Hypocritical Al Sharpton……

A funny thing has happened with this gun control debate that I didn’t see coming; but, to tell you the truth, I shoulda seen it coming before now, after all the talk about keeping guns outta the hands of the “bad guys.” I’d be a liar if I didn’t admit that I always thought that translated to keeping guns out of the hands of Black folks. Of course this sounds crazy, but I’ll get to that in a minute — yea, do hold that thought, will ya? As if the gun control debate couldn’t have gotten any more ridiculous beyond the suggestion of giving the teachers guns? It has now taken a racialized turn. What’s bad is that this racial slant is now being used on both sides. As I mentioned in an earlier post, the Ann Coulter remark in an interview with racist Sean Hannity, that America’s gun violence problem is more of a problem of Niggers with guns, rather than the notion of it being too many guns in the country. As you can see, she sure wasn’t referring to America’s white population as being the problem. Instead, as pretty much all racists do, they blame every problem in the country on us Black folks, and the evil white liberals who enable us. So with that in mind, you could imagine my astonishment to find out that right-wing pro-gun enthusiasts have launched a “What Would Django Do?” campaign, to counter the advocates for tougher gun laws in the United States. Damn!! Yea, the same fuckin people who are not-so-friendly to us, the descendants of slaves who overwhelmingly voted for President Barack Obama, are now using a movie about a Negro slave with a gun to advance their cause for freedom, as given by the second amendment —yea this really is happening folks!! As absurd as it sounds, you must admit it’s a lot better than the racist Republicans gettin together and hosting a meeting on minority outreach at a former plantation. After all, us Black folks are into that whole idea of having a gun or two or three if the rednecks get the idea to bring back slavery. But nonetheless, there’s a bit of irony that borders on hypocrisy coming from this move. Why? Well for one it’s silly, because back in the day, states did all they could to ensure that African slaves were not armed. Secondly, with recent attempts to infringe upon the right to vote by Black folks with the introduction of Voter ID laws, none of these nutty motherfuckers stood with us Black folks to fight. Yeah, in November, voting was reduced to a privilege, but today, the second amendment is sacrosanct, untouchable, and should not be regulated — yep, equal protection, right? This now brings me to our beloved champion of freedom, justice, and equality…Rev. Al Sharpton! Did you happen to catch Al and Marc Morial at the National Urban League’s press conference on gun control? Don’t worry, if you haven’t, you can look it up on YouTube. But at any rate, it seems that certain Black folk have stepped up to the plate to counter the gun-toting crazies on the right-wing. And of course, the White House’s favorite lap dog mouthpiece when communicating to the Black community was front and center, much to the delight of his handlers at 1600 Pennsylvania Av. Okay, so what’s wrong about what Sharpton said? Well, how about me starting with the obvious hypocrisy of him stating that “People do not have the right to unregulated rights in this country.” Now this is some really funny shit to me. It’s because this is coming from the same man who fought against recent attempts to infringe upon the right to vote by implementing Voter ID laws. Aside from me mentioning this earlier in the post, do you remember that? Yeah, just like we all argued, voting or the right to vote is the most fundamental right protected by the Constitution. I’ve said it, Attorney General Eric Holder has said it, and even Rev. Al Sharpton has said it as well. So, why the sudden flip-flop? I mean, if no Constitutional right is exempt from regulation as Sharpton said, why then did he fight to protect the attempted disenfranchisement of potential voters in the last election cycle? What’s even funnier is how he used the same argument about flying and airports posted by proponents of Voter ID. Maybe I’m wrong, but I remember people like Sharpton arguing the point that entering an airport is not a right, but instead a privilege. See what I’m saying? Hypocritical!! So why would Sharpton make what is possibly the most flagrant statement of his career? Short answer: it’s because the president is Black…In other words, having received a seat at the table otherwise seen as access to the White House. Sharpton, taking up this cause as Obama’s number one ally in the Black community — a community which has seen more than its fair share of gun violence — gives Obama an easy out on addressing gun violence in Black communities. Why? Because if the face of the gun violence victims continues to be twenty elementary school children from Newtown, Ct. as opposed to Black folks, Obama is guaranteed continued majority support for new gun control legislation. The real tragedy here, however, is that much of the proposed legislation will do very little to address the problem of gun violence in cities like Chicago. Why? Because tougher gun laws don’t create jobs or improve the economic opportunities of residents of these communities. And this is particularly sad, when you think about how Black folks are being pimped by both sides in the gun control debate, but hey, don’t tell that to Al Sharpton or the gun nuts that I said so, Okay? Here’s to hoping that Voter ID thing never comes up again…

