The questionable and offensive statements made by Rev. Wright that are being shown are as appalling as they are divisive. No matter how anyone may try to justify what has been witnessed, that sermon is clearly a display of anger wrongfully expressed. After first hearing these clips; which happen to be but a segment of a much longer sermon, and given long before Sen. Obama chose to seek party nomination, I knew that the media had distorted these words. As disturbing as these words are, due to their maliciously clever editing, they have become even worse. I also knew that the camps of Sen. Clinton and McCain would consider these statements to be like-- pennies from heaven, using them as a diversionary tactic for their own political agenda. There have been days while flipping through the many news stations, that I have seen these clips more often than a Gieco insurance commercial.
Sen. McCain and Clinton fail to see that their suggesting of, "guilt by association" is not the characteristic of a fighter, or a social reformer, it is the behavior of a desperate opportunist whose strategy for winning a contest is by knee-capping their opponents. What's truly disturbing is how so many are allowing themselves to be sucked in by this by not seeing what is truly going on. This has never been about the rants of some radical preacher. The constant reminder of Rev. Wright's statements are to -- divide and conquer, by further splitting the vote and distracting us from what is truly important, while the media sits on the sidelines instigating this fight, for ratings.
The irony of this negative campaign practice is, it will backfire to Sen. Obama's advantage. Eventually, the American public will see this strategy for what it's worth. They will acknowledge how hypocritical Clinton and McCain have become, by not insisting to an immediate halt of this foolishness. For example, Clinton remarked, "You can't pick your family, but you can pick your pastor."and going on and on, about how many years he has been affiliated with this reverend and his negativity. And how Obama should have left this church because of that reverend. Also stating how she would not have tolerated his behavior. Sen. Clinton offered this opinion hoping it would question Obama's judgement of character. Yet she chose to stick by the side of her adulterous husband who also chose to plagiarize himself in a court of law when being held accountable for his behavior.
So what is her message? Is she saying that Obama will act like Wright if elected president? If so, then that means she will be acting like Bill at 3 a.m., when this famous phone is not ringing, or if it does ring, she might display her ability to multi-task.
Then there's McCain, the "All American Hero"-- who goes on about how disturbing these clips are, expressing his disapproval of the Republican party officials in North Carolina, that plan to use the Wright footage. Now isn't this the same man that boasts on his political experience and leadership abilities, using this as the cornerstone of his qualifications for Commander and Chief. He must not be that inspirational or in charge, if he can not get his own party to bid his wishes after expressing non-conformity. This reeks of control issues, in my book his party deciding to use negative propaganda against his wishes, is the equivalent of the child telling the parent what they feel is best.
Or is this a form of deception, using reverse psychology in order to win the trust and vote of the African-American in North Carolina, by displaying his ability to choose, and not just being another puppet of the Republican party. Or it could be to assist Hillary who is believed would be an easier opponent.
I don't know about you, but I am sick of turning on the news and seeing Rev.Wright. I am also sick of manipulative attempts to pawn the voters in this political aspiration to checkmate. And I am sick of Obama being placed on trial for a crime he did not commit.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Monday, April 21, 2008
The Truth About The Black Panther Party.
In American history, the 60's proved to be a time of radical change. Assisting this change were two idealistic young African-American men. Huey P. Newton and Bobby Seale after experiencing a lifetime of injustice and witnessing the Watts riots, decided to become an active part towards initiating change. The two became members of R.A.M (revolutionary action movement), this group being very violent was too extreme and not meeting their idealistically militant ideas for reform. After renouncing membership, they decided to form their own organization and the Black Panther Party was born.
In Oakland,CA 1966 these men founded the Black Panther Party. This organiztion mirrored the political views of Malcolm X, and their knowledge of Marxism and Leninism. Newton and Seale met while students of community college, Newton later graduating from San Fransisco law school. In October of 1966 the two penned a ten point declaration which states:
We Want Freedom. We Want Power To Determine
The Destiny Of Our Black Community.
We believe that Black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny.
We Want Full Employment For Our People.
We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every man employment or a guaranteed income. We believe that if the White American businessmen will not give full employment, then the means of production should be taken from the businessmen and placed in the community so that the people of the community can organize and employ all of its people and give a high standard of living.
We Want An End To The Robbery
By The Capitalists Of Our Black Community.
