April 30, 2008
Obama Outraged by Rev. Wright
And this is a surprise?
I may be the dissenting voice in the Black Blogosphere, but not only am I not surprised and not disappointed - I can honestly say I expected this a couple of weeks ago.
I know a lot of people think Obama left Rev. Wright out to dry. Eh. They're grown, they're both in familiar waters, and they both have very different agendas. But this - this is politics.
We know Billary wouldn't just leave their friend hanging - they'd make his plane crash, yanno?
I may be jaded, but I'm trying to keep the bigger goal in mind. In my circle of colleagues, coworkers, friends, church members and listening audiences (Steve Harvey, Michael Baisden, Al Sharpton, Warren Ballentine and other talk radio listeners) - we agree with Wright....but what Rev. Wright said is Wright's (and a whole lotta other folks') battle. Obama has his own battle at the forefront now...and that is as it should be.
As Don Frederick of the LA Times said: "Obama really had no choice but to take this step.....And, more importantly, to what degree will the Wright controversy, given Obama's link to him, undercut his presidential bid?"
I hope this allows the campaign and conversations regarding the campaign, to return to the issues, and what's important for this country. The jaded in me has other thoughts....and I'm refusing to entertain them right now.
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March 29, 2008
Hannity & Colmes defend Obama against Pastor Manning
I really was avoiding giving Pastor James David Manning any airtime, because I think his a$$ is batshyt crazy. And it's far from my intent to promote the carefully crafted YouTube rantings of someone so obviously trying to get their meager Internet shine on.
HOWEVER.
This dude went on Hannity & Colmes to defend his series of YouTube attacks on Obama. You can Google Pastor James David Manning to find his videos, and Hannity & Colmes have their own site on Fox (you already know how I feel about Fox). Bottom line is, I never thought I'd see the day that Hannity would defend Obama. Oh, and now - I know that mainstream America has seen that dude is batshyt crazy. Thanks H&C and Fox for showing the world this kid is a loon.
Shouts to Bossip.com and LiveSteez for the video below. FoxNews also has both Part 1 and 2 available.
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March 28, 2008
The Day of Jerusalem’s Fall - Reverend Jeremiah Wright
I heard this on 3/25/08 on the Michael Baisden show. Apparently, Roland Martin made this available, and Michael Baisden played most of it in context, so people would understand exactly what Pastor Wright was saying. On the Michael Baisden show, the point was also made that the media's use of the sermon out-of-context was a targeted attempt to make the democratic campaigns about race.
I'm also ecstatic that it's posted on Roland Martin's website, and Anderson Cooper's CNN Blog . You can listen to the sermon below.
My thoughts: he's stating what many people felt, both immediately after 9/11, and now. America's foreign policy, particularly in areas were there are violent conflicts and American soldiers are deployed to protect American economic interests (not the "freedom" which we keep seeing raised and bandied about like the American Flag, every time patriotism is used to justify some shady military interference) is questionable at best. This isn't a revelation, and I'm glad someone intelligent, articulate and with enough clout to pull the listening ears of some masses said it. What is even MORE interesting to me (and this is a whole 'nother blog post) is that whenever an entity, with any social capital/clout, questions the American government, American military actions, or the validity of America's foreign policy, et. al. - they're tarred and feathered as Anti-American and un-patriotic.
I keep wondering when the 187th Amendment was added to the Constitution: Thou Shalt Not Question American Authority?
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March 21, 2008
Fox on Fox: the Obama bashing should stop
I'm glad another Fox newscaster called Fox & Friends on this.
Watch Brian Kilmeade walk off the set of Fox & Friends in frustration as his co-hosts Gretchen Carlson and Steve Doocy pick apart Obama's speech, and repeatedly rerun the "typical white person" comment from that speech, out of context:
Then, Chris Wallace calls them on the "excessiveness" of them rerunning that portion of the speech, and talks about how they keep clipping it out of context. Read the sound bite 3 times? Come on....when your fellow newscaster chides you about being unfair ON AIR and ignoring more newsworthy, relevant stories - you know you've not only crossed a line...you erased it.
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March 19, 2008
The Marriage Cure
In 2003, The New Yorker published an article from Katherine Boo (of New America), which discussed "The Marriage Cure", as a possible cure for poverty. You can read the full article here: "The Marriage Cure". A warning that this post is Panama-length, but it's worth it. Trust me.
