Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree
ABOUT BLACK PEOPLE - AND BEING BROKE
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One Black woman told me, "Barack Obama didn’t do anything for us because he didn’t give us jobs or provide housing." That woman wasn’t out of a job because of what Barack Obama failed to do, she’s out of a job because of what SHE’S failing to do.
Barack Obama has done Black people proud, and any Black person who doesn’t see that is a fool who’s sitting around waiting for someone to come bring them a gift basket. Nobody’s gonna do that, so you might as well wake up and realize that Santa Claus is a myth. A good president is one who creates the conditions for you to help yourself. So the days of waking up and looking under a Christmas tree for your happiness ended when we were kids. So you're going to have to get up off your ass and learn to do something that people will be willing to pay for, and create your own goddamn jobs.
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Black people have proven that we're a brilliant and creative people, and the very same creativity that went into creating Charlie Parker, John Coltrane, Aretha Franklin, and Marvin Gaye can also be directed toward every other area of knowledge if we'd just take the time to pursue it. I went into business doing legal research and writing legal briefs for attorneys for an upfront payment and a third of their legal fees - I learned to do that fighting my own cases when I was a teenager growing up on the street and I got pretty good at it, I had to if I wanted to stay out of jail. That serves as an example of how the adversity of the Black experience has made us MORE, rather than less.
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As a result of the knowledge that I picked up on the street just trying to survive, it allowed practicing attorneys to sit on their asses and let me win their cases for them before they even stepped foot in court. I only lost one case in 20 years, and I never even passed by a law school. The knowledge that I picked up on the street just trying to survive allowed my son and daughter to never have to want for anything in their entire lives. A case would come in and I’d go out and buy a motor home or an Escalade - cash. But after my kids went out on their own and my wife passed, I gave that up and began to just try to enjoy what’s left of my life. But here it is over 10 years later, and lawyers are STILL ringing my phone off the hook today - some even call me for legal advice!!!
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The following is an example of the kind of common sense that Black people consider routine and don't realize everybody doesn't have: The United States Supreme Court and legal scholars all over this country are debating whether or not Trump has the power to pardon himself. The answer should be clear to anyone with common sense, but they’re just looking in the wrong place. These so-called "legal scholars" keep looking at Article II Section 2 of the Constitution which says, "The president “shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment." First, when it says, "except in cases of impeachment," it means except when it involves himself. And they also overlook another part of the Constitution that overrides even that - the Presidential Oath of Office. Article VI, Clause 3, of the Constitution requires the President to "be bound by oath or affirmation, to support this Constitution." And the Presidential Oath of Office says the following:
"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will FAITHFULLY execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, PRESERVE, PROTECT, and DEFEND the Constitution of the United States."
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So no, Trump cannot pardon himself or any member of his extended crime family, because the case involves himself and it's a possible cause for impeachment. It's also a direct violation of the Presidential Oath of Office. He cannot pardon crimes in pursuit of self-service because it violates his oath of office in which he swore to “FAITHFULLY, PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND DEFEND” THE CONSTITUTION." In addition, his successor cannot come in and pardon him later for the very same reason - he'd be failing to “FAITHFULLY, PRESERVE, PROTECT, AND DEFEND” THE CONSTITUTION as well." Having a President, or his successor, pardon either himself, or his fellow conspirators doesn't protect the Constitution, it corrupts it.
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So for a president to attempt to pardon either himself, or his fellow conspirators in order to protect himself, is a direct violation of his Oath of Office, and thus, illegal. It's clear and simple, and anyone who can't see that is either dumb, or they don't want to see it.
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So I defy ANY legal scholar in America to challenge me on this issue. This simple-minded debate clearly demonstrates just how clueless many of the people we except as "EXPERTS" really are. So we should never be blinded by titles and credentials. That's how we get played. Sharpen your own mind, and then NEVER give anyone else's ability to think priority over your own. And when the need arises for you to assess others, never base your assessment on their titles or credentials. Always base your assessment on their ability to think - period.
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Many of these so-call “scholars,” including Cornel West (I had to mention him) are simply ignorant little men with a receipt from Harvard and a big sign on their door. Yes, they can regurgitate the words of the thinkers of the past, but more often than not, they can’t think for themselves. We must always remember that Socrates, who's universally accepted as the father of modern thought, was not a scholar, he was a stonemason. If it were not for his proteges, people like Plato and Xenophon, who listened to him hold court on the block, we wouldn’t even know who he was. So be like Socrates and never underestimate your own intelligence, and since knowledge is free, you don’t have to depend on the White men at Harvard, Princeton or Yale to give it to you. Congress is full of Harvard graduates and people with titles, but it’s the most dysfunctional assemblage of self-absorbed idiots and fools in America - and at this point, it's not even necessary to describe the gross level of ignorance and incompetence that currently disgraces the White House.
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Thus, the biggest problem we have in the Black community has absolutely nothing to do with our lack of intellect or ability, it’s based on the fact that we’ve allowed ourselves to be brainwashed into UNDERVALUING our intellect. We're buying into the brainwashing that others have a special kind of intellect that we don't possess, but that's pure, unadulterated bullshit.
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When the White man tells us that we can’t think because HE didn’t give us a receipt from Harvard or Yale certifying that we can think, far too often, we believed him. That’s how he controls the quality of our lives, and our destiny. In contrast, Jews are taught from birth that they are God's chosen people. That's why they excel, because you ARE what you think. A White boy told me just yesterday that "You need to get over yourself." I told him in response, "No, I'm not gonna get over myself, because if I don't love and respect myself, who is? And beyond that, I take great pride in having the ability to make you feel just like you're feeling right now - inferior." That's also why bigots hate Barack Obama so intensely, he makes them feel inferior to a Black man, and to some White folks, that's worse than death.
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So as Black people, we need to turn off BET and start educating ourselves. Once we do that the White man will be begging us to take his money in return for our knowledge and creativity. Black creativity is a very valuable asset. So if you're broke, that's not Obama's fault, it's your fault, because you're wasting all of your time sitting around learning rap lyrics instead of getting up off your ass and learning to do something that people will be willing to pay you for. A job is not a gift. Applying for a job is about placing your expertise up for sale. So if you can't do nothing, you can't expect to get paid.
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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.