UPDATE TO PREVIOUS BLOG ENTRY

The N Word Post has been updated.

New Interview added. Find Here.

Robert McFerrin Sr Remembered

Robert McFerrin Sr.
1921-2006

Great African American Classical Singer Robert McFerrin Sr. Recently Passed Away. Great Classical Singer PERIOD.... regardless of race. He was of the same spirit as Paul Roberson.... keeping that legacy going. And he was one of St. Louis's own.

See Report From The Washington Post.

Listen To A Remembrance From National Public Radio.

Even Rumsfeld Thought Iraq Needed A New Approach

Rumsfeld Supported Major Changes in the Iraq Strategy, According To a Memo Leaked To The New York Times

This begs the question.... was Rumsfeld actually a detractor late in his term? Had he actually become a critic? And therefore was he forced out for not sticking to the script and staying the course? Because Bush did not want to be forced to change strategy and admit that the "stay the course" approach was a disaster all along.

I wish Rumseld would have been more skeptical of his own planning (or lack thereof) a lot earlier.... perhaps we wouldn't be in this mess. I personally thought the guy was a robot, incapable of being flexible, making adjustments, admitting mistakes, or listening. He was incapable of critical thinking and being skeptical of his own ideas and those of his neo-Conservative colleagues (All of whom were Chicken Hawks).

This lack of careful planning, flexibility, and thinking ahead....and the lack of consideration for the views of seasoned Veteran leaders in the Pentagon, was the reason why the Generals didn't like him. He allowed stubborness and loyalty to a Political Party to get in the way of good policy and what was best for the U.S. (A Defense Secretary should never be a partisan political figure).

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Rumsfeld urged big changes in Iraq strategy

By Michael R. Gordon and David S. Cloud
The New York Times

WASHINGTON — Two days before he resigned as defense secretary, Donald Rumsfeld submitted to the White House a classified memo that acknowledged the Bush administration's strategy in Iraq was not working and called for a major course correction.

"In my view it is time for a major adjustment," wrote Rumsfeld, a symbol of a dogged, stay-the-course policy. "Clearly, what U.S. forces are currently doing in Iraq is not working well enough or fast enough."

Nor did Rumsfeld seem confident that the administration would readily develop an effective alternative. To limit political fallout, he suggested a campaign to lower public expectations.


Continue Reading from The Seattle Times.

Great Interview With David Crosby

Listen to a great interview with David Crosby (Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young). Interview conducted recently on the Public radio program 'On Point'. (Link below).

The discussion centers around Crosby's career, his latest work, war, and the relationship between music and politics.

They don't make em like this anymore. What happened to the concept of consciousness in music? What happened to musicians who stood for something?

Today, musicians are much more concerned about record deals, and making sure their music is as dumbed down and non-political as possible so that it can get played on MTV. (Empty V tends to ban anything that carries a political or social message).

I think about Crosby doing his thing in the 60's and 70's and then I think about the musicians out there today. It's depressing. We have gone from musicians like Dave Crosby, Curtis Mayfield, & Marvin Gaye, (regardless of genre) to Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, and Snoop Dog and the gangster rap culture. Music in general has definitely fallen a mighty long way....


Listen to Interview Here. (choose audio option at top of page).

Chuck D Interviews Bro J From X Clan

I typically do not write on Rap News or Information, unless i'm in a rage, lol.
But this is an exception.

Two Legendary Rap Groups, Public Enemy & X-Clan, Join Forces For Tour





These two groups are from an era when Rap was still vibrant and uplifting. Black pride was still a main topic for discussion for these groups. And they were around during a time when it was cool to be Black and smart.

Today, the opposite seems to be true. In terms of so-called "Hip Hop" culture today, Black degradation has taken the place of cultural pride.

Chuck D. came to the forefront during a time when cultural and political Consciousness was still an important part of rap music. Public Enemy was the soundtrack to some of my High School days for sure. That was a time when we used to wear our Africa symbols around our necks and we would boycott Coca Cola for its support of Apartheid in South Africa. And Public Enemy, X-Clan and others were the soundtrack.

