TAVIS SMILEY AND CORNEL WEST: WHERE ARE YOU NOW? - A PORTRAIT IN COONISM

Beneath the Spin*Eric L. Wattree

TAVIS SMILEY AND CORNEL WEST - WHERE ARE YOU NOW?

A PORTRAIT IN COONISM
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I was recently contacted on Facebook by a Black woman by the name of Shirley accusing me of doing a "hatchet job" on Tavis Smiley and Cornel West in my post, “Where is Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Now?” She  also  complained that the piece was three years old, so I thought I'd take a moment to put together this piece in response.

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Shirley, I know excerpts from the piece are over three years old - in fact, I happen to know that they're over  four years old, because I wrote them. It's what's call a recap. But frankly, I didn't understand the significance of your complaint. Are you suggesting, that we should  just walk away from history and let bygones be bygones?  I don’t think so. We've got to thoroughly out these two turncoats as an example to other demagogues who may be waiting in the wings.

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But for the record, I waited four years to recap this disgusting episode because history clearly shows that these two individuals are not being nearly as critical, or treating Donald Trump with anything near the disdain and disrespect that they reserved for the very first Black President of the United States. The Black community needs to explore the reasons behind that and make sure that it never happens again. We need to immediately blackball anyone who ever tries it again - in fact, we need to come together and blackball anyone who brings ANY ignorance into the Black community, whether it be in politics, the arts, or general dysfunction. 
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But with respect to Tavis and West, the jury is in and it's no longer a debate - their behavior toward President Obama was a petty and mindless act of petulance, envy, and blatant self-promotion that did immeasurable damage to the Black community.  We now also know that their slanderous allegations toward the president lacked validity, because in spite of their many criticisms of Obama (both before, and after, he became president) he ultimately became one of the greatest heads of state in American history, and brought great pride and intellectual validation to Black people all over the world.  No, he wasn't perfect, but he was as perfect as we've ever seen in America.  He brought honor to this nation, and with the exception of Tavis and West, he was admired by people all over the world. The man can’t even stop to get a taco without cars honking their horns and people stopping on the street to applaud him, and he’s becoming even more popular as time goes on. On the other hand, Donald Trump can't even show his face without being booed, not only here in America, but all over the world. Even our oldest and most staunch allies look upon him with disdain.  Yet, all we hear from Tavis and West now, are crickets.  So what flaws did they see in Obama that were so serious that they felt the need to get on a bus and travel all over the country badmouthing him, that they don't now see in Donald Trump? 
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So allowing history to sink in is serving to demonstrate the Willie Lynch-like hatred some Black people can sink to due to envy and egotism. Cornel West built his entire reputation on posing as a highly enlightened intellectual, but history has revealed that he’s just another petty Black man with a big mouth, who's lacking in character, and one of the least enlightened people in the Black community; and Tavis Smiley has been revealed to be nothing more than a self-absorbed opportunist. Thus, these two “brothers” are graphic examples of why Black people are at the very bottom of the social ladder, and why it’s incumbent upon us to stop embracing celebrities as heroes and start thinking for ourselves. 

So, how is that a hatchet job, Shirley? What you're calling a hatchet job is nothing less than unvarnished truth. Yes, it's ugly, but it should be, because Tavis and West's self-serving disregard for the Black community and the first Black President of the United States, was ugly.  It was beyond ugly - it was disgusting, and if I have anything to do with it, they'll never live it down.  

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Both of these "brothers" are fraudulent phonies.  That now stands as an unassailable fact. If they weren't, where are they now that we have a fascist White man in office who's trying to deprive 22 million Americans of badly needed healthcare?  But Smiley and West seem to be much more comfortable with having a White man in control - even if that White man is a lying, incompetent, and dysfunctional buffoon.  On the other hand, having a young Black man running this nation who demonstrated competence, excellence, and character - but took attention away from them - was just more than they could bear. Their response to it clearly demonstrates why we had to have Northern White folks come DRAG us out of slavery kickin' and screamin - and even then we had people like Tavis and West fightin' for the South. That also explains why when Union soldiers captured such people they wouldn't even take ‘em prisoner; they'd shoot 'em dead right there on the spot - and I don’t blame them.  They left the comfort of their homes and the love of their families to risk their lives to free us from slavery (among other things), and then they were confronted by some coon shootin’ at them to “protect the massa.”  If I'd been around back then, I would have loaded their guns for for 'em for the execution.

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So Shirley, while you may think I'm doing "a hatchet job" on Tavis and West, just consider this - and I've got video!  On the very DAY that Sen. Barack Obama went to Springfield, Illinois to maximize the historic significance of announcing his candidacy for president in the shadow of Lincoln's former statehouse instead of coming on Tavis' "State of the Black America" jibfest, West stood up and did an impassioned rant indicating that Obama couldn’t be trusted to be president because he didn’t come on the Tavis Smiley show.  Can you even begin to fathom such arrogance!!!?  Who the hell did they think they were!!!?  They were acting like Sen. Obama committed an unforgiveable sin - as if Tavis Smiley was the Grand Poobah of the Black community, and Obama required his permission to run for president, and all the while Tavis was standing there grinnin' like a chess cat. You would have thought they'd caught Obama committing some sort of unconscionable atrocity.  But don't just take my word for it, watch the video for yourself.  Their unmitigated arrogance, literally, made me want to throw up.  And again, this was on the very MORNING that Obama announced that he was running for the presidency.
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So they were trying to sabotage the very first viable Black candidacy for president before it even got off the ground. Because, you see, having a Black president would tend to lower their stature in the Black community, so their entire motivation from that moment on was to say, "Aw, he ain't all that."  You see, Tavis couldn't prevent Sen. Obama from running, but at the very least, he wanted Obama to announce his candidacy on his show. That would have made Tavis look like a king-maker, and it would have also made it look like Obama had come to get Tavis' blessing.  In short, Tavis was trying to put Barack Obama in his pocket (like he had Cornel West), but Barack wasn't having it, and it enraged him.  So what resulted was the most petty, and disgusting display of arrogance that I've ever seen - and Cornel West comes off looking like the Tavis Smiley puppet that he was.  That was the moment I lost respect for his alleged intellect, and began to see him for who he really was - a shallow and big-mouth opportunist. But Tavis and West had the perfect symbiotic relationship - Cornel West had the mouth, and Tavis Smiley had the television exposure.  

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Again, notice how arrogantly entitled West sounds in the above video, as though it was more appropriate for Obama to come kiss Tavis’ ring than to announce his candidacy in the shadow of Lincoln’s former statehouse. I remember becoming slack-jawed at his unmitigated arrogance. Up until that moment I had been a big fan of both Tavis and West, but that was when I first realized that they  were nothing but egomaniacal coons. That was also the morning that I started investigating them, and I’ve written nearly 30 articles on them since.

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The video is also ironically prophetic. Notice how even as West is lecturing the nation on how Obama is surrounding himself with people who can’t be trusted, and asking Obama where his money coming from, you can see Wells Fargo and Exxon/Mobil logos floating by in the background behind him. What makes that so prophetically ironic is, even as West asking Obama these questions, Tavis Smiley was  involved in the Wells Fargo "Ghetto Loans" scam, where Wells Fargo ended up having to settled a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice agreeing to pay poor and middle-class minorities $175 million as a result of  swindling them out of their life savings. This was the biggest scam EVER perpetrated on the Black community involving a Black man as a front, and it was the second largest housing discrimination case in American history, and all the while Tavis was running around preaching to Obama about “accountability.”  But the establishment media was refusing to cover it. That’s how, and why, I became so fixated on bringing the machinations of these two demagogues to the attention of the Black community.

