Farai Chideya And The African American Roundtable

The Impact of the Iraq War On Families

Farai Chideya Interviews a Military Wife About More Iraq Troop Deployments. Listen Here

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Hear a great Roundtable discussion from this week from the News and Notes radio program.

Summary

Farai Chideya is joined by political consultant Walter Fields; economist and author Julianne Malveaux; and Bob Meadows, writer for People magazine. They talk more about the president's plan to send additional troops to Iraq and congressional review of federal sentencing laws.


Listen To Program Here

Analysis of Iraq Escalation Plan

Hear a great discussion regarding the Iraq escalation plan from the On Point Radio Program.

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Also hear a roundup of this weeks events

Condoleeza Rice Testifies Before The Senate Regarding Iraq Policy

Condoleeza Rice Tries to Sell The Iraq War Escalation To The U.S. Senate, But Senators Were Not in a Buying Mood.

On the day after Bush revealed plans to send more than 20,000 more troops to Iraq, Rice had the tough job of selling it to the American people.

In the video below, Rice testifies before the powerful U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee. 5 Presidential candidates happen to sit on this committee.

Rice had a tough time from Democrats AND Republicans.


Watch Full Testimony Here

Doomsday Clock Moving Closer To Midnight

"Most Perilous Period Since Hiroshima and Nagasaki."

See report here and here

Americans Strongly Opposed to Bush Plan To Send More Troops To Iraq

In the days leading up to the Bush speech, Americans expressed strong disapproval of plans to escalate the war in Iraq.

After the speech, it appears that Bush & Co. did not get a boost in support for their troop increase. Public opinion is still opposed to intensifying the war in Iraq. Bush & Co. also gets poor numbers for overall job performance and for the overall handling of the war.

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Crooks and Liars Has Graphs of Poll Results. (Video Also Available).

Democrats Respond to The Iraq War Escalation

Democrats Respond to the Bush Administrations Decision to Escalate The War in Iraq.

Hear report from Public Radio

The Bush Plan For Iraq Falls Short

The Bush Speech On Iraq Revealed No Real Policy Shift

WATCH SPEECH HERE

Before I highlight the holes that I see in the “new” Iraq plan, I have to mention one of the things in the speech that really stood out. I found that this speech was intended to address Iran just as much as it was intended to address Iraq. Bush made clear how his administration planned to deal with Iran. It seems to me, from his comments, that they intend (at some point) to expand their adventure into Iran. Bush stated that he would strike Iranians who may be involved in Iraq. By mentioning the naval increase in the Persian Gulf, and mentioning that he intended to protect “allies” in the region with Patriot Air Defense Missile systems, that set off alarm bells for me. When the U.S. starts talking about deploying Patriot Missile units, that is often a precursor to some sort of military action. It appeared to me that the Bush administration was preparing the American public & the world for a possible widening of the war…with Iran being the target. Bush went out of his way in the speech to try to tie Iran to the insurgency in Iraq, and that Iran was involved with killing U.S. troops.

This seems to be an effort to lay the groundwork for some sort of military action against Iran. This is the opposite of what most Americans were seeking from Mr. Bush. Americans clearly wanted a de-escalation, not a possible expansion of the conflict, using the insurgency (as well as the nuclear research issue) as a pretext to attack Iran. This falls in line with all of the other reports that have suggested the U.S. would seek a military confrontation with Iran. I personally believe that Iran and Syria probably have only a small impact on what is going on in Iraq in terms of the insurgency. Sure, there is probably some involvement. No country can totally protect its borders. Also, Iraqi Shia share a religious history with Iranians. So naturally there will be some involvement, but it is up to the Iraqi government to decide how to deal with foreign interference.

