Money, Mississippi, he’d already experienced racism. No fire hoses and lynching’s, but racism still.

But, for a Black man, seeing stuff on an old black and white TV, or hearing your friends talk about it doesn’t compare to the visceral impact of seeing an image like that in person. In his mind, if something like this could happen to a Black kid, it could happen to him too. My old man wasn’t the only one who had that reaction when seeing Emmett Till’s picture.

For many folks—white and Black, who weren’t on the front lines, the fight for equal rights was real, but still somewhat mental battle. The circulation of that picture served as one of the many “Wake up!” flashes that occurred in that decade, an instant that shocked Black people into action.

I thought of this Tuesday while reading a few of the articles published this week marking the one year anniversary of Trayvon Martin’s murder. I’m sure we all remember how his death electrified the Black nation. I seriously can’t remember another time in my 58 years where so many folks were so visibly united against injustice. We marched and cried. We organized and demanded. We rocked hoodies. And, despite what some people seem to think now; this action did manage to achieve the immediate goal. A year ago, George Zimmerman was a free man. Right now, he’s awaiting trial for murder, and I don’t think for one minute this would have happened without the motherfucking ruckus we caused.

But, while Martin’s death had distinctive circumstances, it was a part of a much bigger picture…..gun violence in our communities…that still remains epidemic. Yea, violent crime has been on a decade-long decline pretty much everywhere…even Chicago, but saying 600 murders a year is better than 900 is like saying AIDS is better than Ebola!!

 We’ve collectively tried everything from severe gun control laws to support groups involving ex-gang-bangers to reduce this tide, and nothing seems to really help. Well, we’ve tried almost everything.  I still read 4 newspapers a day at least four or five times a week. (Yeah, it’s easier to read the paper online, but there’s something about reading, holding, and folding that still draws me to it) Often, I read about the murders in our community. Sometimes, people I personally know will be involved in the murder in some way. More times than not, though, I have no connection to the murder victim. They’re nothing more than a name, age, and location. And, while the news will sadden me, I usually forget all about it by the time I get to the sports. I doubt I’m the only one who goes through a similar process.

 But, what if the paper and every other magazine, show, program, periodical, and website reporting on the news started running pictures of the dead along with the stories? Not the prom and Facebook profile pictures that’ll sometimes be used when the story airs on the news, but the pics of how they look right now. Dead!! The crime scene photos!! CSI type pictures! The bloodied, bullet-riddled bodies!! The shotgun-shelled corpses left with half of a head. The seven year olds with holes where their hearts used to be!! The faces with lifeless eyes still open, forever staring until a family member or sympathetic detective closes them. The rotten, unrecognizable blobs lying in woods or underneath houses, found only because it’s getting warm outside and they’re starting to stink. I doubt they’d be as forgettable. I doubt we’d be able to turn the page as easily, to let them escape our minds as we read box scores or play a damn Facebook game. I doubt we’d be as willing to say and continue doing nothing. It worked for my old man. I wonder if it would work for us too.

What If the Carnival Triumph Cruise Ship Was A Slave Ship?

While I’m overjoyed as hell that the passengers on the long-suffering Carnival Triumph finally touched down from the Gulf of Mexico, off of a ship that had them drifting out at sea without some of the most basic shit that would have enabled them to enjoy their trip, I couldn’t help but look a lil deeper into this situation as it revealed to me so much about ourselves as a culture. Hum?
 

Hell, nobody should have to go through hell like that especially when they’re on a nice lil adulterous vacation, but when you look at life on the wider scope, was this inconvenience all that motherfuckin bad.

Now granted, I can really understand how terrifying it must have been to the children, and I’m not speaking about them or the elderly as I share my carefully constructed words.

But while uncertainty can surly play tricks on your mind, could it be that the reality show that we witnessed, or rather had shoved down our damn throats, was just another attention tactic of CNN and other media to drive their ratings up for profit purposes? Hum, again?

Listen, this wasn’t the motherfuckin “Poseidon Adventure” or the sinking of the “Titanic”!!

Come on now folks, I’m sure there were many, many other relevant stories that could have been covered as big as this fuckin planet is. This is why I watch the news outlets and programs through a purified lens, because what may be important to me may not be of any relevance to you.