CALL UP THE DAMN MILITIA

At least a portion of the national screaming match about guns has turned to action taken by the President. But there is one lil suggestion I have…... Call up one of those right-wing militias. Call em up!! Guess who is the commander-in-chief of the militia the racist right-wingers reference in the part of the Second Amendment that no one seems to know about? That’d be the President of the United States, according to Article II. Hum? So I think brother Barack, him being the commander-in-chief, should activate the militia. Clearly, “security of a free State” is at stake if we ordinary citizens are not safe to go to schools, shopping malls, movie theaters, public appearances of our elected representative, and I almost forgot…Unitarian churches. So, I think brother Barack should call up the militia. Any white person who owns a gun is ordered to report Friday with their weapons for militia training and assignment. They will be evaluated as to their fitness for duty — including a mental health screening — as well as the condition of their guns and their skill in handling them. They will be furnished with proof that they reported for and completed this training. Thereafter, any white gun owner who cannot furnish such proof will be subject to penalties, and still be required to report for militia duty. Hum again? It’s simple. It’s in the Constitution. And dammit, it’s 100% unworkable. For starters, I think we know the folks hollerin the loudest about the Second Amendment would never surrender to this sort of “tyranny.” (For 99% of em, the definition of “tyranny” is having to do anything a Black person says.) It would cost a lot of money and time, both for organization and enforcement. Military resources would almost certainly have to be diverted to the task. And last, but certainly not least, “the militia” was redefined in 1903 to mean The National Guard, which brings me to the fun part! Just who do you think would waste no time loudly and repeatedly bringing up that last fact? I’m gonna go with “gun owners” on that one. Maybe even Mr. NRA, Wayne LaPierre his own self. But even if they don’t point to that particular law, one way or another it’s a safe bet that they will make the point that they are not subject to being a militia in the sense that the Founders not only intended, but specified. And once we’ve established that the first clause of the Second Amendment is outdated and irrelevant, maybe — just maybe — we can have a sensible conversation about the whole amendment. (Yeah, I know. But I said “maybe” twice, so cut me some motherfuckin slack...) Sure, it’s kind of an intricate way to make a point, but our racist right-wing Republican friends do that shit all the time — how many votes has the House held to repeal Obamacare? Government-as-performance-art can work for our side too, once in a while... Bye!!

Barack…Michelle… Black Love, And I’m Okay with That

I’m not sure why I’m so cynical about everything. I’m sure if I dug far enough into my own background I’d find out it had something to do with losing a damn teddy bear or my mama not hugging me enough. Either way, I can be extremely cynical. Often times I just claim to be a realist…but maybe I just hate love. Hum? Which is why I was so surprised to find myself cheesing like a rat at watching Barack and Michelle do their first dance at the Commander-In-Chief Ball last night. Oh, and Michelle was killing them with them new bangs and that red dress, but I don’t find her to be the hottest woman on the planet. And half the time I wonder if I see the wrong Michelle Obama with how frequently folks try to say she’s fine. But she’s a beautiful woman who has the adoration and love of her husband. And that’s beautiful. That brings me to my point. I’ve long argued with people when folks fawned all over Barack and Michelle. Because I’m not racist, I’ve also felt that way when folks did the same over Jay-Z and Beyonce. Yuk! I think it’s the natural cynic in me who gets irritated by this savior complex we have in the Black community. Anytime somebody does something even a little bit right – and are famous – we make them the patron saint of that thing they did. Folks get married, and oh fuckin my, are they the perfect couple and role models? Rarely do I see people writing odes to their parents, but the famous folks get all the love. “Erbody need a lil love” I now feel like I’ve begun looking at Barack and Michelle with a comforting vibe. Actually, it’s probably because I know that in 4 years, Barack and Michelle will still matter, but won’t be as prevalent or present. And to some degree that saddens me. These last four years, while not perfect politically for us Black folks, have represented a significant amount of excitement for our people. America feels a little bit different. Not necessarily better, just different. And that had as much to do with Michelle as Barack. See, she’s a Black woman. And she’s comfortable in her skin. She does everything with a certain grace that’s inspiring. I appreciate her just as much as I appreciate Barack for being so in love with one another. I appreciate Barack for staring at her ass to remind us all the he’s becoming a real Nigga. And I love that when they did their first dance that they hit a few moments of groove and swing and showed that they had that Chicago rhythm. I appreciate that. I like seeing them smile at each other and look like they actually like each other. I’m sure they have issues like everybody else, and though he’s the leader of the free world, I don’t doubt for a second that he knows when to defer to his wife just like she lets him be the man. He never forgets to give her the props she deserves. I’m sure he’s a man and does man things that are so common place that they don’t need rehashing here. And I’m sure she has her moments. But so do us all. Earlier today I was thinking about the idea of Black love. It’s just like every other noun with Black in front of it. It symbolizes some strong bond and commonality amongst us all that even it can’t be defined with simple words and phrases; you just know it exists when you see it. It’s palpable. But more importantly, it’s necessary. Seeing Black love is not only necessary for us as a community, it’s important for the world to witness it even if they don’t fully get it. Don’t have to bump it, but please respect it. I’ll skip the statistics about love and how dire it is because I’m not sure the stats tell the story of what I see. Sure I’ll always cringe when folks get too hype about anybody’s love that’s famous, but if Barack and Michelle are the symbol of Black love that I have to fall back on, well, I’m good with that. Because it looks real and it looks beautiful. And it looks like something towards which to aspire in a world where so many images in the world of “reality” skew towards odd visions of love for anybody. Cheers to Barack and Michelle for showing us how to do this son. Or more accurately, just showing us their love and letting us do with it what we might.