It is no surprise that a day after the Bush speech & the warning of Iran, that a building in Arbil Iraq was raided by “coalition” troops, resulting in the seizing of several Iranian diplomats. This was a move that even angered the Kurds- the Whites House's closest allies in the Iraqi government. It looks like Bush is trying to provoke some sort of incident. The White House denies war plans…. But they said the same things about Iraq. When it comes to the Bush administration (or any administration… Clinton included) I have learned to watch what they do rather than listen to what they say. Because we are being lied to half the time anyway. However, their actions will not and cannot lie.

It is ironic to me that the Iraq study group (and others) have called for the U.S. to begin a diplomatic effort to engage Iran & Syria. However, the Bush administration has ignored this advice (along with most other advice), and has chosen to do the opposite. Once again, the Bush administration is considering attacking a country for the acts of individuals or groups who may not be working directly on behalf of that country. Somehow the U.S. thinks that countries like Iran can control everything that happens on its border, when the U.S. has absolutely no control of its own borders.

Big Holes in the Bush Administration Plan

The Bush administration plan has big holes. When I listened to the Bush speech, I was hoping for (but not expecting) signs of a fundamental shift in the Iraq policy. However, what I heard was not too impressive. This does not appear to be a “new” plan at all. This looks more like an adjustment in tactics, within the same basic strategy that has been in place for the last 4 years. Now they are calling the “new” approach Clear, Hold & Build.
Clear areas of insurgents, hold (by not leaving those areas) and building on the ground gained (establishing relationships, rebuilding, etc). This means that U.S. troops will be exposed to more snipers, more roadside bombs, etc. I don’t think that the American people are ready for what is coming with this approach.

I did not hear a comprehensive plan from Bush. Once again, Bush is using the military as the primary tool for dealing with a complicated problem that cannot be solved with the military alone. It makes no sense.

A brief list of the problems with the Bush speech:

1. I did not hear enough about economic solutions for Iraq. Where was the economic plan? As I mentioned in my previous comments on Iraq, something must be done about the 70-80% unemployment there. Most of the reconstruction contracts have been given out to huge Washington D.C. connected Defense contractors who have brought in workers from outside of Iraq. They have also squandered millions of dollars that were intended for reconstruction.

2. I did not hear anything about doubling or tripling the number of Iraqis being trained for the military and police service.

3. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki & the Bush administration have both claimed that the militias in Iraq will be disarmed-- ALL of them. So does that include Muqtada al-Sadr’s militia- the powerful 50,000 strong Mahdi Army? Will the Shi’ite led Iraqi government be able to stand up against their own comrades who follow al-Sadr? Up to this point, Prime Minister al-Maliki has been afraid to stand up against this militia. Most of the focus has been on the Sunnis. Now all of a sudden we are supposed to believe that he will disarm them?

The Mahdi Army will never disarm in my opinion. I see no logical situation that would lead them to give up their weapons. The source of al-Sadr’s power is his armed militia, so why would he give up his source of power? If he did give it up (and it is highly unlikely that this would happen) it would have to be through some sort of political negotiation. The siege of Fallujah was the last time the U.S. faced al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army in major combat. The U.S. walked away from that with a bloody nose and a bruised ego. That battle created several hundred U.S. casualties (dead and wounded). Just imagine Fallujah on a grand scale. That would be what the U.S. will face in another battle with the Mahdi Army. It will be a blood bath if Sadr’s forces decide to fight.

4. The Iraq Study Group recommendations were not followed.

5. I heard nothing about political and diplomatic solutions.

-- Like the gambling addict that doesn't know when to stop.... Bush has gone through all of his capital....he has lost his cash, cleaned out his bank account, has lost his house, cars, his watch, and his suit. Now he is down to his underwear. He wants to try one last hand.... he thinks he can recover everything that he has lost. He's desperate. His wedding ring and gold filling is all he has left.

In reality.... it is as if he is putting up this great country as collateral. He's gambling and using us in his last hand. Other people at the table were trying to tell him earlier in the game to step away from the poker table.... but he was stubborn. That was before he lost his money, watch, and his nice suit. Even people in his own camp were saying...Mr. President.... "You gotta know when to fold em"...as Kenny Rogers would say. But still, he remained defiant.

