Friday, August 31, 2007

Jason vs. Jessie


I read in GQ Magazine recently where some 45 year old guy had Alzheimer's, and you know what I kept thinking while I was reading that article? Why couldn't this have been Jason Whitlock's black ass? I know that was mean, but hey, that's what I was thinking.



"Why field what's your issue with Jason Whitlock?" Well it seems that Jason has a black problem. Or at least a problem with black folks, and as a result, he writes about us in a negative light every chance he gets. If there is a racial issue in America, and blacks and whites see it differently, you can bet your last dollar that old Jason will come down on the side of the majority population.


In his latest hit piece against black folks, Jason lays the smack down with his pen on the Jena 6. To Jason, these boys were out of control athletes who got their just deserts. Jason doesn't see what all the fuss is about, especially given the fact that all these boys weren't Angels to begin with. He goes on to attack the usual suspects, like Jessie, and Al, much to the delight of his white readers, and I am sure, his white employers. Just think of Jason as the LaShawn Barber of the sports world, and you will get an idea of the type of a black person we are dealing with here.



Now let me put this out there right now: I am no big fan of Jessie or Al, and lord knows I have come down pretty hard on them at times myself, especially when they do dumb shit like jump into the middle of the Terry Schiavo fray. They both love the camera a little too much for my taste, and I am still not sure about that story floating around where Jessie was supposed to have put MLK's blood on his shirt the day he (King) was shot. (I always wondered why King's widow never really spoke to Jessie all these years) But I digress. Still, given all of that, there is no denying that Jessie has done some good things to advance the civil rights struggle in this country. And any black person in America who says otherwise is a damn fool. Which is why when I see folks like Jason making a living on tearing down Jackson, it pisses me off. I see other black writers, commentators, and bloggers doing it too. The first person they rip when there is a racial issue front and center in this country, is good ole Jessie. And before you give me the, "but field you do it too" speech, save it. I know that shit, and I acknowledge it. But it doesn't make it right. Hell, one of the reasons I blog is to provide therapy for myself, and writing about shit that I am guilty of myself, helps me to work through that particular problem.


So back to Jason. Mr one trick pony himself. He rips Vivian Stringer, the Rutgers women's basketball coach. He rips America for not giving Don Imus another chance. And every fucking day he rips another black athlete or person who happens to be in the news, for not playing by America's rules. Like who the fuck died and made him the Martha Stewart of race? On a certain level I almost respect Jason's hustle. Because you and I both know that he can't believe all the shit that he writes. But it's working, Jason is getting more popular by the day, because he is just the latest in a long line of black folks who "Charlie" props up to say what he wants to say, but can't, because it would be too politically incorrect. Jason can say it, because he is one of them.



So anyway,I am making a pledge right here and now: I am not going to rip Jessie anymore. He is way too easy. And besides, is it really his fault that he is the first black person "Charlie" goes looking for when there is a racial problem in this country? I don't think so. Yeah Jessie might love the camera too much, but can you just stop sticking it in his damn face please? Is that too much to ask "Charlie"? And the same goes for the other reverend as well. Although lately, Jason has been popping up a lot too. I would dare say even more than Jessie and Al. So go on with your bad self Jason, the hustle is working.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

THOSE FREAKY REPUBLICANS



Hey, say what you want to about the repubs--those boys sure know how to get their freak on. I know they are always preaching to the rest of us about family values, christian morality, and whatever other bull shit they can feed us to keep the spotlight away from them while they hide those skeletons. But, you gotta love 'em.
Let's see now...there was Newt Gingrich--you remember Newt, don't you? This scum bag had an extra marital affair behind his sick wife's back, while he was trying to impeach the first black Prez for getting his freak on. There's also Bob Livingstone--another cheating scumbag, who was exposed for the fraud that he is, for saying one thing and doing another.


And now...let's fast forward--shall we. Ladies and gentleman I give you another Louisiana republican, the Honorable David Vitter. Apparently, my man's number was found in a D.C. Madam's little black book. Of course, he has since held the mandatory press conference (wife-in-tow, of course) and declared, as Bernie Mac says; "it was a long, long time ago, a very long time ago, you know!" And ...he has since found God and family. There was also Mark Foley, (no explanation needed) Bob Allen, (Remember Bob? I posted about him. He is the guy who was going to fork over $20 for oral sex because he was intimidated by all the black guys in the park). And now, The latest playa in the republican freak parade is Airport Larry Craig himself.

Hey, they not only like to have extramarital sex in strange places, but it seems they like to do their drugs too--just ask Thomas Ravenel, Rudy Giuliani's state campaign chairman for South Carolina. Apparently my man was busted with some cocaine recently. OK, so they love sex and drugs. If only they had some rhythm. They could complete the trifecta. But hey, they are republicans, so the rock and roll stuff will have to be left to some other group.

Oh those republicans man, I swear. There are lots more of you, too. I just don't have time to write about you all right now. And folks, if you think I am lying, peep this site for a nice list.
"If we had a coach, the coach would take us into the locker room and scream at us"

~~~John Feehery, former press secretary to Dennis Hastert~~~

I am down with that, but may I suggest a good ass whopping first?












Tuesday, August 28, 2007

I hate to do a cut and paste job, but this story is too important to ignore.


"Dear Texas ColorOfChange.org member,


Thursday, the state of Texas plans to execute a man who it knows without a doubt did not commit murder. This is not justice--it's insanity. Newspapers all over the state agree that this would be a serious mistake and have called on the Governor and the Board of Pardons and Paroles to spare Kenneth Foster's life.


Can you take a few minutes to make two phone calls to do the same?
Please call the Governor at 512-463-2000 and the Pardons and Paroles Board at 512-406-5852 and ask them to spare Foster's life. Then email http://us.f505.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=calls@colorofchange.org to let us know that you did.


On August 15, 1996, Maurecio Brown got out of Kenneth Foster's car and killed Michael LaHood. When the shots were fired, 19-year-old Foster was in the driver's seat, over 80 feet away, and had no idea that that LaHood was about to commit murder. Foster was no angel that night. Earlier, he had drunk beer, smoked marijuana, and waited while Brown and other friends got out of his car to rob people at gunpoint, twice.


Brown was executed on July 19, 2006 for LaHood's murder. If Foster didn't kill LaHood, why is Texas trying to execute him? It's the "law of parties," which states that a person can be held responsible for a crime committed by someone else. Texas is the only state where the law of parties applies to capital cases, where someone can be executed because of someone else's actions. In this case, the prosecution claimed that Foster was guilty because he "should have anticipated" the murder.


In 2005, a U.S. District Judge ruled that the Law of Parties had been misapplied, violating Foster's Eighth and 14th Amendment rights, and overturned his death sentence. But a federal circuit court overruled that decision, so now Foster's fate is in the hands of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. Unless the Pardons Board acts, Foster will be killed by the state for failing to read Maurecio Brown's mind.


The Pardons Board rules today. If they recommend commutation of Foster's death sentence, Gov. Perry decides Foster's fate. The Pardons Board rarely commutes sentences, and Governor Perry, citing strong support in Texas for the death penalty, did not uphold the only commutation recommended during his term (he has overseen 159 executions since 2000).
Even though the odds are against Foster, we know that public pressure can make a difference. Every ounce of pressure could help.


Again, please call the Governor at 512-463-2000 and the Pardons and Paroles Board at 512-406-5852. Email us at http://us.f505.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=calls@colorofchange.org to let us know that you did. And pass this on.


Thank You and Peace, "


Gabriel, thanks for e-mailing me this important story.


Now everyone please stop reading and get on the phone.

Monday, August 27, 2007

But senator, I just met you.


The field is stuck at the airport waiting for a flight. The field is bored because his flight is late. The field doesn't want to stuff his face with airport junk food , so he loads up on some ice cold mineral water. Not surprisingly, the field has to go and take a quick twinkle.


The field is in the men's bathroom, freeing his willy wonka, and spilling his yellow lemon aide in its appropriate place. So while he is, ahem ahem, flowing; an older white haired gentleman slides up to the urinal next to the field. Mmmm, the field is a little curios, there are plenty of empty stalls in the bathroom, and this older white gentleman comes right next to the field.


