Blinders

I just finished reading an article on Yahoo's NewsBlog about a New York Times columnist by the name of Frank Rich, who wisely and correctly, wrote an article about the real purpose fueling the "tea party" folks. Then, of all people to respond to the article, Pat Sajak of "Wheel of Fortune" fame, fired back stating Rich didn't know of what he speaks. Hey Pat, can you read these letters? R-A-C-I-S-M.

One has got to be either moronic or living in a cave to not recognize the signs. These "tea party" folks weren't having a problem when their beloved Bush was running up the deficit and then borrowing from one of the country in the "axis of evil", China. They didn't seem to mind when it was found that there were no WMDs in Iraq but those of us who knew the truth protested but the "tea party" folks branded protesters as unpatriotic. So, for Pat Sajak and all the other citizens, across the board, wake up, it is racism. Do realize that none of this fury came about until the moment we all learned that Barack Obama would be the 44th president. The fear mongers worked up all those pitiful, weak minded citizens, who seem to not have the ability to think for themselves. There is a big diffference between disagreements and wrath, and it is wrath that these people are exhuming with the same fury as those who decried Civil Rights. The same wrath that produced the Civil War because of the difference of opinions on how to treat another human being. The same wrath that took the form of Caucasian males hanging Black men, that was racism. The treatment of Black congressmen a couple of weeks ago was racism in the same manner and form as those Black students arriving for the first day of school in Little Rock. Was that not racism? I could go on and on but only those who acknowledges the truth and the reality of it understands. For those with blinders on, just like horses, their views are very narrow and will never see another perspective but their own. All you can do is feel sorry for such puppets because that's exactly what they are; mindless puppets under the control of the likes of Sarah Palin, who by the way, is living up to exactly what Levi said, Rush Limbaugh and many other mindless receptacles of hot air. There's an adage about how those living in glass houses shouldn't throw any stones. Their house will collaspe soon and how great will the shatter be.

Black Folks & Racism

Written: 7/10/05

There are two sets of truths that exist, spiritual and physical and although I try to live by the spiritual, living on this earth sometimes make it quite difficult. Before I go into my spiel, I will start with two spiritual truths; they are “GOD is no respecter of persons,[1]” and “from ONE blood GOD created EVERY nation of men,[2]” Racism is evil in itself and all who practice it, especially Christians, are stiff-necked, hard-hearted people. Beyond that, it never fails to amaze me that Black folks would have the audacity to practice this evil not only against others but each other.

Somewhere along the way, some Black folks assumed that they had that kind of power, NOT. I am so tired of hearing about ‘foreigners’; first because my parents are foreigners as am I and second we are all of one race, human. I am tired of hearing Black folks whine and complain about those foreigners. They do the jobs Black folks are too good to do anymore, so what’s the problem? Black folks complain about how many of them live in an apartment or a house but they are working together to better themselves, what are we doing for each other? In retrospect, the signing of the Civil Rights Bill did more harm than good because we lost our souls; we lost ourselves. I say that because the racism practiced against us still exists but we are no longer united. Before the signing of the C.R. Bill, we were there for each other, for comfort, for strength. Although we’re now allowed to sit anywhere on the bus, many still resort to the back. Some within our race who ‘have made it’ have forgotten those of who haven’t. It’s the light skinned, long hair females such as Beyonce, who is thrust upon us as the measure of beauty. Black children and adults who have the nerve to strive for something better are labeled as trying to be white. What is wrong here?

For all the talking Black folks do, they don’t or can’t seem to back it up by taking action. What happened after the Million Man March? I don’t see Black men stepping up to the plate. What about the Million Woman March? Black women are still treating each other with disrespect and distrust. The things Black folks had to contend with before the signing of the bill, still exists. Racism hasn’t been erased; those who practice it just can’t do it as openly. The problem also lies in the fact that people like Clarence Thomas and others of the race practice racism against their own. It’s all about image and what they got and what they can achieve for themselves and their peers just like those in my community. If they were about us, they would have fought harder for John Robinson and the MLK Center but they didn’t; but neither did the community.