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So, tell me again, sister, how is this is a hatchet job?  You must be a relative of one of these brothers? 

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The Real History of The Poverty Tours

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The hostility that Tavis Smiley and Cornel West have for President Obama is so transparent that if it were glass we would have walked right through it and cut ourselves to shreds. These two are shameless, and it’s not only a national disgrace how the establishment media is allowing them to prance around posing as the savior of the poor and middle class, but they're actually helping them to perpetuate this fraud by providing them constant coverage and millions of dollars worth of publicly supported air time.
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These two thought that they were gonna become the Grand Dragons of the Black Community - which is a very profitable gig when you’re in the business of selling ALEC-connected corporations access to the Black community like Tavis Smiley. Tavis is the biggest corporate shill in the Black community. He fronts for Wal-Mart, Wells Fargo, Exxon/Mobile, Allstate Ins., Nationwide Ins., etc. - a veritable who’s who of the corporations that are most responsible for victimizing the poor and middle class in the country, and who are spending millions of dollars to obstruct minority voter rights. That’s what makes it so ironic that they’re trying to portray themselves as the saviors of "the poor minorities."
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During Obama’s first campaign for president Smiley and West had already hitched their wagons to Hillary Clinton. She was 37 points ahead of Obama in the Black community at the time, so they were all set to gain the clout, prestige, and riches of having presidential access and being acknowledged as the new grand viziers of the Black community. But then, Obama won the election - in spite of their most ardent efforts - and caught them by surprise. In fact, Cornel West tried to jump the fence and began campaigning for Obama when it became clear that Obama might actually win, but Obama wasn’t having it. That's what caused the controversy over West not being invited to the inaugural celebration.
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At the time, West tried to frame the issue like Obama was an ingrate for not inviting him to the inauguration after he campaigned for him. But he failed to mention the fact that less than an hour after Obama announced his candidacy for President of the United States West went on national television and told the Black community that Obama couldn’t be trusted.

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The video of Cornel's rant was ironically prophetic. Notice how even as West is lecturing the nation on how Obama is surrounding himself with people who can’t be trusted, and asking him where is his money coming from, you can see Wells Fargo and Exxon/Mobil logos floating by in the background behind him. What makes that so prophetically ironic is, even as that spectacle was taking placeTavis was involved in the Wells Fargo "Ghetto Loans" scam, where Wells Fargo ended up having to settled a lawsuit filed by the Department of Justice agreeing to pay poor and middle-class minorities $175 million as a result of the scam. This is the biggest scam EVER perpetrated on Black community with the active involvement of a Black man, and the second largest housing discrimination case in the history of the United States but the establishment media refused to cover it. That’s why I’ve become so fixated on bringing the machinations of these two demagogues to the attention of the Black community.

So the Bottom Line is this - when people like myself criticize Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, or Boyce Watkins, we’re not criticizing them because they’re critical of President Obama; our problem with them is they’re cherry-picking their facts and telling half-truths to promote their own agenda.
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HEY, AREN'T YOU THE SAME GUY WHO SAID
I COULDN'T BE TRUSTED?

A prime example of that is they are going out of their way NOT to tell the Black community that the United States Constitution gives sole control of spending to the United States House of Representatives, which is controlled by the Republicans. So the only way that President Obama can spend any money to assist the Black community, or anyone else, is to get the Republican House to go along with him.
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That’s why it’s so important for the president to hold together a coalition of Blacks, women, gays, Hispanics, and every other segment of the American population. He needs ALL of us to place pressure on the Republicans to loosen the purse strings in order for him to get anything done. So anytime you hear Tavis, West, or Watkins pointing their finger at what President Obama is doing for any other segment of the population, they’re doing you a disservice.
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Here’s how politics works - "you support me when I need you, and I’ll support you when you need me." So whenever President Obama does anything for other segments of the population, he’s building up political capital so he can help you. But, of course, he doesn’t discuss what he’s doing for the Black community for a very good reason - as Cornel says himself (when it’s convenient), "Race Matters."
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These gentlemen know full well that if President Obama runs around bragging about what he’s doing for the Black community, the Republicans are going to use that as leverage to tear his coalition apart. They would tell women, gays, Hispanics, and everyone else in America that Obama doesn’t care about them; all he wants to do is help his own people, and that message hurts the Black community. Don’t these so-called intellectuals recognize that? If they don’t, they’re dumb. If they do, that means that they’re purposely trying to mislead you. The question, then, is why?
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So the fact is, when people like Tavis, West, and Watkins run around telling you that the proof that President Obama is not working for you is that he refuses to throw his fist in the air, these people are working against you, not for you - and they know it. You see, their primary agenda is NOT about helping the Black community. Their agenda is about tearing President Obama down, and again, that hurts you. But they don't care - and that's the problem.
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In the end, Cornel West tried to portray Barack Obama as an ingrate by claiming that after campaigning for him, Barack wouldn’t even return his calls.  But he failed to mention that he only started campaigning for Obama AFTER it became clear that Obama was going to win the election.  It was only then that Cornel tried to jump the fence away from Tavis Smiley and tried to ingratiate himself with Obama, but Barack wasn't having it - “Hey, aren’t you the one who said that I couldn’t be trusted?”
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So Cornel West has no shame. He tries to jump onboard any train that happens to be going his way. Now that Tavis Smiley has lost face in the Black community, Cornel won't even be seen with him anymore.  I know, because I've written over 30 articles on him. In my opinion, the only person who knows him better, MIGHT be his mother. That's why I have so much disgust for him. Cornel is the Liberace of faux intellectualism. He's the quintessential phony and the people have begun to recognize that fact.
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So now that he's outlived his usefulness as a Democratic saboteur for the corporatists, they've flushed him down the toilet like a used Tampon. "Dr. West," indeed.  That's a joke - the dude believes in talkin' snakes, and one of the biggest mistakes the Black community ever made was failing to thoroughly vet him in the very beginning - and we made the very same mistake with Tavis Smiley.
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This episode has taught me to be suspicious of EVERY Black person that the White establishment pushes to the forefront, so the first thing I do is thoroughly research them.  We could have avoided this disaster if we had taken note when Tavis Smiley was fired from BET, and also when Cornel West joined forces with Ralph Nader to help get George W. Bush elected in the 2000 election.  But we were too busy being mesmerized by the White establishment telling us what a powerful "Black" intellectual West was.  But in White establishment terms, that only means that he's useful to them and he can read without moving his lips.  And what made him particularly useful is his clown-like style of showmanship. The establishment figured that "ignorant" Black people would relate to that, and we did.  So over all these years Cornel West has traded on personal fame in return for being a Democratic saboteur.  Just look at his record.  He always manages to find something wrong with the side that favors the American people - his tactic is to attack the good for the sin of not being perfect - yet, he rarely utters a word against those who are trying to destroy us.  There's a reason for that, because those are his benefactors.  And Tavis Smiley has the exact same MO - ask Walmart. 
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So Shirley, that said, I just want you to know that I took your complaint very seriously.  I love my sisters and I never like to anger them, because I've recognized since I was a child that you are the glue that holds the Black community together, and you're forced to bear the greatest burden of our pain.  But if you think my speaking out on the petulant and self-serving ignorance of Tavis Smiley and Cornel West constitutes a hatchet job, you're just going to have to live with that, and I'm going to have to live with your anger.