He is glancing around, he looks nervous, every now and then he glances down at the field, and now the field is getting a little pissed. The field starts to shake his willy wonka (This of course takes awhile :)) and the man is staring intently at the field's, ahem ahem tool. "Motherfucker are you looking at my dick? "The field is furious. "Oh, no, I was just admiring it," says the old white haired white gentleman. "Admiring it?""Yes, I am sorry.... may I touch it?"" Ahhh hell no! What kind of man do you think I am. First, I am not gay, so I don't think I would particularly enjoy you touching my Johnson. And second, if I was gay, you sure as fuck wouldn't be my type."" Well, I am a U.S. Senator, I could make it worth your time."" Ahhh no, I don't think so."" Please, I just got off of very a long flight, and I am feeling particularly horny right about now. I have always had jungle fever, we don't see too many of you people where I am from in Idaho. I see lots of you in D.C., but I am a well respected Republican, and I can't afford to mess up, I have to be careful."" Well you ain't being so fucking careful now. I mean we are in a public rest room, and I am a total stranger. Forget the fact that I could commence to whopping your ass, but if I were a cop, I could arrest you for lewd behaviour(British spelling woozie) in a public restroom . Did you say you were a Republican?" "Yes I am."" Well what is it with you freaky mother fuckers? Look man, if I were you, I would zip up my pants, and walk away. I am going to do you a favour(British spelling woozie) and pretend this didn't happen. You are lucky I am not a reporter or a blogger or some shit. Now go on man, before I call the cops on your ass. " :)


OK, so the above story was fictional. But I did get my inspiration from this report.


Hey, at least he didn't blame his behavior on being nervous because too many blacks were around.


Gotta love those conservative republicans. Here is a guy who endorsed his state's(Idaho) anti gay amendment, HJR2, which essentially banned gay marriages,civil unions, and domestic partnerships. Yet, the motherfucker is in a public bathroom trying to play footsie with an undercover cop from a bathroom stall.


Folks, that's called balls. Whoops, maybe I should have used another word.


Sunday, August 26, 2007

Francis & The Kossacks






I wasn't going to post today, because I had some more important stuff going on. But then, like the addict that I am, I got on the Internet and caught this post from my man Francis Holland about the Kossacks again.


I swear I had to post this link. (He compared the Kossacks to the Klan!) My man Francis will not leave Markos and the folks at Kos alone. Now he is posting from Political Fleshfeast, a spin off of Myleftwing, which is wild as shit. Seems they gave Francis the green light to post as much as he wants, and boy is he going to town.



I have said publicly and privately to my man Francis, that I really don't co-sign with his need to post constantly and stir the pot on these large white blogs. I think he should use his immense talent to devote his writing and research to black causes and on black blogs. (Like the ones in the Afrospear for instance) But....he won't listen, and he just keeps trying to kick the door in to the white folks house.


Still, I love how he is trying to expose Markos, because let's face it, Markos has become an important political figure in this country. If he is doing or has done some shady shit in the past, well then he should be called on it.

So "write" on Francis. I tried to rope you in, but I guess there is no stopping you. You're the white folks problem now :)

Saturday, August 25, 2007

I have your "Surge" right here!



I rarely post about the war in Iraq anymore, because quite honestly, this country has hardened into two camps. And if the Bush supporters saw him cut off the head of a little baby, they would say that the sacrifice was needed to keep us safe from Islamic terrorist.




But as September approaches, and we await the report of General Petraeus with rapt anticipation, I feel I need to throw my two cents into this debate about the fiasco in Iraq once again.



You might have heard the frat boy declare recently that we cannot repeat the mistakes of Vietnam by abandoning the people of Iraq. He passionately invoked the memories of the "killing fields" in Cambodia, the prospects of "boat people' and re-education camps. He even implied that leaving Iraq would jeopardise the lives of millions of our friends who we would leave behind to the enemy, just like what happened in Indochina in 1974. That might or might not be true. But isn't this the same George Bush who declared just months ago that there was no comparison between Iraq and Vietnam? Sure it is. But what else would you expect from the flip flopper in chief. The frustrating thing is that Americans aren't even paying attention. Our attention span is so short, and our ability to engage and understand this war is so limited, because sadly, we spend all of our time worrying about things like Lindsey Lohan's DUI arrest, or Michael Vick and his fucking dogs. Meanwhile, thousands and thousands of people are being killed in Iraq, and hundreds of our soldiers continue to die in a foreign country in the middle of Arabia. All while the frat boy and his minions continue to lie to us and pretend that the fucking surge is working.


"I don't see any progress, just us getting killed" That's not some field Negro writing from the comforts of his home in Northeast Philadelphia, that's Army Spc. Yvenson Tertulien, who is on the ground with our proud men and women in Iraq. Just ask the respected Senator John Warner. He recently said that we should be bringing our troops home now. (see link above) Yes, that tree hugging liberal, and softy Warner, is joining the chorus of the bring the troops home crowd. Even some of the frat boy's generals are now having misgivings about this misguided and immoral war, and are calling for troop reductions. And another General, Colin Powell, tried to warn the frat boy before we even got into this mess. (where is Colin these days?) He tried to draw the analogy with Vietnam to his republican colleagues. He tried to explain that you cannot invade a country like that without having an exit strategy. But shockingly, we did, and we did it with no exit strategy in place. We listened to the neo-cons (operative word being con) and their exulted leader, the "chicken hawk" de jure, Dick Cheney. Now they tell us we just can't pull out, that it would leave the country in an even worse position than when we went in there. Let's see now, that's kind of like saying that I raped this woman, but she can't terminate her pregnancy because the baby will be severely retarded. Think about this for a minute. Just think about what these people did to our country, to the poor people of Iraq, and how it will affect our standing in the world and our foreign policy for years to come. Now we have Iran rubbing their hands together and salivating over the prospects of a little Iran right there in the region.




So as we await word from the new hero of the right, General Petraeus, who will no doubt report that we need more time because the "surge" is working. Let's remember why they think it's working. Let's remember that we are arming local militias in places like the Anbar Province. Let's remember that we are working with former Sunni insurgents who were themselves killers of our own soldiers. Let's remember that while we strengthen the local governments and militias, we are weakening the central government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, a man who is so incompetent, he makes Saddam look like Winston fucking Churchill. "He is a good guy". Sure he is George, and "Brownie was doing a heck of a job". "George Bush doesn't care about black people." I know Kanye, but he doesn't care about Iraqis, or white people either.



I guess this wouldn't piss me off so much of there was a draft, and this sacrifice was truly shared. But there is no draft, and people like Mitt Romney can run for President while his five military ready sons drive around Iowa in a fucking Winnebago, and act like they are serving the country. In the mean time, one family in California just sacrificed two of their sons for this fucked up and misguided war.....don't even get me started. -See, this is why I don't like to talk about this war, because I get so worked up. We have all been touched by the horror and the lunacy of it, yet we continue to debate this war like there should even be a debate. Like it's even a question whether we should get out now or not.

Well, I guess if you have a vested business interest like the folks at Haliburtun, and Black Water; or, one of those defense contractors raking in the millions, there should be a debate. But if you are like the rest of us,-at least the sane ones left in this country- you will see this war for what it is, and what it always was; a politically expedient ploy to make a few people very wealthy, and to keep a party in power by playing on the fears and patriotism of the American people.


















Thursday, August 23, 2007

A couple of things have been bothering me all day

and I want to share them with you.


I was running late for work this morning, so I was hauling ass on Roosevelt Boulevard, weaving in and out of traffic, and driving like there was a Lark sighting in Philadelphia. Anyway, as luck would have it, I see the flashing lights of the po po behind me. So I get the "driver's license and registration request from this Philly Highway Patrol cop. He looks like a good Irishman, and he looks like he has been doing his job for awhile. So anyway, as I take my driver's license out of my wallet, my man notices my court badge. He asks me what I do for a living and I tell him. He asks me why the rush, and I tell him I am late for court. He gives me one of those looks-the one I have gotten quite a few times after showing my badge- and he tells me to slow down be careful and have a nice day. No ticket, no warning, just have a nice day!