Some background:
Oklahoma has rarely found itself in the vanguard of antipoverty thinking, but the class to which the two women were heading embodies a vigorous new idea -- something known locally as "the marriage cure." Traditionally, singleness has been viewed as a symptom of poverty. Today, however, a politically heterodox cadre of academics is arguing that singleness -- and particularly, single parenthood -- is one of poverty's primary causes, for which matrimony might be a plausible tonic. For the past few years, the state of Oklahoma has been converting this premise into policy. In an initiative praised by the Bush Administration, which aims to seed marriage-promotion programs nationwide, the state has deputized public-relations firms, community leaders, and preachers (among them the pastor at Holy Temple Baptist Church) to take matrimony's benefits to the people. Last summer, that marriage drive reached Sooner Haven. "Come learn about relationships!" said the recruiter who knocked on the housing project's beat-up doors.
And more (a passage that hits way too close to home):
Her husband had remarried six months after the divorce; Corean had had one second date in twelve years...One unacknowledged consolation of struggling in the inner city is the lack of time one has to indulge romantic discontent. It was letting go of her children, more than losing her husband, that had caused the Reverend Doctor Mom to notice that she was alone.
and more:
As Orlando Patterson, of Harvard, a scholar of black marriage patterns, recently observed, African-Americans remain "among the most un-partnered and estranged individuals in the world."
and even more:
From this counseling, Pastor Young has come to share the belief of many marriage-initiative advocates: that men more than women need convincing on this point. Thus he sees it as an unhappy but unavoidable fact that women are this social policy's beasts of burden. Having already complied with social and economic pressures to work, poor women were now being asked to do something that their government had so far failed at: push their male counterparts into the cultural and economic mainstream.
whew. Ok, the background is set, so I can delve into my thoughts. Meanwhile, you really should read the entire article. Katherine Boo's writing really illustrates not only what is right and wrong with these programs, but a robust portrait of what poverty in post-welfare reform affected areas (Oklahoma, South Georgia, etc.) really looks and feels like.
My thoughts after the jump...
I came through the door, and said it before:: It's imperative to our community to fix our relationship issues. The marriage-initiatives provide another reason why: to combat poverty. And whether you think it's a holdover from an organized plot formulated and executed by the government, or a symptom of a shift in overall societal values that hit the African-American community a bit harder, it's beyond dispute: we as a people aren't getting married. Hit the archives above if you want more info. But the article either explicitly or implicitly states some important points that I'd like to revisit:
Black Men & Marriage:: getting women to the table for this discussion is the easy part. It's the menfolk that need convincing. After all, "Marriage is for White People". Ask black men why they aren't getting married, and they'll say having grown up in single parent households, they have no examples of the benefits of marriage, the don't understand the spiritual significance of marriage, it's impact on raising children and they fear that one woman can't satisfy all their needs.
Don't get me wrong. Marriage definitely isn't a cure-all.
economics, the Chicken or the Egg?:: The article illustrates other reasons, that fall under one umbrella: economics. If you're at a bus stop, and a guy is hitting on you, the two of you getting hitched ain't gonna put the two of you in a Lexus. We need jobs, we need an education, we need equal access to reasonable credit instruments, we need...a whole lot of other economic "things" to get us back treading water. But did we get swept away by economic forces that forced us to not get married, or did we not get married, so that economic forces hit us harder than most? Steven Ruggles and Catherine Fitch, of the Minnesota Population Center, completed a 2005 study that discusses part of this paradox. The results weren't conclusive, and more investigation was suggested - the chicken vs. egg paradox remains. Their study includes some graphics that show how dramatic the marriage decline in our community really was/is, and also how women were hit a bit harder (interracial marriage). I uploaded an abbreviated version of their presentation for those with a short attention span.
marriage as a panacea:: that's cure-all in laymen's terms. On first, second and third readings, it sounds like the equivalent of putting Neosporin on a broken arm with an infection. Maybe it'll cure some of the infection. Maybe it'll make some of the pain dissipate. But it won't set the arm, and it won't heal the arm, and it won't get rid of all the problems associated with said arm. Marriage won't "fix what's broke". So when reading about healthy marriage initiatives, and govenment progams/policies to promote them, I have an eye out on what other programs or policies are also being implemented to "fix what's broke". Our community needs economic programs in tandem with this.