HOW LONG...WHITE AMERICA ????

Andrew M. Manis is associate professor of history at Macon State College in Georgia and wrote this for an editorial in the Macon Telegraph. "For much of the last forty years, ever since America "fixed" it’s race problem in the Civil Rights and Voting Rights Acts, we white people have been impatient with African Americans who continued to blame race for their difficulties. Often we have heard whites ask, "When are African Americans finally going to get over it? Now I want to ask: "When are we White Americans going to get over our ridiculous obsession with skin color? Recent reports that "Election Spurs Hundreds' of Race Threats, Crimes" should frighten and infuriate every one of us. Having grown up in "Bombingham," Alabama in the 1960s, I remember overhearing an avalanche of comments about what many white classmates and their parents wanted to do to John and Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King. Eventually, as you may recall, in all three cases, someone decided to do more than "talk the talk." Since our recent presidential election, to our eternal shame we are once again hearing the same reprehensible talk I remember from my boyhood. We white people have controlled political life in the disunited colonies and United States for some 400 years on this continent. Conservative whites have been in power 28 of the last 40 years. Even during the eight Clinton years, conservatives in Congress blocked most of his agenda and pulled him to the right. Yet never in that period did I read any headlines suggesting that anyone was calling for the assassinations of presidents Nixon, Ford, Reagan, or either of the Bushes. Criticize them, yes. Call for their impeachment, perhaps. But there were no bounties on their heads. And even when someone did try to kill Ronald Reagan, the perpetrator was non-political mental case who wanted merely to impress Jody Foster. But elect a liberal who happens to be Black and we're back in the sixties again. At this point in our history, we should be proud that we've proven what conservatives are always saying -- that in America anything is possible, EVEN electing a black man as president. But instead we now hear that school children from Maine to California are talking about wanting to "assassinate Obama." Fighting the urge to throw up, I can only ask, "How long?" How long before we white people realize we can't make our nation, much less the whole world, look like us? How long until we white people can - once and for all - get over this hell-conceived preoccupation with skin color? How long until we white people get over the demonic conviction that white skin makes us superior? How long before we white people get over our bitter resentments about being demoted to the status of equality with non-whites? How long before we get over our expectations that we should be at the head of the line merely because of our white skin? How long until we white people end our silence and call out our peers when they share the latest racist jokes in the privacy of our white-only conversations? I believe in free speech, but how long until we white people start making racist loudmouths as socially uncomfortable as we do flag burners? How long until we white people will stop insisting that blacks exercise personal responsibility, build strong families, educate themselves enough to edit the Harvard Law Review, and work hard enough to become President of the United States, only to threaten to assassinate them when they do? How long before we start "living out the true meaning" of our creeds, both civil and religious, that all men and women are created equal and that "red and yellow, black and white" all are precious in God's sight? Until this past November 4, I didn't believe this country would ever elect an African American to the presidency. I still don't believe I'll live long enough to see us white people get over our racism problem. But here's my three-point plan: First, every day that Barack Obama lives in the White House that Black Slaves Built, I'm going to pray that God (and the Secret Service) will protect him and his family from us white people. Second, I'm going to report to the FBI any white person I overhear saying, in seriousness or in jest, anything of a threatening nature about President Obama. Third, I'm going to pray to live long enough to see America surprise the world once again, when white people can "in spirit and in truth" sing of our damnable color prejudice, 'We HAVE overcome.'"

Stacey Dash… "Clueless" Aunt Jemimah!