So now I am rushing into the court house, I recognize some of the sheriffs and they are all waving me through. Except for one. This particular sheriff tells me to stop. She wants to know where I think I am going without showing my bar card or some form of ID. I tell her I am an attorney and I actually work for the courts,but girlfriend isn't having it. I show her my badge. Still not having it, she wants to see my bar card. "Anybody can get a badge". I am late now, I have spent five minutes already with Cleopatra Jones. I tell her my bar card is in another brief case and I apologize for not having it. She wants me to go into another line. (it's longer and I would have to go all the way to the back) "He's cool, he works with another branch of the courts, I can vouch for him, he is a lawyer". She lets me go. I thank the sheriff that got my back, and I am on my way.




So here is what's bothering me; the two people that cut me some slack today, were white men. The one person that gave me a hard time, was a black female. I know she was just doing her job....but damn, did she have to be so hard on a brother? I have had this discussion with friends before about the hard ass attitude some of our own people take with each other; and honestly, I don't understand it. I mean why couldn't she just let me through with the badge I produced and taken my word that I was a lawyer? I know, I know, she was doing her job. But damn it, there is such a thing as common sense, and she wasn't using it. Like WTF? Did she think she was going to get a fucking raise for giving some field Negro a hard time because he couldn't quickly produce a bar card? Geez!




So that was the first thing. Now the second thing is a little more personal to me, and the fact that I am blogging about it might even piss some of you off. But fuck it, I always keep it 100% with you, and I won't stop now.







I passed by this lube shop called "Grease Monkey" today, and right in front of this shop was a brother with overalls covered in grease. First of all, I hate that fucking name, and every time I see one of those shops I get pissed off. ("Oh field, you are way too sensitive". I know, chalk it up to my knowledge of history) But something about seeing fam today in the hot ass son was very troubling to me. Couldn't he get a job at Jiffy Lube or some shit? I know people can name their franchise pretty much what they want, but do we have to work in that bitch, or patronize them with our business? "So where do you work?"" Ahhh with a lube and oil change company." "Yeah, what's the name of it? ""Ahhh Grease Monkey....""Grease Monkey? ""Yeah Grease Monkey...."




Maybe it's no big deal, but today I just wasn't in the mood to see that brother standing in front of Grease Monkey. The imagery just sucked! Kind of like girlfriend who wouldn't show a brother some love earlier in the day. Honestly, her ass should have been standing in front of grease monkey. At least the imagery would have been more appropriate.

Tuesday, August 21, 2007

No Iraqi ever called me a nigger.




I was reading somewhere today how the number of blacks signing up for military service has reduced over the years; and honestly, I couldn't be happier. It seems that since the year 2000, black enlistment in the military has been reduced by at least a third. The numbers don't lie, and the news media has just now started to pick up on this beautiful phenomenon.


The media has blamed it on everything from more blacks going to college-like that's supposed to be a bad thing-to the fact that the Iraq war is unpopular among most African Americans. And so what? I say it's about fucking time! Oh, and they left out the fact that black parents are telling their children that they better not sign up to go and fight this illegal and immoral war. A war being fought on behalf of a country where potential minority recruits aren't even as happy as their potential fellow soldiers in the majority population. Nope, no matter what the military offers, tell them to take their $20,ooo bonus and shove it. I know that the Army recruiters are camped around the inner cities like liquor stores and churches these days, but just say no young man (or woman). When that slick recruiter comes calling with his promise of a good life and a future in Uncle Sam's Army, tell him to go and make that pitch to Jenna Bush, and Mitt Romney's five healthy ass sons. Tell him; sorry Mr. Recruiter man, just living in the hood is a fucking adventure, and I would rather not see the world from a one hundred degree tent in the middle of Anbar fucking Province if you don't mind. I just am not buying into your canned speech and practiced lies anymore.


I saw some interesting stats from DeWayne Wickham's column in USA Today: Black unemployment rate is (8%) while for whites it's (4.2%). The article said that race matters more than education. Why? Well consider that the unemployment rate of blacks with a high school diploma (7.3%) is higher than that of white college dropouts (5.9%). And the unemployment rate of blacks with a bachelor's degree are (3.8%) higher than whites who attended college but did not receive a degree. Oh, and it gets better; it seems that when "the most educated blacks-those with a doctorate degree-found work, they earned an average of $12,000 less a year than whites with a doctorate degree. " Hey, I know you say the field is a racialist ( I like that word) but don't shoot the messenger, those stats are from the U.S. Census Bureau in their 2006 report in their Annual Social & Economic Supplement.




So given all those daunting statistics, is it any wonder that black folks ain't signing up to go half way around the world to defend the status quo in the frat boy's war? I don't think so.



But I know one thing; if the number of minority recruits keep dropping, I guarantee you will see a draft sooner than we think. This one will have a caveat to it though; only those who have been unemployed for over six months will be eligible to be drafted.



Isn't democracy beautiful?










Monday, August 20, 2007

Showing a field Negro some love.



Consider this my greatest hits post. It was inspired by a couple of honors I recently received, and an e-mail I got inquiring about some of my favorite essays I wrote since I started blogging.





Before I do that, I would like to first thank the people who put together the Black Weblog and the Black Web Awards. (I think they are different) I am honestly honored to have been nominated by them to receive one of their prestigious awards. Also, I would equally like to thank the field Negroes who voted for me. That's showing a brother some love for real.





So of the 243 posts I have done since I started this blog; the following are my favorites:


(Not in any particular order of favorites)

1. A friend of mine said he was browsing the web when he came across an article by a gentleman named Cobb. The article was posted on a conservative blog known as Booker Rising. Throughout the article, the gentleman took great exception to my views on Darfur. He went on to take some personal shots at me while quoting extensively from my article. Well, I checked it out for myself, and my friend was right. But rather than respond in kind, I will attempt to, once again, state my position on this issue--and especially as it relates to the house Negroes among us and why they think the way they do... (More here)


2. Hey, welcome to the Field Negro News Network.. (More here)



3. Folks consider this post a self improvement exercise from the field-negro. Yes, it's the Oprahization[sic] of the field-negroe's blog. I am going to give you a little pop quiz to help you realize if you are a racist or to help you recognize racism when you see it...(More here)


4. Thanks to my man Atiba, I received an excellent article via e-mail from the Associated Press. It was written by Erin Texeira and it had to do with the stereotypes that black men face on a daily basis and the different coping mechanisms that we use to get by..(More here)



5. I am always amused at how sensitive some blacks-particularly black conservatives-get when you talk about the house negro field negro dichotomy among black folks. Black conservatives are always quick to lash out at the house negro moniker as if it's directed at them...(More here)



6. So I am reading over at Wizbang, a conservative site that I like to visit now and then. And there is a post from one of the hosts about this family in Maine who tried to kidnap their daughter in order to force her to have an abortion. Well, as it turns out-I should have known-the young man that knocked her up was a ....Gasp!!! NEGRO!...(More here)


7. I really wasn't going to post tonight, but I just got home from the viewing of a very dear friend's father, who was suddenly taken away from him compliments of a massive heart attack..(More here)


8. Seems a couple of the Supremes, Uncle Clarence Thomas, and Anthony Kennedy, had to go before a house sub committee down in Washington and face some tough questions recently. Why you say? Well apparently, even the Supreme Court needs money...(More here)



9. Over the holidays I went to check out my homey Will Smith's new flick, "The Pursuit of Happyness". A true story about a self made millionaire, and his struggles with his young son out of poverty. I gave it a thumps up, and I won't front, that bad boy had me tearing up from time to time. But you know me, as usual, I had some issues..(More here)



10. I want to post about something I saw over at My DD ,a progressive net roots web site whose primary focus seems to be the advancement of democratic party candidates..(More here)



11. In case you didn't know this; white people really really treat their pets well. I swear, white people love their pets more than they love people...(More here)



12. I am sure that my friends down South are familiar with Hunting Clubs. I remember when I was living in Louisiana that was a big deal. Come hunting season you would go on acres and acres of your club's land and shoot all the Bambi's, wild boars, and water fowls to your heart's content. All for an annual fee..(More here)

13. It's Monday evening, and if you just had a hard days work, and want to something to cheer you up, stop reading now, and visit my site again another time...(More here)









The image above is that of a Jamaican Maroon and the little guy I used to use before my blog got a little too popular and I became concerned with some legal issues. Since I am in a reminiscing mood, I am throwing him up there one last time before I finally put him to rest.