Abraham Lincoln chose to free the slaves for emotional and political reasons; Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill for the same reason. The owner of a dog will do what is necessary to keep it quiet. Within the global community, the U.S. was the owner; Black folks were the dogs. The neighbors were watching to see what was going to happen, so to quiet us they gave us a bone. Once we got that bone, we settled down with a whimper. We have no power because we are divided. I will close with two adages that says, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem” and “Silence is golden”, NOT.

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[1] Acts 10:34

[2] Acts 17:26

Choices

This article is about pro-choice and abortion. As a woman who has had an abortion, I understand both sides of this debate; and I will address this issue from both the political and spiritual/religious aspects.

Many of you are familiar with this scripture, “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him (Jesus) shall not perish but have everlasting life”[1]. What many of you miss is that one single word, whoever. Whoever is a choice word and if our Creator has given us free will, who is flesh and blood to take that away? The scripture doesn’t say, 'you must or you have to', it says “whoever”, and you have the right to choose to follow or not, your choice, free will. Free will means the freedom of the will to choose a course of action without external coercion but the actions of pro-lifers is nothing but coercion. Under the Bill of Rights, the Third Article, Amendment 1 starts of with, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof”[2] but again, that’s exactly what pro-lifers are attempting to do. So, from both sides of the coin their stance is unjust and unfair.

One does not have the right to tell a woman what she can and cannot do with her body. Abortion is wrong but so is cheating, lying, hate and selfishness, just to name few. They [pro-lifers] choose which sins or moral code is the most offensive to them but they are not deities to pick and choose at their whim. They make choices for their lives yet they deny a woman the right to make decisions for her life. How can they, a creation, assume they know more of Christianity than He for Whom it was named? Do they really think that abortion did not exist when Christ walked this earth? They are stiff-necked, hard-hearted hypocrites. If they are so pro-life, why aren’t they adopting the children locked up or lost within the social service system? Why aren’t they trying to assist children, who for whatever reasons, live on the streets and are victimized by adults? Why aren’t they fighting to make changes for the children in urban communities and Native American reservations?

As long as their families are safe and secure, they really don’t care about anyone else. They are no more than puffed up peacocks trying to show their form of righteousness, to show how “Christianized” they are. Where, in the Bible, does it tell us to force our ways, our opinions on anyone? It tells us, “to be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ also forgave you”[3]. They consider the death penalty as justifiable but murder is murder. Who are they to dictate which life is important and which one is not? One cannot support the death penalty and then deny a woman the right to make a decision for her life with her body. God forgives and forgets; people do not. My support for pro-choice is my responsibility to respect another’s decision. I nor anyone else have the right to condemn unless we are willing to support that woman and her child in every area of their lives and given the needs of so many fatherless children, one can only assume that pro-lifers will only go so far.

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[1][1] John 3:16

[2][2] http://www.constitution.org/billofr_.htm

[3] Ephesians 4:32

A Pragmatic Look at the Political Parties

To help state my case, I’d like to start with a parable from the Bible, it’s the “Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector”. “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, “God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess”. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast, saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner”. I tell you, this man (tax collector) went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself

will be abased and he who humbles himself, will be exalted”[1].

The Pharisee is the Republican Party and the Tax Collector is the Democratic Party. Don’t get me wrong, I am not naïve to think every Republican is hard-hearted and every Democrat has a heart for the voiceless, however, the Republican Party uses the platform of religious/moral values and they’ve become so good at it, many alleged Christian citizens are fooled. I remember when GW Bush was elected, how many alleged Christians stated, “God wanted Bush to be president”, how egotistical. Where in the New Testament does it show God or even Jesus Christ getting involved with the mechanisms of the political process in any shape, form or manner? Not only that, in the temptations of Jesus Christ by the devil, there’s a specific point when the devil takes Jesus to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and said to Him, “all these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me, for this has been delivered to me and I give it to whomever I wish”[2]. Can that be any clearer and if it’s not here’s another one for you. “But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind”[3]; which party would be more willing to honor such a statement? Reality check readers, again the Democrats are not perfect, far from it, they’re flesh and blood just like the Republicans and prone to making mistakes but they make an effort to do for the poor, the maimed, the lame and the blind; “he who oppresses the poor reproaches His maker, but he who honors Him has mercy on the needy”[4], unlike their Republican counterparts who would rather look good on the outside to garner votes. The other interesting thing is that Republicans cow tow to the party line while Democrats, who act from their hearts, have different thoughts and ideas, sometimes stumbling over each other in their quest to do for those with no voice or power, to right a wrong After Jesus told His disciples of His impending death, Peter made a comment to which Jesus’ response was, “get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men”[5]. The Republicans are not mindful of the religion they allege to follow, which makes them far more hypocritical than the Democrats. Do you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah? The ills of society existed when Christ walked this earth but His ministry, His heart went out to those who were in any form of bondage or despair; He had compassion on the very people the Democrats try to fight for and the Republicans ignore. “I say to you that there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance”[6].

