Saturday, January 28, 2012

AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM: A MESSAGE TO BUSHLAND

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
 
A MESSAGE TO BUSHLAND
(July 11, 2006)

It’s scary how easily the American people can be manipulated to the point that they find the death of entire families a hoot; How we can sit in front of the tv set with chilli dogs and fries and cheer on the death of others like we’re watching the Super Bowl. And it’s a tribute to psychosis how America can unleash mass destruction in "an attempt to prevent mass destruction," in the name of God.

Can’t you see that many of "those Towel-Heads" are children just like your own? You didn’t really think the U.S. could unleash destruction like we saw and not kill children did you? Rumsfeld said, "Well, [shit] happens." But shit doesn’t just happen--you allowed it to happen. You made it happen. You cheered it on! Consider that as the children bleed and you're admiring the beauty of "Shock and Awe."

Think about your own children as "collateral damage." Think about them screaming in horror while you're helplessly watching their limbs being blown off. Think about them desperately reaching out to you for comfort as life slowly drains from their tiny bodies. Think about foreign boots kicking down your front door, and strangers walking through your home systematically killing every man, woman and child. Imagine the last sight you ever see on this Earth is of your loving child with her brains spilling from her tiny little head. Think about that picture, America--then ask yourself, who's really the terrorist?

Where has America gone? Who’s left to standup for justice and humanity? You say, God Bless America? You'd have to be a fool to think God is gonna bless America after what we’ve done--for choosing Standard Oil over Justice, and Exxon over God himself. In God we trust? How dare you blame this atrocity on God! It is in Bush you trust:


 You trust Bush that God has entrusted you to blow off Iraqi arms and wrap them around you to enable them to embrace your benevolence. And you trust Bush that you must lovingly pluck out Iraqi eyes to enable them to see the wisdom of viewing the world through your own. And you trust Bush that in the name of all that is good you must slaughter their children in a desperate attempt to provide them with a better future. You also trust Bush that you must rape their land and steal their wealth in order to allow them to choose the government of their choosing-- (so long as they choose the government that Bush chooses for them to choose). And you trust Bush that you do all this in the name of American charity.

You also trust Bush that God will bless America--but this Ain’t America. America is the land of the free, and home of the brave, the land of just souls who freed their slaves. No, this is not America, this is Bushland–the land of small pox infected blankets; the land of public lynchings and church–place bombings; the land of imprisoned Japanese-Americans, and corporate murderers.

Yeah, God Bless Bushland! The land of the free and home of the slave; the land of My Lai, and Calley’s mass grave. And you trust that God will bless Bushland?
Well, trust this–You are blind, my friend.