There won't be any such issues with my new image, because the likeness I use is my own. Yep, that's me folks. What, you think I spend all that time in the gym for nothing ? :)













Sunday, August 19, 2007

Hurricane Sam was worse




"January 4: The Us secretary of State, Henry Kissinger , left Jamaica , unsuccessful in his mission to dissuade Manley from supporting the presence of Cuban troops in Angola. Despite this failure, he assured Manley that there was no CIA interference in Jamaica, but did not add that the CIA station in Kingston had just been strengthened by the arrival of a new chief, Norman Descoteaux, a man with recent field experience in Argentina and Ecuador where it was thought other destabilisation campaigns had previously taken place. "


I wasn't going to post today. But as I sit here in the comfort of my Northeast Philly home, one eye on my phone, and the other on CNN, I am scared for my country, my family, and my friends that are down in Jamaica. Hurricane Dean is making a bee line for the country I love like no other. It is intent on a path of destruction and mayhem. I am not a praying person, but for those of you who are;please do what you do and send up a request to whatever god you happen to believe in.


I was also thinking about something my man Chris-that increasingly angry black man, and Princeton grad-said in the comments section of my last post. Chris waxed poetic about the poverty and lawlessness which is at times prevalent in the island, and the politicians there who far too often line their own pockets at the expense of the masses. I am here to tell you that some of what Chris said is actually true. I am sitting here lamenting over 260 murders in Philly, a city of 1.5 million people, when I know damn good and well, that just recently, the murder count in Jamaica topped 1,000. And Jamaica is a country of about 3 million people. And I am, also aware of the gap between the have and have nots in Jamaica, which clearly makes it a Third World country.


But I have to respectfully disagree with Chris about all the real causes for Jamaica's problems, because I think that I am in a unique position to address it. In the mid seventies, I was a youngster growing up in Jamaica. I lived through the brain drain and the flight of the islands wealthy, and powerful financial class. Honestly, my family could have left too, but we didn't. Primarily because of my father's commitment to his work, and his love for his island home. But I saw it first hand. The destabilization, the CIA supplying guns and ammo to the gangs of the opposition Jamaica Labor Party, and the IMF's cruel, impractical, and unrealistic demands on the Jamaican banks and its government.



"But field why would the U.S. care about destabilizing the Jamaican government and bringing it to its knees? Isn't Jamaica just a happy go lucky tourist destination where we go to hear some reggae music, and if you are so inclined smoke a little ganja every now and then?" Good question, but the answer is a rather simple one. Ideology. You see, the leader of Jamaica at the time, was a man by the name of Michael Manley. A man, who contrary to what Chris alleged about the typical Jamaican politician, actually cared about his people, and their plight. Michael Manley was; gasp, a Socialist! He believed that the islands wealthy class should pay more taxes, and things like literacy training, and proper health care should be made more affordable to all Jamaicans. He believed that Jamaica should work closely with our neighbors to the North, the Cubans. He believed that Fidel Castro and the Cubans, actually had some good ideas that the Jamaican government should adopt. He cross trained Jamaican dentist and doctors in Cuba. (free of charge thanks to the Cuban government) With the help of the Cuban government micro dams were built, agricultural schools were started, and many of Jamaica's poor actually started to see their lives improve. But alas, America could not have that; nope, not another Socialist country so close to our shores. Michael Manley had to be stopped. So what did Washington do? Well, not only did they, along with the other G7 countries and the IMF, put some draconian policies in place to control the Jamaican governments spending, but they unleashed the CIA and its agents like Phillip Agee on the Jamaican political scene, and they wreaked their havoc from a street level. What followed were political gang wars and fighting of unprecedented proportions. Chris, I know of what I speak, I lived through it. Honestly, it's what shapes my views of politics to this day. The term politics is a "blood sport" takes on a literal meaning for me.


"In Washington they just looked at us and said, 'No, no, no. Your inflation last year was 18% and we are not allowing you to lend to your farmers at 12%. You must charge 23%.'" That's what Michael Manley said at the height of his frustrations with Washington. His hands were tied, and Washington wanted it that way.

So as another hurricane goes barrelling towards Jamaica to do unprecedented damage, let's not forget another metaphorical Hurricane that hit my Island home about thirty years ago. With all due respect to the National Hurricane Service, I will call it Hurricane Sam, as in Uncle Sam. We still haven't recovered from that one, and it's effects will be felt long after the clean up from Dean is over.

Thank you Mr. Kissinger.

















Friday, August 17, 2007

Big trouble in China.



What is up with the Chinese lately? They have been sending us fucked up toys, tires, toothpaste, and even pet food for crying out loud. It used to be that the Chinese would send us fairly dependable shit. And I, for one, would have no problem buying those $7 T-shirts that were made in China. Now, I don't know. I bet not even their T-shirts are safe anymore.


But we have no one to blame but ourselves for this shit. If we weren't so cheap, we could probably get all of our shit made right here in the good ole U.S.A.. But no, we would rather run down to Wal-Mart and save $2 on that blender. Forget the fact that the people making them are making $2 a day. And don't even get me started on all the customer service out sourcing. "Yes, this is field Negro. I would like to pay my Visa bill. No, not flee Nero, field Negro. Yes, I want to pay. No, not pray, pay. I am calling from Philadelphia. Oh, you did? Did you have a nice time? Oh, you liked the liberty bell. Hey, I just want to pay my bill, can I do that please. So what's the weather like over there in New Delhi?" Hey, you get what you pay for I guess.



So now we depend on China and their lack of standards to send us shit we actually put in our mouths and around our children. Oh, by the way, if you have stock in Mattel you might want to consider selling now. Because in about five years, when the first child that had one of those toys covered in lead paint gets cancer, it's on. I mean fake Gucci and Mont Blancs is one thing, but shit Americans give their pets to eat, and their children to play with, is quite another.


Everyone knows that China's best export is their little girls. (Have you ever been to a yuppie gathering, it's like being at a day care center in the middle Beijing for crying out loud. But I digress) So unless you have one of them, (the little girls, not the nursing home) I wouldn't trust anything else from China. The best shit they have they keep to themselves. Did you know that the great wall of China is visible from space? And did you see all the stadiums they are building for the Olympic games? Oh, and I do love me some General Tso Chicken. So I guess some things are cool about China. Some things.




But some things are very uncool too. Like their support of that fucked up and corrupt government in the Sudan, and their criminal leader, Omar al-Bashir. A government that is committing genocide and all forms of atrocities against their own people. Yep, this is the gods way of punishing the Chinese. Until they get that shit right in the Sudan, we should punish them too, and threaten to boycott their damn Olympics.



I just hope they don't take it out on us by sending us some more tainted shit.



Thursday, August 16, 2007

The King & I




"Elvis was a hero to most But he never meant shit to me you see Straight up racist that sucker was Simple and plain Mother fuck him and John Wayne Cause I'm Black and I'm proud I'm ready and hyped plus I'm amped Most of my heroes don't appear on no stamps..."




~~Chuck D~~






Let's take a moment of silence shall we, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of "The King's" passing. Yes folks, sadly, on August 16, 1977, America lost one of her truly great musical icons. The man who sold more records than any solo artist in American music history. The man who invented real soul musi..... oh let me stop this nonsense, I can't even write about this fraud in a satirical manner without getting pissed off.


I know this is going to piss off a lot of Elvis fans. But from where I sit, dude is one of the greatest thieves in American history. Right up there with Jessie James, and Al Capone. When he got on stage on the Ed Sullivan show that evening way back in 1956, Americans lost their collective minds. As the camera cut away from his lower body parts, The King sang "Don't Be Cruel." (A song, by the way, that was written by a black man -Otis Blackwell) and the love affair with the king was born. That Ed Sullivan show was his great train robbery. It's where he used the moves copied from countless black artist to give America what they didn't want to see from a black artist. And every time I think about how America embraced Pressley, and not others who helped paved the way for him, it pisses me off.