That being said, have we as a people become so spoiled that when some unexpected shit happens, we become so bent out of shape when we don’t have certain amenities that have made us so soft and actually lazy?

This was the case!

Not to be cruel but I couldn’t help but think about what it might have been like to be on a Slave Ship coming all the way over from West Africa chained up to other sick and ailing folk laying in shit and piss for weeks, and having more shit tossed at them in the dark as food!

Yet the mere fuckin smell of piss was unbearable for those few days for the Carnival Triumph passengers! Now I’m not saying that the Carnival Triumph passengers should’ve been made to experience any discomfort because of what those stolen Africans went through when they were first placed in captivity.

But tough the fuck up people….because we will be placed in many uncomfortable situations in this life that won’t be pleasant!

As advanced as we have become with our gadgets and all that shit, and our knowledge of how to live more efficiently because of it, we have abandoned our ability to remain strong mentally and physically, and utilizing those facets of our life have all but evaporated. We as human beings were created in a very special way, and we must always address and maintain the mental, physical, and spiritual aspects of our existence. To live out of balance can happen for a time but to continue to be out of balance guarantees a certain doom as we have become our own worst enemy. Angry Man out!!

 

Django, Lincoln, and the Abolitionists?

Nation of Islam leader, Minister Louis Farrakhan said he thinks “Django Unchained” true purpose is prepping, and or inciting whites for a race-war. I respect the Minister, but that ain’t the main reason why Hollywood released "Django". Hollywood is in the business to make lots of money by pushing certain images, illusions, and propaganda. So why was Quentin Tarantino picked to make Hollywood’s most significant movie on slavery since at-least 'Amistad' if not 'Roots'? Why not Spike Lee, John Singleton (what ever happened to him), the Hughes Bros, or Bill Duke? Tarantino was picked because Hollywood knew he would turn slavery into a real Tarantino film; very real graphic violence, Tarantino style humor, in combination with using the word NIGGER a gazillion times! They knew Tarantino would get his buddy Samuel Jackson on board, which would then help draw other Black actors to ensure that Black folks would be standing in line, meaning validation for this movie. Then he needed a well-known white actor (Leonardo DiCaprio) for cross-over appeal (it turned out that the white German Dude, Chris Waltz) is 'Django's" real star, cause he’s the only one that got an Oscar nomination. But beyond economics, demographic, and logistic issues, I’m gonna base this piece on what I saw, reports, and reviews. I've read 'Django' represented a revenge fantasy for Black folks and even had a so-called liberating effect for some white people, and that’s really an improper response, that a serious movie about slavery should feel liberating for white folks. They should feel appalled, ashamed, remorseful, obligated, etc. How many Nazi’s who've seen 'Shindlers List' said that it made them feel liberated? As for us Black folks feeling therapeutic by watching this on-screen revenge fantasy of seeing a Black dude gettin some pay-back for slavery (except he didn’t do it for the fight against slavery, but to get his wife back), bullshit! At this point, the power elites are ok with Black folks feelin liberating by watching an historical film set 155 years ago as a money makin distraction from the on-going struggle against white-supremacy, systemic racism, US-NATO military imperialism, Wall St Banksterism, and the Global Neo-Liberal Disaster Capitalism we're faced with every day! 'Django' can't be separated from the fact that it was timed to come out with Spielberg's 'Lincoln' and PBS' 'The 'Abolitionists'. This movie was timed for the 150th anniversary of the so-called 'Emancipation Proclamation' and perpetuates the myth that Lincoln was our great emancipator, and saw us Black folk as equals, and the Civil War as a moral fight against slavery! More bullshit! But just as crazy, are Spielberg and his buddies pickin a white-washed script for 'Lincoln' that scrubbed my hero Fredrick Douglass, as well as all other Black abolitionist, and freedom fighters of that era from his so-called historical epic! This gives the false impression that Black folks just sat around waiting for some white Jesus savior type politicians like Lincoln and Thaddeus Stevens to give our ancestors freedom like some kind of Goddamn Christmas gift. White socialist web-sites praise 'Lincoln' and then disses Michelle Alexander's book 'The New Jim Crow' as Black bourgeois 'liberalism'. PBS so-called 'historical' documentary 'The Abolitionists' reinforces this fucked up myth. Though it does speak about Fredrick Douglass and his impact on the movement, he is too big and well known to completely ignore! Its main focus is on white abolitionists: William Lloyd Garrison, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Angelina Grimke, and John Brown. But folks should know that Douglass had several important Black colleagues in the fight against slavery: Harriett Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Martin Delaney, Robert Smalls, etc. And unlike most white abolitionists (except Brown) Tubman, Delaney, and Smalls literally risked their lives freeing slaves! Tubman was THE Face of the 'Under-Ground Rail-Road, and served as a Union Army spy during the Civil War, while Delaney and Smalls were actually Union officers! Unlike John Brown's failed Harpers Ferry raid, Robert Smalls actually succeeded in the hijacking of a Confederate gun-boat and sailed it to Union lines. Wow! Thus, the lame ass message that so-called liberal Hollywood is projecting is clear, that Blacks should give all praise to the so-called white savior, Ol (dis)Honest Abe for our freedom, as they erase Black freedom fighters from history, or give us a historical big money makin spoof as a distraction!