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RELATED ARTICLES

A Question For Both Tavis Smiley and Cornel West 

http://wattree.blogspot.com/2013/01/a-question-for-both-tavis-smiley-and.html

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Poverty Pimp, Inc.

http://wattree.blogspot.com/2013/01/poverty-pimp-inc.html

Eric L. Wattree 
Http://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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Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Ducked The Walmart Demonstrations . . . AGAIN!!!

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Tavis Smiley and Cornel West Ducked The Walmart Demonstrations . . . AGAIN!!!?
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Don’t You Worry, Baby. You’ll Eat TONIGHT, Because Help Is On The Way!!!
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As we speak I bet WalMart is shakin’ in their boots, because Tavis (Poverty Tour) Smiley, and Cornel ("I come to go to jail!") West is on their way to read WalMart the RIOT ACT this year!!!
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What? They didn’t show!!!? AGAIN!!!? For the THIRD year in a row, and they didn’t even send a postcard of support!!!?
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WELL, I GUESS THAT JUST ABOUT SAYS IT ALL ABOUT THOSE TWO.

It’s like my mother used to say - "Pay no attention to what people SAY, just watch what they DO."
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THOSE TWO BEING SPONSORED BY WALMART IS LIKE MARTIN LUTHER KING BEING SPONSORED BY THE KLAN.

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POVERTY PIMPS AND BLACK SUFFERING

The reason that I ride Tavis Smiley and Cornel West so relentlessly is because they are the quintessential poverty pimps. As shown above, they're not interested in the plight of the poor at all; they simply USE the poor to feather their own nests. The fact is, the more misery that the poor are forced to endure, the more notoriety and money they make selling books, holding seminars, and doing $30,000 an hour speaking engagements. So people like Smiley and West are not an asset to the poor and minority community, they're an affliction upon it.
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Many Black people have bought into a philosophy that was introduced into our thinking by poverty pimps in the sixties. They’ve convinced many Black people that we are impotent and can't do anything for ourselves. I know many people who suffer from that malady. Poverty Pimps introduced that into our thinking so we would feel that we needed to hire them to the very lucrative job of Black Ambassador to the ‘White Man’ (the White establishment). That's been big business every since Martin and Malcolm died.
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What we need to recognize as Black people is that we don’t need one voice speaking for millions, we need millions speaking with one voice; and we don’t need one brain thinking for millions, we need millions of brains thinking in concert. Black people also need to RE-LEARN that the only thing we need from the White man is for him to stay the hell out of our way.
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Yes, we want our piece of America's pie, but whinin' ain't the way to get it. The only way that we're EVER going to obtain justice, dignity, and all of the other things that we are due in this world, is to become strong enough to demand it, and competent enough to hold on to it. The Black community will NEVER be fully viable, until we embrace that clear and simple reality.
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So we need to stop talking about what we CAN'T do, and start thinking about what we CAN do - and we can do any damn thing we decide upon.

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A MESSAGE TO TAVIS SMILEY, CORNEL WEST AND THE VARIOUS OTHER ‘WILLIE LYNCHERS’

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Black People Don’t Resent Criticism of Obama, But We do Resent Slander - Which is What These People Engage In, To The Direct Benefit of the GOP, The Biggest Enemy In The World To the Poor and Minority Community

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Cornel West spews more racist rhetoric than any Republican in America. The reason for that is he’s essentially an entertainer who specializes in shock and race-baiting as his one and only routine. Clear evidence of that is he's over the top in everything that defines him - he's over the top in his personal image, in his overly gesticulative presentation, and his rhetoric is invariably inflammatory. Everything about him is a contrivance that’s specifically designed to bring attention to himself. The actual issues are meaningless to him. They're nothing more than a platform to launch his performance. In short, Cornel West is the Liberace of faux intellectualism.

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Have you ever noticed that nearly every public pronouncement that spews from the mouth of Cornel West is literally dripping with racial innuendo? One of his latest racist slanders is that MSNBC is the ‘Rent a Negro’ network. West has said at various times the following:

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1). President Obama is "a war criminal."

2). President Obama is "a black mascot of Wall Street oligarchs . . ."

3). President Obama is "a black puppet of corporate plutocrats."

4). President Obama is "a Rockefeller Republican in Blackface."

5). President Obama "has a certain rootlessness, a deracination."

6). President Obama Is "Afraid Of Free Black Men."

7). President Obama is "a global George Zimmerman."

8). Dr. Harris-Perry is "a fake and a fraud"

9). Dr. Michael Eric Dyson "is a sellout."

10). Al Sharpton "is a sellout."

11). MSNBC is the "Rent a Negro Network."
12). And if that’s not enough, now he’s quoted as calling the first Black President of the United States “a shell of a man.”

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Yet, when comedian Steve Harvey called him an Uncle Tom, he said, "When you are trying to talk about issues that affect the people, name calling gets in the way. Name-calling is nothing but another weapon of mass distraction."

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So name-calling is only objectionable when it’s directed at him. Such unmitigated hypocrisy is mind boggling - but for once, he’s right. Not one of the above assertions is a disciplined, constructive, or scholarly assessment of the facts. On the contrary, they're the reckless and intellectually undisciplined rants of a bitter, self-serving, and severely discredited academic fraud.

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For Cornel West, there’s something ‘racially defective’ about every Black person who has the audacity to preempt Cornel West from the limelight. West has a propensity for trying to denigrate the character of people whose been in the trenches for years, while West, himself, has done absolutely nothing beyond running his mouth. In order to gain clear evidence of that fact one simply has to ask oneself, what efforts have West made to try to improve the plight of the Black community?
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1). Is he in the community teaching 3^rd grade to help ensure a better education for our children, or teaching at an Historically Black College or University to help "enlighten" young Black students?

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No. He’s never taught at a school that more than 1% of Black students can even afford to have lunch in throughout his entire career. He’d rather gain props for teaching the children of the economic elites, who he CLAIMS, is the enemy, whenever he MANAGES to do a

"Drive-by" in the hood.

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2). Is he in the community teaching our young men to cherish, honor, and respect our Black women - the very womb of our culture?

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No. He’s out trying to sell books filled with inane and misleading information, doing $30,000 an hour speeches, and trying to become a hip hop star.

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3). Is he advising his good friend and business partner, Tavis Smiley, to be consistent with his sermons by being "accountable" to the community, and returning the money that he made on the Wells Fargo "Ghetto Scam" loans that he helped to herd over 30,000 poor minorities into?  Or is he out getting arrested in support of the Black Friday Demonstrations against Wal-Mart, the most prolific abuser of poor workers in the world?
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Nope, not a peep.

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The same is true of West's former puppeteer, Tavis Smiley. He can go all over the country in a bus criticizing President Obama in his Wal-Mart sponsored "Poverty Tour," and find the time to go "Dance With The Stars," but couldn't spare even a second of his time to walk down the street from his office to support the demonstration by Wal-Mart employees?

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Nope, all we've heard from Smiley regarding Wal-Mart abuse of  poor workers is crickets

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So what West, Smiley, and their ilk actually see coming from the community regarding their criticism of President Obama is Black outrage over their indulging in the crabs-in-a-barrel tradition that was inbred in us as slaves. Black people recognize that many of President Obama’s Black critics, including Cornel West, aren’t really interested in policy; they’re just using public policy as a pretext for attacking the President himself, and they’re so steeped in their Willie Lynch mentality that they either don’t realize, or don’t care that they’re doing a grave disservice not only to the African-American community, but to Black people all over the world.