So sorry, I am not on board with the King. I just can't get over the fact that he ripped off people like Little Richard, Bo Diddley, and Calvin Newborn. The guy was born and raised in Tupelo Mississippi, the heart of blues alley, and he ripped off plenty of blues musician's styles to achieve his incredible wealth and fame. Now I can't be totally mad at Elvis. After all, he was just doing what America allowed him to do, and I sure didn't expect him to turn down what came his way. And, he did tell a newspaper back in the day that he copied Arthur Crudup's style on the guitar. But damn, could he have showed just a little more love to some of those musicians when he was around?



And for the record; I am not even sure if I believe that he made that now infamous statement: "The only thing Negroes can do for me is shine my shoes and bye my records." Unless there is some great big cover up by all the Elvis lovers out there, no one can really verify that he really made that statement in Boston that night. So in this case, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt. Now as for him ripping off black musicians; I know he did that, and that's more than enough for me not to like Mr. Swivel hips. Sorry, it's just the whole thing with Sam Philips, his first producer, who flat out said that he finally found a white guy who had the swivel and the feel of the black R&B artists he had been recording. So what happened to all those black artist you were recording Sam?


I am going to be honest with you; I don't even like Memphis. Forget that it's where they killed Martin. But that whole Graceland Elvis vibe is just pure bullshit. I mean it's everywhere. They start with it at the airport, and it goes down hill from there. Nope, not feeling you Memphis. And then you tear down the Stax studios, which is where the real music came from in that city, and you expect us to just take that shit?


When I think of music in Memphis; I think of Stax Records, Issac Hayes, Booker T & The MG'S, and Rufus and Carla Thomas. Not Elvis fucking Pressley.


Thirty years huh? It seems like only yesterday. And if you hear some of the Elvis lovers tell it; the King is still alive and chilling somewhere. Hey, maybe he can do a duet with Tupac.




Wednesday, August 15, 2007

I get tired of talking about racism too

I hate going after other bloggers, especially other bloggers of color ( I hope she doesn't mind if I say she is of color) But the following comments from a sister who calls herself Diva needs to be examined, because it's a scary mind set among some of my people that has been raring its ugly head more and more of late. Oh, and before I get into a rant, this is what girlfriend said:



"I get tired of talking about racism. I think black people are too often put into the position of being the ‘racism monitors’. No matter what other hobbies, interests, ideas you have all anybody ever wants to here from you is your view on racism. I think too many black people limit their lives because they are too preoccupied by racism, racism..." Translation: I get tired of being out in the fields. If I could just be in the house, with all its comforts and its advantages. Why must I be lumped in with other black people, why can't I just.. be "normal"?
................***sorry about that pause folks, I just thought about something :)




So anyhooo, I won't link her site, but I will link the site that led me to her. A wonderful Canadian blogger who titles her blog; "writing is fighting". Read the entire post with the links to this "Musings Of a Diva" lady, and tell me if it's just me. "Limit their lives"? You know what I get tired of? Dumb ass black people who buy into bullshit talking points like: victimology, and the other shit that house Negroes like to talk about. What is it with black people who get theirs, move on, and think that they are separate from the race that spawned their dumb asses? Don't they realize that every thing that black people do as a collective, every way that they are perceived, and ultimately, the way they are treated in the world, affects their dumb asses? I know, I know, I will not let my race define me, I will work hard pull myself up by my own boot straps..blah blah blah. ~~~That's me rolling my eyes and yawning~~~ Just because you happen to be enjoying your life free of racism, doesn't mean that it won't effect your children or, your own life at some point down the line. Racism is real, and it's effects are economic, social, and even spiritual (if you want to go that route). And if we choose not to recognize it, or call it when we see it, we (yes your dumb ass included) will be standing on someones back looking out the window of a gulag somewhere, wondering what the fuck happened to us.

And before you get it twisted (You meaning all you like minded people who preach the self sacrifice pull yourself up talking points crap) I am sure that I, like other like minded black folks do preach self help and hard work. When I talk to kids, I give them the speech my father gave me: Racism is real, and it's going to be here. But work hard, don't look over your shoulders, and try to be better than the next person at whatever it is you choose to do. But don't be dumb enough to think that the world is free of racism, or worse, bigotry. Because if you think that way, when you are confronted with it, think how much harder it will be for you to brush yourself off and get right back up again.



I have traveled all over the world, and I am here to tell you that racism exists every fucking where. Yes, even in countries dominated by a black population. In fact, in some cases, it is even stronger there. Because, my friends, the people in those countries have a mind set like Ms. Diva, and they have been influenced by racist views and influences to hate themselves. That is the saddest and most insidious thing about racism; it causes people to actually hate themselves. And for some reason, that I am still trying hard to understand, this form of racism affects black folks more than anyone of the other races.

So Diva, I get tired of talking about racism too. I would much prefer to dedicate this blog to Lark Voorhies and my life long quest to hook up with girlfriend. But hey; this is, after all, a blog, and I have to write about the shit that I see and that effects me on a daily basis. So until Lark calls and says; "Hi field Negro, this is Lark Voorhies; I hear you have been looking for me". My black ass will be talking about racism and every other ism that's making my world just a little more fucked up to live in right about now.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Hillary lays down a "bitch" slap.




I have never been a big fan of Hillary Clinton. But honestly, if she is the Democratic nominee for President she will have my vote. Why? Because there is no way in hell that I would give my vote to one of those snow white looking seven dwarfs on the republican side. None!

But back to my point. It seems that Hillary laid a royal smack down on a conservative brother at the National Association of Black Journalist convention in Las Vegas. Apparently my man was trying to be cute, and approached one of the smartest people in American politics without his guns loaded.




According to Philadelphia Daily News columnist, Elmer Smith, a conservative black blogger by the name of Kiara Ashanti had "lined Hillary Rodham Clinton up in his gun sights" from the get go. "I can't wait" he told Smith in a Q&A session at the convention last week. He wanted to expose Clinton's "liberal proposals on health reform as a step toward what she believes is an all too socialistic agenda." According to Smith, this conservative blogger" wanted to raise his own visibility as much as he wanted to bring Clinton down a peg."


So let's see how it played out shall we:

After this genius asked Lady Hillary if she advocated socialist medicine, this was her response: "I've never advocated socialized medicine and I hope all journalist hear that" She said in a sharpened tone. "Do you consider Medicare socialized medicine?" she shot back at the genius. "In a way", said the little wimp. According to Smith's account, his answer was "lame." Then lady Hillary told the little republican wanna be house Negro to see her aides about the substance of her health-care proposals "if he was interested in being educated instead of being rhetorical."

Ouch!


Smith said it was a rare moment of being unscripted for Clinton and Smith suspected that it might have turned a thousand black journalist against her, and in fact, some of the older black journalist felt Clinton was arrogant. (Get over that shit)Apparently, according to Smith, some of the young journalist present flocked to Ashanti, to get his contact information. Mission accomplished for the conservative sellout. Your ass should have been in Iowa ambushing the candidate whose religion didn't want your black ass in their flock only a few years ago. Instead, you try to make a name off of Hillary by asking about her health care plan? I have to wonder about some black folks sometimes. Hey, but Hillary showed more restraint than I would have. I might have slapped your stupid ass, and told those other journalist in the house to go and report that shit.

But alas, Hillary has a sense of humor. According to Smith she was asked in a closed door session later on if "she had pandered to a black audience by reciting lyrics of a spiritual in what some considered an attempt to 'sound black'" Her answer was classic: "Well as you know, I'm in this interracial marriage."

And you might have a field Negro's vote there Hillary, you just might.



The above post was dedicated to my friend and Hillary supporter, Francis Holland.


Francis,I am begging you to let this "whitosphere" battle go. Please come to the dark side and expend your considerable energy and talents with us. I promise you, we will appreciate you more than they will. I know you have this beef with Markos and the Kos folks, but just remember; success is always the sweetest revenge.









Monday, August 13, 2007

Can a field Negro just get some lunch?


I wanted to follow my man Wayne over at Electronic Villages' lead, and post on some shit that's seriously relevant to black folks tonight. My man is asking the Afrospear to focus on this lamentable and deplorable shit that's going on in our neighborhoods. The same shit that is wiping out our young men in a genocidal fashion. It's called black on black violence.