I didn’t watch Single Ladies so I honestly can't say I've heard much from/about Stacey Dash since she starred in the 90's silly hit movie Clueless. Recently, Dash, who I believe is somewhat between jobs at the moment, endorsed Mitt Romney, starting all kinds of shit! And by "shit", I mean the Conservatives have found yet one more Black person to elevate as "ostracized by other Blacks for having the nerve to vote against a Black President". Hum? Dash told clueless talk show host Piers Morgan she "was shocked, saddened," by the ferocious attacks she received on Twitter after voicing her support for Mitt Romney. The "Clueless" actress, who voted for Barack Obama in 2008, said she supported Romney "because of the state of the country, and I want the next four years to be different." "I believe him. I watched him, the Governor and his wife, on 'Meet the Press,'" she explained. "They spoke to me, they seemed authentic and genuine." Damn!! Dash also echoed Martin Luther King, Jr. in her support of Romney, saying: "I chose him not by the color of his skin but the content of his character." Ouch!! Seriously, Fox News dedicated probably a half dozen segments praising Dash for her "bravery in the face of interracial hatred". I'll give Dash one thing and one thing only: she didn't lapse into the typical Black Conservative victimology bit. She admitted she was an Obama supporter in 08', but isn't now. No mention that Romney's "better for the Black community" than Obama, or that Obama and the Democrats "take Black voters for granted". No self-loathing here. Good for you, Stacey. On the flipside, her reasons for supporting Romney weren't really all that substantive. If you think Obama hasn't done that great a job, but can't point out any reasons why Romney would be better other than "I trust him", your opinion's kinda irrelevant. And while Dash didn't play the "woe is me" victim role, she did seem delighted that she got a phone call of support from Paul Ryan. Because we know Paul Ryan loves the sistas and whatnot. So don't be shocked to see Dash at some campaign event with Romney before all is said and done. You'd have to be truly clueless to not see that one coming. Dash would also have to be clueless to think Conservatives suddenly elevating her to folk hero status actually give a shit about her for any reason other than advancing their own self interests. Seriously, if they can't name a single one of your career accomplishments other than a 20 year old movie you co-starred in, they're probably just using you. Question: Do Stacey Dash's reasons for joining Team Romney make any sense? Does her justification sound any better/worse than your typical low information "celebrity"!?