Now here we are. Bush, the gambling addict, has offered up the deed to the country... the country that all of our collective sweat and blood went into building.

Will the plan succeed? I'm "hopeful but not optimistic" as one of my teachers Cornel West likes to say.

A Tribute To James Brown

James Joseph Brown, Jr
1933-2006








Chuck D on James Brown




Additional Articles And Pictures


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A Musical Tribute

I have been working on this tribute for at least a week. I had to open up the vaults to put together this playlist. After a lot of time and effort, I finally got it done. These are some of my favorite James Brown songs, taken mostly from my own archive of James Brown material. Some you have heard....and there are some rarities here that you probably have not heard.

To me, James Brown was the personification of the Black struggle....especially the struggles of Black men in this country. He was also an example of Black pride and making something out of nothing. He struggled and made his own way, in a country that constantly put obstacles in the way of African Americans, especially in the era that he grew up in (Jim Crow). Yet, he still managed to become an example of how good we could be, and how far we could go, despite the obstacles. He was an advocate for hard work and self determination.

And the music..... there was never anything like it before, and there never will be anything like it. To this day, I have not heard anything that comes close to the Soul, Funk and driving rhythms of James Brown and his legendary JB's (in all their different variations over the years).

There were no beat machines, there was no computer generated music...although his bands dabbled in a few gadgets in the late 70's, and 80's. His bands were the real thing.... made from real instrumentation. If he needed violins, he went out and brought an orchestra to the studio. That's how most of the great Soul/R&B composers did it up until the 1980's (Marvin Gaye, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Curtis Mayfield, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Stax Records, Motown/Funk Brothers, Gamble & Huff- The Sound of Philly, etc etc). That's why I have a strong appreciation for the music that came out of the 60's and 70's.

Today, programmers (producers) simply create music with computer software.... that's why everything sounds the same... Music lost its character when the instrumentation started to die in the 1990's. You used to be able to identify groups and artists from their unique trademark sound.... you could pick out their riffs, phrasing, grooves, etc. But with the computer generated instrumentation of today, I often can't tell one singer or one group from the next. Musicians used to cherish being different from other artists.....now it seems as though everyone is fighting to sound the same. Could you imagine a James Brown (the same James Brown) trying to emerge in todays music and media market? It could not happen today. It would simply be impossible. First of all.... it's funny trying to imagine James Brown with no band.....or maybe a smaller band, with beat machines and computers.....lol. Ray Charles, Quincy, Louis Armstrong, Miles, Aretha, Stevie Wonder....none of them could have emerged in todays music and media market. Todays market runs counter to the concept of creativity, real musicianship, or improvisation.... all key elements of Americas musical development up until approximately 20 years ago. It's no coincidence that since these concepts began to be suppressed 15 or 20 years ago....we have seen the decline of music over that same period. And what happened to music with a message? James Brown made your head nod, but he also made sure that there was a thread of consciousness in many of his songs & albums. Today, artists are discouraged from any kind of message...other than sex, relationships, or shaking your behind. Not necessarily bad things.... but with everything that is going on in the World today, there has to be something more that music can convey. Al Sharpton (who I often don't agree with) said it pretty well when he commented about James Browns outlook on today's music..... "James Brown sung the people up (with uplifting songs) and today performers are singing people down" (referring to todays degenerate rap culture).

I'm glad all of the great groups of the past left a treasure of music behind for me to listen to.... because I can't even tolerate listening to the radio anymore....especially so called "Black Radio".

James Brown's music will definitely live on.

Onto the music..... (There is almost 5 hours worth of stuff here...enjoy). James Brown had several spinnoff groups, and had several soloists in his various bands. James Brown himself, started off singing in a gospel group (like many other Black Southern artists of his era).

This doesn't begin to cover James Brown's career.... he had about 100 albums....but it's still a nice collection of material.