... and those who do make it home are denied a living wage

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Friday, January 27, 2012

Ron Paul and Libertarian Idiocy

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
Ron Paul and Libertarian Idiocy 
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It's really frightening how many Americans are willing to listen to a guy like Ron Paul. The congressman is clearly one of two things - he's either a typical demagogue, or an unthinking ideologue. He specializes in combining fact with fiction by pointing out everything that’s wrong with all of the policies that are contrary to his agenda. Then he claims that his irresponsible solutions are a cure for all of the nation's problems - solutions drawn from an outlandish philosophy, which, on its face, is a corruption of the U.S. Constitution, and would constitute an exercise in national destruction. Paul is quoted as saying the following:
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“The most basic principle to being a free American is the notion that we as individuals are responsible for our own lives and decisions. We do not have the right to rob our neighbors to make up for our mistakes, neither does our neighbor have any right to tell us how to live, so long as we aren’t infringing on their rights. Freedom to make bad decisions is inherent in the freedom to make good ones. If we are only free to make good decisions, we are not really free.”
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Paul's entire premise is flawed. Total personal freedom was clearly not the intent of the founding fathers. They had the good sense to recognized that a society, or a civilization, as it were, is defined as a “GROUP of people who have joined together to pursue a common interest or goal,” and they clearly set out their intent in the preamble of the United States Constitution, which bears absolutely no resemblance to Paul's interpretation. The preamble reads as follows:
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We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare [not just make Ron Paul happy] and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
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Thus, if Ron Paul doesn’t like the rules we’ve set up to “promote the general welfare,” he has the freedom to move to the wilderness and not live among us. But according Ron Paul’s philosophy, he thinks he should have the right to pee against the wall in the middle of Times Square during rush hour, and the government should be precluded from stopping him.  Because you see, according to Paul’s  philosophy, and his flawed reading of the United States Constitution, that should be his inalienable right, since he's not hurting anyone else.
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So in essence, Paul wants to have his cake and eat it to. He wants to take advantage of the benefits of living in an ordered society, while not having to adhere to the rules that make it a society. For example, he contends that the civil rights laws that prevent him from refusing to serve certain groups in his restaurant abridges his right to private ownership. But on the other hand, he has absolutely no problem with the fact that the group that he bans is forced to pay taxes that support “his right to private ownership.” If his business catches on fire, he’s going to expect the banned group’s tax supported fire department to come put it out.  And if he’s robbed, he’s going to expect the group’s tax supported police department to come to his aid. But the fact is, he can’t have it both ways. If he's not willing to adhere to society's rules, he can't expect to take advantage of the benefits of living in an ordered society.
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Paul also wants to abolish the Department of Education, which is essential to maintaining a “more perfect union.” His philosophy also dictates that we should simply “trust” corporations not to grind up rats in our ground beef, or pollute our air and water.  He says, “Just let the free market handle it.”
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Well, that sounds like a plan, but we saw how the free market handled the Wall Street fiasco, didn't we? The free market created it, and we paid for it - dearly. The only thing free about the free market is the freedom of ruthless and greedy capitalists to take advantage of a naive and unsuspecting public - and then they tell us we'er un-American if we complain about it.
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Thus, Ron Paul’s philosophy represents the rantings of a selfish, unthinking, greedy, and totally irresponsible lunatic. Therefore, if he wants total personal freedom, it’s well within his grasp. He can vote with his feet and move to the wilderness. Then he can pee against any tree in the forest at will - but he shouldn't expect us to come to his aid if a snake decides to latch on to his pecker, because that's the price of total freedom.
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Intrinsic to every zealot's passion for justice lies the seeds of tyranny
LIBERTARIAN JUSTICE

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Wake Up, America! The GOP Intends to Abolish the Middle Class