WHAT OBAMACARE DOES AND WILL DO FOR US POOR BLACK FOLKS

By now I know most of us Black folks have heard of ObamaCare but you probably say….what the hell is ObamaCare? Well the President has taken on health care reform through a series of health care reform proposals since he was sworn into office. And you still didn’t know?? Thus the name…. "ObamaCare". The President’s major healthcare reform plans can be broken down into two phases; Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, and The Health Care for America Plan (which we refer to today as ObamaCare). I am a Black man and a private citizen who is very interested in presenting the facts on Obama's health care reform. The Angry Black Man does not have any funding or agenda, I lean toward truth, not a party line. Of course, if you would like to donate to my broke ass…..send in please! The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The first phase of Obama health care reform began in 2009, which included The Affordable Health Care for America Act; followed by The Patient Protection Act, which ended with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 2010 also known as the "Affordable Care Act" (this is what we should call it). After going through several changes, the "Affordable Care Act" was signed into law by the President on March 23, 2010. This Act reformed certain aspects of the American Health Care system, but there was still more work to do. ObamaCare: The Health Care For America Plan The Next phase of ObamaCare (this is what Obama Care Means as of today... July 2, 2012, is the current Health Care for America Plan. ObamaCare or the Health Care for America Plan is smartly focused on health care funding, reducing the cost of healthcare for us Black folks, increasing coverage, and removing the burden that health care has become on us Black people! In the two years since it's become a law the Affordable Health Care Act, has already made a big difference in our communities. In Connecticut, health insurance companies are now required to provide health insurance for sick Americans. That’s right….sick Americans, which we Black people are, at an alarming rate! No system is perfect, but this shit aims to reform the American medical system towards the favor of the people and away from the monopoly of the medical industry. ObamaCare Update The last memo from the Obama administration, congressional Democrats, and much of the media (that includes me) is that if the Supreme Court struck down all or part of Obamacare, it would place the Court’s legitimacy itself at risk. It did!! After all, 28 state attorneys generals, two District Court Judges and five Circuit Court Judges (including a Bill Clinton friend), numerous out of touch law professors, and 72 percent of the American public believed that Obamacare’s attempt to force every American to buy a specific commercial product is unconstitutional, it would have obviously be an unprecedented act of judicial activism for the Court to agree. News of The Day: Can ObamaCare Save Medicare There was a lot of talk from supporters of Obamacare saying that if Obamacare is not allowed, Medicare may be heading for disaster. Obamacare supporters say Medicare's payment system which handles over 100 million monthly claims is in jeopardy if health care reform does not "fix" this issue. Obama Care: National Health Care For Everyone ObamaCare or Health Care for America is a universal health care reform plan that will grant affordable health insurance to all Americans. This means that Black folks who have the means to pay for private health insurance will still do it, while those who don't make enough will be provided aid. This system of health care will work similar to Medicare and existing employer-provided healthcare plans. Hum!! The aim of Obama Care is not to take away things from people or to give handouts to people who don't deserve it. It is only to provide affordable health insurance to all Americans so they can continue in their pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness without the American Health Insurance companies standing in their way. Obama Care Health Care Reform: Health Care For America Under the Health Care for America Act, every legal resident of the United States of America who is not already covered under Medicare or an employer-provided health care plan will be eligible to purchase coverage through "Health Care for America". Black folks will be presented with the choice between affordable and free health care choices and more expensive private health care choices. It will be up to every Black person to look at the situations of themselves and their families and pick the right health care option for them. What does ObamaCare Cover? ObamaCare Healthcare for America Plan provides complete and comprehensive medical coverage for every damn body. Health care for America when combined with private insurance and current Medicare plans will cover every aspect of necessary healthcare including mental health, child health and woman's health. It will also provide drug coverage and free preventative care and checkups for our children. IN A NUTSHELL Medicaid already covers the poor, WHICH MANY OF US ARE. Many lower income families will now qualify for Medicaid or low cost plans, if you don't already have insurance through your employer (as most Americans do). If you have kids, they can stay on your policy until age 26. You can no longer be dropped from your health insurance if you become ill. You can no longer be denied insurance if you are sick. You will get all of you basic checkups with no copayment. You no longer have to worry about caps in coverage.....so if you get cancer and need chemotherapy, they will cover ALL of your treatments, and not deny your care midway through your chemotherapy. Etc. Damn good shit ain’t it!!!!!!!! When will the law go into effect? Actually, parts of the plan have already gone into effect. For example, new health plans are required to provide free preventative care for services like colonoscopies and mammograms, and young adults are covered by their family's insurance plan until they turn 26. So parts of the plan have already been implemented, but with this ruling, we will see more changes to come. In addition, many of the major changes will happen in 2014. MORE GOOD SHIT!! What are some things to look forward to? We Black folks will see a lower cost of medications and more preventative care coverage. You'll also be able to access the new health insurance exchange programs, which are said to be the healthcare version of online travel companies like Orbitz. Competition among the companies is expected to drive down insurance prices. Other benefits of the plan include more help for our people who can't afford insurance, and insurance companies won't be able to deny people with preexisting conditions coverage. What's this about a fine if I don't get health insurance? If you ain’t covered by insurance by 2014, you need to get it or your ass will be fined. In 2014, uninsured people will face a fine of $95 or one percent of their income, and in 2015, the penalties are even steeper. This fee is meant to encourage younger people in good health to take up insurance, and the money goes towards funding for the older patients and those who AIN’T in good health. Those exempt from this fine includes people make very little income, certain religious groups, and families who pay over eight percent of their income to insurance premiums even after employer contributions and federal subsidies. How will we Black folks fund the new law? In 2013, people who make more than $200,000 have to pay an additional 0.9 percent tax for the Medicare Part A payroll tax, on top of the 1.45 percent they already pay. This will help fund the healthcare changes. Those who make money through investments might have to pay a 3.8 percent tax on what they make on capital gains and dividends. The mandate to buy insurance or pay a fine will also help fund these new efforts. How does this affect insurance companies? In 2014, insurance companies will not be able to exclude or limit coverage to people who have current or past health conditions. In 2014, businesses with more than 50 employees will be required to insure their workers or pay a $2,000 fine per uninsured worker. This places more pressure on your employer, but it doesn't necessarily mean the company will comply. Is this law here to stay? I don’t know…… It will stay in effect for now, but the future of the plan depends on the outcome of the November elections.