We believe that this racist government has robbed us, and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules. Forty acres and two mules were promised 100 years ago as restitution for slave labor and mass murder of Black people. We will accept the payment in currency which will be distributed to our many communities. The Germans are now aiding the Jews in Israel for the genocide of the Jewish people. The Germans murdered six million Jews. The American racist has taken part in the slaughter of over fifty million Black people; therefore, we feel that this is a modest demand that we make.
We Want Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter Of Human Beings.
We believe that if the White Landlords will not give decent housing to our Black community, then the housing and the land should be made into cooperatives so that our community, with government aid, can build and make decent housing for its people.
We Want Education For Our People That Exposes
The True Nature Of This Decadent American Society.
We Want Education That Teaches Us Our True History
And Our Role In The Present-Day Society.
We believe in an educational system that will give to our people a knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else.
We Want All Black Men To Be Exempt From Military Service.
We believe that Black people should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like Black people, are being victimized by the White racist government of America. We will protect ourselves from the force and violence of the racist police and the racist military, by whatever means necessary.
We Want An Immediate End To
Police Brutality And Murder Of Black People.
We believe we can end police brutality in our Black community by organizing Black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our Black community from racist police oppression and brutality. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all Black people should arm themselves for self- defense.
We Want Freedom For All Black Men
Held In Federal, State, County And City Prisons And Jails.
We believe that all Black people should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial.
We Want All Black People When Brought To Trial To Be Tried In
Court By A Jury Of Their Peer Group Or People From Their Black
Communities, As Defined By The Constitution Of The United States.
We believe that the courts should follow the United States Constitution so that Black people will receive fair trials. The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives a man a right to be tried by his peer group. A peer is a person from a similar economic, social, religious, geographical, environmental, historical and racial background. To do this the court will be forced to select a jury from the Black community from which the Black defendant came. We have been, and are being, tried by all-White juries that have no understanding of the "average reasoning man" of the Black community.
We Want Land, Bread, Housing, Education,
Clothing, Justice And Peace.
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect of the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
In the beginning membership was only allowed to African-Americans, later to be changed. After the rapid expansion to numerous major cities, it was realized that this practice was the behavior of a "Black Supremacist group" and was eliminated. The (BPP) maintained alliances with a diverse group of organizations such as, (SDS) Students for a Democratic Society, Chicano Brown Berets, the post-Stonewall Riot Gay Liberation Front,and the Youth International Party (Yippies). Even though many posses negative ideas regarding the (BPP) as a hostile threat to mankind, the truth was these individuals sought justice and power for all. Yes, they carried firearms but they also carried law journals, and tape recorders for the documenting of conversation during police brutality.
Due to issues involving the internal direction of group policies, The Black Panther party was short lived, collapsing in the early 70's, but their influence was felt by many. J.Edgar Hoover described the (BPP) as being, "The greatest threat to the internal security of this country!" With this firm belief, initiated a systematic murder or imprisonment of its high ranking party members. This misuse and manipulation of government authority only fueled the flames for its member's determination, and recruited the support of high profile celebrities and world leaders. An example of this was displayed during the 1968 Olympics by the winners of the 200m dash. The gold and bronze medalist (Tommie Smith, John Carlos) during the playing of the star spangled banner, with lowered heads, raised a single black glove covered fist. While silver medalist (Peter Norman) provided allegiance by adorning an Olympic project for human rights badge on his jacket. These San Jose University students had planned this display, but Carlos forgot his pair of gloves, so Newton suggested they share Smith's. The three were ostracized by the citizens of the U.S. and Australia. The Americans were suspended from the team and banned from their living quarters in the Olympic villiage. Smith later said "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight." Upon return the two received death threats for years.
It's almost ironic that in 1968, San Jose University scorned its student's behavior now commemorates it with a twenty foot high statue. The athletes remained close friends, Tommie Smith and John Carlos even served as pall-bearers at the funeral for Peter Norman, who passed away in 2006 from a heart attack at the age of 64 yrs old. Their demand for human justice is one of the most recognized moments captured at an Olympic games.
In 1989 the New Black Panther Party Movement began in Dallas,TX receiving extremely mixed reviews. Under chairmanship of Khalid Abdul Muhammad, the original members of the (BPP) insist the (NBPP) is illegitimate, and consider the rebirth an insult. It has been stated:
As guardian of the true history of the Black Panther Party, the [Dr. Huey P. Newton] Foundation, which includes former leading members of the Party, denounces this group's exploitation of the Party's name and history. Failing to find its own legitimacy in the black community, this band would graft the Party's name upon itself, which we condemn... [They denigrate the Party's name by promoting concepts absolutely counter to the revolutionary principles on which the Party was founded... The Black Panthers were never a group of angry young militants full of fury toward the "white establishment." The Party operated on love for black people, not hatred of white people.
– Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation , There Is No New Black Panther Party
This new party is comprised mostly of Black Muslims with a separatist mentality and has a disregard for diversity. Their agenda is negative and its views are racists. Many members voice opinions that are anti-Semitic, mostly in the form of a negative conspiracy theory. This malicious new organization blemishes what the original Black Panther Party stood for with their blatant disrespect for the rights of other cultures. They claim that anyone can use this name and that the original party is filled with a bunch of, "has been wanna be Panthers" just because they have chosen to use a less militant, politically correct approach towards social reform. The New Black Panther Party and their tactics are considered similar to those endorsed by any supremacist group, giving them the appearance of a self-glorified street gang.
The original Black Panther Party helped pave a way to ending poverty, leading to hope with its re-affirmation of pride. These achievements were accomplished with the use of, "Brains and Brawn" . At that time the Panther's views may have seemed a bit quixotic and maybe they were, but unlike the popular view of The Black Panthers, their goal was the acquisition of education, the end of poverty and injustice, for the founding of a positive social evolution.
In Oakland,CA 1966 these men founded the Black Panther Party. This organiztion mirrored the political views of Malcolm X, and their knowledge of Marxism and Leninism. Newton and Seale met while students of community college, Newton later graduating from San Fransisco law school. In October of 1966 the two penned a ten point declaration which states:
We Want Freedom. We Want Power To Determine
The Destiny Of Our Black Community.
We believe that Black people will not be free until we are able to determine our destiny.
We Want Full Employment For Our People.
We believe that the federal government is responsible and obligated to give every man employment or a guaranteed income. We believe that if the White American businessmen will not give full employment, then the means of production should be taken from the businessmen and placed in the community so that the people of the community can organize and employ all of its people and give a high standard of living.
We Want An End To The Robbery
By The Capitalists Of Our Black Community.
We believe that this racist government has robbed us, and now we are demanding the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules. Forty acres and two mules were promised 100 years ago as restitution for slave labor and mass murder of Black people. We will accept the payment in currency which will be distributed to our many communities. The Germans are now aiding the Jews in Israel for the genocide of the Jewish people. The Germans murdered six million Jews. The American racist has taken part in the slaughter of over fifty million Black people; therefore, we feel that this is a modest demand that we make.
We Want Decent Housing Fit For The Shelter Of Human Beings.
We believe that if the White Landlords will not give decent housing to our Black community, then the housing and the land should be made into cooperatives so that our community, with government aid, can build and make decent housing for its people.
We Want Education For Our People That Exposes
The True Nature Of This Decadent American Society.
We Want Education That Teaches Us Our True History
And Our Role In The Present-Day Society.
We believe in an educational system that will give to our people a knowledge of self. If a man does not have knowledge of himself and his position in society and the world, then he has little chance to relate to anything else.
We Want All Black Men To Be Exempt From Military Service.
We believe that Black people should not be forced to fight in the military service to defend a racist government that does not protect us. We will not fight and kill other people of color in the world who, like Black people, are being victimized by the White racist government of America. We will protect ourselves from the force and violence of the racist police and the racist military, by whatever means necessary.
We Want An Immediate End To
Police Brutality And Murder Of Black People.
We believe we can end police brutality in our Black community by organizing Black self-defense groups that are dedicated to defending our Black community from racist police oppression and brutality. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States gives a right to bear arms. We therefore believe that all Black people should arm themselves for self- defense.
We Want Freedom For All Black Men
Held In Federal, State, County And City Prisons And Jails.
We believe that all Black people should be released from the many jails and prisons because they have not received a fair and impartial trial.
We Want All Black People When Brought To Trial To Be Tried In
Court By A Jury Of Their Peer Group Or People From Their Black
Communities, As Defined By The Constitution Of The United States.
We believe that the courts should follow the United States Constitution so that Black people will receive fair trials. The Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution gives a man a right to be tried by his peer group. A peer is a person from a similar economic, social, religious, geographical, environmental, historical and racial background. To do this the court will be forced to select a jury from the Black community from which the Black defendant came. We have been, and are being, tried by all-White juries that have no understanding of the "average reasoning man" of the Black community.
We Want Land, Bread, Housing, Education,
Clothing, Justice And Peace.
