Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Rev Marvin Winans: Don’t Just Preach Us A Sermon, Live Us One

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

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Rev. Marvin Winans: Don’t Just Preach Us A Sermon, Live Us One
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When I first heard that Rev. Marvin Winans (of the gospel-singing Winans klan) refused to receive and Bless a child before his congregation because the child was born out of wedlock, I thought it was just another one of those ridiculous urban legends, because no Black minister could be that pompously out of touch with reality (I specified "Black minister" because Pat Robertson is White, and I’m not surprised at anything he does), and certainly no one with as high a public profile as Marvin Winans could possibly be that big a fool.
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But it turns out that it’s not just a rumor. During an interview with My Foxdetroit.com, Ms. Charity Grace indicated that she and her son, Joshua, recently began attending Perfecting Church, which is presided over by Rev. Marvin Winans. Recently the churched announced that it was having a special service dedicated to blessing children two years old and under. Upon hearing the announcement Ms. Grace became quite excited over the prospect of having her son blessed by the church. In that regard she said, "I want to instill values and morals in my son based upon the word of God."
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But when she contacted the church to make arrangements to have her son participate in the service, she was told that "Pastor Winans' policy is that he is not to bless children of unwed mothers in front of the congregation." Ms. Grace said, "I've never felt so degraded and disrespected in my life." She goes on to say, "The church is the last place you go and be judged and denied."
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And she’s absolutely right. How can Pastor Winans profess to be teaching his congregation to follow "the word of God" when he’s ignoring it, or is ignorant of it himself? Matthew 7:1-5 of the King James version of the Holy Bible is very emphatic in saying the following:
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Matthew 7:1-5
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"(1)Judge not, that ye be not judged. (2) For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. (3) And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? (4) Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? (5) Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
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So the Bible itself is calling Winans a hypocrite. Ms. Grace was clearly pure of heart and had a Godly mindset when she first, began to take her son to attend church, and then, made the conscious decision to have her son blessed by what she thought was a "man of God." So it is indeed ironic that she had to go to church to be greeted by ignorance and evil. Listen to the words of one God-fearing, good, and loving Christian. She posted as Tia on the "Old Black Church" website:
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". . .let the word of god be true, and every man a liar. Romans 3
I agree with pastor Winan's decision. This epidemic in our community has gotten out of hand. As my grand mother used to say in the old church "somebody's got to have some sense". People continue vicious destructive cycles because no one stands up and says the behavior is wrong," the emperor has no clothes." Instead of running to the news trying to embarrass pastor Winans, she should have trimmed the bushes and grass in front of her nasty home that she allows the baby to exist in. Black women's priorities are totally messed up. Instead of taking care of the home, shes out trying to run up in churches showing off the number one sin (not the child, he's innocent and blessed already, . .UNTIL THE PARENTS MESS THEM UP) that impacts our community in a negative way. This woman is almost 40 yrs old (not a teen pregnancy "mistake" by any means). She should know better, but she doesn't. And she doesn't try and get teaching and understanding from the church as to WHY they have to have a standard, and not kow tow to any and everything. No, she has to like a devil, strike a match and walk away. Now the only thing pastor didn't do that he should have is get on NATIONAL news and give these baby makers reason why he will not allow his church and the body of Christ to be taken over by these selfish, show off, want to be seen, attention seekers, pageantry seeking harlots to use the church as a showplace. I can see it now, Sunday service 10 or 12 women parading their multitude of "dressed up" kids across the front because you know once something catches on with black women, it becomes a fad and takes over until it is ruined. Like our communities, school systems, neighborhoods, welfare systems are being ruined by this trifling behavior. The babies are "cute " until a certain age then turned out into the streets to become society and jails problems. We can't afford to continue ignorance breeding ignorance. Now after its messed up society, they want to infiltrate the CHURCH. The rules have been set. Abide by them and learn. She doesn't know she's the one who looks like a fool, not Pastor Winans. He made his bones, and its still HIS bones, not hers. Guess she has to take her mess to a church that puts up with it. Leave normal people who stand for something alone. God will NOT allow the devil to take over his house . I CAST THEE OUT!!!!!!!!!!! . . ."I cast thee out."