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Because the fact is, many of Obama’s White conservative critics aren’t really interested in policy either. Like Obama’s Black critics, they have an ulterior motive as well, but their motive has nothing to do with crabs-in-a-barrel. Their primary motive is defending their claim of White superiority, and President Obama, in his soft-spoken, laid-back way, is dragging that claim through the mud. That’s why racists and conservatives hate him so.

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Conservatives recognize, as we all should - and especially Black people - that President Obama is not just another president. President Obama is the most high-profile symbol of Black competence in the world. In addition, what he has accomplished is the perfect equivalent of a conquered slave rising to become the emperor of Rome - and, one of its greatest emperors. So Barack Obama is going to be remembered by posterity as one of the greatest men in ALL of human history, and his story will be inspiring Black children a thousand years from now.

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Racists and conservatives recognize that fact, so naturally, they’re desperate to tear down Barack Obama’s image, and build up the image of criminals like Ronald Wilson Reagan, and there is no excuse for Black idiots like Tavis Smiley, Cornel West, and Boyce Watkins not to recognize that fact. That’s what makes them so detestable. Instead of trying to help racists tear down this Black icon, they should be offering RESPECTFUL suggestions in an attempt to ensure that Barack Obama is remembered as one of the greatest Presidents that this nation has ever had, even if they have to drag him up Mt. Rushmore kicking and screaming. But instead, they’re allowing themselves to be pointed to by racists who are claiming, "See, even Black people know he doesn’t live up to the standard of White presidents."

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Thus, people like Smiley and West are giving their own egos, self-service, and their Willie Lynch-inspired need to tear-down a Black historic icon priority over Black history, and the role that history is going to play in helping to raise the self-concept of the Black culture. In short, they’re trying to sabotage the self-esteem of Black children who are yet unborn. The mere thought of that kind of ignorant selfishness is absolutely disgusting - and especially when clothed in faux scholarship.

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So Cornel West and the others like him are not Black leaders, they’re clueless Black cultural afflictions, and if I wanted to take even more time (maybe I'll do it in a book), I could methodically take apart every argument that they've put forward against President Obama. But the short version is, there are some things we have to do for ourselves - and with good reason.

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As alleged "educated" men, they should all realize that Obama is merely President Obama, not King Obama.  The United States Constitution is very specific in giving SOLE power over spending to the House of Representatives, which is controlled by Republicans (that’s why they could refuse to pay the light bill and shutdown the government). So President Obama can’t do a damn thing for us without getting the Republicans to go along with him. That’s why he has to slip us everything on the down-low, because if the GOP know it’s for us, they’re going to dig-in, and if Obama goes to war against them over the issue, they're not going to allow him to do anything for ANYBODY. And as President of ALL the people, he can't allow that to happen, so he has to wrap Black interests in the interest of ALL the people.
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FORMER OBAMA CRITIC AND
NOBEL PRIZE WINNING ECONOMIST

In addition, as a thinking man (unlike many of you), Obama realizes that he has to think about precedents. If he grandstands like many of you suggest and say, "This is what I'm going to do for Black people," what are you going to do when the next White president says, "This is what I'm going to do for White people?"  And he'll justify it by calling it "The Obama Doctrine." 

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So Cornel West, Tavis Smiley - and also you others who share their backward-thinking proclivities - you need to use some of that alleged brain power to think, instead of burning it up trying to maintain your image, or attempting to hide your true motivations for attacking this President. I didn’t hear you saying a damn thing when Bush was in office. So you can try to clothe your true motivations in a tux, but it still has the funky smell of Willie Lynch all over it.

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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How Did Tavis Smiley Get a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

How Did Tavis Smiley Get a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame?