WHY SO MANY KILLINGS IN CHICAGO?

I have five reasons what's causing all of the killings in Chicago…but are they right? Let me know. The first belief, that Chicago is dangerous, ain’t true! Homicide rates in Chicago have been lower recently than most other cities in the United States, and in the motherfuckin world as a matter of fact. Homicides have declined since the 90’s and recently as low as the 1960s. Most of the killings are concentrated in six districts (I call them the murder zone), all of which are plagued by intergenerational poverty, gangs, momma only households, social disorder and economic blight. In 2010, 52 percent of the city's murders were committed in these six police districts. The remaining 19 are really safe! The second belief is that the police should be solely responsible for lowering the city's murder rate; this is some false shit! Despite all of the technological shit in law enforcement, CPD alone can do little to prevent homicides. Policing is really reactive to me. The police can no more prevent murders than firefighters can prevent fires or paramedics can prevent heart attacks. Yet, Mayor Rham and the top cop are criticized every time another young life is senselessly and needlessly lost to homicide. The third belief is that gangs increase Chicago's murder rate; now this shit is mostly true. Gang-related killings make up 60 percent of the murders and often involve shootings to gain control of a corner, or area, or to enhance a gang's reputation or power. Silly ass gang members also kill for reasons that have nothing to do with the gang's interests (personal insults, relationship conflicts, etc.). Last year’s warm winter and spring, and one of the hottest summers increased the number of street interactions. Loosely connected gang loyalties and a lack of mature gang leaders to keep the younger, more violent fools in check also escalate violence. In addition, gangs in Chicago have been forced out of project high-rises and into unfamiliar neighborhoods where they are confronted by rival gangs, or by rival factions within their own gang. Sad shit! The fourth belief is that murders are predictable, which is some false shit again! "Heat of the moment" killings generally take place suddenly and in a house or an apartment — where they’re virtually fuckin impossible to prevent, but those are easier to solve. They are between spouses, partners, family members, or neighbors, and the killer usually leaves behind a whole lot of CSI shit for evidence! In contrast, instrumental (cold-blooded) killings are committed to accomplish a motherfuckin goal. They are easier to prevent; the police can collect information when the murder is being planned or when conflicts are brewing. Unfortunately, this information rarely comes to police attention until the murder has been committed. Hum? (Snitches are needed) Even a fluke accident can end in death, turning a shooting into a homicide. Check this shit out I learned from CSI: the trajectory and caliber of the bullet, where it enters the body and how it tracks after it’s in the body, the size and body weight of the victim and the proximity of the shooting to the nearest trauma center are all in the homicide equation. Yea it is! In some years, these factors favor the survival of the victims; in others, they do not, and homicide rates go down or up. The fifth belief is that handguns add greatly to the high homicide rate in Chicago, this shit is really true. Pistols are used in 80 percent of Chi’s murders. That means fewer guns might, but not necessarily, translate into fewer homicides. Hum? Chicago's homicide rates went through the roof when the handgun ordinance was enforced. Most people own guns for sport or self-protection, not to commit a felony. The impact of gun buyback programs on homicides is trivial; usually law-abiding and good citizens turn in their guns for cash, because they need the money! So, what the hell are we to do? The city of Chicago, and I mean everybody, Black, white, Hispanic, Jew, etc. must come to understand that violence is both a public health and criminal justice problem. I don’t care where the hell you live in Chicago; multipronged strategies are needed to tackle the complex understanding of homicidal behavior, which is an expression of a highly disturbed nigga living in a highly distressed community. (The hood) I think most causes of violence can be addressed most effectively through the social, political and economic revitalization of these distressed neighborhoods. Remember the original CAPS (Chicago Alternative Policing) model, the