One of the illest actors playing the illest trumpter of all-time. This is a no brainer.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Brown Sounds
BROWN SOUNDS
brown sound
chocolate memories like the first time you saw grapes and tasted them and learned the color blue brown sound
cream milk echoes like the first time you saw bees and tasted gold and learned the honey tongue brown sound africa pulses like the first time you exploded between legs and heard drums
and learned the message of rhythm
lovebrown sound america pulses plus pushing down trees like the first time you saw that wild crazy horse riding through painted deserts and you learned the grand canyon
red motherbrown sound black outline like the first time like the first time the first time is the last time like that
by: Henry Dumas
The Currency of Hope
Jomo Kenyatta
I have an acquaintance who is from Kenya. We speak almost daily on the current political unrest in Kenya. We talk about the beauty of Kenya's Great Rift Valley. We talk about the young Massai men who receive graduate school educations in the city only to return home to the countryside to raise cows in the very same manner their forefathers did. We talk about the Kissi, the Kikuyu, and the Kiambu district. We talk about Jomo Kenyatta, the Mau Mau, Mwai Kibaki. Please, during this time of unrest, say a prayer for Kenya.
Being & Nothingness
(To Quote a Philosopher)
i haven't done anything
meaningful in so long
it's almost meaningful
to do nothing
i suppose i could fall in love
or at least in line
since i'm so discontented
but that takes effort
and i don't want to exert anything
neither my energy nor my emotions
i've always prided myself
on being a child of the sixties
and we are all finished
so that makes being
nothing
meaningful in so long
it's almost meaningful
to do nothing
i suppose i could fall in love
or at least in line
since i'm so discontented
but that takes effort
and i don't want to exert anything
neither my energy nor my emotions
i've always prided myself
on being a child of the sixties
and we are all finished
so that makes being
nothing
by: Nikki Giovanni
Exfoliating With They Pom Poms
Andre Ben Releases New Fashion Line
It’s tempting to call Benjamin a dandy, but the word doesn’t quite go far enough—he’s more experimental than that. He’s worn pretty much everything during his OutKast career, from garish plaid to polka-dotted bow ties to pimp furs to turbans to leopard hats to military gear to golfwear... http://nymag.com/fashion/08/spring/44214/
Yelling "Go 3000!"
Please Pack a Lunch
Why Vegetarianism?Slaughterhouse Video Prompts Unprecedented Beef Recall
This undercover video of sick and crippled cows being brought to slaughter in an abattoir in southern California has prompted the largest recall of beef in US history, (writes Will Pavia).
The US Department of Agriculture yesterday ordered that 143 million lb of beef from the slaughterhouse be recalled. Officials estimate that some 37 million lbs of the recalled meat had been heading to schools across America though they fear that most of it will have already been eaten. Read More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3389630.ece
The US Department of Agriculture yesterday ordered that 143 million lb of beef from the slaughterhouse be recalled. Officials estimate that some 37 million lbs of the recalled meat had been heading to schools across America though they fear that most of it will have already been eaten. Read More: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/us_and_americas/article3389630.ece
It was Fidel
As a child of the seventies, born on the heels of the Black Power Movement, Fidel Castro has held a romantic space in my general understanding of world history. As I listen to NPR and CNN I am aware of a very large segment of the American public that absolutely detests Fidel Castro and everything communist. But for me, Fidel is that indivual who had the courage to fight the type of economic exploitation that many Americans were fighting at home. I know communism is beset with its inherent contradictions, but it is it's impulse that I respect. That is, I respect its impulse towards economic equality. Do I think communism can work? No. Do I think Cuba under Castro has achieved economic quality for all Cubans? No. But, on hearing the news of Castro's release of power, I can only think fondly of this man who had the power to achieve 100% literacy in a country with a GDP of $44.54 billion. This is a man who has held AIDS to 0.7% of the Cuban population. Anyway, this letter from Congresswoman Maxine Waters speaks to the heart of what I'm attempting to convey:
Congresswoman Waters issues statement on U.S. Freedom Fighter Assata Shakur
September 29, 1998
September 29, 1998
President Fidel Castro
Central CommitteePlaza de la Revolucion Habana, Cuba
Dear President Castro,
I am writing to clarify my position on a resolution recently passed by the United States House of Representatives on September 14, 1998.