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In a comment regarding his recent star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Tavis Smiley is quoted as saying, "I don’t know how this happened, but I’ll take it." For the first time in many years I completely agreed with Tavis. Considering the state of near infamy that Tavis has reached in the Black community as a result of his controversial involvement in the Wells Fargo "Ghetto Loan Scam," the curious relationship that he maintains with Wal-Mart, and the end of his "Poverty Tour," which seemed to come to an abrupt end with the end of the 2012 election, like Smiley I didn’t know how it happened either. But unlike Smiley, I wanted to find out how it happened, and why. So I did a little research.
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Initially, I thought that people received stars on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame because the powers that be in the Hollywood community deemed the recipient to be so loved, so famous, and such a superstar that he or she should be awarded a star in the interest of posterity. Based on that criteria, at least to my mind’s eye, Tavis Smiley seemed to be a very curious choice for such an honor. He seemed to fall way short in every area but one - people know who he is.
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Then upon further digging I found that the award isn’t quite as "honorary" as most of us might think. There’s no committee in the Hollywood community that nominates a recipient and says, in effect, "We deem this person to be so loved, so famous, and such a superstar that we think he deserves a star on the Walk of Fame in the interest of posterity." There’s a promotional - and/or political - element to it as well. In order to receive a star on the Walk of Fame, either the nominee, or someone representing the nominee, must apply - and then pay $30,000 thereafter, if the nominee meets minimum requirements and is then approved. The process is as follows:
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"Anyone, including fans, can nominate anyone active in the field of entertainment as long as the nominee or his or her management approves the nomination (a letter of agreement from the nominated celebrity or representative must accompany the application). Nominees must have a minimum of five years' experience in the category for which they are nominated and a history of ‘charitable contributions’." So Tavis was being disingenuous when he said that he doesn’t know how it happened, because he had to be an active participant in order to make it happen - but the question is, how active?
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Well, Tavis was very active according to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the Hollywood Walk of Fame. According to the Chamber, Tavis Smiley’s own production company applied for Tavis to receive a star, and paid the $30,000 fee. So in effect, Tavis bought himself a $30,000 star. Yet, he came out and said, "I don’t know how this happened."
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Now, I wasn’t there to watch the transaction take place, but if the information provided by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce is correct, and I have no reason to think that it isn’t, the level of self-promotion, self-idolatry, and the shear disingenuousness of Tavis Smiley standing in front of the cameras and casually claiming, "I don’t know how this happened," is mind-boggling - and it should give the community a tremendous amount of insight into this guy’s character, or lack thereof.
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And this is not the first time Tavis has sought to enshrine himself. In 2009 Texas Southern University stripped Tavis Smiley’s name from its School of Communication because Tavis failed to come through with the $2 million that he promised in order to have the school named after him. So a mere $30,000 for a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame is chump change to Tavis.
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What grabs my attention about this situation is the insight it gives into Tavis’ true motivation. I used to tell my son and daughter when they were teenagers to pay no attention to what people say; you should always watch what they do. I’ve found that to be a very good rule of thumb with regard to Tavis Smiley. Tavis is renowned for going all over the country, jumping up and down, and insisting to anyone who will listen how dedicated he is to helping the poor. Yet, what does he do? Instead of trying to feed poor people, or reimbursing the people who lost their homes and life savings as a result of his roping them into the Wells Fargo Ghetto Loan Scam, he throws away millions of dollars trying to aggrandize and enshrine himself by purchasing stars and placing his name on buildings. His behavior speaks volumes. 
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Ordinarily I wouldn’t nitpick about this issue. I would simply congratulate Mr. Smiley on his star and move on. But I see this as a teaching moment. People of Tavis Smiley and Cornel West’s ilk have been preying on and undermining the Black community for over four hundred years, so it’s time to bring it to an abrupt end, just like he abruptly ended his "Poverty Tour" after he failed to get Mitt Romney elected.
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Open your eyes Black people. Tavis Smiley is intimately associated with Wal-Mart, one of the largest and most abusive manipulators of poor and middle-class working people in America. How can a person who is genuinely concerned about the poor and middle-class maintain such an association in good conscience? 
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Until just recently, Wal-Mart was a member of "The American Legislative Exchange Council" (ALEC), going back to 1993, an organization whose primary purpose for existence is to abolish laws that protect America’s poor, middle-class, and minorities. Wal-Mart recently discontinued its official membership in ALEC in response to public pressure against the organization’s support of "Stand Your Ground" laws around the country in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin murder - but thanks to the U.S. Supreme Court, we don't know what role Wal-Mart is continuing to play in secret. Yet, Wal-Mart is Tavis Smiley’s primary underwriter. They keep him propped up so they can influence the opinion of the Black community through him.
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On her site, Legal Speaks, Attorney and former prosecutor, Debbie Hines says the following regarding Tavis Smiley’s association with Wal-Mart:
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". . . Tavis Smiley and Cornel West are on a poverty tour crusade to speak out against the Obama Administration and in support of poor people’s rights. On the one hand, their actions might seem admirable. Many people seem to have forgotten to advocate for the least among us. There’s a lot of talk about the middle class but the word "poor" is rarely used. But here’s where the issue goes back to Stephanie Miller. The Tavis Smiley show is sponsored by Walmart, of all companies. And while Smiley and West have gone on poverty tours to bring attention to poverty and poor people, Walmart, by its own policies, is helping to cause poverty among its workers. Walmart assists poverty by paying substandard wages to its employees, paying little or no benefits including health benefits, decreasing hours to avoid paying benefits and working long hours on holidays. This past Thanksgiving, as if Black Friday was not early enough to start holiday sales, Walmart started with workers and stores opening at 8:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day—barely giving employees enough time to digest their turkey dinner.
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"Apparently, Tavis Smiley fails to see the hypocrisy in taking money from Walmart as a sponsor of the Tavis Smiley show while allegedly supporting and crusading for poor people. According to the Nation, "Walmart is one of the biggest recipients of government subsidies, receiving tax breaks, free land, cash grants and other forms of public assistance, in addition to paying some of its workers so little that they also turn to the federal government for programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)."
http://www.legalspeaks.com/2012/12/can-a-poverty-tour-be-supported-by-walmart/
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So just ask yourself, how many millions of dollars would Tavis’ cronies at Walmart, Exxon/Mobile, and the other members of ALEC be willing to pay to bring down President Obama? Let me give you a little insight into that, right out of the mouth of an irate Black Republican operative. In his article, "My Republican Party has Abandoned Me,"  Black Republican activist, Raynard Jackson, says the following:
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"For many years, I have approached the party and its supporters about underwriting programs to bring together Blacks who are Republican or lean Republican so we can weave them into every facet of the party structure. The answer is always, no! But, twice this year some of these same people have approached me about funding for some election year tricks that they (White Republicans) have conjured up and simply need a Black face to execute the plan. On these two separate occasions, these funders were willing to spend upwards of $20 million to have me organize a national campaign to identify Blacks who would be critical of President Obama."
http://www.freedomsjournal.net/2012/10/31/my-republican-party-has-abandoned-me/
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It's the height of irony that prior to the 2012 election Tavis Smiley and Cornel West claimed to have such compassion for the poor and middle class that they felt compelled to ride all over the country on a bus to tell the poor how badly President Obama has fallen short on their behalf. But after the election, they couldn't bring themselves to come and lend support to the Black Friday demonstrations taking place against Wal-Mart right down the street from Tavis' office.
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So let there be no doubt about it - this star, which Tavis claimed not to have known anything about, serves a very specific purpose. It’s an attempt to elevate Tavis Smiley's severely damaged profile and give him the "star power" to continue to manipulate the Black community for his Wal-Mart and other ALEC-connected corporate cronies. In the past, his cronies propped him up in the community, but his image has now become so badly damaged in the Black community that he needed something to prop himself up so his corporate cronies won't begin to see him as a liability.
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If you need evidence of how badly damaged Tavis' image has become, just ask yourself one question - when was the last time you saw Cornel West? They used to be connected at the hip. Was he even at the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony?  That wouldn't be like Cornel to miss a photo op like that. Hmmmmm . . .
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But on a serious note, we must bring this sort of community manipulation to an end, because there or other Tavis Smiley and Cornel West wannabes - like Boyce Watkins - waiting in the wings. 
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Let’s end this pimp game once and for all.

***

Dr. Boyce Watkins: You’re Making A Complete Damn Fool of Yourself

http://wattree.blogspot.com/2014/04/boyce-watkins-youre-making-complete.html

 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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Is the President of the United States Engaged in a Covert Conspiracy Against Tavis Smiley, or Has Tavis Finally Made it to Never-Never Land?

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

Is the President of the United States Engaged in a Covert Conspiracy Against Tavis Smiley, or Has Tavis Finally Made it to Never-Never Land?

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It seems that Tavis Smiley believes that he’s so important that the President of the United States is engaged in a covert conspiracy against him.

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Michael H. Cottman reported in his BlackAmericaWeb.com commentary, "Tom Joyner’s Opinion on Tavis Smiley’s White House Accusations," that "Smiley told the Associated Press that members of the Obama administration, whom he didn’t identify, have successfully convinced sponsors to stop funding Smiley’s ventures, including his anti-poverty initiatives."

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As Cottman alluded to in his commentary, the mere fact that Tavis failed to identify exactly who in the Obama administration "convinced sponsors" to stop funding his ventures, and exactly which sponsors he’s talking about, is particularly telling. That’s not like Smiley. If he had any evidence whatsoever to support his allegation he’d be holding one of his PBS "gibfests," complete with "expert analysis" by the prince of gesticular verbosity, Dr. Cornel West, pointing his finger at the president, and condemning the people in the administration who were involved.

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Because the fact is, even if the corporations involved didn’t want to reveal themselves, he could have at least attributed his allegation to "a source who wants to remain anonymous."

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But why would Tavis’s corporate benefactors even want to hide the fact that they were being pressured by Obama? Trying to put pressure on Walmart, Nationwide Insurance, or Exxon/Mobile would not only be extremely dumb on the part of the administration, but it would be a gift from God to Tavis’s ALEC connected corporate benefactors. Can you just imagine what Darrell Issa could do with something like that in his House Oversight Kangaroo Committee? He’d turn it into Watergate.

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So it seems that yet again Tavis is being deluded by his overblown ego - the same ego that made him assume that Obama had an obligation to come on his "State of the Black Union" show to be anointed by Tavis to run for president; the same ego that made him think that he’s been slighted when Obama failed to do so; the same ego that caused him to go all over the media complaining that "For the very first time in my career I haven’t been invited to the White House;" and the very same ego that made him think that he had enough clout in the Black community to challenge the first Black president of the United States.

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The fact is, President Obama hasn’t given either Tavis Smiley, or Cornel West, a second thought since he’s been in office. He hasn't had to, because he, like just about everyone else in America - at least, with good sense - could see that he didn’t have to. Tavis and West were making themselves look like perfect fools on their own accord, so the president didn’t have to say, or do a thing. All he had to do was sit back and watch them implode - and that’s exactly what he’s done.