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If that’s one of his loving, God-fearing Christians, the reverend’s obviously not doing a very good job. I haven’t heard that kind of mean-spirited, un-Godly, viciousness since I witnessed two dope fiends fighting over a crack pipe in the parking lot of z fire ravaged pool hall. But considering the reverend’s reckless approach to scripture, I can fully understand how his flock would have something less than a perfect grasp of what it means to be a Christian. What the lady fails to understand is, if everybody who has had sex outside of marriage had to leave that church, there wouldn't be enough members left to throw a card party - and I'd be willing to bet that she and the good reverend would be among the first of those who'd have to be escorted out the door. That's generally how things work with self-righteous hypocrites.  But the most important thing that she fails to realize is the reverend is suppose to me disseminating the word of God, not the word of Winan. Disciples of God are suppose to be humble servants, not pompous, self-righteous dictators. So, ironically, it seems that, in this case, the only one that was acting in a Godly fashion was the one that the church turned away, Ms. Charity Grace.
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But unfortunately, it seems that hypocrisy is not so much the exception as it is the rule in this country. True Christians seem to be exceedingly rare in this country. The primary reason for that is Christianity as practiced in the United States was founded upon hypocrisy. Americans tend to believe in a redacted version of the Bible. The true meaning of American exceptionalism is that we have a firm and fundamental belief in everything in the Bible EXCEPT those things that tend to interfere with our particular form of bigotry.
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It’s no accident that what we refer to as "The Bible Belt" is renowned for being the most bigoted and intolerant region in this country. The reason for that is the religious community is the perfect environment for social bigots. Because under the umbrella of religion, bigots are free to hate in the name of God: "It’s not that I hate everybody who doesn't look, think, and act like me - it’s just that God does."
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It’s exactly that kind of mentality that made it possible for "Love thy neighbor," and "Lynch thy nigga," to comfortably coexist in the South without a shred of guilt or cognitive dissonance. They simply ignore or contort anything in the Bible that doesn’t fit comfortably into their delusion of reality.
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Another example of that is how preachers routinely ignore the Biblical's prescription that we pray in private, and that they not strut around in $1200 suits and roll around in Escalades. Again, the Bible is clear. It says that those who run around praying out loud for public consumption is getting their reward right here on Earth:
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Matthew 6:1-34
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"Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. "Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. "And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ..."
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But again, these preachers and Bible thumpers aren't about to let a little thing like "the word of God" interfere with their false sense of righteous superiority, and their money-making potential.
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Thus, while spirituality and the belief in a force greater than yourself is a good thing, the problem with organized religion is that man has set himself up as God’s emissary and Chief Operations Officer. So in the final analysis, what we end up calling "faith," is not faith in God at all; it’s faith in man, and what they tell us about God. Thus, many so-called Christians, like the "lady" who commented above, are not worshiping God, they're worshiping preachers, like the good Rev. Winans.  But as the current matter clearly demonstrates, these peachers have neither the wisdom, knowledge, intelligence, nor morality, to speak for God.
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“The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.” - Ezekiel 18:19-20
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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.
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Saturday, October 19, 2013