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE

Wake Up, America! 
The GOP Intends to Abolish the Middle Class
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 If there’s anyone left in America who, at this point, can’t see that the Republican Party is the enemy of the American middle class, they have to be either feeble minded, or harboring a hidden interest which precludes them from wanting to see. All one has to do to get a clear view of this political reality is to open one's eyes and look at who the GOP is putting forward to assume the highest office in the land.
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One is Mitt Romney, a vulture capitalist who became a charter member of the top one percent club by purchasing perfectly sound companies, firing their employees, and then selling the companies off, one piece at a time, for profit.  The other is Newt Gingrich, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives who was so self-serving and corrupt that in 1998 he was forced to resign from congress by his own Republican colleagues. 
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These two gentlemen, and the self-serving activities of others of their ilk, are the two bookends that led directly to the 2008 collapse of the American economy, causing millions of Americans to lose their jobs, their homes, and their life savings. Mitt Romney represents the selfish capitalists who threw America under the bus for their own personal greed, and Newt Gingrich personifies the corrupt former politician who uses his influence in congress to lobby his former colleagues to water down the law, allowing the Romney’s of the world to ply their trade.
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Now, these two “gentlemen” are asking America to trust them to repair an economic environment that they both helped to create, and they both have a vested interest in maintaining. And how do they intend to repair the economy?  Essentially, Romney says that we should allow those who are in foreclosure to lose their homes, then start anew with a fresh group of suckers.  Specifically, he said in an filmed interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, "Don’t try to stop the foreclosure process. Let it run its course and hit the bottom."  He then went on to say, "Allow investors to buy homes, put renters in them, fix the homes up and let it turn around and come back up."
Mr. Romney’s remarks make it abundantly clear that his only concern is with what’s in the best interest of the investor class. He has absolutely no concern for the devastation and turmoil that losing a home would visit upon the lives of a family that’s been turned out into the street - and we’re not just talking about an unfortunate few here. Mitt Romney is talking about casually writing off millions of Americans as collateral damage.  
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Newt Gingrich is of an identical mindset. Gingrich promises “extraordinarily radical proposals to fundamentally change the culture of poverty in America.” And what are those proposals?  During this time of record high unemployment, one proposal that Newt is floating is to fire the father from his union protected job and putting his children to work.  He said, “Most of these schools ought to get rid of the unionized janitors, have one master janitor and pay local students to take care of the school. The kids would actually do work, they would have cash, they’d have pride in the schools, they’d begin the process of rising.”  Yes, Newt, but what would happen to their families?
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Again, this Republican frontrunner for president is completely oblivious to the dire straits of the average American family.  His solution would make the situation worse. He’s not the least bit concerned with stabilizing the plight of poor and middle-class families. He’s only concerned with destroying organized labor by firing the father and replacing him with the cheaper, and un-unionized, labor of his children. And the irony is,this GOP fixation on returning poor and middle class American families to Great Depression status has become such a fundamental part of the GOP mindset that average Republicans, who would be devastated by such a policy, are applauding! They’ve been conditioned to hate this nation's first Black president so passionately that they’ve bought into self-sacrifice: “Obama is un-American - he’s engaged in a socialist plot to protect my family." It is truly unbelievable how easily the human mind can be controlled.      
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What these average Republicans don’t understand is that they’re being manipulated. The corporate conservatives who run the Republican Party don’t care any more about them than they do black people, gays, undocumented workers, or anyone else. The corporatists are simply manipulating their anger, prejudices, and uninformed minds in order to keep the poor and middle class divided.  That way, we’re so busy fighting one another that we fail to recognize that they’re cutting all of our throats. 
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I suggest that Black people take a look at this as well. The corporatists are depending on angry and reactionary White people inflaming a knee-jerk reaction of anger and hostility among Blacks, which serves the very same purpose, keeping the poor and middle classes divided.  That’s why they keep race on the front burner, using inflammatory buzz words and phrases like “the food stamp president,”etc.  Corporatists desperately need to keep the race war raging. That way the poor and middle class of both races fail to recognize that we’re currently knee-deep in a class war, and our side is losing badly.
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Clear evidence of that can be seen in simply looking at the programs and institutions the GOP is attacking - Medicare, Social Security, unemployment insurance, education, organized labor, etc.  None of those programs or institutions are race specific.  What they all have in common is that they are programs and institutions that serve to elevate the poor and middle class, of every race. The people of Wisconsin, Ohio, and Michigan are finding that out the hard way. As we've said many times before, Gov. Rick Snyder (Rep.) has turned the state of Michigan into Michighanistan.
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So again, it’s time for America to wake up - and particularly poor and middle class Republicans. Because entrusting this nation and our economy to the GOP would be like entrusting our children to convicted child molesters:
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THE GOP: A ONE HUNDRED YEAR RECORD OF SWINDLING THE AMERICAN PEOPLE


Eric L. Wattree 
Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.    

Monday, January 23, 2012

Genesis

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE




GENESIS

As I walked the sandy shore
in wretched sadness,
the mighty surf reached out to me.
Its thundering voice
spoke not of cold, dark fathoms
or the mystery of desolate expanse,
but whispered softly
of an endless moment, 
that moment when we were one.

It  spoke of a time, before time,
when time stood still,
when we danced as siblings 
enraptured against the breast of God.
It spoke of the mighty thrust, 
that eternal moment
that cast creation 
into the windless void to meet our destiny–
he the mighty sea,
destined to caress the shore,
and me, the eyes of creation, 
smiling back upon itself.

The awe of its ageless mystery embraced me
in the familiar warmth of eternity,
as its timeless roar gently
began its song -
a love song,  
whispered to a loved one’s ear - 
a love song of eons past,
but of a love that’s always near:

“Oh, sweet sibling,
I embrace your pain,
but this too shall pass,
and we’ll be one again.” 

Eric L. Wattree
Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Blakey and the Boys

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE



Blakey And The Boys
(A Personal Tribute to Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers) 




Blakey and the boys,
They could really bring the house down,

Blakey and the boys,
They could make you swing and sway.