I don’t have the power or the wealth to help those in need, so I vote for those with the power and the heart to help the weak of our society, that’s my responsibility as a Christian and a citizen, however, as a Christian, my life is not contingent on the actions or inactions of the Democrats, my party of choice. My life is contingent on my personal, spiritual relationship with Father because “my faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God”[7]. Choices should not be made according to what one says but what one does and having the wisdom to see the difference, that’s how I vote because we are warned, “beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world and not according to Christ”[8]

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[1] Luke 18: 9-14

[2] Matthew 4:1-12 & Luke 4:1-13

[3] Luke 14:13

[4] Proverbs 14: 31

[5] Matthew 16:23 & Mark 8:33

[6] Luke 15: 7 & 10

[7] 1 Corinthians 2:5

[8] Colossians 2:8

Labels

How ignorant are we when we put labels to people because they're different from us? How asnine are we because we expect children to behave in a certain manner when the adults around them are far more childish? How inconsiderate are we when we expect everyone to do everything our way?

I must ask the "alleged" Christians, would you really know our Savior? It is quite interesting that the name the conservatives use to define those not living according to their format, could actually describe Jesus Christ and that word is "liberal". Defined, the word "liberal" means "giving freely, generous, favoring reform or progress". Isn't that what Jesus did, to freely give of Himself? "Communism" defined is any economic theory or system based on the ownership of all property by the community as a whole. Isn't that how Jesus and the disciples lived? Isn't that the example showed to us in Acts 4:32? Now of course there are more definitions to these words but this is what happens when you want something to work for you. Interestingly enough, "conservative" defined means to resist or oppose any changes; tending to preserve established traditions or institutions. Well, well, doesn't that sound like the stiff-necked religious leaders of Jesus' day as well as our modern day versions? This definition sits well with a quote from Machiavelli, who stated, "there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things, because the innovater has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions and lukewarm defenders in those who may dwell under the new". No wonder the "conservatives" rail against President Obama so much, but again I digress.

As interesting as this may be, we are passing on to a new generation mixed signals. How can we teach the children to have compassion but lambaste those who are different from us? How dare we, as a nation, even try to tell another country what to do when we have so many issues here at home that needs to be resolved? Children and adults alike are scarred because others choose to put labels on them. Labels hurt and they do a disservice to mankind, the creation of God. Labels keep people from breaking free of their prisons; it keeps children from living up to their potential; labels keep parts of society trapped in an economic quagmire. You, stiff-necked, hard hearted conservatives call children born to unmarried women, illegitimate. The very group of people who are pro-life would label an innocent baby that says they are nothing.

America, your labels hurt. It tears away the fabric of the soul. It arms those who are twisted with hate, ammunition and more reasons to do their deeds. It is the salt in the open wounds of those struggling to overcome society's stumbling blocks. For shame America, your red, white and blue are fading.

Parasites

Although we are created in GOD’s image, we are not behaving as His children; we do not exude the love, mercy or patience to each other as He does towards us. In “The Matrix”, Hugo Weaving’s character is Agent Smith, a bad guy, for the “Matrix”. In a scene where he’s trying to get answers from Laurence Fishburne’s character, Morpheus, a good guy, Smith makes a rather nasty but interesting comparison about the humans he must keep in control and it is that we are parasites.