"The World Stage" is not Just a Building - It’s a Black Cultural Oasis

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree
 
"The World Stage" is not Just a Building - It’s a Black Cultural Oasis:
An Assault on the Legacy of the Great Billy Higgins
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I was born in Los Angeles, and as I gazed upon the representation of the shiny new edifices that’s envisioned as the NEW Leimert Park, I was saddened and felt a profound sense of loss. All those impressive and shiny buildings didn’t fool me for a minute, because I’ve seen it before. What I saw was, yet again, the comfort and cultural moorings of the Black community being shoved to the side for the convenience of those who are already far too rich, far too influential, and far too powerful. Thus, the planned destruction of Leimert Park - and let there be no doubt about it, that’s exactly what it is - is metaphorically symbolic of a society that’s become hell-bent on giving the whims of the wealthy priority over the needs of the people.
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A community is far more than just a place where people sleep; it’s a place of comfort, and its familiarity serves to sustain the sense of well-being of the people who live there. But in addition to that, Leimert Park represents much more to the Black community. In the past it represented a symbol of Black upward mobility. It stood as a people-friendly and aesthetically pleasing Black middle-class community that reached out to aspiring young Black people to say, “Yes you can!," and as a result, many of us did.
 
BLACK CULTURAL HISTORY - AND FUTURE - UNDER ATTACK
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Leimert Park also represents a longstanding source of Black cultural development, and "The World Stage" - which they plan to casually relegate to the dustbin of history - has long been the centerpiece of that cultural development. So the fact is, it would be nothing short of a cultural atrocity to look upon the World Stage as just another building to be demolished to make room for progress. The World Stage is not just a building, it’s a Black cultural Oasis for musicians, writers, poets, visual artists, and other creative spirits in a Black community where such gathering places are already far too rare.
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The World Stage was founded as a gift of love to the community by poet, Kamau Daáood, and the late drummer and jazz great, Billy Higgins - a name that resonates throughout the world as one of the premier icons in the annals of jazz - nearly twenty-five years ago. That fact alone, should merit the World Stage being recognized as a cultural - and even national - landmark worth preserving. That would have certainly been the case had it been founded, loved, and nurtured by Elvis Presley.
 
Poet, Kamau Daáood

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Billy Higgins was born in Los Angeles on October 11, 1936, and became world renowned as one of the greatest, most respected, and most swinging drummers in the history of jazz. He became the house drummer for the world-famous Blue Note Records (the Motown of jazz), made over 700 recordings, and played with the greatest names in jazz. Just a few of those names were, Dexter Gordon, Jackie McLean, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, Gene Ammons, Sonny Stitt, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Lee Morgan, and too many more to mention. Billy Higgins represented Los Angeles proudly around the world, yet, he still found the time in his furiously busy career to partner with poet, Kamau Daáood, to establish The World Stage Cultural Center as a contribution and gift of love to his community, a contribution that the City of Los Angeles is now poised to casually brush aside like a speck of lint on a brand new suit.
 
LOS ANGELES' WORLD RENOWNED JAZZ ICONS:
DEXTER GORDON AND BILLY HIGGINS
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I literally stumbled upon this situation when singer, Rita Edmond, approached me to do a little research on the planned Metro Rail System and its impact on Leimert Park and the World Stage. As a product of the World Stage, she was quite concerned over the fate of the entity that played such a powerful role in her musical development. So she asked me - no, harassed me - into looking into who was behind what's taking place. I reluctantly agreed, because like most, I assumed that the Metro Rail would have little or no impact on Leimert Park Village, other than, possibly, making it more accessible to more people. But while researching the issue I found what seemed to be some very interesting machinations going on behind the scenes, including a modification of the original plans that triggered a furious land-grab and displacement that threats to transform the character of the entire community. 
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First, I found it very interesting that Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas requested a tunnel and station in Leimert Park (on Vernon and Crenshaw) instead of on Slauson and Crenshaw (as planned), in spite of the fact that it would cost an additional $219 million, and that he and Tavis Smiley and Cornel West teamed up in 2011 to do a news conference to promote the plan. That alone immediately caught my interest, because as anyone knows who's familiar with my writings, I don't trust Smiley and West as far as I can throw a two-ton anvil. When Smiley's name popped up, the first thought that came to my mind was the Wells Fargo "Ghetto Loan" scam, and when he tried to help shove a Walmart store (his close supporter) down the throats of the people of Inglewood against their will, knowing full well that Walmart is renowned for putting small local businesses OUT of business everywhere they go. But the people of Inglewood fought back - and won.
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Also interesting is Cornel West's stake in this matter. He's not from Los Angeles, so what does he have to do with this issue? Another interesting point regarding Cornel West is he was personally involved in saving John Coltrane's former home in Dix Hills, New York from the wrecking ball, to be preserved as a museum. That was a good thing, but why would he work to preserve one jazz icon's former home as a museum on the East Coast, and work to destroy another jazz icon's gift of love to his community on the West Coast? After all, John Coltrane only lived in the house that they saved for three years, while the house that Billy built (The World Stage) has been serving the community for nearly twenty-five years. It would be interesting to hear Cornel's rationale on that issue.
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So we need to find out exactly why Ridley-Thomas made his request for a change of plans, what impact his suggested change of route is going to have on Leimert Park, and exactly what stake Tavis Smiley has in this matter. Would Degnan - and it's attendant businesses - have been spared if the suggested change had not been made, and how does his change benefit the people of Leimert Park?  And this bears repeating - does the change have any impact on Smiley Properties? The plan to create a station in Leimert Park was approved in May of 2013, and the property that the World Stage sits on was purchased for $1,250,012, cash, on June 12, 2013 by a limited liability company that conceals the name of the actual purchaser. So the community needs to direct some Sun light in that direction. Here are the facts as we know them, as reported by the Los Angeles Times:

Park Mesa Tunnel and Leimert Park station
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In 2010, Supervisor Mark Ridley-Thomas requested a study of a tunnel through Park Mesa Heights. Metro staff studied the option and recommended against it. Staff concluded the option offers minimal benefit but high cost. The additional cost for the tunnel would be $219 million, or $167 million with Slauson station removed.
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In May 2011, Supervisor Ridley-Thomas asked the Metro Board to vote on a motion requiring construction of both the tunnel and the station in Leimert Park. The Board voted against the tunnel, but approved the station under the condition that the entire project can be completed within its original budget.
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In May 2013, the Metro Board voted 10-1 to include stations at Leimert Park (Crenshaw Blvd and 43rd Place) and another at Hindry Ave.
 
WHAT'S AT STAKE

We've got to get the people on top of this situation with the World Stage before it's too late. This is the way they erase Black history and dilute Black political power. This is just the beginning. Before we know it, they're going to gentrify the entire area. The apartments that are located in and around Leimert Park, including the Jungle, are going to be converted to condos, and Black people won't even be able to afford to live in the area. As a result, we're going to be scattered all over the city in such small numbers that our political power is going to be eclipsed. Then, if we even come into the area, we're going to be subject to stop-and-frisk. Ask anyone who USED to live in Harlem, New York. And Leimert Park is the perfect place for "THEM" to take over - it's beautiful, centrally located, with easy access to freeways going both North and South, and East and West. So now's the time to fight, because we won't be able to before long.
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Unlike the Black community, when other cultures settle into a community they immediately start building monuments to who they are. That not only makes it harder for the powers that be to come in and take them over, but it protects their legacy as a people.
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As soon as Billy Higgins died, we should have started mounting political pressure to rename Degnan, between 43rd Place on the South, and 43rd Street on the North, "Billy Higgins Place." And we should have also erected a statue of Billy, Kamau Daáood, and the late Richard ('5th Street Dick') Fulton, in the park. Billy's place in history is secure, Richard Fulton's life is one of the most inspiring stories ever told, and for all we know, Kamau Daáood may someday be looked upon as today's version of Langston Hughes. So we should give the people who are contributing to our community their flowers while they can smell 'em. That's how other cultures protect their history and their contribution to the nation, and so should we. By honoring those who work to move us forward, we also create an incentive to get more people to contribute to the community.

RICHARD ('5TH STREET DICK') FULTON
FROM SKID ROW BUM TO ENTREPRENEUR
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So this is not just a fight for ourselves - this is a fight to protect our legacy to our children's grandchildren so they won't have to dig through BLACK history books to find out who we were. We need to leave something behind for them to take pride in, and that will assure that they have a healthy sense of self. We should do that not only as a community, but as individuals.
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But I’m not an unrealistic man; I fully understand that the community's chances of holding back the power of greed, influence, and greased palms is not just slim, but none. However, in light of the discussion above, I don’t think that it’s too much to ask the powers that be to compromise with the community by designating that the block of Degnan - between 43rd Place on the South, 43rd Street on the North, and S. Leimert Blvd. On the East - be preserved as a cultural village. After all, it is one of the last - if not THE last - significant Black cultural centers in Los Angeles.
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Thus, the community, and its political leaders, should push for the preservation of that parcel of land, and there is a precedent for it - Olvera Street, in downtown Los Angeles. It was recognized as such an important cultural landmark that the city was simply built around it. So it seems to me that the block of Degnan in Leimert Park - and the Black community - deserve nothing less.
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THE NEW LEIMERT PARK AS ENVISIONED
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Photo: This is the future of Leimert Park, what are your thoughts?
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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.
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Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Dr. Ben Carson is revealing Himself to be an Idiot Savant