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It’s a monument to Tavis’ lack of foresight that he couldn’t see this coming. In October of last year in an open letter to Pacifica Radio I wrote the following:

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"Tavis and West have become the new Amos & Andy of the Black community, and their trajectory is identical. They not only fail to represent Black interests, but they've become a major liability and embarrassment to many in the community. This will become more readily apparent as they begin to lose the major corporate sponsors currently propping them up - corporations that make it their business to know what’s going on in the community. Once these major corporations begin to see that these two have become liabilities rather than assets, they’re going to drop them like hot rivets. They probably already see it, but Tavis and West are still of marginal value - at least, until after the election." http://wattree.blogspot.com/2012/10/an-open-letter-to-pacifica-radio.html
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And later on the Smiley and West website I wrote,
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"The only thing that Tavis and West have to sell is the Black community, and once they lose that, which they’re currently hemorrhaging, they become a liability rather than an asset to their corporate benefactors. At that point, they become irrelevant. http://smileyandwest.ning.com/forum/topics/tavis-smiley-and-cornel-west-going-down-like-the-titanic.

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So if I could see this coming over the horizon, why couldn’t Tavis? It’s quite simple - because his all consuming and gargantuan ego blinded him to reality.
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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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Does Cornel West Harbor Racist Attitudes Towards Black People?

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree



Does Cornel West Harbor Racist Attitudes Towards Black People?

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Dr. Cornel West seems to have gone on a shameless mission to disparage anyone in the Black community who tends to overshadow him. Now he’s after music mogul and entrepreneur, Jay-Z, regarding his business holdings. West seems to be bound and determined to demonstrate to the world that Jay-Z's business holdings aren't as impressive as he's increasingly being given credit.

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But what Jay-Z owns or doesn't own is not the point of this piece. The bigger issue is the pettiness of a mind that can become so fixated on such a trivial issue. Considering West's, fading, yet substantial influence in the Black community, the possible impact of such a petty mind during a time when we are fighting for our very existence is indeed frightening.

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During a time in this nation's history when powerful forces in this country are hell-bent on establishing an era of corporate feudalism, how does Cornel West's attack on Jay-Z show "love" for the Black community? How does it help to reinforce the Black community and abolish poverty, as West insists to any and everyone who will listen, is his primary goal? In short, it doesn't - and that, is the point of this piece.

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Cornel West's petty fixation on such issues as the extent and source of Jay-Z's wealth, why a baggage handler could get inauguration tickets over his own illustrious personage, and why the President of the United States failed to return his personal phone call, clearly demonstrates that poverty and suffering within the Black community, and America as a whole, is not only less than his primary concern, but is, in fact, merely being used as a tool to gain personal attention and to promote his own self-aggrandizing agenda.

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In addition, West's all consuming penchant for attacking high-profile Black people - and in racially drenched terms - suggests far more than what many attribute to West's exaggerated sense of self-importance. It more clearly suggests a form of black-on-Black racism - an intense disdain and condescending attitude toward his own people. Black people tend not to look closely enough at this syndrome, but we should, because it's one of the most toxic maladies in the Black community. It's been killing us for over 400 years, and it's past time to bring it to an end.

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I was discussing this issue with a friend the other day, and she insisted, "No, it's not racism; it's a form of self-hatred." But I beg to differ. People like Cornel West, Tavis Smiley, Larry Elder (who Smiley just recently had on his show), Clarence Thomas, and Herman Cain, don't hate themselves at all - it's not themselves, but the Black community that they look down their noses at. During the Republican primaries Herman Cain said that Black people weren't supporting him because we were brainwashed. That's politispeak for stupid. But as things turned out, stupidity notwithstanding, with respect to Cain, it seems that the Black community was way ahead of the Republican Party. We saw right through Herman Cain from day one, so who's stupid?
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But we're not quite as practiced at seeing through people like Tavis Smiley and Cornel West, because Tavis and West have put a different spin on their game through the use of reverse psychology. Herman Cain tried to use the direct approach - using our ignorance to bamboozle us into supporting Republicans. Tavis and West, on the other hand, knew that wouldn't work, so they tried to accomplish the same goal, but through the back door - using our anger to hornswoggle us into NOT supporting the president. But in the end, it amounts to the same thing - our being flimflammed into cutting our own throats.   

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The Black community needs to start wrapping it's head around the fact that you don't have to be White to have racist attitudes towards Black people. Clear evidence of that fact can be had by simply asking yourself when was the last time you heard of a drive-by being perpetrated by a shooter wearing a sheet?
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One Black man responded to the above assertion with the following comment:
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 "I don’t hate myself. I'm dark and a handsome man, but niggas I can’t stand. I love my lineage enough to not put it with a group I see going downhill real fast. Black people have become a scab that will not heal as a collective. I’m doing like my Moorish/Kemetic ancestors and exploring the world. Blacks have shown to me that they can’t/won’t defend themselves because they don’t love each other. Blacks just have lost the luster they once had."

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You see, I know a little something about Black racism. It's not a new concept to me. I've been observing Black racists plying their trade for most of my adult life. I worked for the United States Postal Service for 28 years, and for 12 of those years I was a union representative who specialized in EEO claims. And during that time I witnessed Black managers and supervisors engage in some of the most vicious forms of racism against other Black employees that I've ever seen - in fact, a White manager wouldn't have been able to get away with it.

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Personally, I believe the postal service incorporates that fact into its business model. You see, it's next to impossible for a Black employee to file a successful claim of discrimination against another Black person, so part of the postal service's business model is to elevate Black people to rob, steal, intimidate, harass, and fire other Black people. As a direct result, I have a friend who's an Asian woman with a Master's degree who's been passed over for promotion for over 10 years in lieu of an endless parade of Black racists who barely made it through high school. The reason for that is the primary qualification for promotion is their willingness to abuse other Black people. That's a huge part of the postal service's rapid downhill slide in both competence, and customer service.
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The following is an eye witness account of a Black bigot at work:

Customer Statement

"Atten: Miss Stanley, Station Manager
To Whom It May Concern:

“My name is Elizabeth Crawford. I along with my wife Michelle Lo, own [address withheld].  On August 13, 2011 we were landscaping our front yard and witnessed an altercation between our mail carrier, Sylvester Burton and a woman whom I later learned was Juanita, his supervisor.

“At first I only heard a woman (Juanita) shouting and cursing. Since my back was to them I did not see who was yelling. Then I saw our letter carrier Mr. Burton drive by in his mail truck and pull over to the curb just past our driveway. A black woman raced over to the now parked mail truck cursing and shouting at Mr. Burton saying “you tried to run me over” and that she was going to “call the police”. As I watched I became very very alarmed because I could not tell at first from the casual attire she was clothed in that she was a postal employee. All I could see was an extremely unhinged woman going ballistic and attacking our mailman. I watched Juanita as she reached inside the mail truck and shook her hand in Mr. Burton’s face as she shouted ‘I don’t give a fuck about you and by the way I think your ass is GAY!’ Then she shouted ‘you take your ass back to the station right now…this is MY ROUTE, MY ROUTE…and you take your ass back to the station right now...’ She then shouted ‘I’m calling the postal police on your ass you take your ass back to the station right now.’

“Mr. Burton drove away in the mail truck. I don’t know what Mr. Burton was saying in response to all this as he NEVER raised his voice or shouted back during the entire episode.