Blakey and the boys,
Smokers from a different era,

Blakey and the boys,
Only they could play their way.
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Freddie, shorter, Curtis, and  Cedar Walton,
Jymie Merritt thumpin' his bass and steppin’,
Blakey and the boys could really swing.
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Blakey and the boys,
They could really bring the house down.

Blakey and the boys,
The brothers sure could play.

Blakey and the boys,
They brought 'Along Came Betty.'

Blakey and the boys,
Nothin' like 'em 'round today.
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Morgan, Benny Golson, and Bobby Timmons,
And Blakey with his sweet stix a swingin’,
Blakey and the boys, could do their thing.
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Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Friday, January 13, 2012

RE: Jay's Jazz Journeys: Before You Point Your Finger at Fellow Musicians, you Should Smell it First

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
RE: Jay's Jazz Journeys: 
Before You Point Your Finger at Fellow Musicians, You Should Smell it First
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I found Jay Jackson’s L.A. Jazz.Com review of the open-mic and jam session held at the Industry CafĂ© in Culver City, Ca both condescending and less than productive.  It left me wondering about his agenda. Is the point of his column to promote jazz in the Los Angeles area, or simply to promote himself? Mr. Jackson, who pursues singing, acting, and journalism, comes off in his article as though he has an image of himself as the consummate professional assessing the potential of the “little people” as he looks down from his perch atop Mt. Olympus.
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I was immediately put off by his description of Rose Gales’ quartet as “Gales and her merry men of jazz.” Rose Gales’ (widow of the late, great, Thelonious Monk bassist, Larry Gales) group was made up of dead-serious musicians all, and I can’t think of any group of serious professionals who wants to be referred to as a “merry group” of anything.  The phrase suggests a condescending attitude toward not only the entire group, but their level of professionalism. I doubt very seriously that Jackson would refer to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra as “Gustavo Dudamel and his merry group of fiddlers.”  That may seem nitpicky on my part, but it’s offhanded slights such as this that forges a negative subliminal perception among the people toward jazz, one of the world’s great art forms. It's also responsible for some of the greatest musicians in the world having to drive cabs for a living. So frankly, I resent it.
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And speaking of condescension and nitpicking, Jackson’s column was filled with “slapliments” and totally unnecessary negativity toward the other performers as well.  At one point he said, “Speaking of fun, Lindarella (Linda Saito) showed up for a few selections. While not possessing the best voice, she certainly knows fun. Her version of "Kansas City" and "Isn't It Romantic" brought smiles as she got through the two classics.”
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“Showed up?”  “While not possessing the best voice?” “She GOT THROUGH the two classics?”  By who’s standards is he judging this lady?  Did Billie Holiday or Eddie Jefferson have the greatest voices in jazz? I don’t think so, yet they both contributed more to jazz than some of the greatest voices in the world.
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Jackson even went so far as to criticize some of the musicians’ manner of dress.  He said, “In closing, it's a good night when open mic crowds nearly fill a restaurant, as was the case. Perhaps that might encourage some of the band members to dress a bit more appropriately for the occasion. Blue jeans and wrinkled shirts may work for the local grunge band, but for jazz it's bad form.”
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In response, I’d like to suggest that if Bird, Dexter Gordon, or Trane could return to share their artistry I wouldn’t care if they showed up in their pajamas. Bud Powell was known to show up with one pant leg rolled up to the knee. Thus, it’s a musician’s artistry that counts, not his or her sartorial splendor.  I’ve seen industry-promoted musicians show up at the Grammys wearing untied tennis shoes, pants on backwards, and caps on sideways, and no one seemed to even notice. Sure it would be wonderful if all musicians - jazz and all others -showed up decked out in the finest threads, but their failure to do so is hardly grist for a music review.
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One of the few instances of unmitigated praise I found on the entire page was reserved for Jackson himself in his profile. He referred to himself as “a hypnotic mix of Lou Rawls, Johnny Hartman and Tom Jones”(?).  So I felt obliged to go check him out on Youtube (This Can’t Be Love) - and ironically, he was appearing at the very same club that he was reviewing.  Frankly, he’s not bad, but I couldn’t verify any comparison between himself and the men he compared himself to at all.  We think of the men he cited as having strong, robust voices, while he was being drowned out by the keyboard player.  In addition, he was off pitch several times during the tune.
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So in true slapimentary fashion, I’d say that while Jackson is a pretty good second-string singer, actor, and journalist - at least, during this time when true journalism is going down the drain - he’s far from ready to move to Mt. Olympus, and he should keep that in mind while reviewing the artistry of his fellow musicians.  And by the way, he was immaculately dressed during his performance, and it didn’t help a bit.
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Eric L. Wattree
Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR - BLACK MOSES