These kinds of causes are no longer a part of the current "Hip Hop" culture. The only protest that I have seen them get excited about was a protest calling for the release of singer R. Kelly.... a child rapist. They don't seem to have any concept of political consciousness, pride, or any social uplift whatsoever. Today it is all about sex, mindless material pursuits, and who is the bigger thug, womanizer, or deadbeat. It's as if the thug rappers are in competition for some coveted award... with categories like who is the nastiest, the can write the most ignorant and pointless rap lyrics, who is the biggest a-hole, who is the toughest gangster or biggest criminal, and who is the most creative when it comes to degrading women--- for example: The Clown Snoop Dog put Black women on leashes and paraded them on National TV as his dogs (literally) .... Nelly has used a womans backside as a credit card reader on a cash register....so very uplifting for Black folks.... and Black folks celebrate these people as heroes. That's the sickening part. It's all a race to the bottom. (This is why the Black race is imploding right now).

I no longer listen to rap music (with the rare exception of some old Chuck D./ Public Enemy). However, it's good to see two of my favorite groups getting together for a tour. This should have happened back in the late 80's/early 90's.


Chuck D Interviews X-Clan's Bro. J
Listen Here.

Would the current generation even know what X-Clan was talking about 15+ years ago? I doubt it very seriously. That kind of rap was far more complicated & nuanced than the Hip Hop heard today. It's like Pre-school Vs. College. Not much of a comparison. Anything that doesn't mention a womans anatomy within the first line would probably be of no interest to the current generation.

"We have gone from Let Freedom Ring... to the Bling Bling.... What A Monumental Drop" -- Dr. Cornel West Speaking about the present state of Hip Hop Culture.


Some X-Clan

(Right Click- Open in new window)

Funk'in Lesson

In The Ways of the Scales


Lord Have Mercy!!!

Heck No, this Hip Hop generation would not understand or be interested in this stuff at all! LOL X-Clan would not even get radio airplay today because the radio stations would not allow it. But we definitely need this back again.

The N Word

UPDATE: Interview from KMOX Radio, with Boston College Professor Lawrence Watson. He is an African American educator and anti- N word advocate.

Listen Here (Interview is on the second part of this audio segment. Fast forward to the 20 min, 15 second mark if you want to skip the first segment)

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Original Post

Listen (below) to a great debate about the N Word from NPR's News and Notes program. This has been an ongoing debate among African Americans for some time now, however, the current debate seems to be more urgent. It was brought on by the recent tirade from Comedian & Actor Michael Richards, which was caught on video at the Laugh Factory in Los Angeles.

Paul Mooney, a well known African American Comedian who often used the word in his performances, says that the Michael Richards episode cured him forever. He will never again use the N Word. He said that it was like shock treatment for him, and that the incident made him more introspective.

In this first segment, Paul Mooney is in a debate with Rapper KRS 1.

It is no surprise that the often despicable Rap community is STILL attempting to justify the use of this word so that they can continue to use it in their lyrics. (I should point out that my anger goes out to most of the Rap culture....definitely not all of it). And why would they want to give it up? They have made millions while using the word and Black leaders have allowed them to get away with this nonsense for so long.... why stop now?

But of course this is a position that raises my blood pressure quite a bit. It is one of the many things about so-called "Hip Hop culture" that aggravates me to no end.

There is one priceless moment in the first segment where KRS 1 (who often gets too big for his pants) gets checked by Paul Mooney....in an indirect way. It's a rare event to see African Americans stand up to rappers these days. It's about time.... The coddling and excuse making must stop!

Listen to Segment Here


In this next Segment, The African American Roundtable Continues with the N Word debate. Other issues are also covered. As usual, the Roundtable sets things straight!

Summary

Topics include the debate over the "N" word, Ford's attempt at a financial turnaround and a pray-in in Washington, D.C., held to protest racial profiling of passengers. Farai Chideya's guests are economist and author Julianne Malveaux; Ron Christie, vice president of DC Navigators; and Walter Fields, CEO and Publisher of the NorthStarNetwork.com.

Listen Here



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Related Links

Black Leaders Call For An End To The Use of the N Word

Abolish The N Word Website.

The Freedom of the Press in the USA

How Does The U.S. Measure Up When It Comes To Press Freedom?

Jim Hightower gives the lowdown...

Listen to Audio from his December 1st Commentary.

View Text Here.

Tom Vilsack Enters Presidential Race

Tom Vilsack Enters Presidential Race as the First Democrat to Officially Declare Candidacy.