police should leverage the city to tear down or board up abandoned homes and buildings — especially those that gangs use for secret shit — and remove graffiti, garbage and abandoned cars from the streets. Reductions in physical disorder will increase community solidarity and lower the rates of crime and violence in the “hood”. Yea it will!! The CPD should use the best pieces of the original CAPS model, like, uh, long-term (permanent) assignment of police officers to the same beats, especially in the murder zone. Drug sweeps every damn day, saturation patrols and gang audits are somewhat useful, but the effects are only temporary! Hot spots eventually cool off and motherfuckers just go on other street corners after the police leave. Recent police hiring will only maintain the current level of staffing. Folks in Chicago will support budgetary restructuring, even the imposition of a safety tax, if the money is used to hire the additional police officers necessary to make the hood truly safer. Mike Bloomberg’s New York Miracle — big ass reductions in all categories of serious crime— was made possible by the city's hiring of 8,000 new police officers. Hum? The second element is the renewal of regular beat meetings, especially where the risk for homicide is greatest. Beat meetings highlight police-citizen partnerships in the co-production of hood safety. Through the establishment of closer and more trusting relationships with police officers, (cringing), more residents could be enlisted to help solve gang-related killings, which have a very low clearance rate. In conjunction with beat meetings, the most violent districts must establish an anti-homicide task force, consisting of police officers; lyin preachers, city, and school officials; community organizers; and researchers. The task forces should meet weekly with Rham and the top cop to discuss the latest data on shootings and the adoption of district-specific measures to enhance safety. The city should also re-vamp the Cease-fire Program, a pretty good approach that hires former gang members as violence interrupters who get information about impending gang-related homicides to avoid retaliatory gang warfare. Whew! Violence interrupters also can teach young men better conflict-resolution skills. Cease-fire and other community organizations and institutions must focus on changing the culture of violence that flows through the lives of young Black men, the most likely victims and perpetrators of homicide in the city. The thugs who use guns never own them legally and never buy them mothefuckers in Chicago, which has no gun shops. The ATF claims that Chicago's gangs get their guns from outside of Illinois. Duh? Furthermore, most chronic offenders are prohibited from gun ownership because they have a felony or are on probation or parole supervision. To ensure that guns do not come into the possession of these niggas, the CPD should reestablish its specialized gun unit in each of the distressed districts in the murder zone, working with beat officers and ATF agents in mutual styles of policing. The longer-term assignment of specialty officers to districts would minimize the likelihood of the abuses that were attributed to the “jump-out boys.” In addition, using the RICO statute, holding gang leaders accountable for every gang-related murder committed by their members, could compel gang leaders to control the silly ass uneducated shooters among their ranks. The CPD has got to shut down the out-in-the open drug markets, ending the violence that comes from conflicts over territory. In New York, outdoor drug sales were driven indoors, where conflicts between rival drug dealers were minimized if not prevented altogether. A positive byproduct of closing down the open-air drug markets is the increased inconvenience of buyin the shit! The ramps of the Eisenhower Expressway would no longer provide easy in and out for suburbanites buyin heroin, cocaine and Kush from street gang members. Homicides end young Black lives senselessly, damaging families and communities for generations to come. The complexity of this problem calls for diverse solutions in which police, residents and community leaders create orderly environments where shooting will never be a viable solution to a problem. The city needs more officers engaging in more “gangs-drugs-guns” policing in the districts where the risk of becoming another horrific homicide statistic is greatest. The benefits of reducing homicides will transfer to all residents in ensuring that Chicago remains a world-class city.