AN OPEN LETTER TO YOUNG FATHERS

By now you should know that discipline plays an important part in the life of your children. Do you really? You have to begin to understand that the basic function of that discipline should be administered by you. However, it is that lack of discipline among your children that is creating very serious and lasting problems for everyone in our community. Real problems! You watch news reports daily about little Black children that have been involved in armed robberies, home invasions, burglaries, drug dealing, school violence, and murder. You probably know some active participants, but you just sit. And these young Black children are usually born to young parents, just like you. You are living a real-life horror story and don’t even know it, to which there seems to be no answers. When your baby’s mama tries to get help with her lack of parenting skills, she goes to a social service agency in the neighborhood. In fact, in most of the cases handled by these agencies, your baby’s mama will receive inadequate counseling; and the real victim (your child) is still lacking any real discipline or direction, and in most cases continues to lead that destructive life. Where are you at? You cannot expect social service agencies or any institution that doesn’t have your best interest at heart to fix your problems. The proper training of respect and discipline should start at a very early age by you. You played an active role in your child’s birth and should take a very active part in their moral training. I believe when a Black man shows love, and genuine concern, his children become sensitive, then are better able to discuss the concerns and feelings they may have and don’t understand. As children in the Black community continue to grow and develop, they undergo very confusing periods in their lives that are unique to the Black community. Extreme peer pressure and unfounded suspicions will be a road block to communication with your child. If your children are uncomfortable or reluctant to talk to you about their feelings, they may look for answers elsewhere. You do not want this. Knowing who your children are hanging out with is also one of the most important things in educating them about life. If you know where your children are going to bed at, and whom they are with, it won’t be too difficult to figure out what they are doing. In other words, get familiar with your child’s friends and associates. If their “partners” are the type that attract and stay in trouble, then you should cut the contact altogether. Their peers will probably laugh, and ridicule them, but they will survive. If you let your children live without a good sense of values, their direction is usually uncertain. You young Black fathers have to be the ones to effect change. You have to step up. The media has made a joke of you. You need to love and embrace your children. No one is going to do it for you. It all comes down to perception. What people perceive is what reality is to them. You have to change not only your child’s perception of right and wrong, but you need to change your perception of yourself too. People are waiting for you to mess up. You have let not only the media, but also the government and the world taint the pure essence of you. They have stripped you down to the point where you only believe you can sit at home and make babies. You can be so much more. Call me…317-531-8404, I’ll help.

LEAVE LEBRON ALONE!!

Like many little boys coming of age in the ’50s and ’60s, I had an love affair with Westerns and cowboy culture. Actually, “had” is the wrong word. “Stagecoach” is still one of my favorite movies, and it wouldn’t be uncommon to come in the crib and catch me in the middle of a “Gunsmoke” marathon. And, also like many little boys infatuated with Westerns, I wanted to be a cowboy. Since there weren’t many five year old Black cowboys in the late 50s, and early 60’s, I pretended as best as I could; funny lil cowboy hat and holsters with plastic guns in em whenever and wherever I could. (I think I tried to wear em to school) But, these memories produce an uneasy contradiction for me. While I value the memories of walking up and down Wright Street, pretending to be a cowboy, I feel a certain way about the fact that, by playing “Cowboys and Indians” a game where the lil kids in the neighborhood pretended to be cowboys chasing down and killing Indians, and by rooting against the Indians in many of the shows I watched, I was playing for the wrong team. As a kid I didn’t realize this, but as I grew older and learned about some of the things that really happened in the wild wild west, and to the American Indians, I grew angry at the fact that American culture had denigrated the Indians and that I happily took part in that denigration. I imagine the folks still reading this are probably wondering how exactly am I gonna to tie LeBron James into this story about me! A few of you all may even already be upset at the thought that I’d dare compare LeBron’s plight to that of the American Indian. If you are one of these folks, chill. It ain’t that serious. What is serious though is the fact that, like me rooting against the Indians, I believe that those passionately rooting for LeBron to fail will be on the wrong side of history. Twenty years from now, I have no doubt that even the most zealous members of the anti-LeBron fan club will be thinking to themselves “Wait…why was I rooting so hard against this dude?” Being on the wrong side of history don’t necessarily mean that these people are rooting against a person who will eventually become a champion. Whether the Heat beat the Thunder in the Finals or not has no bearing on my argument. My point is that in time, history will show that today’s popular narrative…..”LeBron represents everything wrong with sports/celebrity culture”, was false, and we were fools to believe it. His situation has created a kind of a paradox where people are rooting against what they feel he represents, while at the same time, rooting for others who show the same exact same qualities! Damn!! For instance, I watched game seven of the Eastern Conference finals at a sports bar here in Indianapolis. Maybe 90% of the people there were clearly rooting for the Celtics. The hated Boston Celtics. A team that won a championship a year after three of the twenty best players in the league decided to play together there. Dammit….let me repeat myself: These were the Boston Celtics. I was in Indianapolis. If you’re familiar with sports at all, you know that Indianapolis and Boston now have a fierce rivalry, despite Larry Legend. They’re becoming about as close to a modern day version of the Hatfield’s and the McCoy’s as you’re going to get. Yet, despite the years of hate between these cities, the majority of the fans in this bar were rooting for the Celtics, just so that LeBron would lose. Believe that shit?? They could have given two shits and a fuck about K.G. and Rondo and Ray and Doc. One of the bartenders was so anti-LeBron that if Paul Pierce sent him a text saying “Man, your daughter got some good pussy.” he probably would have replied back “Beat LeBron and you can fuck my wife too!” Now, saying that it’s wrong to root against LeBron don’t mean that you have to root for his ass. You don’t have to be a fan of him or his game. And, if you’re a fan of Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma Thunder, you obviously want LeBron and the Heat to lose because you want your team to win. The wrongness comes when a plot or story makes you want a person to fail, regardless of who would benefit from that failure. Also, fans of the “OKC represents everything right with sports” bullshit, listen the fuck up. The funny thing about sports storylines is that they tend to be completely random and usually false. Ten years ago, Kobe Bryant was advertised as the “anti-Iverson,” the picture of what’s right with sports and how to play the right way….and you see what happened to him. After Kobe’s twinkling star fell, LeBron became the Anti-Kobe, the one who played the right way and respected the game the way it should be respected…and you see what happened to his ass. Today, Kevin Durant is the new golden boy, the anti-LeBron, the one who does and says all the right things and doesn’t even have any noticeable tattoos. I’m not suggesting that Durant will be found to be the opposite of what the story currently says. But, like with the Cowboys and the Indians, maybe the difference between who’s “good” and “bad” isn’t as clear as we want to believe.