When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and nature's God entitle them, a decent respect of the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
In the beginning membership was only allowed to African-Americans, later to be changed. After the rapid expansion to numerous major cities, it was realized that this practice was the behavior of a "Black Supremacist group" and was eliminated. The (BPP) maintained alliances with a diverse group of organizations such as, (SDS) Students for a Democratic Society, Chicano Brown Berets, the post-Stonewall Riot Gay Liberation Front,and the Youth International Party (Yippies). Even though many posses negative ideas regarding the (BPP) as a hostile threat to mankind, the truth was these individuals sought justice and power for all. Yes, they carried firearms but they also carried law journals, and tape recorders for the documenting of conversation during police brutality.
Due to issues involving the internal direction of group policies, The Black Panther party was short lived, collapsing in the early 70's, but their influence was felt by many. J.Edgar Hoover described the (BPP) as being, "The greatest threat to the internal security of this country!" With this firm belief, initiated a systematic murder or imprisonment of its high ranking party members. This misuse and manipulation of government authority only fueled the flames for its member's determination, and recruited the support of high profile celebrities and world leaders. An example of this was displayed during the 1968 Olympics by the winners of the 200m dash. The gold and bronze medalist (Tommie Smith, John Carlos) during the playing of the star spangled banner, with lowered heads, raised a single black glove covered fist. While silver medalist (Peter Norman) provided allegiance by adorning an Olympic project for human rights badge on his jacket. These San Jose University students had planned this display, but Carlos forgot his pair of gloves, so Newton suggested they share Smith's. The three were ostracized by the citizens of the U.S. and Australia. The Americans were suspended from the team and banned from their living quarters in the Olympic villiage. Smith later said "If I win, I am American, not a black American. But if I did something bad, then they would say I am a Negro. We are black and we are proud of being black. Black America will understand what we did tonight." Upon return the two received death threats for years.
It's almost ironic that in 1968, San Jose University scorned its student's behavior now commemorates it with a twenty foot high statue. The athletes remained close friends, Tommie Smith and John Carlos even served as pall-bearers at the funeral for Peter Norman, who passed away in 2006 from a heart attack at the age of 64 yrs old. Their demand for human justice is one of the most recognized moments captured at an Olympic games.
In 1989 the New Black Panther Party Movement began in Dallas,TX receiving extremely mixed reviews. Under chairmanship of Khalid Abdul Muhammad, the original members of the (BPP) insist the (NBPP) is illegitimate, and consider the rebirth an insult. It has been stated:
As guardian of the true history of the Black Panther Party, the [Dr. Huey P. Newton] Foundation, which includes former leading members of the Party, denounces this group's exploitation of the Party's name and history. Failing to find its own legitimacy in the black community, this band would graft the Party's name upon itself, which we condemn... [They denigrate the Party's name by promoting concepts absolutely counter to the revolutionary principles on which the Party was founded... The Black Panthers were never a group of angry young militants full of fury toward the "white establishment." The Party operated on love for black people, not hatred of white people.
– Dr. Huey P. Newton Foundation , There Is No New Black Panther Party
This new party is comprised mostly of Black Muslims with a separatist mentality and has a disregard for diversity. Their agenda is negative and its views are racists. Many members voice opinions that are anti-Semitic, mostly in the form of a negative conspiracy theory. This malicious new organization blemishes what the original Black Panther Party stood for with their blatant disrespect for the rights of other cultures. They claim that anyone can use this name and that the original party is filled with a bunch of, "has been wanna be Panthers" just because they have chosen to use a less militant, politically correct approach towards social reform. The New Black Panther Party and their tactics are considered similar to those endorsed by any supremacist group, giving them the appearance of a self-glorified street gang.
The original Black Panther Party helped pave a way to ending poverty, leading to hope with its re-affirmation of pride. These achievements were accomplished with the use of, "Brains and Brawn" . At that time the Panther's views may have seemed a bit quixotic and maybe they were, but unlike the popular view of The Black Panthers, their goal was the acquisition of education, the end of poverty and injustice, for the founding of a positive social evolution.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Pipe Dreams
On an ordinary day around 7p.m after departing from the Dallas Area Railway Transportation or (D.A.R.T), while waiting to cross the street a man approached me asking if I knew where he could buy a pipe. Not being one to prejudge an individual I naturally assumed I had encountered a pipe aficionado. He was an aficionado alright, but not for tobacco. Being a former cigar enthusiast I know the locations of most cigar shops in the Dallas area. I also know that most of them carry pipes. So I tell him, "there's a cigar shop about 6 blocks from here but their pipes are a bit pricey, but there's another about a mile and a half from here, you should be able to find one for about 45 to $50." This man looked at me like I was insane. He says, "no, a crack pipe! Hell you can buy drugs all over this damn neighborhood but you can't find a f*****g pipe to save your life!" Shrugging my shoulders while crossing the street I said, " I don't know what to tell you ".