Hows-n-ever - I've had numerous professors, both of the Social Sciences departments and even in B-school, profess the benefits of marriage. Most recently, a professor tied the success of entrepreneurs, particularly the truly "wealthy", to their marital status. The hypothesis there is simple (and a lil "hood"): "chasing p*ssy is expensive and time-consuming...and the cash/time you save as a married entrepreneur can be better invested in your budding business". No empirical data here, but it sounds like common sense. And that's where I stand as far as marriage is concerned....I don't think it's a cure all, but when applied properly...it helps.
A recommendation: If you want reasons why you should get married, the Institute for American Values provided a report on "The Consequences of Marriage for African Americans" (including a pseudo top ten list), which is detailed here. But I'll give you just the list (sans details):
- Marriage clearly appears to promote the economic, social, familial, and psychological well-being of African American men and women.
- While both Black men and Black women receive a marriage premium, this premium in most cases appears to be larger for men.
- Economically, marriage appears to benefit Blacks more than Whites.
- Overall, Black women appear to benefit from marriage substantially less than do White women.
- Black-White differences in marital quality seem to constitute an important reason why Black adults, and particularly Black women, typically benefit less from marriage than do Whites.
- Parental marriage produces important benefits for African American children.
- Parental marriage appears to be especially important for the well-being of young African American males.
- # In some areas, Black children seem to benefit more from parental marriage than do White children, whereas in other areas, the reverse is true.
- The reasons for some apparent racial differences in the consequences of marriage for children are not clear, and further research in this area is needed.
- For policy makers who care about Black America, marriage matters.
Posted by saga_30311 at 10:32 AM | Comments (1) | TrackBack
March 13, 2008
Keith Olbermann on Hilary Clinton & Geraldine Ferraro
W.O.W. I have no words [/endGlee]
ok, I do have one. DAAAAAAMMMMMMNNNNNN.
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March 10, 2008
Black Love w/a Side of Ribs
I have a new favorite thing. I stumbled across this recipe for BBQ Spaghetti, and came across the cutest, cookingest couple. Down Home with the Neely's airs Saturdays at 11 a.m. Eastern and Pacific time on Food Network, and Pat & Gina are my two new favorite Food Network personalities. They seem so sweet, I could get a cavity watching the show - except when Gina puts Pat in check. Then I know they're "keeping it real", even as they dish up some good down-home cooking, and some wisdom about their relationship, their business and what keeps their extended family together.
aside:: why do I like it so much when Gina puts Pat in check, hm?
Anyway, the recipes (Spicy Fried Wings, Roasted Cornish Hen with Creamed Collard Greens, Memphis Style BBQ Ribs, et. al.) are serious business. But what keeps me tuning in is that these two seem to have a genuine admiration and adoration for each other that comes across in all their interactions. I don't need much more incentive than this to watch The Neelys. And I love black love, don't you?
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February 25, 2008
my people {we got to do better}
shouts to jam Donaldson at HGM for the {we got to do better} line....
ok, here it is in a nutshell: yes, we are (still) a Hot Ghetto Mess. But what are we gonna do about it?
campaign2008 & our reasons for our choices:: I've got real issues with people's anti-intellectual reasons for picking their candidate. And I'm putting myself on blast. Prior to me doing my election "homework", I was entertaining Clinton. I originally thought, given our current state of race relations, that Americans would turn out in droves to vote against Obama, hence not wanting to throw away my vote. Silly me. I've since read their platforms, watched the primaries (starting with NH and IA), watched the debates, and decided based on the issues, to support Obama.