THE NEW BLACK PANTHERS....NEW NUTS ON THE BLOCK!

As I said yesterday, the New Black Panther Party is a ridiculous motley crew of uninformed brothers who has nothing essential to offer the Black community or anybody. You probably say... why am I talking about them if they’re so insignificant? I am because white folks in the media and society at large are using their ignorance as a reflection of the feelings of the Black community. Our Black community! Somewhere out there I’m sure there are a few idiots who have watched Sean Hannity’s hyper-racist program, and come to the conclusion that the Black community is interested in killin white folks with lottsa bloodshed! Somewhere out there, there are quite a few people who have this same opinion, and this is all the support a racist mind needs. Walk with me….well guess what? Some of us Black folk actually like white people; and no, some of us are as interested in a race war as we are in putting a fuckin bone in our noses. But you know there are always bad apples in every bunch, and the New Black Panther Party happens to be just that bad apple. I said it, and this is coming from a real original Black Panther dammit! Yesterday I listened to the audio recording of their telephone conference call that’s rollin around the internet. And I gotta be honest, instead of being disgusted about the hate vomited, I laughed at first. Not that I thought the shit was funny, but what I found to be really silly, was these fuckin idiots using modern technology to pretty much snitch on themselves. Hummm... you can’t talk about killing people on the phone…shit, who needs the Feds to bring you down when all you have to do is conduct a conference call with a few fellow dumb ass, disenfranchised, shit talking, fake revolutionaries who are scared to squeeze the Charmin, even if Mr. Whipple left town. Yeah, who needs the fuckin FBI or CIA when there are the good ol racist folks over at FOX NEWS to expose your not-so-good intentions? Seriously, haven’t these damn idiots learned anything from our painful past? Ol cross-dressin J. Edgar Hoover would’ve loved to have had it this easy. One other thing; Huey P. Newton is rollin and jerkin in his grave right now. For those of you uninformed Negroes who aren’t aware of just who Newton was, he was only one of the most significant figures in the Black Power movement of the 60’s and 70’s. Naw, let me make it right…. Black history period! More specifically, he is one of the original founding members of the Black Panther Party, which has no connection what so ever to the New Black Panther Party. The original Black Panthers were never a group of angry young militants full of fury toward the white establishment. My original Black Panthers operated on love for Black people, our people, not hatred of white people. This post should hopefully set the record straight for white folks misguided by the media on this issue. More importantly, it’s my hope that this message is loud and crystal fuckin clear to our Black youth especially. The impressionable minds of Black youth, like all rebellious kids with a thirst for nostalgia, can and are easily manipulated when one uses words like revolution to advance an agenda. Listen to me…the New Black Panther Party ain’t any different than the Gangster Disciples, Bloods, Crips, Latin Kings, etc. Hell, just like lil kids, they’re thirsty for attention, and they’re unproductive as hell! Their hyper-energy and efforts would have a more positive impact on the Black community at large if they channeled it into more positive shit! There’s enough killing in our community as it is, damn! The last thing we need are more killers in our community inflicting their will, anger, and pain, on others. We Black people are much better than this folks. Anyone with just a tiny bit of common sense can see that the New Black Panther Party and their circus of clowns are nothing but a distraction from the real goal, which is justice for Trayvon Martin. Ain’t nothing gonna be gained by the hate-filled racist oratory bullshit comin from the NBPP – enough is enough.