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree
Dr. Ben Carson is revealing Himself to be an Idiot Savant
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Dr. Ben Carson recently said that Obamacare was the worst thing since slavery. Is he serious? Is making it possible for millions of uninsured Americans to obtain affordable healthcare worse than Jim Crow and the countless lynchings of African Americans across this country since slavery? Is Obamacare worse than blatant racism, the bombing of innocent children in church, the senseless murder of Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, or the gross murder and mutilation of a 14 year-old Emmet Till? Is this man out of his mind?
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While Dr. Carson may be a brilliant neurosurgeon, he’s far from what one would consider an intellectual. Not only does the inaccuracy of his comment on Obamacare and slavery betray a monumental level of perceptual ignorance, but the fact that he lacked the insight to anticipate the national uproar over such an assertion clearly demonstrates that his perceptual ignorance is, at the very least, tinged with more than just a little unmitigated, profound, and stark stupidity.
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And it seems that White conservatives will never learn that by trotting people like Allen West, Herman Cain, or Dr. Ben Carson out before the public, they’re doing themselves a disservice in the Black community. Black people know and understand our own people. We warned America that Herman Cain had a flawed character. Then when it came out that he was a philandering pervert, conservatives were shocked, while the Black community walked away snickering, and asked, "What else is new?"
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So you see, it’s not Black people who are out of touch. We overwhelmingly support the Democratic Party because we have sense enough not to reject the Bogeyman just to go out and support the Devil.
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Black people understand that ANY Black person who aligns him or herself with the conservative agenda has to be either an idiot or suffer from a severe character flaw. Sound crazy? Okay, well, just ask yourself, how do you feel about Americans who align themselves with Al Qaeda? Well, why is it so difficult to understand why the Black community would feel the exact same way about a group where one of its representatives, Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-Colorado), would say, being associated with President Obama would be similar to touching a "tar  baby" (http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/08/01/congressman-calls-obama-a-tar-baby/ ) It's the exact same rationale. 
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Black people have centuries of experience in dealing with White conservatives. We know who is grinnin' in our face during the day, and then riding around under sheets at night. So Black people have long since recognized what even many White liberals are just beginning to see - that the modern Republican Party is the domestic enemy of the United States. The recent government shutdown clearly attests to that fact. Thus, if Al Qaeda represents a rattle snake in America's garden, the current GOP represents a python in the bedroom. After all, Al Qaeda can only blowup buildings, while the current Republican Party is dedicated to destroying the very foundation upon which this nation was founded.
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So, yes, most Black people detest Black conservatives, because Black people love America, so we view Black conservatives as not only the enemy of the state, but the enemy of their own people. In short, we look upon them like we would a Jewish Nazis.
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Thus, the Black community recognizes that while Dr. Ben Carson may be a renown neurosurgeon, he’s had to swallow his pride so often, kiss so much ass, and jump through so many racist hoops to get where he did, that he’s been left with a sever case of Stockholm Syndrome. The man even LOOKS weak, beat up, and morally exhausted.
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But for the benefit of those of you who may not be familiar with the Stockholm Syndrome, it’s a psychiatric concept named to describe the psychological response of hostages who were locked in a bank vault for five days during a robbery in Stockholm, Sweden between August 23rd and 28th of 1973. Some of the hostages were so traumatized during their ordeal that they began to confuse relief from blatant abuse with an act of kindness. As a result, they began to empathize with their captors. Many became so attached to their captors, in fact, that they refused assistance and even defended the criminals after they were released.
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So, contrary to popular belief, there are hordes of Black people in the community with the intelligence to not only match, but far exceed Dr. Carson’s achievements (http://wattree.blogspot.com/2010/09/dr-richard-allen-williams-miles-ahead.html), but due to the abuse, disrespect, and disdain that we’ve had to endure over the centuries, the majority of us would rather continue to endure the struggle of the masses than to prostitute our sense of dignity and respect in order to achieve all that we may have the potential to be. Some may call that dumb; I call it character.  It clearly demonstrates that we have both the intelligence and character to recognize that we should always give WHO we are priority over WHAT we are. Thus, we recognize that when you compare the achievements of Dr. Carson - and turncoats like Clarence Thomas, Herman Cain, and Allen West - to the price that they had to pay in terms of character and self-respect, their achievements seem quite shallow and unimportant.
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In addition, these people are trading in their character and self-respect for absolutely nothing in return, because for the fiscal conservative manipulators who control the Republic Party, people like Dr. Carson are simply pawns to be used and then discarded once they’ve served their purpose. On the other hand, many White social conservatives actually take these people seriously, possibly because it allows them to believe that since they like one Black man, that proves that they aren’t racist. So they seem not to understand the true reason why they like Black conservatives.
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The primary reason that White social conservatives are so enamored with Black conservatives like Dr. Carson and Allen West is, these people allow themselves to be placed in the role that conservatives want to see ALL Black people - essentially, grinnin’ children who know their place, deferential to white people, and hostile toward all other Black people who are arrogant enough to consider themselves equal to the White population.
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But conservative planners don't seem to realize that the reason that trotting such people out on the political stage never works is because these very same Black conservatives that the GOP is so enamored with make the Black community want to throw up. The skinnin’-and-grinnin’ of such people actually hurt the Republican brand among Black people rather than help it. 
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So the bottom line is, White conservatives fail to understand that they betray their underlying racist attitudes just by the sort of Black people that they embrace. It’s ironic, isn’t it?
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RELATED CONTENT
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Eric L. Wattree
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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.
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Tuesday, October 08, 2013