Now, it's a long minute later - and I still hear my people saying ig'nant things like: "I don't want to vote for Obama 'cause they'll shoot him in office, and I don't want him to get killed", "I think he's related to Sadam Hussein", "I'm voting for Obama 'cause he's black", "I'm voting for Hilary because she's a woman", or "I'm voting for ______ because __________ endorsed them (insert pundit/so-called-leader's name there)". Ok, seriously - it's time for us to get off our collective a$$es, do some homework, and make our own decisions, for real. It's 2008 - we're well into the information age - the platforms, senatorial voting records and their stances are readily available. We need to stop being quite so sheep-like, so that all parties (Repub, Dem, Libertarian, Green, etc - and the pundits who love them), and the non-parties (random pundits who won't commit to a "party"), all take our votes more seriously.
aside:: I'm really tired of candidates being able to pander to the "urban voter" in general by either appealing to, or by manipulating, their emotions.
punditry beef:: Baisden v. Frank Ski? Tavis Smiley vs. Obama? We barely got pundits and access to airwaves, and they're already going at each other, or our "leaders", not over issues or opinions, but because they got "snubbed" or "shouted someone out" or forgot to "shout someone out". Are you friggin kidding me?
ClayCo Board of Ed & Kwame Kilpatrick:: or when keeping it black goes wrong. If you haven't heard about Clayton County's Board of Education, the quick & dirty is that the entire school system is facing a potential loss of accreditation, due to corruption ethics violations, ineptitude, and policy violations. You can click here for more information. This means students and teachers, as well as administrators records would be "wiped clean". Students wouldn't be eligible for scholarships, and their acceptance into colleges would be in jeopardy. Staff would lose their certifications and employment history, of the timeframe of the board's tenure.
and Kwame?:: Well - the "hip-hop" mayor, amongst other things, is accused of: "allegations of marital infidelity involving his chief of staff, lawsuits, and an investigation of perjury. Kilpatrick could could be disbarred, sentenced up to 15 years in prison, and forced to resign as mayor. The controversies have prompted an ethics probe investigation, and a recall election campaign to have Kilpatrick removed from office." Excerpts of his text exchanges with his chief of staff are all over the 'Net, and his wife's leased Navigator is appearing as the Red Flag & last straw for his frustrated constituency. Read more here.
the talented tenth:: It's not enough, in 2008, that we should want black representation in all areas of life: media, politics, government - both local and national, industry, etc. We should want our leaders, the "talented tenth" of which DuBois so elegantly wrote, to be not only influential leaders throughout the world, but also beyond reproach. Or at least approaching moral excellence.
it's not enough that our leaders should be black. They should be qualified to lead, and possessing character traits that can inspire us as a people: honesty, integrity, fortitude
Too often, we're so desperate to see ourselves duly and dutifully represented, that we let shyt slide.
they do it, so why...?:: should we be held to a higher standard, you ask? Because the playing field has never been level, and will not be getting flat any time soon. Because the bar is higher for us. Because there is a black tax, and because we are all well aware of it. Because we are well aware that when we "do what they do", the scrutiny is much more intense. Because our two steps back takes not only us (as individuals) back, but also us (as a people). Because there is backlash. And because we deserve, like any other race, to prove our merit. To show we can be qualified, and can do a good job, and be considered based on merit. Not just because we're black. And because the exceptions (like the ClayCo commission or Kwame) shouldn't be the measure of those that are performing to or outperforming expectations. We're not shooting for mediocrity here - the goal isn't the best of the average. We should want to excel. All of us. We should want to do better.
back to campaign2008:: which is what I find so fascinating about the Obamas. So far, they are those people. "Grace under fire", "eloquence", "elegant', "of outstanding character", "grace under pressure" have become so clichéd, that they're more likely to appear in the title of a sitcom, than a description of a political candidate. But the Obamas are that. As i watch Michelle withstand attacks about her patriotism, which I'm sure is very personal to her, and Barack address charges of plagiarism, rumors about his religious beliefs, shallowness and the transparency of his platform - these phrases are the ones that come to mind.
Yeah, I'm gushing a lil, but not trying to sway your vote. Look at them as black people, as African-Americans, as leaders, as icons. That, my friend - is what I find inspiring. Columbia U., Princeton U. and Harvard Law. Community activists. {apparently} Happily married and raising their children, together. And supporting their people the best way they know how, by setting an example.
You can find your own examples, but please - find them. My people... {we got to do better}
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February 23, 2008
state of the {black} union
or what i'd like to term as why we can't just get along?
pre-post disclaimer: this has nothing whatsoever to do with "The Covenant with Black America" or the Tavis Smiley's impending State of the Black Union conference.
This does have a whole lot to do with the black union - marriage that is. Marriage, our communities and one of the things that I think is fatally flawed and working to our collective detriment.