I, and some of the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, mistakenly voted for House Concurrent Resolution 254 which called on the Government of Cuba to extradite to the United States Joanne Chesimard and all other individuals who have fled the United States from political persecution and received political asylum in Cuba. Joanne Chesimard was the birth name of a political activist known to most Members of the Congressional Black Caucus as Assata Shakur.
For the record, I am opposed to the resolution.
By way of explanation, the Republican leadership quietly slipped this bill onto the accelerated suspension calendar last week as one of thirteen (13) bills that had been announced that same day. The suspension calendar is supposed to be reserved for non-controversial legislation like naming federal buildings and post offices. But, the Republican leadership chose to push this provision in an apparent effort to look tough on Cuba for the November elections.
As evidence of their deceptive intent, the resolution did not mention Assata Shakur, but chose to only call her Joanne Chesimard. Unfortunately, none of our offices were alerted to the fact that this legislation was coming up for a vote by any of the numerous advocacy groups that monitor related issues. Once I discovered the nature of this deception, I prepared a statement of opposition, which I delivered on the floor the next day. I unequivocally stated that a mistake was made and I would have voted against the legislation.
Allow me to explain why I am opposed to this measure.
I support the right of all nations to grant political asylum to individuals fleeing political persecution. The United States grants political asylum to individuals from all over the world who successfully prove they are fleeing political persecution. Other sovereign nations have the same right, including the sovereign nation of Cuba.
Although there are Members of Congress that may disagree with particular decisions made by other sovereign governments regarding political asylum, it is the inviolate right of legitimate governments to grant asylum pursuant to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I will fight to maintain the ability of political refugees to find asylum in United States and respect the right of other governments to be able to grant political asylum. Just as we maintain the right to grant political asylum for individuals from Cuba, we must respect the right of the government of Cuba to grant political asylum for individuals from the U.S. fleeing political persecution.
I believe that the current thirty-seven year embargo on Cuba is a relic of a Cold War past, now over, and is primarily hurting the poor and working people of Cuba. I was encouraged by the words of the Pope in his visit to Cuba this year, and look forward to a new era of US-Cuban relations. Part of these efforts include work to allow humanitarian and medical aid for Cuba.
The second reason I oppose this measure is because I respect the right of Assata Shakur to seek political asylum. Assata Shakur has maintained that she was persecuted as a result of her political beliefs and political affiliations. As a result, she left the United States and sought political asylum in Cuba, where she still resides.
In a sad and shameful chapter of our history, during the 1960s and 1970s, many civil rights, Black Power and other politically active groups were secretly targeted by the FBI for prosecution based on their political beliefs. The groups and individuals targeted included Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, officials of the American Friends Service Committee, National Council of Churches and other civil rights, religious and peace movement leaders.
However, the most vicious and reprehensible acts were taken against the leaders and organizations associated with the Black Power or Black Liberation Movement. Assata Shakur, was a member of the Black Panther Party, one of the leading groups associated with the Black Liberation Movement. The Black Panther Party was the primary target of U.S. domestic government political harrassment and persecution during this era.
This illegal, clandestine political persecution was wrong in 1973, and remains wrong today.
I hope that my position is clear. I hope to see a new era of U.S.-Cuban relations in the future.
I, and some of the Members of the Congressional Black Caucus, mistakenly voted for House Concurrent Resolution 254 which called on the Government of Cuba to extradite to the United States Joanne Chesimard and all other individuals who have fled the United States from political persecution and received political asylum in Cuba. Joanne Chesimard was the birth name of a political activist known to most Members of the Congressional Black Caucus as Assata Shakur.
For the record, I am opposed to the resolution.
By way of explanation, the Republican leadership quietly slipped this bill onto the accelerated suspension calendar last week as one of thirteen (13) bills that had been announced that same day. The suspension calendar is supposed to be reserved for non-controversial legislation like naming federal buildings and post offices. But, the Republican leadership chose to push this provision in an apparent effort to look tough on Cuba for the November elections.