Rev. Anthony Evans: Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Represent Christ

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
Rev. Anthony Evans: Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Represent Christ
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The Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative, says the following regarding those who criticize Tavis Smiley and Cornel West:
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"I am ashamed of my people that they will go after one of ours - Tavis and Cornel - as they defend the dignity of black people. When I heard that black people and some black women have threaten Tavis' life I stopped being ashamed and was horrified of the way that we have begun to treat one another. The Black Church will have none of this in our community. The person who threatens and criticizes Tavis and Cornel is morally wrong and should be condemned. Beloved, Tavis Smiley and Cornel West are defenders of dignity and what is good and honorable in the black community. They are not political opportunist who will kick these brothers and misrepresent their thoughts in the media and especially in the black press. Shame on anyone who will harm these brothers by words or action. These two brothers represent the Christ who cared and loved the poor. The church according to our Lord and savior must defend the poor---NBCI speaks for the poor-this is our job."
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Rev. Evans,
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In response to your letter I’d like to say, without any equivocation, that Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, your representatives of "The Christ," are quintessential frauds. West has a vested interest in promoting controversy, regardless to what he has to say to do it. He's a part of the Tavis Smiley "gin mill" for controversy that includes television production companies, a book publishing company, a speakers bureau - which pays West $30,000 per speech - and a radio production company. They’re very livelihood DEPENDS on stirring up controversy. Without it, they’re out of business. 
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And if you'll notice, West has never uttered a word of moral indignation about Tavis Smiley's involvement in the Wells Fargo "Ghetto Loan" scam, which victimized over 30,000 poor minorities, that Wells Fargo Bank settled in court for $175 million, and the Justice Department said was the second largest housing discrimination case in the history of the nation. Cornel West is the quintessential phony - both he and Tavis Smiley.
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And further, have you ever heard either of them utter one word of criticism regarding the abusive business practices of Walmart or any of their other ALEC- related corporate associates? Not a word! So take a minute to ask yourself, why?
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Reverend, you said, "These two brothers represent the Christ who cared and loved the poor. The church according to our Lord and savior must defend the poor---NBCI speaks for the poor-this is our job."
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I have two things to say in that regard. First, I doubt very seriously that Smiley and West represent "The Christ," because from what I was taught about "The Christ," he’s not in the habit of employing poverty pimps and hustlers. And secondly, if you support Tavis Smiley and claim to speak for the poor, you might want to ask Smiley, on behalf of the poor, to give them their money back. After all, he is Mr. Accountability, right?
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And finally, Reverend, get over yourself, and stop running around trying to lecture the Black community like you’re the Lord’s Chief of Staff, because you’re not. You’re a preacher, period - and based on your letter - and your seeming propensity to jump out front on an issue before investigating the facts - you’re a preacher with very poor judgment. 
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RELATED CONTENT
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Eric L. Wattree
Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
Citizens Against Reckless Middle-Class Abuse (CARMA)
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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.