Although my dictionary is old, a parasite is defined as “1: one who eats at the table of another; a person, as in ancient Greece, who flattered and amused the host in return for free meals; 2: a person who lives at the expense of another or others without making any useful contribution or return; and 3: a plant or animal that lives on or in an organism of another species from which it derives sustenance or protection without benefits to and usually with harmful effects on the host”. Hmm, it seems our society fits the given criteria. The second definition describes our society’s need to comment on and criticize any and everyone in the public eye. We listen to so called “entertainment news” to see what the celebrities are doing in their “personal” lives. We buy, choke, rag papers which has no real value or contributes anything to our lives and due to our insatiable appetite of voyeurism, we have created the monster known as “paparazzi”. We, society’s children, assisted in Britney Spears’ breakdown; for Lindsay Lohan losing her way and the breakup of many marriages. How did we do that? By continuing to buy the rags and calling or going on line to comment on another person’s life. We put so much into celebrities, sports, politics or entertainment that we give credibility to those who assist in the disruption of marriages by actually listening to them; the Tiger Woods and John Edwards’s situations are prime examples. Who are those women and why should they get any time on air or any sympathy? Both men were wrong, no doubt, but those women knew who these men were and their marital status but they proceeded with the deed nonetheless. If all these females who loved throwing themselves at celebrities for their few minutes of fame where put back into the old and shameful roles of “harlot” and shamed maybe they’d think more carefully before throwing themselves onto these men. We encourage this behavior by needing, wanting to know the juicy details. Have we no shame? I’m sorry; I just couldn’t end without commenting about Sarah Palin, who, after denying everything her grandson’s daddy stated about her, seems to be living up to his statements about her ambition to be a celebrity. When will enough be enough?

The Eradication of Black Males

I watched a repeat of the show “Cold Case” about a young Black man who was brutalized and hung while the “I Have A Dream” speech played on the car radio of the murderers.

Although that form of murder of Black men is no longer legally allowed, this form has been replaced by another, incarceration. For years many “human rights” activists have discussed this, some politicians have made statements but because these are mainly Black men being imprisoned, they back off because the constituency really don’t care.

It is amazing that during the apartheid in South Africa, the United States had more Black men imprisoned than South Africa. There isn’t any justice in the legal system, it “just-is” that Black men are easy prey because of the color of their skin, their economic status and a deep-rooted fear of them. A brief note here, many within the Black community realize O.J. did it but for all the Blacks who have been mutilated, hung, raped and murdered by Caucasians, it was payback. It was to let White society know that what they felt after the verdict were feelings that Black society had to deal with for years by putting up with what White males did to Black men and women and getting away with it. It was the proverbial “gotcha”.

What has gone beyond frightening, however, is that the system is now targeting the Black youths. Instead of addressing the mental health and economic issues which is usually the root of some of these anti-social behaviors, society would rather incarcerate them. Compared to the Caucasian counterparts, whose activities are seen as “boys will be boys” behavior and who are usually slapped on the wrist, African-American youths have no alternatives because no one cares and that’s the problem. “NO ONE” does care. It’s not enough that the juvenile court system is overwhelmed with these young men; society is now dumping them into adult prison to endure what no child should. The police, prosecutors and the judges know this but again, they don’t care. Those who have the power to make changes have no regard for these youths; neither does society and these kids know it, at which point they don’t care and thus, they do what they do. Society fights to protect and coddle Caucasian children but not urban youths and these kids aren’t stupid or bad, they just need someone to fight for them, to care. Society has thrown them away.

When the Constitution was put together, they weren’t thinking of Black males, adults or the youth, it was about those who looked like those who signed it. Americans love to boast of their fairness in justice, their compassion and their values but only where it suits them. Considering that one is to be tried “by a jury of their peers”, having a jury comprised of middle class Caucasians is not justice, it surmounts to a legally sanctioned lynching. They would rather change the world to think and act like them than to concentrate on the injustices committed against Black men and the youth because “charity begins at home”. I am more incensed with those who allege of their Christian values because the Scripture says, “Woe to those who decree unrighteous decrees, who write misfortune, which they have prescribed. To rob the needy of justice and to take what is right from the poor of My people, that widows may be their prey and that they rob the fatherless”[1] but they choose to ignore what their GOD told them to do because most of the poor, the fatherless don’t look like them. The Black family has been broken since the days of slavery and their still re-building, it’s a struggle not yet finished.

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[1] Isaiah 10:1-2