“My entire family including my seven year-old niece had to witness this entirely unprofessional vulgar outburst. The cursing and swearing peppered with the f-word and the homophobic remarks was nothing less than shocking and completely inappropriate. I was extremely offended by her homophobic remarks and I am myself gay, not to mention the cursing and swearing in front of our child.

“Don’t know and I really don’t care what prompted Juanita’s tirade. I was shocked to see someone in a so-called “supervisory position” treating someone who works for her so brutally. Needless to say law in the state of California the law prohibits the attack on Mr. Burton based on his sexual identification in the workplace! You should take note of this.

“You need to DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS WOMAN. While representing the USPS no one should be able to behave that badly and make that big of a scene in public plus publicly attacking a subordinates sexual orientation and be allowed to keep their job.

“If Mr. Burton sues for harassment I will gladly be a witness on his behalf.

Signed,
M. Elizabeth J. Crawford"
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The postal service lost the case and gave the supervisor involved a tap on the wrist (sensitivity training). Now it's back to business as usual. All of the above took place because the carrier was rushed out of the office, and as a result inadvertently left some of the mail at the station. And by the way, once the supervisor found out there was a witness, she never again mentioned her allegation that the carrier tried to run over her.
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So with respect to Cornel West, just take a minute to ask yourself the following questions. First, with everything the Republican Party is trying to do to Black people - obstructing our right to vote, trying to destroy our educational system, attempting to take away our parents' and grandparents' access to Medicare and Social Security, and trying to destroy our future by making higher education beyond our children's reach - why is West focused on something as unimportant to our welfare as what Jay-Z is doing?  In addition, West is as quiet as a church mouse regarding the role that his buddy, Tavis Smiley, played in helping Wells Fargo Bank swindle Black homeowners - at least, former Black homeowners. All of a sudden, "accountability" doesn't apply in that case.  http://washingtonindependent.com/59633/suit-alleges-trusted-black-figures-drew-minorities-to-high-rate-loans

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And secondly, since the most direct road out of poverty is to ensure that our young people obtain a quality education, why is it that Dr. Cornel West has failed to teach at any school that more than 1% of Black students can even afford to get into in his entire career? Wouldn't you think that one who is renowned as an educator, and who claims to "love" his people so passionately that he was "forced" to publicly attack the first Black President of the United States, would at the very least, apply his skills to educating Black youth? Come on, people. Connect the dots.   

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What we have to begin to understand regarding people like Cornel West and others of his ilk is, Black people are the product of the very same racist environment as White people. And as a result, many of us are just as racist and condescending towards other Black people as any racist Hillbilly. So what West is clearly demonstrating is, in spite of everything that's coming together to destroy the Black community, it all has to take a backseat to America's favorite pastime - dragging a successful Black man through the mud. And West’s attack on Jay-Z is not just an aberration - he’s done the exact same thing to President Obama, Dr. Melissa Harris-Perry, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, and Rev. Al Sharpton. Yet, he seems to be fine with Walmart, and the others who are trying to cut the Black community's throat.

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No other group of people in the world think that way about their own, and for that reason, Black people are at the very bottom of the social and economic ladder. New arrivals to this country all but stumble over us as they move forward and leave us behind. So we need to wake up, and stop tolerating this sort of thing, regardless to how we might feel about Jay-Z's wealth. We shouldn't be doggin' Jay-Z. We should take pride in what he's accomplished, because whether you're a hip hop fan or not, the brother has demonstrated the intellect to rise to the top - and without Walmart.

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Finally, it's easy to understand why West is so popular among many - he's the most prolific champion of intellectual masturbation in the Black community - bar none. He's an entertainer. But don't be bamboozled by a wooly head and hardcore rhetoric. While Cornel West has been hyped by the establishment as one of the Black community’s premier intellectuals, he’s been repeatedly demonstrating the very worst in Black behavior for over twelve years now. So while it’s both understandable, and appropriate, for the Black community to despair over this public embarrassment, we should use it as a teaching moment: Always look beneath the hype, and never allow others to define our heroes.

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RELATED ARTICLES

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What Has Obama Done for the Poor and Middle Class?

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Tavis, West, and Malcolm

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It’s Time to Boycott Tavis,West, and All Black-on-Black Racists

 

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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The New American Pastime - Ignoring the Truth to Accommodate a Lie

Beneath the Spin * Eric L. Wattree

The New American Pastime - Ignoring the Truth to Accommodate a Lie

As I watch the political machinations of extremists of every stripe in this country, it occurred to me that maybe I should write a book of fiction. That seems to be the only way left to slip a little truth in to the American people. The people of this country have been lied to for so long and so consistently, that they’ve become much more responsive to a well articulated lie than they are to reality. So at this point, a work of fiction would have to be about fairies and pixy dust not to come closer to the truth than what currently passes for political reality in America.

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Over the past thirty years we've allowed the most extremist forces in America to take over our political environment. As a result, truth no longer matters. What's become more important is how effectively truth can be distorted to conform to a given ideology. This philosophy has become so fully embraced by our society that instead of the press digging for the truth as was traditionally the case, they're now more like handicappers, reporting on whose lie is likely to play most effectively with the American people - "Mitt Romney's latest lie on job creation seems to be polling well in the battleground states."
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But lying is not limited to the GOP. Tavis Smiley and Cornel West have also elevated lying and demagoguery to unprecedented levels in the Black community. With their highly innovative "Poverty Tour" scam, Tavis and West are using their "Obama's-not-Black-enough" rhetoric, along with impossible demands, to marginalize the President. The tactic is designed to anger Black people and drive them away from the polls. That, in turn, benefits the GOP, and of course, it delights Tavis and West's corporate benefactors - ca-ching!
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But in spite of the fact that every available indicator, and simple common sense, suggests that Tavis and West are, let's say, less than sincere about their deep concern for the poor and middle class, there are people who are so passionate about their various one-issue ideologies that they find it more convenient to embrace a lie than to face the truth.
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For such people, the truth is inconvenient, so it doesn't matter how hard Tavis and West are fighting to bolster the position of the GOP, a group whose sole purpose in life is to cut the throats of the poor and middle class. Instead of facing this truth, they'd rather be angry at Obama for refusing to shove their personal religious beliefs down the throat of the rest of America. Thus, instead of facing the reality that corporate fascists are poised to change the very character of America as we've known it, these people would rather embrace smoke and mirrors, and promote arguments that distort reality in a way that conforms to their particular ideology. In short, the American people have been conditioned to give ideology priority over truth.
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I mean, what do you say to a man who says, President Obama is un-American because he's engaged in a socialist plot to make sure my family has health care? And what do you say to people who take the position that Obama is an arrogant elitist - "How dare he try to send my kids to college!!?" And then there are the people who say, "Sure, Obama stopped the the country from hemorrhaging 800,000 jobs a month under Bush, and then he got Osama Bin Laden, and in the process created more jobs in 27 months than Bush did in 7 years, but that's not good enough, so we need to go back to the old way."
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There's nothing logical left to say to such people. They're immune to logic, so the only thing left is to write a book of fiction to give them a sneak peak at the kind of world they're asking for - and I was thinking, maybe it would help to have it animated, and staring Yogi Bear unable to find anyone who could afford a picnic basket. But I've decided to give logic one more shot.

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DO YOU THINK NATIONWIDE
IS ON YOUR SIDE?