Part 1

1. Childrens Choir :) (unknown source.... done sometime in the late 1960's-early 70's)
2. James Brown Thanking The People :)
3. Like It Is, Like It Was (Mr. Brown tickling the ivories a little)
4. I Guess I'll Have to Cry
5. Sporting Life
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6. Intro- Star Time
7. Try Me
8. Night Train
9. Out Of Sight
10. Get On The Good Foot
11. Give It Up or Turn It Loose
12. Say It Loud, I'm Black & I'm Proud- Live 1968
13. Licking Stick- Live
14. There Was a Time
15. Medley- Try Me/Lost Someone/Bewildered
16. If I Ruled The World
17. Georgia On My Mind
18. Tighten Up- Maceo Parker and the JB's
19. Soul Pride
20. Doing It To Death
21. It's A Mans World
22. Brother Rap
23. Ain't It Funky
24. Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved
25. Hot Pants Road
26. Funky Drummer

Download/Listen

Download Link Has Been Shut Off. I had the link available for 3 months. However, I still have the link information on file. Anyone interested in listening can contact the blog author. If it is still available (file still being hosted) by the time you make your request, then I will send the link information.


1. Make It Funky
2. The Boss
3. Say It Loud..... (Studio Version)
4. Blind Man Can See It
5. Talking Loud, Saying Nothing
6. Gimmie Some More
7. Licking Stick (Studio)
8. Same Beat (parts 1 & 2)
9. I Know You Got Soul- Bobby Byrd
10. I Don't Want Nobody to Give Me Nothin', Open Up the Door, I'll Get It Myself
11. White Lightning
12. Escape-Ism
13. There Was A Time (Slow Alternate Take)
14. JB's Monorail
15. Message From the Soul Sisters (parts 1&2) Vicki Anderson
16. From The Love Side- Hank Ballard
17. Soul Power
18. Summertime- James Brown w/ Martha High
19. You Can Have Watergate, Just Give Some Bucks & I'll Be Straight
20. Think- Lyn Collins (One of the original Queens of Funk)
21. I'm Paying Taxes, What Am I Buying
22. Mama Feelgood- Lyn Collins
23. Do Your Thing- Lyn Collins
24. King Heroin
25. Stone To The Bone
26. Mind Power
27. The Payback
28. Doing the Best I Can
29. Forever Suffering
30. Take Some, Leave Some

Download/Listen

Download Link Has Been Shut Off. I had the link available for 3 months. However, I still have the link information on file. Anyone interested in listening can contact the blog author. If the link is still good (still being hosted) when you make your request, then I will send the link information.

The Parallels Between Iraq and Vietnam

The political (& military) parallels between the war in Iraq and the war in Vietnam are too big to ignore. Although the two wars have some significant differences, they also have big similarities; such as troops dealing with boobie traps around every corner, troops unclear about who is friend or foe among people who all appear to be civilians... troops often don't know who is shooting at them, and troops are becoming disillusioned & confused about why they are still there- all of these things were issues in Vietnam. You also had a political leadership during the Vietnam War that did not want to give in to common sense, and in an attempt to preserve political legacies they risked and expended the lives of thousands of soldiers. None of the political leaders of the time wanted to be responsible for "retreating" and presiding over a lost cause. In the end, the U.S. had to pull out anyway. By not acting sooner, these politicians wasted American lives and wrecked many American families.

Some suggest that the Bush administration plan in Iraq is similar to what was tried in Vietnam....with troop surges, etc. Some call the Bush plan the Vietnamization of Iraq.

Here is an old blog entry of a Vietnam Documentary that looks at these issues.

Thanks to The African American Political Pundit for bringing up Vietnam and connecting the two wars. It reminded me of the documentary and discussion that I posted several months ago.
See his blog entry here.


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My previous post on the troop increase in Iraq

I personally believe that the increase in troops will only mean more targets for the insurgents to attack.