BEYONCE` AND THE MORNING AFTER

I’m gonna just go on and get this shit outta the way…Beyoncé killed the half-time show. Oh yeah, and she can sing. I’m not scared of any of you motherfuckers. Was it the best half-time show of all time? No. But was it dope? Yes. But we’ll get to her relationship to Jesus and the occult later. Hope I remember. Anyway, it’s the Monday after the Super Bowl which for me ended about an hour ago due to the mysterious power outage. Yes, Beyoncé had something to do with that. I know she did! But again, we’ll get to that later. Congratulations to the Baltimore Ravens. While I definitely was pulling for the 49ers, I’m happy for Baltimore and their fans. I do have to question some of the play-calling on the part of loser Harbaugh on the last drive for San Fran, but I don’t get paid millions. Naw, I’m just a squirrel trying to get a nut to move your butt. On to the next one…and all my single ladies!! I was ready for the Internet to either implode or shut down altogether during Beyonce’s performance, but somehow that didn’t happen. And...Oh, motherfucking Alicia Keys went and remixed the national anthem…in front of all them white folks. Not only does she spend 80 percent of every song yelling at us, now she’s lighting women on fire, which I’m fairly sure, is like, not cool, bro. But if there’s one motherfuckin song that’s more sacred to white people than “Dixie” it’s the National Anthem. That’s why so many white folks tend to hate it when Black folks sing it…remembering Marvin Gaye and the rest of the coloreds. We tend to flavor it up. Well she flavored it down with a jazzy version but then hit up a couple extra words and lines in the end. Damn, Alicia. First you decide to work with BlackBerry, now you fucking with white people. Where is the world headed? It’s been an odd week for you. Back to the lecture at hand…while I like Beyonce, I’m not nearly on the level of her fans out there. I don’t think the Super Bowl was a Beyonce concert with a football game surrounding it. But men listen, when she hit the crowd with the “raise your hands towards me and let me feed off your energy…” weee!! I ain’t saying she’s drinking the Kool-Aid, but she’s definitely on the verge of Crystal Light. Oh, and she made Kelly and Michelle her backup singers for a minute or two. I like it. I like it a lot. Then the power goes out. I’m a betting man, and I know that God probably put his chips on Baltimore to cover the spread in Vegas. Why else would he cut the lights after Jacoby Jones records the longest kick-off return in Super Bowl History (well until it was noted that it was only 108 yards and tied with others). He had to make sure that Baltimore was up enough to ultimately win. Of course, it’s possible that Beyonce’s powers of the unreal cut the lights to somehow give San Fran an edge (it didn’t, they’re a tremendous comeback team and should have won in my opinion), but if the Ravens don’t win, then we don’t get Ray Lewis and his Psalms 91 shirt, and then we don’t get him telling us about God more times than the entire winner’s circle at the NAACP Image Awards on Friday night who ceremoniously disrespected Jamie Foxx as he sang the gospel while accepting his award, which I’m pretty sure was for “Most Versatile Performer” or some such fuckery. I ain’t saying that the Image Awards ain’t shit, but that’s awful close to a BET Award show category. And we know about that coonery! Oh, and Red Tails winning movie of the year or whatever it won when 1) it sucked more than, well, anything, and 2) it was in the same category as Django Unchained, and Beasts of the Southern Wild, and 3) nobody even remembered when it came out! Even George “I love Black women” Lucas said he wasn’t expecting to be up there. Luckily nobody who actually knows shit about movies gives that win any credence. I’m rambling. Yes I am. Back to Ray Ray. I know he’s religious and really got religion after conspiring to (helping) kill two dudes, so it’s nothing new. But between him, Beyonce, and God shutting off the lights at the Super Dome, well, there was a lot of Jesus going on around the Super Bowl. I would like to ask Beyonce to give some of her followers the ability to worship Jesus too though. So yes, I just used almost 755 words to get back to this: The Image Awards? Beyoncé? Ray Lewis? It’s the morning after…