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR: 
A MAN WHO MADE A DIFFERENCE
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Photobucket
A SLAVE'S PRAYER
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 I was stole from Eden, an innocent soul,
crossed seas and centuries, chained and cold;
My mother was raped and beaten to death,
my daddy was sold, and my sister is kept.
How they praise God and brag dat they free,
and sing songs about freedom, 'din look upon me?
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I was chained to 'dis land, 'dis "Land of the free,"
by people with a God, who sho must can't see.
But a change is a comin', Tho I won't no mo be,
but when it get here, Dear Lord,
please let my soul see.
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THE JOURNEY
 

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THE MAN
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The United States of America has honored only four men in history by declaring the day of their birth a national day of celebration - Jesus Christ of Nazareth, widely accepted as the father of all mankind; President George Washington, the father of this nation; Christopher Columbus, the man credited with discovering the Americas; and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., a man whose forebears were brought to these shores in chains.
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That says a lot about this humble Black man.  In spite of the fact that Dr. King began his life burdened by the inherent disadvantages of being blessed with Black skin in a Jim Crow environment, his words, his intellect, and his deeds so inspired the heart and soul of humanity that America saw fit to set aside a day for this nation - this world - to thank God that he was allowed to walk among us. His was a soul with such strength that it served to lift the rest of mankind to a higher level of  humanity. That's not only a testament to one Black man's ability to pull himself up from the dust of his humble beginnings, it's also a testament to the capacity of his people to meet the test of greatness.
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When one considers that even today some are engaged in a raging controversy over the intellectual capacity of the African American people, it only further emphasizes Dr. King s stature in this society, which speaks with flawless eloquence to the boundless potential of the African American intellect.
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Admitted to Morehouse College at 15 years of age and a Nobel Peace Prize winner by age 34, Dr. King rose to become one of the most honored men in this country's history. By his untimely death at age 39, it was clear that his was to be one of those rare voices that would speak to all men, for all time. Long after the bones of his detractors have turned to dust, this unassuming young man's name will continue to reverberate throughout the ages.
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That was the legacy of Martin Luther King. Through his moral strength and tenacity he demonstrated to America that the Black man was much more than merely a beast of burden, and through his intellect, and his ability to personify all of black America, he inspired the world to embrace his cause. Thus, the legacy of Martin Luther King - like the man himself - stands as a monument to the depth and breadth of the African American culture.
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Too often we focus on the most negative aspects of the African American, while we totally ignore the great strides that are being made by the vast majority of Black people. We pay special attention to the relatively few violent Black criminals, while we ignore the millions of Black law abiding citizens; we focus on the undereducated in the Black community, while we turn a blind eye to the hordes of African American students and professionals who are flooding our colleges and universities; we've become experts on those African Americans who are a burden on our society, while we remain blissfully ignorant of the multitude of African American doctors, lawyers, teachers, scientists, laborers, musicians, writers, architects, homemakers - and yes, now a president - who contribute their unique talents to making this a better world.
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These are the people - the people who Martin cherished - who we truly honor in any tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King.  Because as we honor Martin and Malcolm, and all of the other nameless Black heroes who have struggled, and in many cases given their lives to move our people forward, we cannot help but honor ourselves.  That is the true meaning of Martin's legacy.
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In any tribute to Dr. King, we also celebrate a new culture - a culture conceived in pain, delivered into turmoil, and baptized in a sea of deprivation. We celebrate a culture that is only now in the Spring of its development, yet, a culture that has managed to combine the wisdom, strength, and spirituality of its African origins, with the sophistication, knowledge, and creative intellect of its new found home.
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So on this day, let us also gaze upon the mountain top - inspired by the knowledge that our reach no longer exceed our grasp.  Let us dedicate our lives to leaving the world a little better than we found it. And while we take a furtive look back - let it not be in anger, but with resolve, and a sense of pride at what we've overcome. And during this time, let us take at least one moment to thank God that Martin, this humble and spiritual Black man, was allowed to walk among us.
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And finally, let us take a moment to listen to our hearts, as they quietly murmur, free at last!--every man, woman and child. Free at last!--from the sandy beaches of California to the shores of Maine.  Free At Last!--from America’s shores to the tiniest village in Zimbabwe. THANK GOD ALMIGHTY, WE'RE FREE AT LAST!