As evidence of their deceptive intent, the resolution did not mention Assata Shakur, but chose to only call her Joanne Chesimard. Unfortunately, none of our offices were alerted to the fact that this legislation was coming up for a vote by any of the numerous advocacy groups that monitor related issues. Once I discovered the nature of this deception, I prepared a statement of opposition, which I delivered on the floor the next day. I unequivocally stated that a mistake was made and I would have voted against the legislation.
Allow me to explain why I am opposed to this measure.
I support the right of all nations to grant political asylum to individuals fleeing political persecution. The United States grants political asylum to individuals from all over the world who successfully prove they are fleeing political persecution. Other sovereign nations have the same right, including the sovereign nation of Cuba.
Although there are Members of Congress that may disagree with particular decisions made by other sovereign governments regarding political asylum, it is the inviolate right of legitimate governments to grant asylum pursuant to the principles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. I will fight to maintain the ability of political refugees to find asylum in United States and respect the right of other governments to be able to grant political asylum. Just as we maintain the right to grant political asylum for individuals from Cuba, we must respect the right of the government of Cuba to grant political asylum for individuals from the U.S. fleeing political persecution.
I believe that the current thirty-seven year embargo on Cuba is a relic of a Cold War past, now over, and is primarily hurting the poor and working people of Cuba. I was encouraged by the words of the Pope in his visit to Cuba this year, and look forward to a new era of US-Cuban relations. Part of these efforts include work to allow humanitarian and medical aid for Cuba.
The second reason I oppose this measure is because I respect the right of Assata Shakur to seek political asylum. Assata Shakur has maintained that she was persecuted as a result of her political beliefs and political affiliations. As a result, she left the United States and sought political asylum in Cuba, where she still resides.
In a sad and shameful chapter of our history, during the 1960s and 1970s, many civil rights, Black Power and other politically active groups were secretly targeted by the FBI for prosecution based on their political beliefs. The groups and individuals targeted included Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Cesar Chavez, officials of the American Friends Service Committee, National Council of Churches and other civil rights, religious and peace movement leaders.
However, the most vicious and reprehensible acts were taken against the leaders and organizations associated with the Black Power or Black Liberation Movement. Assata Shakur, was a member of the Black Panther Party, one of the leading groups associated with the Black Liberation Movement. The Black Panther Party was the primary target of U.S. domestic government political harrassment and persecution during this era.
This illegal, clandestine political persecution was wrong in 1973, and remains wrong today.
I hope that my position is clear. I hope to see a new era of U.S.-Cuban relations in the future.
Sincerely,
Maxine Waters, ChairCongressional Black Caucus
Maxine Waters, ChairCongressional Black Caucus
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The Cost of Love
It doesn't take much to exact love: sometimes just an apolgy.
I was deeply moved this past week when the sovereign nation of Australia made a formal apology to it's Aboriginal citizens. According to news source BBC: Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised in parliament to all Aborigines for laws and policies that 'inflicted profound grief, suffering and loss'. He singled out the "Stolen Generations" of thousands of children forcibly removed from their families.
The apology was made after "a National Inquiry was set up in 1995. Its 1997 Report ‘Bringing them Home’ contained harrowing evidence. It found that forcible removal of indigenous children was a gross violation of human rights which continued well after Australia had undertaken international human rights commitments. It was racially discriminatory, because it only applied to Aboriginal children on that scale, and It was an act of genocide contrary to the Convention on Genocide, (which forbids ‘forcibly transferring children of [a] group to another group’ with the intention of destroying the group.) The Report made 54 recommendations, including opening of records, family tracing and reunion services and the need for reparations’ (including acknowledgement and apology by Governments and institutions concerned, restitution, rehabilitation and compensation).
The Government has stated there will be no compensation fund. People of the Stolen Generation have started legal actions for compensation against the Government ."
Is is my sincere hope that the Australian government implements the 54 recommendations. We'll be praying for their success, but in the meantime...
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