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Sunday, October 06, 2013

Radical Republicans Have Gone Delusional

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
 
 Radical Republicans Have Gone Delusional
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A Republican recently told me that President Obama was the worst president in history. It’s ridiculous statements like that, that make people completely ignore most conservatives. Under George W. Bush the nation was hemorrhaging 850,000 jobs a MONTH. And who was the last Republican president who DIDN'T drag America under a bus?
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History is going to record that President Obama saved this nation from going into another Great Depression, brought Osama Bin Laden - this nation's most dangerous foe - to justice, and provided millions of uninsured Americans with affordable healthcare, and all single-handedly, without any help from the Republican Party whatsoever - in fact, with Republicans trying to obstruct him at every turn. In addition, if Bush had pulled off in Iraq what Obama just accomplished in Syria it would have saved the nation over a TRILLION dollars, and saved over a million lives (UN official says chemical weapons inspectors begin destroying Syrian stockpile, machinery).
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If Bush would have brought Osama Bin Laden to justice as did Obama, Republicans would be trying to chisel his face on Mt. Rushmore as we speak. Bush spent 7 years, and all of the resources that the nation had at its disposal, allegedly, trying to capture Osama Bin Laden, while Obama did the job with 3 helicopters and a handful of America’s finest - and all while casually dragging Donald Trump through the mud at a dinner party. Yet, now Republicans are trying to say Obama is the worst president in history?  Maybe I'm mistaken, but didn’t the Republican Party literally have to HIDE George W. Bush during the last two elections? So these people are COMPLETELY out of their deeply delusional conservative minds.
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But what's ironic is that the total irresponsibility of the Republican Party is going to INSURE that President Obama goes down in history as one of our greatest presidents, while they're going to go down in history as the most irresponsible group of Americans that this country has known since the Civil War. They’ve, literally, become the domestic enemy of the United States, as the government shutdown clearly demonstrates.
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Don’t let this blatant assault on the facts go unchallenged. This is not about becoming an Obama cheerleader, it's about re-establishing truth as the standard within our political environment.
"Firstly, let’s review just how bad things were in 2009. In 2000 America was completing the longest bull market in history. But by the end of President Bush’s tenure the country had witnessed 2 stock market crashes, and the DJIA had fallen 58%. This was the second worst market decline in history (exceeded only by the Great Depression,) and hence the term "Great Recession" was born.
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"In 2000, at the end of Clinton’s administration, the Consumer Confidence Index was at a record high 140. By January, 2009 this index had fallen to an historic low of 25.3. Comparatively, when Reagan took office at the end of the economically weak Carter years the Confidence Index was still at 74.4! Today this measure of how people feel about the country is still nowhere near 2000 levels, but it is almost 3 times better than 4 years ago.
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"Significantly, in 2000 America had a budget surplus. By 2009 surpluses were long gone and the country was racking up historic deficits as taxes were cut while simultaneously outlays for defense skyrocketed to cover costs of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, banks were on the edge of failing due to unregulated real estate speculation and massive derivative losses.
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"Today the Congressional Budget Office is reporting a $200B decrease in the deficit almost entirely due to increased revenue from a growing economy and higher taxes on the wealthiest Americans. The deficit is now only 4% of the GDP, down from over 10% at the end of Bush’s administration – and projections are for it to be only 2% by 2015 (before Obama leaves office.) America’s "debt problem" seems largely solved, and almost all due to growth rather than austerity.
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"We can largely thank a fairer tax code, improved regulation and consistent SEC enforcement. Also, major strides in health care reform – something no other President has accomplished – has given American’s more faith in their future, and an increased willingness to invest."
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A List of Obama Accomplishments:
http://pleasecutthecrap.com/what-has-obama-done-since-january-20-2009/
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Eric L. Wattree
Wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
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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.
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Thursday, October 03, 2013

The Modern GOP - The Most Dangerous Force in America

BENEATH THE SPIN • ERIC L. WATTREE
The Modern GOP - The Most Dangerous Force in America