Story Here

Could Vilsack be the leader that the U.S. so desperately needs? I think it's possible.

So far, he is talking my language, especially when he talks about breaking our dependence on foreign energy. I'd like to see the U.S. become 100% energy independent in 10-15 years (or sooner). Sounds impossible, but if we had a President and a Congress that made it a top priority, it could get done.

This is one of the most important issues of our time and it is also part of a wider strategy for securing the country and putting us in a better position to deal with the Middle East.

A few months ago I posted a list of potential candidates from both parties. Vilsack was one of only a handful of candidates who got a good overview from me. See List Here.

A few names on the list have already dropped out.... Feingold (D) and Frist (R).

While Baghdad explodes and Iraqis Die; We Shop

Commentary By Writer Bob Herbert

November 28, 2006

The competing television news images on the morning after Thanksgiving were of the unspeakable carnage in Sadr City in Baghdad — where more than 200 Iraqi civilians were killed by a series of coordinated car bombs — and the long lines of cars filled with holiday shopping zealots that jammed the highway approaches to American malls that had opened for business at midnight.

A Wal-Mart in Union, N.J., was besieged by customers even before it opened its doors at 5 a.m. Friday. "All I can tell you," said a Wal-Mart employee, "is that they were fired up and ready to spend money."

There is something terribly wrong with this juxtaposition of gleeful Americans with fistfuls of dollars storming the department store barricades and the slaughter by the thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, including old people, children and babies. The war was started by the United States, but most Americans feel absolutely no sense of personal responsibility for it.

Rep. Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., recently proposed that the draft be reinstated, suggesting that politicians would be more reluctant to take the country to war if they understood that their constituents might be called up to fight. What struck me was not the uniform opposition to the congressman's proposal — it has long been clear that there is zero sentiment in favor of a draft in the U.S. — but the fact that it never provoked even the briefest discussion of the responsibilities and obligations of ordinary Americans in a time of war.

With no obvious personal stake in the war in Iraq, most Americans are indifferent to its consequences. In an interview last week, Alex Racheotes, a 19-year-old history major at Wesleyan University in Connecticut, said, "I definitely don't know anyone who would want to fight in Iraq. But beyond that, I get the feeling that most people at school don't even think about the war. They're more concerned with what grade they got on yesterday's test."

His thoughts were echoed by other students, including John Cafarelli, a 19-year-old sophomore at the University of New Hampshire, who was asked if he had any friends who would be willing to join the Army. "No, definitely not," he said. "None of my friends even really care about what's going on in Iraq."

This indifference is widespread. It enables most Americans to go about their daily lives completely unconcerned about the atrocities resulting from a war being waged in their name. While shoppers here are scrambling to put the perfect touch to their holidays with the purchase of a giant flat-screen TV or a PlayStation 3, the news out of Baghdad is of a society in the midst of a meltdown.

According to the United Nations, more than 7,000 Iraqi civilians were killed in September and October. Nearly 5,000 of those killings occurred in Baghdad, a staggering figure.

In a demoralizing reprise of life in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, the U.N. reported that in Iraq "The situation of women has continued to deteriorate. Increasing numbers of women were recorded to be either victims of religious extremists or 'honor killings.' Some non-Muslim women are forced to wear headscarves and to be accompanied by spouses or male relatives."

Journalists in Iraq are being "assassinated with utmost impunity," the U.N. report said, with 18 murdered in the last two months.

Iraq burns. We shop.

The Americans dying in Iraq are barely mentioned in the press anymore. They warrant maybe one sentence in a long roundup article out of Baghdad, or a passing reference — no longer than a few seconds — in a television news account of the latest political ditherings.

Since the vast majority of Americans do not want anything to do with the military or the war, the burden of fighting has fallen on a small cadre of volunteers who are being sent into the war zone again and again. Nearly 3,000 have been killed, and many thousands more have been maimed.

The war has now lasted as long as the American involvement in World War II. But there is no sense of collective sacrifice in this war, no shared burden of responsibility. The soldiers in Iraq are fighting, suffering and dying in a war in which there are no clear objectives and no end in sight, and which a majority of Americans do not support.

They are dying anonymously and pointlessly, while the rest of us are free to buckle ourselves into the family vehicle and head off to the malls and shop.

Bob Herbert is a New York Times columnist.