We just don't seem to get along anymore. At all.
I spend a lot of time surfing. A LOT of time. I troll on a lot of "african-american" portals, skimming what's foremost in our minds and what hot topics are burning in our online communities. I also skim website outside our community, to see what we're presenting to the world. So what's hot in the streets you ask?:
Black women are the biggest hoes on earth times 3000000Where are the NORMAL brotha's at???
ARE BLACK WOMEN THE MOST SHALLOW WOMEN OF ALL THE RACES?
why are you strong black women chasing strong black men to other races?
DO MEN REALLY WANT A WOMAN WHO HAS HIS BACK???
how do i get me a good white woman, like you other black brothers out there
Black men who went Barbie white now back to Quashanda or Barbie Black
*dryheaves* ok, sorry - but most of these 'forums' have that effect on me. I promise I didn't cherry pick those titles/topics.
More under the cut...
To say that this saddens me is a gross understatement. When I consider the "state of the black union" it's these titles that come foremost to my mind. What union? The more I read those titles, the more it seems like at least a compound fracture (mending is a challenge), and at most - a full blow secession.
We're divided as a community on many, many topics and in many, many areas (politics, social justice, unemployment, economic stability, class, education) - but this one area IMHO is fundamental to making progress.
The family:: as a unit - IMHO - is the building block upon which our community is founded. No family unit = community in disarray. Think about our history as a people - the family was the pillar of our financial strength. Pooled money = solution to a lack of financial instruments (credit) that we were denied as a people. Pooled resources = broadened access to resources that were unavailable to us. The support that this unit brings helped us overcome adversity, focused our efforts and strengthened our self-regard. Our families, immediate AND extended, where were we talked shop, ironed out our differences, determined our politics, goals, vision and where we turned when external forces either oppressed us, or failed us.
And now?:: we appear to truly hate us. Only a strong self-hatred embedded in a whole lot of us would fuel so MANY discussions about how sorry we as a people are. Don't get me wrong, I'm a fan of self-analysis and self-criticism, when done constructively. Calling black women "hoes", "shallow" and stating they're "forcing you to turn to white women" isn't constructive, obviously. Calling black men "trifling", "sorry" and "abnormal" isn't constructive either.
We pass around emails about the Willie Lynch letter, the purported speech that initiated our self-hate, based on color, caste and the emasculation/subjugation of black men. The truth of the letter (whether it's fact/fiction) remains a mystery. However, the letter, real or fake, is of little import, given what we continue to spread at this point. It's a disease. The cause is beyond significance now - now we need a treatment plan.
a non-Black perspective:: I asked a friend/colleague, who is from another country, what they thought about the topics above. His response had two main points: a) the person who'd start such a discussion probably has mental health issues, and b) the internet creates a lot of false courage and anonymous posturing. Both true and valid points, but what about the offline discussions that mirror these ideas? And the people who carry these ideas unspoken within? Same sickness, no cure? He mentioned that many countries have the same issues, but the solutions are different - but that in a "developed", "civil" country, he'd expect more.
My thoughts:: are that for all the discussion about progress, and demanding equality, we've got major healing to do in our own house. This may not be the sole starting point. In looking externally for justice, equality, rights, etc - are we overlooking the mess that's accumulating in our own backyards?
I've said this before, and I'll say it again - yes, Divorce rates climbed thru the 1970's - then they plateaued, and have remained pretty flat since. But the marriage rate in the african-american community is declining. You can find the stats from the Census bureau, or Google black marriage statistics, and find a whole slew of "chicken first of egg first?" discussions about why we're not getting married. Poverty? Unemployment? Crime & Jail Terms? Is it these reasons that cause the decline in marriage, or does not being married cause these? *shrugs* Both and either. I know I'm a lot less inclined to rob a bank and risk my good gub'ment job because I have a family.
The problem with our unions (at this point) isn't that we're getting divorced. The problem is that we're not even attempting to get married...not attempting to create that unit. Some of "us" are opting to not even associate with "us". We're throwing up our hands, throwing in the towel, not wanting to be bothered. There is a part of me that thinks: "g'on then - that's another brotha/sista that we don't need around muddying up the collective". But that's just me not "getting along" either.
The state of our union, my friends, isn't a problem that we can keep ignoring.
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