AN OPEN LETTER TO CLARENCE THOMAS ON THE EVE OF THE HEALTHCARE DEBATE

Clarence:
It is no surprise that you remain in denial...

We don’t hate your ass because of your opinions. We hate you because you have the power to wield your twisted opinions as weapons of oppression upon millions of Black people. We hate you for your vicious right wing legal actions. We see you as star player on a deadly team full of racists. You have the right to your opinions. But you have no right to expect us to accept your abuses in silence. You have disgraced Black people and the liberal legacy of Thurgood Marshall. You have reversed women’s workplace rights by decades. You have increased the torture of prisoners. You have murdered affirmative action. We do not object to your vision. Your uncle-tommin ass just don’t have one. You are blinded by your role as poster boy for racist Republican’s like your mentor and master George Bush. Because your vision is dictated by those who control you, you see yourself as they do. Yep. We see you as you actually are. A Tom!! We look at you and we see a man who attended Yale because of affirmative action. We look at you and we see an inept and duffus administrator who destroyed the EEOC. We see an incompetent dumb ass, inexperienced lawyer who was proven to be unqualified for a seat on any Court, let alone the Supreme Court. We see a closet freak and sexual harasser of Black women exclusively. We see that you lied about Anita Hill, yet you respect white women enough to marry one. We see that you openly vilified your poor sister as a welfare queen. We see that you neglected your kin folk while you chased white coeds at Yale. We see a man who is an intimate friend of Rush Limbaugh. Rush “fuckin” Limbaugh! We look at you and we see a Supreme Nigger and a legendary right wing slave. I studied your professional record and you deserve to be hated. Traitors and tyrants are always hated. Secretly, you are disrespected by your Tea Party buddies even more than you are resented by us, the ones you have betrayed. This letter is written so our people have more clarity about your ass. Your opinions are the least of our concerns. Your individual actions continue to lead to our collective demise. We fear your toxic spirit and your lethal pen. Fuck you, how dare you ask us to move on as you persist in attacking Black people! For the record, we will move on only when you and your Republican puppeteers have done the same.

Sincerely,
Angry Black Man

BLACK FOLKS PLAN A........WE THE PEOPLE

PLAN A….WE have one of us in the White House, and WE thought that WE wouldn’t have to beg and pander to the white man anymore, WE thought that our Obama would have our backs, that WE had arrived, that no more racism would exist, that WE would now get our message out, that Black communities would finally get what WE had coming, that jobs would be abundant, that WE would have more government money for our inner-city programs, that hope is here, and change is coming………….every single one of us Black folks, no matter what your status in life, is responsible for PLAN A. No matter your religious beliefs, or education level, you've played a part in our arrival at this precise point in time. PLAN A. It's ain’t too late to fix it or refine PLAN A, but it'll require one hell of a change in our entire fabric, and thought process. Our problems first started with the Black career politicians that live in our communities, and their continuous driving of the democratic process deep within our minds. Some are former attorneys with a deep insight into how this racist system works. They’ve spent years pimping the process, whether in school, or in practice. And most of all, these people know how to stay in office once elected. They've built their careers, sometimes from humble beginnings, and somewhere along the way, lost touch with not only themselves, but those of us in the Black community that brought them to power. Money and power amplifies your inner being, and Black politicians are no different. It’s an incredibly long road, and WE have to working faster and faster, and get there in as short a time as possible, and it simply has to start at home, with our children. It starts by teaching our children a modern set of new core values - from truth and reason, to financial responsibility, to understanding that all things are still possible in this country. Work and play with your kids - encourage them to dream and create, be bold with those new ideas. Encourage them to try. Let them fail, even if the result is blood. WE must lead by example, as parents, friends, and citizens of the Black community. WE must start living every single day with integrity, kindness, passion, and financial precision. Reach within, and bring forward the absolute best in your life, and believe enough in yourself to leave the rest behind. WE can influence the future by embracing the fact that WE have to stop building our future based on our painful past. Our very painful past! Black people need to start associating only with people that provide a positive influence, and provide guidance to those of us in need. Sometimes it's a conversation, though likely it's by example. If you take nothing else from this post, just remember this: WE have the power to change everything in our lives, every minute, of every day, and that my friends, is truly "Our Black American Dream." PLAN B is us