IF THE GOP HATES GOVERNMENT
LET'S ACCOMMODATE 'EM
So once again, in spite of all their claims of loving America and being solely dedicated to promoting the nations best interest, the GOP has found yet another pretext to hold America hostage and twist the arm of the American people in an attempt to force the nation to accept the malevolent agenda of their corporate cronies. And this is not the first time - it’s becoming a recurring event.
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When my daughter was a teenager, and young boys started knocking at my door to profess their love, knowing that I would never be able to hold back the force of nature, I armed her with what I considered sage advice instead. I told her to "Pay no attention to what these young boys say. Watch what they DO." That advice served her well, and it seems that it is now an excellent rule of thumb for the American people in dealing with the modern GOP, because their repeated behavior and obvious disregard for what’s in the best interest of the United States comes nowhere close to matching their political rhetoric.
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Richard (R.J.) Eskow, a former executive experienced in healthcare, benefits and risk management, finance, and information technology, also a senior fellow with the Campaign for America's Future and who hosts The Breakdown, says in his Huffington Post article, "The Shutdown: Republicans Win Standoff, Shoot Hostages Anyway," the following:
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"Even some other Republicans were appalled. One House member, mixing metaphors as effortlessly as his peers mix martinis, described his fellow Republicans as ‘lemmings with suicide vests.’
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"What are they thinking? It's hard to tell, since the GOP itself appears to be in complete chaos. But make no mistake about it: That is a hostage crisis, and however long or short the government shutdown turns out to be, the hostages -- the American people -- are already paying the price."
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Eskow goes on to point out, "The economy has begun shrinking. Morgan Stanley analysts estimate that the Republican shutdown will "trim annual GDP growth by approximately 15 basis points per week of closing."
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Newsmax reported former Republican Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine as saying the Republican Party has bowed to extreme elements, making it unrecognizable from the GOP she joined years ago. Sen. Snowe said:
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"Obviously it’s moved to the extremes. I wouldn’t characterize everybody within the tea party movement, but certainly there are broad elements within the party now that are driving their own agenda for their own advantage, irrespective of what implications it has for the Republican Party,"
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Then Sen. Snowe goes on to tell Ashleigh Banfield of CNN Newsroom, "And certainly, this isn’t a party that I recognize and the party that I joined when I first enrolled, and that’s regrettable."
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It has become clear that the GOP's 30-year assault on our educational system has finally filtered down to having a negative impact on its own politicians. You cannot dumb-down America without also dumbing down the caliber of the politicians who assume elective office, and that has clearly taken place in the Republican Party. That's why we're witnessing unprecedented stupidity in government.
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Many of these politicians fail to realize that giving political games priority over the interest of the nation is not only a blatant act of irresponsibility, but political malfeasance. That’s why this Republican congress has been rated lower than any congress in the history of this nation. They’re like a bunch of irate children. They’re stomping their feet and having a tantrum because America voted against letting them have their way.
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This is not a debatable issue. As President Obama pointed out in his response to the government shutdown, there was absolutely no reason for the Republicans in congress to shutdown the government. It serves no useful purpose other than to inflict pain upon the American people in order to punish America for not letting them have their way. The president said the following:
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"They've shut down the government over an ideological crusade to deny affordable health insurance to millions of Americans. In other words, they demanded ransom just for doing their job . . .
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"And of course what's stranger still is that shutting down our government doesn't accomplish their stated goal. The Affordable Care Act is a law that passed the House, that passed the Senate, the Supreme Court ruled constitutional. It was a central issue in last year's election. It is settled, and it is here to stay.
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"And because of its funding sources, it's not impacted by a government shutdown. And these Americans are here with me today because even though the government is closed, a big part of the Affordable Care Act is now open for business."
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So the problem is, the GOP has become so radical in its agenda that it has a vested interest in electing ideologues over anyone with any kind of intellectual acuity. In fact, the GOP’s agenda is so toxic to America to anyone with common sense that it's necessitated the Republican Party becoming openly hostile to all intellectuals, potential statesman, and even independent thought itself. In addition, their pretexts to push their agenda that is so obviously toxic to the American people has become so convoluted that they’ve become so prolific in their lies that if they ever did decide to tell the truth, it would only be in an attempt to confuse the public.
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The facts are clear to anyone who's truly interested in facts. Take a moment to ask yourself, who was the last Republican president who DIDN’T drag America under a bus? With the exception of Ike Eisenhower, the GOP has a one hundred year history of swindling the American people (http://wattree.blogspot.com/2010/10/gop-one-hundred-year-record-of.html). Period.
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That’s how we’ve ended up with what we have today - a Republican congress filled with complete idiots who are totally oblivious to tradition, limits, and what's in the best interest of the nation. As I’ve pointed out in previous articles, and with complete candor, if Al Qaeda represents a rattle snake in America’s garden, the current GOP constitutes a python in the bedroom. Because as big a threat as Al Qaeda is to America, they can only destroy buildings, but the modern GOP is out to destroy the very foundation upon which this nation rests. Thus, it is incumbent upon America to correct that situation in the very next election. It just may be our last chance.
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OBAMA WASN'T THE FIRST PRESIDENT
THE REPUBLICANS CALLED A SOCIALIST

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Http://wattree.blogspot.com
Ewattree@Gmail.com
 
Eric L. Wattree

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.


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