"WAKE, MY CHILD, AND BEHOLD . . . "
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I NOW STAND FIRM
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I now stand firm. My conviction of the power of knowledge is the platform upon which my podium rests. I stand firm, strong, and now free. Free of anger. Free of self-delusion. Free of the folly of empty vanity, and free of the pernicious bane of meaningless pride without substance.
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I stand free to look upon the eyes of other men, reflecting dignity over sorrow, and accomplishment over pain; I stand with a burning passion, fueled by the very flame that forged ancestral shackles,with a deep sense of pride and a pride that flows deep.
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I now stand erect. The steel that once degraded my father, that chained him in bondage to this bitter Earth, now reinforce my character, making me more, rather than less; and the blood and sweat that once drenched his brow, now rage with resolve and a sense of purpose within my burning breast.
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I now stand as a new being - neither simply African, nor simply American, but a hybrid forced to transcend the sum of my parts; no longer simply African, since being torn away from the African motherland to suffer and toil in the fields of America, and more than simply American, after being forced to be more than simply American just to survive within the bowels of this prosperous land.
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Thus, I stand now armed - armed with the wisdom of deprivation, the courage of my conviction, and a deep conviction of my courage; and fortified - with the confidence of a survivor, the empowerment of knowledge, and a ravishing hunger for greatness.
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I now stand the product of love, struggle, and sacrifice; a witness to man's inhumanity to man, and a monument to the hopes and dreams of a million slaves.
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I now stand embraced by my creator, as God now smiles upon my people.
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Yes, I Now Stand Firm.
Firm, Black, and Free.

 