In truth, I felt like Jessie Jackson today. I remembered his feeling apprehensive at the ATM comment while I was driving into West Philly to get some eats at my favorite Jamaican spot. There I was at 52nd and Market, a fucking sea of humanity around me; everyone hustling and bustling while they get their day to day grind on. And then, I did the Jessie move. I noticed my door wasn't locked and I locked it. Someone standing on the corner peeped me do it, and I was ashamed for about two seconds. I mean I wouldn't have done that shit in Chestnut Hill, or in Somerton would I? But fuck that, my feelings along those lines were fleeting. These little knuckle heads out here don't care who they are jacking. "Yeah field Negro, why don't you give me that nice field Negro ass whip you are pushing? Don't mind this cannon in your face, this is just what I use for protection around here. And every now and then, to convince some fucking field Negro, that he will be a dead Negro, if he doesn't comply with my wishes." So click! The field is down with his people, but he ain't stupid.

Damn I hated feeling that shit. But this is what people live with every day out here. And it ain't white folks living with it, it's us. Shit, over 250 murders and counting don't lie. Unless you are the mail man, the po po, or a bill collector; if you are white, you ain't seeing 52nd and Market anytime soon. When you pass that shit on the El., you don't even want to look down , because you are afraid of what you might see. And you know what; I can't blame you white people, this is our problem. When you want to eat some authentic Jamaican food, you just pack up the family for a vacation, and go down to Jamaica. I shouldn't have to do that, I should be able to go and eat some authentic Jamaican among my peeps without worrying about getting jacked.

But I have an immediate solution for all this shit. (Notice I said, immediate solution, the long terms solutions are too complex and involved. That's another post) More cameras, more cameras, and more cameras. Swamp the city with cameras like they do in London, and some other European cities. (And make sure the shit works) Cops, get out of your squad cars and start walking the beat again. Learn more about the people in the neighborhood you are patrolling. Know which one of Mrs. Johnson's grandsons is good and which one is bad. Use discretion when you pop these kids out here. Not every street crime is a major felony. Please, please, please, go after these straw purchasers of guns who buy hundreds of guns legitimately, and then sell them illegally on the streets. (I swear Pennsylvania is a backwards ass state) And finally, clamp down on suburban, and college kids who come into the hood to buy drugs. If you take away the demand for it, I guarantee you the money on these corners will dry up, and you want have knuckle heads killing to protect their turf.

Hey, just a few suggestions from the field. So that the next time I want some Jamaican Patti and co co bread; I won't have to feel like I am driving through a war zone to get it.






Sunday, August 12, 2007

Can you start a revolution from a keypad?


"has it ever occurred to you that (2.40 / 5) it may not be racism, but structural forces at work? Chris Bowers and I talked about this for over an hour at YearlyKos: there are numerous reasons for the lack of blogosphere diversity, but by far the biggest is that blogging takes three things above all:1) the time to be able to read blogs and write even during the day–usually the province of flexible white-collar workers;2) the education necessary to write well; and3) the financial stability and independence to feel confident of keeping one’s job if one’s blogging identity/hobby is discovered–not to mention attend an expensive convention like YearlyKos.”




The above quote from a Kossack pin head was read by yours truly over at the Myleftwing web site. That quote is exactly why I am so convinced that the Afrospear and this movement we are trying to start is a great thing with incredible potential. It convinces me that so called liberal white people are completely clueless, and we are going to have to embark on this revolution by ourselves. "...the education necessary to write well.." ? WTF? But hey, this is what they think of us in elitist liberal land. Oh pleas Mista massa Kossack man, can't yu jus teachs me to write sa. I is really wants to learn cause i be knowing that dat there is impotent if i be wantin to communicate wit yu sa.



The blogger, I think he called himself “thereisnospoon”, or some such crap, was responding to a post by AA Pundit about the lack of diversity at Yearly Kos. As you can see, this kossack seemed to be suggesting that maybe blacks don’t necessarily have the proper…ahem ahem, writing skills to be able to participate with main stream blogs. And, we are just so woe is me and po, that we could not afford to attend a convention like Yearly Kos. Like what’s so speacial about that f….whoops, I almost cursed. (I promised Asa and the rest of the gang that I would try to keep the swearing down when I post on the Spear ) Point is, I don’t think Kos or any of those so called big blogs are so special. I think, for the most part, they are legends in their own minds.



But I think what what we have here is special. I love the fact that when I open my e-mails every day, I have about thirty or more messages from fellow AfroSpear/Sphere bloggers, debating and talking about issues that effect us. I love the fact that even though we are going through growing pains right now, we are signing up new people every day, and gaining in numbers and strength. I love the fact that Asa, for instance, is a Christian, and I am agnostic. Yet, we can come together and agree on things that we consider important to our people and our race.



I know some people disagree, but I honestly think that we can start a movement right from the comfort of our homes or wherever we happen to participate via the web. I look at the net roots and other political movements centered around the web, and I am encouraged by the potential that I see here. I am encouraged because I can see us doing the very same thing. And not only focusing on North American politics and social issues; but the entire African Diaspora, and all the issues facing us as a people around the world.



I would love nothing more than to see every blogger of color in the world coming together as one unified force. Pooling our knowledge, resources, and various skills to effectuate change for the better for our people, and to force people to take the issues we hold dear, more serious.
So to answer the question in the title; yes we can. It might be a quiet revolution, but it will be a revolution nevertheless. In fact, I think it has already started. I am encouraged when I go to technorati and see new blogs of color starting up every day. And when I see young and older people of color blogging about their feelings and about all the things that is going on out here, it makes me realize that they care too, and that this revolution can be a big one.



Let’s build on this foundation we have laid so far, and let’s keep this thing going. I can feel something bigger coming, and I am excited. This is the hardest part, rallying the troops to get the things that we want to do off the ground. But I honestly believe in that old saying which says that “the darkest part of the night is right before the dawn”. Let’s remember that as we do this blogging thing, and as we try to start this revolution from our keypads.





Some of this essay was cross posted on the Afrospear web site.

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Musings from my barber's chair.




Saturday morning, time to get a straight razor to my dome. With that in mind, I head to my favorite barber so that he can do his thing. As usual, while sitting there this morning,all lathered up and relaxed, I had some thoughts:







Like do people realize that if Hillary is elected President and goes on to win two terms, we will have had 28 years of the Clintons and the Bush Klan in the White House?





Like why are people even considering Mitt Romney as a serous Presidential candidate when the man is obviously a sleaze ball, and a charlatan? And speaking of Mitt; why didn't he get in more trouble with the MSM for his dumb ass comments about his five sons helping the country by not going to war but working for him.




If there is a God I hope he (or she) forgives me. But sometimes I hope the batteries in Dick Cheney's pace maker would stop working.




Like I wonder if those horrific shootings in Newark of those three college kids will be the tipping point, and America will start realizing what we have a serious crisis in our inner cities.




Is it me, or has these mining disasters increased under the Bush administration?




Why can't Halle Berry keep a freaking man?





Why is Oprah, and Gayle ( her best friend) still single?




Does Condi ever get her freak on?




Why is it that every time I see Harold Ford I want to take a shower?




Is there any woman in Washington that Fred Thomson hasn't slept with?




Why can't we use our cell phones on an airplane?




If milk does a body good, why are cows so damn fat?

Why isn't Roger Clemens under as much scrutiny as Barry Bonds? They are both dealing into their forties , and they have both broken a bunch of baseball's precious records.





These people that are always insisting we close our borders, and that the government should not encourage open borders. Would they feel the same way if the government banned travel the other way too? How would they like it if our government said we can't leave the country during the winter months? I mean that is closing the borders isn't it? The State Department does it now with Cuba and it's bullshit.




I am thinking people who delink me from their site, or ban my IP address, can kiss my ass.




I am thinking the most exciting attraction this summer in Philly was the big dig under George Washington's home where the slave quarters were discovered. History was being dug up right before our very eyes. Yep, looks like old George had him some slaves hidden away too.