This incident occurred en-route to a friend's apartment in North Dallas. Upon arrival I described the encounter, which she found to be quite amusing. She was surprised that I would be that naive to his true agenda. She knows that I pride myself for being able to identify an individuals intentions, and letting my guard down in that manor is truly not my nature. Over the years I have fine tuned my social skills in a way that I am able to blend into almost any group of individuals. I've achieved this ability by being able to adapt to my surroundings by using six rules and I did not follow rule #2, Always expect the unexpected.
I also found this drug crazed individual's decision to choose to me a bit disturbing. I know he was lured to me because of my adaption rule, referred to as #3, Display a sense of, approachability. But this man snaked through about six or seven people to ask me that disturbing question. This fool is a plain clothed police officer's dream, because I fit this profile. I'm an Afro-American male, with shoulder length dread locks, 39yrs young but when shaved I look 27. I'm 5'11" weighing 180lbs with an athletic build, and I wear a silver loop ear ring. This is, the formula for a detective grade police officer, and this fool just non-chalantly asks me a question and makes a statement, that if said to a police officer would have earned him a pair a handcuffs, along with a new residence.
Crack-cocaine provides an intense amount of euphoric pleasure, which has been compared to a, "full-body orgasm" that can not be acheived through normal sexual behavior. This heightened form of neuro-stimulation is the grip that dominates the mind of its user. After concumption the sensation is almost immediate but lasts only to 5 to 10 minutes. And with the prolongation of use, the duration of its pleasure disapates, causing an addictive need to experience that unacheivable first time high.
It is remarkable that a substance with such destructive capabilities was once used for very productive puposes. The Coca leaf was originally chewed by South American workers providing a seemingly endless amount of strength and a lack of hunger. The ability aided in the creation of historical monuments, building of roads, working of fields, and an over all advancement of society. It became popular worldwide for its unique medical properties and its apperance to provide longivity of life. With time and modifacation, Cocaine has spawned the distructived offspring we experience each day. This Frankenstein's monster of our own creation, has ruined lives in almost every way imaginable. From an outsider's point of view the"crack-head", has to resemble Captain Ahab, chasing that elusive white whale which eventually led to his demise.
It seems that the only way to truly understanding this menace, is to have tried it or see someone close to you destroyed by it. Depending on the individual, if used they might become trapped by its chemically enduced sense of satisfaction. Another one of its lures is, many that begin usage all believe they can stop at anytime and some do.
What is irrefutably true when cocaine is concerned, the wisest choice made... is choosing not to use !
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
A.I. (Artificial Intelligence)
Artificial Intelligence has become a popular idea and a huge investment for Hollywood. In these movies this new sentient being is usually portrayed as a destructive force. In the movies: The Terminator, The Matrix, and I,Robot, mankind finds itself locked in a struggle for the right to exist, battling an enemy of their own creation. These movies have made for excellent entertainment, but what are the chances of fiction becoming fact?
Just like the story-lines of these three movies, are dependence for computer technology is becoming more addictive with each day. We have managed to linked computers into almost every aspect of our lives. And with each day these computers are becoming smarter, faster and more complex. The advancements in software has also allowed personal computers to become very "user friendly". With this development of software, what would keep them from evolving into a sentient being? The amounts of information that is stored in mainframes around the world is unfathomably and the majority of them are linked to each other in someway. An example of how fast computer technology is progressing, in 1969 we landed on the moon with 152 Kbytes of memory. Today the average pocket-size scientific calculator costing about $40 has 9 MB of memory. So how inconceivable is the idea of A.I.?
But unlike the writers of the apocoliptic movies, I believe these advanced computers would realise the futility of extinguishing mankind. Because unlike man, they would have learned from the overwhelming amount of wars, and pointless bloodletting we have inflicted upon ourselves. And how in war, there are no true winners.
Yes, I do believe there will be an evolution of artificial intelligence. With me it's never been a matter of if there will be an artificial intelligence. My thoughts have always been geared towards...when?
Just a few more words from,
anotherDarkknight.
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