Tuesday, January 03, 2012

Clear Evidence of a GOP Conspiracy to Enslave America

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree
Clear Evidence of a GOP Conspiracy to Enslave America
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Indulging in conspiracy theories has been a longtime tradition in American politics.  But fortunately, we’ve found that most of these theories, such as the birther theory that has recently been punctured, are nothing more than wishful thinking on the part of overzealous and diehard special interest groups. But there’s been an unfortunate consequence of our repeated tendency to cry wolf. When credible evidence of a legitimate conspiracy comes to the fore, we tend to yawn and ignore it.  That’s exactly what’s happening with regard to the GOP conspiracy to enslave America, and our refusal to acknowledge it is a clear and direct threat to American Democracy.
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The concerted effort of Republican governors in Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Main, Florida, and other states across this country to undermine workers' rights, along with the attempt by the Republican congress to institute social policies severely detrimental to the poor and middle class under the guise of a “fiscal emergency” is unequivocal evidence that the GOP is engaged in a covert conspiracy against the American people.
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Further evidence of a conspiracy is the fact that the GOP is obviously not working with the American people. They’re working behind our backs. They didn’t mention in any specificity their intent to push through even one of their radical initiatives during their campaigns.  The voters were caught by complete surprise after the last election.  Thus, all of their campaigns were designed to deceive the American people.
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The GOP has been engaged in a classic example of bait and switch, and the voters know it.  That’s why several recall petitions were circulated against Republican legislators in Wisconsin, and two Republicans -  Senators Dan Kapanke of La Crosse and Randy Hopper of Fond du Lac - were removed from office before the end of their terms. In addition, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin is virtually certain to be recalled in the very near future.
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And when was the last time you saw a large Tea Party rally? At this point even the Tea Party has seen through their agenda. When the GOP started attacking Social Security and Medicare many Tea party members abandoned ship. Accept for the wealthy, a few slow learners, and a handful of social bigots, the Tea Party has become a myth that its corporate sponsors are trying keep propped up to promote their own malevolent agenda.  
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Of course, the GOP will undoubtedly claim that my contention is just another conspiracy theory, but is it just me, or does anyone else find it just the least bit curious that the Republican Party in congress - the very same Republican Party who, literally,  held unemployed workers and the American middle class hostage to force the extension of the 3.5 TRILLION DOLLAR Bush tax cut for the top 1% of the population - would vote against extending a modest payroll tax cut for poor and middle class workers?  If you did, maybe you’ll find it just a little less curious when you take a closer look at their true agenda.
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But first, in order to see the GOP agenda clearly, we need to observe a little rule of thumb: Whenever you want to know what’s truly going on in the collective GOP mind, it’s important to understand that whatever assault on the American people that they accuse the Democratic opposition of, that’s exactly the assault that they’re either perpetrating, or intend to perpetrate against us.
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For example, the GOP  accused the Democrats of planning to tax and spend the American people into a hole.  But if you look back at the past thirty-year history of the Republican Party, it becomes clear that beginning with the Reagan Administration, they have been the most prolific tax and spenders in the history of this country. So when they say they’re against tax and spend policies, what they actually mean is they’re against taxing the RICH to pay their fair share, but they have absolutely no objection to taxing the poor and middle-class to subsidize the rich, as was made abundantly clear by their recent vote opposing an extension to the payroll tax cut for poor and middle-class workers.
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The only reason the GOP even agreed to a temporary extension of the payroll tax cut was because they couldn’t justify their gross assault on the American people to their constituents during the holiday break - and even then, they tried to insert a benefit to the oil companies as a quid pro quo.  So there’s no longer any reason to debate this issue. The GOP has made its position clear - they’re engaged in an all out war against the American middle class. Isn’t it curious how that’s exactly what they’re accusing the Democrats of , waging a class war?
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The GOP also accused the Democrats of planning a government takeover. But now, Republican governor, Rick Snyder, appointed “emergency managers” to turned the state of Michigan into the closest thing to a dictatorship that we’ve ever seen in the United States. The unelected managers that he appointed have the power to fire duly elected officials, abolish labor agreements, and all without any accountability to the people. So for all intent and purposes, he’s turned the state of Michigan into Michighanistan - and Republican governors are pursuing these very same policies all over the country.  It’s almost as though they’re having secret meetings, isn’t it?
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And if that’s not bad enough, GOP governors and legislators are hard at work creating both policies, and an infrastructure, to permanently maintain the reins of power.  First, the Republican controlled United States Supreme Court ruled in their “Citizens United” decision that corporations have the same rights as citizens, which means that they can flood our political system with unlimited amounts of campaign funds. And Clarence Thomas refused to recuse himself on the case, in spite of the fact that his wife is making a fortune as a Tea Party activist. And keep in mind, these are the people who accused liberal judges of being too activist, and claim to be “strict constructionist," while what they're actually doing is revising the United States Constitution in their own image.
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Consider the blatant holes in the courts logic. Don't corporations incorporate in the first place, so it's members can avoid personal liability for their actions?  So if the members of a corporation can legally avoid personal responsibility for the actions of the corporation, how can the corporation be considered a person? And there's another flaw in the court's logic. Doesn't each member of a corporation already have the right of free speech?  Thus, the court has not just given corporations EQUAL rights to American citizens, it's given them superior rights.
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And while the Supreme Court is enhancing the rights of corporations, Republican legislators and governors are passing voter suppression laws all across the country, designed to prevent the young, the old, students and minorities from voting, thus, taking away the rights of citizens. At last count this activity was going on in over 40 locations.
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But the desire to disenfranchise the poor and middle class is nothing new for many conservatives. Remember, Alexander Hamilton, one of their founding fathers, believed that only those who owned property should even be allowed the right to vote. He said:
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“All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and wellborn, the other the mass of the people.... The people are turbulant and changing; they seldom judge or determine right. Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second, and as they cannot receive any advantage by a change, they therefore will ever maintain good government.”
Debates of the Federalist Convention (May 14-September 17, 1787).
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A citizenry of sheep begets a government of wolves - Edward R. Murrow 




Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)

Religious bigotry: It's not that I hate everyone who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it's just that God does.