I am thinking after reading some of these big and popular left wing blogs; that those ass holes, pin heads,and wanna be policy wonks, are just as clueless, and boneheaded as their republican buddies to the right of them.



I am thinking it's going to take a real revolution in this country before poor people will even have a shot. Cause right now the system is stacked against them. They could pursue happiness from now until I go to bed with Lark Voorhies, and it ain't gonna change shit for them.



Do I really give a damn if the Yearly Kos convention had people of color? No!

Do I give a damn about the people at Kos and what they do, and who the want to ban or exclude from their wonder bread liberal club? No!




Do I care about other bloggers of color and how we can come together to address the shit that effects us? Yes!


And is that Colin Powell's picture I saw on the back of my milk carton this morning at breakfast?


I am thinking my dome looks pretty good, and I should leave my barber a nice tip.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

The politician and the pole


I swear I didn't want to post about this. I was ready and fully loaded to post about the impact of Chinese foreign policy on globalization and world financial markets.....OK that's bullshit, but I really didn't plan to talk about this next issue.


But these conservative rethuglican men (code speak for middle class white males) make it so easy for me. Now there are racist, and there are RACIST. The later are so fucking stupid that they embarrass even the closet racist with their stupidity. I say that because they do stupid shit like this.


I mean can you imagine? Here is some guy, a well respected Republican politician to boot, cruising the park to get his freak on with the first hard body that comes along. ('Oh come on field, maybe the guy was trying to take a poll" Yeah he was trying to take a pole alright) And, as luck would have it, he hooks up with an undercover police officer. So what does this stupid racist do. (Let's get a word for that; lets call him a STUCIST) He says that because the potential "john" was a "stocky black guy", he was just giving him his $20 because he was afraid due to the fact that there was nothing but other black guys in the park." HUH? Now that's a STUCIST for your ass.


I mean we have Susan Smith, who accused some black guy of running off with her kids (I was going to say something about us black guys and our kids, but I don't feel like hearing the bullshit about how insensitive I am). We have the guy in Boston who took out his pregnant wife for the insurance money, and said the black bogeyman did it. Both those alibi's are racist but they are not stupid. Hey, they make sense. They both play on America's fears of the black bogeyman. But to say you were going to give a guy $20 for a blow job because you were afraid of the big black "stocky" guy...is well, fucking laughable. Hell, following that logic, I should have been born gay. I would be getting blow jobs every hour on the hour for the rest of my fucking life. "Oh shit, here comes field, ahhh man he is pulling down his zipper, you know what that means don't you? Yep, blow job time."

So state Representative Bob Allen, I want to thank you for helping me to realize that their are racist, and their are RACIST. I mean did you really think that the rest of America would buy your story? America is a pretty fucked up place, but it ain't that fucked up. We have had enough hypocrites parading as virtuous god fearing Christians while they get their freak on to know better.


Here is hoping you beat that soliciting prostitution charge, and stay away from "stocky black guys" in the future. Hey, I hear Mark Foley has some free time on his hands ;)
Thanks for the e-mail and this story DH. Keep em coming bra :)






Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Orphans of violence


Seems like every summer I am bitching about the heat wave that invariably hits my little part of the universe. This summer, of course, is no different. Philly is in the middle of a heat wave and it feels like shit. You global warming deniers can kiss my black ass. So anyway, it's 10:00PM at night and the heat index is 101 degrees outside. Can you believe that shit? 101 degrees!


So anyway, I am browsing the web from the comfort of my home, when I stumble on the article below written by Simone Weichselbaum for Philly.com. It seems that one of the unintended consequences of all the violence that we have been having in our city is all the orphans it has been creating. As if they don't have enough problems, now these poor children have been left motherless and without their family support system as well.

It just breaks your heart, but it's one more sad reality of life in the hood.


"LITTLE JABRAE BISHOP banged his head against the armrest of his grandmother's soft leather sofa and murmured: "I wish I was dead. Then I could be with Mommy." The announcement was enough to tear his older brother, Tyjae, and sister, Imajanae, from the TV, where they sat frustrated and despondent over the barrage of commercials for Mother's Day gifts. As each ad aired, Tyjae, then 8, begged for the holiday to be over. Two weeks earlier, the three children had said goodbye to their mother: She was shot to death on April 29. The slaying of Zenelia Bishop, 30, threw her three children into an emotional storm of doubt and despair. 'Nobody wants violence in this world,' said Imajanae, 13, after Jabrae, then 7, settled down next to her on the love seat. Imajanae wore a white memorial T-shirt that featured her mother's face. 'Whoever did this should go to jail for a long time,' she whispered. With the city's homicide count mounting for the third year in a row, police say they are seeing more orphans. The system struggles to help these children — as do the families who often take them in. Caseworkers and family members must reconstruct the home and school lives of the kids left behind, as they must when a single parent dies of natural causes. But children orphaned to murder also must deal with the fear and anger of losing their parent to violence. The result can be a crippling family crisis. 'Every murder has a ripple effect on those closest to it,' said Sgt. Tim Cooney, who supervised the investigation into Zenelia Bishop's killing. "When a woman, especially a hardworking, loving mother like Ms. Bishop, is murdered, the ripples seem to stretch wider and deeper, affecting more and more people. Entire families are forever changed and left in a state of disorder," Cooney said. Experts say childrenlike the Bishops are forced to cope with psychological traumas unlike those experienced by children who lose a parent to disease. They struggle with anxiety and fear, as well as with sudden disruption in the lives they've known. The Bishop trio have no father in their lives, and had no other choice but to move in with their Aunt Ruth, a kind woman who was raising her own two sons inside a cramped, two-bedroom apartment in the Tioga section. Ruth Bishop, 37, refused to place her sister's children in foster care, so the brood now is drifting in an off-the-radar bureaucracy known in city government as informal kinship care. It's a system overrun with obscure custody statutes and endless paperwork. Making everything worse, on the day the family buried Zenelia Bishop, Ruth lost her $13-per-hour job as a cook after Smokey Bones Barbecue & Bar in the Northeast closed. She now survives on $1,230 per month in unemployment benefits. 'I am overwhelmed,' said Ruth Bishop. 'Everything is pretty much left up to me.' After one afternoon spent with a reporter, Bishop said, the children cried. They knew their slain mother had caused the reporter's visit. After that interview, she asked that the press speak only to her about the case. The kids were too upset. "


"Either they don't know, don't show, or don't care about what's going on in the hood. They had all this foreign shit. They didn't have shit on my brother, man."


(Doughboy) Ice Cube~~Boyz N the Hood~~~


756!!!!!


Way to go BARRY, you are, quite frankly, the greatest baseball player in my lifetime. Steroids or no steroids.




To all the Bonds haters out there, consider this: Before 1998, he had 3 MVP awards, 8 all star appearances, and 8 gold glove awards. So excuse me if he put up freakish home run numbers after 1998, when he was supposedly on the juice. I am going to guess that quite a few players doing that time period were juicing, including the happy twins; Sosa, and McGuire, not to mention a few pitchers. (Some quite famous ones included) Oh, and if we are going to put an asterisk next to Bond's accomplishments, why don't we just put one next to every payer who played before 1947? But somehow I doubt that will happen, because we are such hypocrites in America, and our memory can be so selective.

So America, get over the hateration [like that word woozie?] of Bonds. We know it's because he is supposedly a jerk, and not fan friendly, and he is mean to sports writers. Who gives a shit? Yeah that Ty Cobb was a real Prince charming wasn't he? The last time I checked, that racist jerk was in the Hall, and America still loves him.

If Bonds is not a first ballot Hall of Famer, it will say more about the frauds who run American sports than any steroid scandal ever could. I am just glad Hammering Hank acknowledged the whole thing via video, he was starting to come up pretty small.




Monday, August 06, 2007

A day in the life



It's Monday evening, and if you just had a hard days work, and want to something to cheer you up, stop reading now, and visit my site again another time.




Why? Because I am pissed off, and this is going to be an angry ass post, that's why.