So first, let's be real. A blind man could see that Tavis and West are pimping the Black community. They're clearly placing their agenda before what's in the best interest of the people. They're making money, and they're also pursuing a four-year long vendetta. Now, I'm not saying that they’re being paid directly in response to an agreed upon quid pro quo, but rather, with a wink, a nod, and a slap on the back in corporate sponsorships (which helps to keep them propped up as high profile players). They could also be paid through the manipulation of endowments that fund West's $30,000 speaking fees, the corporate purchase of their books in mass numbers, and media appearances. There are many ways for the corporate establishment to reward "good-boy" behavior other than passing bags filled with cash in dark alleys.

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In his article, "My Republican Party has Abandoned Me," Black Republican activist, Raynard Jackson, says the following:

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"For many years, I have approached the party and its supporters about underwriting programs to bring together Blacks who are Republican or lean Republican so we can weave them into every facet of the party structure. The answer is always, no! But, twice this year some of these same people have approached me about funding for some election year tricks that they (White Republicans) have conjured up and simply need a Black face to execute the plan. On these two separate occasions, these funders were willing to spend upwards of $20 million to have me organize a national campaign to identify Blacks who would be critical of President Obama."
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Now, do you really believe that in this contentious election, where the Republican Party has unlimited funds and are willing to do anything to win, that some of that money is not finding its way into the pocket of two of the most money hungry, highest profile, Black Obama bashers in the country? That's highly unlikey - especially since one of those bashers, Tavis smiley, is closely associated with Walmart and several other charter members of "ALEC."  So if you believe that they're not benefitting in some way from that GOP dirty tricks fund, you're naive.

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They're rationale just doesn't make sense. Tavis and West claim that they're going to vote for Obama, but they simply want to stimulate discussion. Well, if that's true, then couldn't they wait until AFTER the election, and AFTER we've made sure that we've protected the interest of poor and middle-class America and the Black community  from corporate fascists, and THEN have this "intelligent and passionate" discussion?
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But of course, Tavis and West would argue that once reelected, President Obama wouldn't have an incentive to listen. But that's not true. Every president is concerned about his legacy, and as the first Black president that's even more true of Obama than most. In addition, President Obama has two daughters who'll have to live with his legacy for the rest of their lives. Thus, President Obama's actions in office will determine whether they live their lives as American princesses, or pariahs. Certainly the highly intellectual Cornel West recognizes that fact - doesn't he?
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At this point, I'm sure there are Tavis and West Supporters who would say that I'm being unfair. But the fact is, I'm following Cornel West's own prescription on how to determine who to trust. When Barack Obama failed to come on Tavis Smiley’s "State of Black America" show in 2008 - the very day that he threw his hat in the ring to run for President of the United States - Cornel West jumped up and down wanting to know, "Where are you getting your money?" He also said, that Obama was involved with people "who warrant our distrust." Okay. Well, Tavis and West are always talking about accountability, so lets hold them to the same standard. Do the people they're associated with warrant our trust, and where are they getting the money to finance their so-called "Poverty Tours?" And there's an irony here, by the way. In the link below, notice the logos in the background while West is preaching his sermon on trust - Wells Fargo and Exxon/Mobile, both members of ALEC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HXj3_pjTTwg&feature=player_embedded

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Now let's take a look at the people who Tavis and West want us to trust. In an article appearing in PR Watch entitled  "ALEC Exposed," Brendan Fischer says the following:

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"The gun lobby has come under the spotlight for its role in the so-called "Stand Your Ground" or "Shoot First" law that may protect the man who shot and killed seventeen-year-old Trayvon Martin in Florida -- but many other special interests, including household names like Kraft Foods and Wal-Mart, also helped facilitate the spread of these and other laws by funding the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC)."

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Brendan goes on to say, "But as CMD has documented through ALECexposed.org, the National Rifle Association (NRA) is not the only special interest that has funded ALEC's operations over the years. Kraft, Wal-Mart, State Farm, and other well-known corporations are ALEC members and give thousands of dollars a year to ALEC to support its work, sit on its board, have a vote on its task forces, and access lawmakers through ALEC meetings at fancy resorts. Over 98 percent of ALEC's annual $7 million budget comes from corporations and sources other than the $50 in annual dues paid by its legislative members. Because ALEC is largely corporate-funded, it is through the financial support of some of the largest companies in the world that ALEC model bills can spread across the country."

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Tavis Smiley is, or has been, closely associated with several members of ALEC - Walmart, Exxon/Mobile,Wells Fargo, and All-State Insurance - an organization whose sole purpose for being is to get rid of Obama, abolish the liberal agenda, and to lower the standard of living of the American middle class to conform with that of developing nations. So how does that agenda coexist with Tavis and West's claim to be concerned with the plight of the poor?

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Think about it for a moment. Contrary to the hype, both of Tavis and West are mediocre talents at best. West is all image and no substance, and Tavis is probably the most overrated Black "journalist" in all of the media. Compare Cornel West to a scholar like Melissa Harris-Perry. Dr. Perry is lucid, she substantiates her assertions, and she’s more focused on her message than she is on how cool she looks while she's on camera.

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One the other hand, Cornel West’s game is to bedazzle with showmanship rather than to inform - in fact, clarity is the very last thing he wants, because that would betray the fact that he’s not saying nothing. West goes out of his way to find polysyllabic words and construct sentences filled with phrases so convoluted that you need the Rosetta Stone decipher them, and even then they refuse to resolve into a cogent thought. And that’s not by accident. West’s entire purpose is to get a lot of camera time to bedazzle the people with gesticulation, while camouflaging the fact that he’s not saying anything. The brother’s an expert at taking a very long time to say very little. But there's one thing I can say for him, when he’s done, you’ve definitely been entertained - that is, unless you’re looking for substance. So if you interview most people after a Cornel West concert, they’ll say, "I don’t know what he said, but it sure sounded good."
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The fact is, West has been in the public eye for nearly 35 years, yet, I've never met anyone who can think of ANYTHING memorable or profound that he's said in all of that time. Even when he puts forth an effort to be profound it comes off as inane and contrived - 'Justice is what love feels like in public.' That is so tired. The only reason that ANYBODY accepts West as a scholar and intellectual is because the people who are propping him up told us that he was - and since when he came along Black people were thrilled to death to have one of our own embraced by the intellectual establishment, we never bothered to questioned his credibility, or whether or not he measured up to what they claimed he was. As a result, we're now stuck with a high profile joke representing a Black intellectual - and the bigots love him.
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The Black community was blinded by all the hype, and two words - Harvard and Princeton. That's why so many of us are so protective of West. While many of us are beginning to see the light at this point, what we still fail to realize is the only reason West was selected and embraced by the establishment in the first place was because they knew he was a clown, and he was so shallow and self-promoting in his thinking that he was safe. There’s one thing they knew about Cornel West - he might run around trying to sound militant, but he’s not about to say anything that’s going to seriously jeopardize his celebrity. That’s why you didn’t hear him saying none of the things about Bush that he’s saying about Obama.
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You see, the establishment needs people like Cornel West. He helps keep the people in check by keeping the people believing that salvation is just around the corner, but he never steps outside the boundaries of the status quo.
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Malcolm could have been the greatest mind that the world had ever known, and the establishment would never have embraced him like they're doing Tavis and West. Ask yourself why - and ask yourself why the media is allowing Tavis Smiley to overshadow much more talented Black journalists. The answer is clear. The fact is, we’re allowing ourselves to be told who to listen to.
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Now, those are the facts. Anyone who needs the animated version can contact me at the address below.

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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