I will start with earlier on today. So there I am sitting in "gun court", watching and listening to some cases before mine is called; as young black male after young black male are being brought up from the Criminal Justice Center cell room into court. The circumstances are a little different, but the charges are all pretty much the same. (Hey, it's gun court) Every one of these young men were found with guns on their person in a very dangerous part of town. Some of them were slinging, and some were just popped in a car stop. But on it goes; charge after charge, plea deals after plea deals, and the beat never stops. Another day on the other side of that Killadelphia murder count. Some will get probation and house arrest, some will get sent to do county or state time, and some will end up back on the streets or in someones funeral home within weeks. Nowhere in the court room is a fucking father, nowhere! There are a few mothers, grandmothers, and girlfriends, but no fucking fathers! Invariably as one of the few men of color in the court room (besides the cops) these defendants always end up giving me the stare down, as if I can now play the role of someone who should have been playing it for the duration of their young lives. I look, but I can't help. Sadly, it's too late now, another young black male lost, a mind already poisoned by the streets, a future already snatched away.



So all of that shit started my day on the salty side, and of course it went straight down hill from there. I am reading about the poor immigrant who is abducted shot and beaten for 29 fucking dollars because some ignorant ass wannabe gangster thought the guy owned a fast food joint. I am reading about Jason Henry who terrorised his mother so much that she had to cal 911 on his ass. Then, when the cops came, he attacked them with a butcher knife, only to become the 11th shooting victim of the Killadelphia police. I won't even get into the justification of the shoot, because that shit is irrelevant to my frame of mind right now. And then there were the three Delaware State college students, (On my sidebar) shot execution style in their hometown of Newark by some animals (or animal) masquerading as humans (Where are Michael Vick's dogs when you need them?) who saw it fit to end their young promising lives. And, to top it all off, I am feeling like a fucking hypocrite for watching the "Bourne ***Supremacy**" with all its violence and mayhem this weekend and loving every minute of it.




So I am thinking about all of that shit as I head to lunch. Then, as I read my blog and cruise the web during some down time, I am reading where mother fuckers on other sites are trashing the AfroSpear. A bunch of bloggers of color trying to unify behind some common goals and maybe, even in a small way, influence public policy or the debate about black folks for the better; yet we are being nit picked on by our own fucking people before the majority population can even get their teeth into what we are trying to do. Yep, these back benchers, rather than get involved and work with their brothers and sisters, creep around from blog to blog and push their negative energy to all who will listen or read.



And don't even get me started on the white progressives on the web. Nope, not feeling them either. Today I had to spend precious time in an e-fight with a mother fucker who thinks he is free to espouse whatever bullshit he pleases, just because he got a black card from some jazz fucking musician back in the day. Like because he played with Mingus or Miles he can't be full of shit. Then the folks at Koz want to start a bloggers union for crying out loud! Like WTF? A bloggers union? Talk about misguided energy. Oh, and did I mention that the fucking dimocrats in the Senate, those wimps, allowed King George to trample all over our rights yet again. Great, now when my cousin from Jamaica visits me, and wants to call his girlfriend in London, the folks at Langley will be scrambling to decode my fucking phone number. Oh, and did I mention that the surge is working. Didn't you hear? The New York Times no less said it is, so that makes it alright for conservatives to quote the Times now and use it as gospel. Forget the fact that the Sunnis just walked away from the central government in Iraq, and the insurgents have just shifted their focus to the Northern part of the country where the troops are not. Nope, it's working because General Petraeus, our new American hero, said so. Like he is Patton, JFK, and Roosevelt all wrapped into one all of a sudden. News flash! He is a political flunky to the great King George-like he got where he is by being a great soldier- and when September rolls around he will prove it.





But enough of my ranting, that's enough for one day. I think I will check the evening news now and see if I can update my Killadelphia body count meter. Oh, did I mention that the Mayor of Baltimore fired their police chief? Yeah I am glad this fucking day is over, and it's only Monday.





Maybe tomorrow I will start with a V8.



***That movie was the "Bourne Ultimatum and not Supremacy***


























Sunday, August 05, 2007

"Jungle Fever", or just a slight temperature?


Looks like I am going to revisit this issue (interracial relationships) sooner than I thought.



What spurred me to thinking about this was an article I saw yesterday which I featured on my sidebar here. That, and a trip I took to the King Of Prussia Mall yesterday. The King Of Prussia Mall is, I think, the second largest in the country, so it was a perfect lab for my little experiment; especially on a busy Saturday afternoon in August.



Now of all the couples I saw yesterday- I am going to guess that I saw maybe nine or ten interracial ones; and none of them seemed to be black women with white men. Everyone of the interracial couples I saw seemed to be a white woman with a black man. ( I keep saying "seemed to be" because you just never know anymore)


So what does that tell you? Well it tells me that (and I know it was a very small sampling) black men with white women still far out number the alternative. So, in a way, the fact that according to the census bureau there are now 117,000 black woman white men couples in America, as opposed to 95,000 in 2000, (how do they keep track of this shit?) I guess that means we are making progress. Or could that just simply mean that the black female is changing her criteria for dating? According to the article I feature here, I think it means both. What the author seems to be saying; is that black woman can finally acknowledge that there are some f****d up pathologies with black men, and that their-black men's numbers, are too few based on a series of unfortunate social phenomenon. And if they can openly say this, isn't that progress? I don't know, is it?


Let me say for the record, that I don't now, nor have I ever had a problem with interracial relationships. To take that position would go against my libertarian streak. However, personally, I have never dated outside of my race. (I take that back; I did date a Chinese and a Syrian on two separate occasions; both of who were Jamaicans born and raised. I am not sure where that stacks up) I just always found sisters more attractive, and with very few exceptions, found that we have so much more in common. But I have never gotten on brothers and sisters who do, because relationships are something that's personal to the individual. Why pretend you are someone you are not just do date someone in your own race when you are going to be miserable in the long run? It's why I suspect that people like Clarence Thomas, Ward Coonerly, and Angela McGlowan, have all married outside of their race. They are much more comfortable with people who think like they do and who they perceive to be beautiful. Now do I agree with these people? HELL NO! But it's not because they are married to white people; no, it's because they hate themselves, and could not marry anyone but a white person.


I am guessing that most of the sisters who are now finding themselves in interracial relationships are not like the people I just mentioned. At least I hope they are not. I am guessing they have just run out of options, and they are just not finding good brothers out here. So, they look for just any good man period, be he white, purple, or whatever; who shares some things in common with them, and who will at least make them happy. You can't blame them for that; everyone wants to be happy. And if our brothers are in jail, killing each other in record numbers, or if girlfriend gets a job in Boise Idaho, just what would we expect girlfriend to do? Keep running to the store to buy triple A batteries for the rest of her life?


Now the article also mentioned some web sites; and at the risk at starting an e-fight with this issue all over again, I must say that I take umbrage with some of them. Dating outside of your race to make yourself happy is one thing. But dating outside of your race, and trashing brothers (or sisters) on your way to the other side is quite another. I have been in the company of some ignorant ass brothers who proudly declare; that they would never go back to dating sisters, because....well, fill in the blank. Now that's some ignorant shit. Just like the sisters on their web sites who slam brothers for whatever reason. Usually it's because some Ike had done her Tina wrong at one point in her life. So they cheer like hell because Whitney left Bobby; not because Bobby introduced her to the crack pipe, but because Bobby is... well.... a brother. Now that's some ignorant self hating shit for your ass. The irony is, that these types of people always seem to end up being miserable no matter what the race of their partner is. Real live cases of shit attracting flies if you get where I am coming from.
I have a white colleague, a very successful attorney here in Philly, who will only date sisters. And he does alright. Trust me, I have seen the dime pieces by his side as proof. But he does it for purely superficial reasons. He finds black women much more attractive that white ones, so for his own selfish reasons, he prefers to get his freak on with only sisters. Call me a hypocrite, but if a black man takes this exact position about white women it pisses me off. Why? I don't know maybe it's because unlike the sister, he has so much more choices. So to right off a sister because you find white women more attractive smacks of self hatred to me. It doesn't bother me when my white colleague displays those traits because his race and what it brings him will not make that an issue. But for a black man in this country, self hatred is a luxury you can ill afford, so if you find it manifesting itself in any way you should check yourself.


I am going to revisit this issue again, because I think it's important, and because there are so many other facets of this -such as the children of interracial relationships that I didn't touch on. I am heading back to the Mall now, but I promise you, I am just going to shop this time.