African-American musicians, singers, and composers have contributed immensely to our cultural history. The Ritz Chamber Players are proud to continue this great heritage and tradition...
Dear friends,
I recently came across a Website that blew my mind - literally. It belongs to a group of musicians who call themselves the Ritz Chamber Players. They really deserve widespread support. Please check them out on the link below. Particularly, please listen to some of the samples of what they play, in the "listening room" - and Enjoy!
Happy New Year!!!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.ritzchamberplayers.org/index.html
Read full post
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Women "of color" in the Obama Administration
"...sends a strong message that the Obamas want to use the White House strategically, to maximize its use in a way that is consistent with their philosophy — [to] open it to a broader range of people,”
Dear friends,
While I do not either like - or use - the term "people of color", because, at least to me, it validates the phony claim that so many "Americans" make of being "white" as opposed to calling themselves European Americans (many Latinos and Asians do it too), I was forwarded the link below by a dear friend. It gives us an early glimpse at President Obama's direction.
Happy Holidays!!!
G. Djata bumpus
http://ybpguide.com/2008/12/15/the-women-of-color-in-the-obama-administration/
Read full post
Dear friends,
While I do not either like - or use - the term "people of color", because, at least to me, it validates the phony claim that so many "Americans" make of being "white" as opposed to calling themselves European Americans (many Latinos and Asians do it too), I was forwarded the link below by a dear friend. It gives us an early glimpse at President Obama's direction.
Happy Holidays!!!
G. Djata bumpus
http://ybpguide.com/2008/12/15/the-women-of-color-in-the-obama-administration/
Read full post
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
More sad news about corruption in Nigeria
Nigerians who are plain tired of the Yar’Adua regime’s claims to living out the rule of law found reason last Thursday to be nauseated. A Federal High Court in Enugu convicted former Governor Lucky Igbinedion of Edo State on a one-count charge of corruption. His punishment? To pay a fine of N3.6 million. That’s not even a slap on the wrist; it’s a pat on the back – or even a lover’s hum in the ear!
Dear friends,
It seems everywhere we look politicians, in almost every city, hamlet, and country, around the world, are being exposed as crooks. On the link below, Okey Ndibe reveals more of the corruption that must be stamped out in order for the people of Nigeria to be able to start working for that country's and, in fact, the continent's progress. Moreover, African people in the Diaspora should pay attention to this, because we do have a stake in Africa's rebirth.
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/okey-ndibe/rule-of-law-for-the-lucky-2.html
Read full post
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
What is really going on with the Auto Industry?
"...every one of us must carefully scrutinize American businesses to see if they are actually working in the best interest of the nation, or only themselves..."
Dear friends,
The current “help” for which the Big Three US automakers are asking from our government would not be so, if they did two things. They are: 1) Appreciiate the fact that the purpose of a business, if it wants to last, is to "create customers" - not maximize profits. In other words, if the only interest of a business is “profit-maximization”, then the results will not be any different than they are for an illegal drug dealer. To be sure, the “entrepreneur” just mentioned is only thinking about NOW - not the future. It should be no surprise then why the business of drug dealing always ends the same way: Dead. 2) "Innovation" should be part of the operation of any business that plans on being competitive. That is, if a company is not constantly striving to refresh both what it produces or services and the way that it then provides and distributes its commodities, it will, eventually, begin to lag behind other companies in its specific industry.
Nevertheless, on the link below, Fatimah Ali of the Philadelphia Daily News - who, as far as I have experienced - is not one to smooth over her beliefs - provides a brilliant analysis, regarding the quandary in which Ford, Chrysler, and GM currently find themselves.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
<http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20081209_Fatimah_Ali__Detroit_s__Model_A__mindset.html?adString=ph.opinion/opinion;!category=opinion;&randomOrd=121108101536
Read full post
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Roland Martin on Political Corruption in Illinois
The fact is, the vast majority of politicians in the Land of Lincoln are well-meaning people who truly care about the public trust and don't sell their office to the highest bidder. But when you have future politicians raised in the "Chicago way" or "Illinois way" of how to be a politician, it is reasonable to expect to see this kind of stuff.Dear friends,
With all of the recent talk of corrupt politics in Chicago, along with the "tale-no-prisoners" mentality of media hype from Ann Coulter-types, it is refeshing for me to be able to share (if you have not read it yet) an informative and thoughtful piece by the very formidable Roland Martin, regarding the aforementioned controversy. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/09/martin.chicago/index.html
Read full post
Is Corruption in Politics "Normal"?
A few months ago, after I wrote a column critical of Justice James Ogebe’s shocking validation of Umaru Yar’Adua’s “election” as president, I received a letter from a self-styled “political realist.” He accused me of political naivety for expecting the judiciary to invalidate a presidential election, however fraudulent its conduction.
Dear friends,
We have all heard the phrase "power corrupts". No political system on this planet has not had its share. Nonetheless, these type of matters must be viewed in the context of the historical and cultural experiences of the varied domains. No country has the answer to the problems of another (country).
On the link below Nigerian scholar/activist Okey Ndibe addresses the issue of corruption in his native land - and offers solutions, as well. Nigeria has the largest body of people of African descent in the world, followed by Brazil, and then the United States. Let us pay close attention to what is going on with our brothers and sisters there.
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/okey-ndibe/nigerians-should-learn-from-thai-example-2.html
Read full post
Craig's List Follies
I once used it to unload an old but still-serviceable dresser, and I have a friend who actually landed a rather desirable TV job through what's basically an Internet grab bag. ..
Hey folks,
For a little change of pace, here are a few wisely-expressed words of entertainment for ya, on the link below, from a very special Philly person who stays in the know.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20081204_Jenice_Armstrong__Be_careful_what_you_post_on_the_Internet.html?adString=pdn.entertainment/features;!category=features;&randomOrd=120408030346
Read full post
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Steve Coons, a true warrior - father, teacher and scholar
"For us, warriors are not what you think of as warriors. The warrior is not someone who fights, because no one has the right to take another's life. The warrior, for us, is one who sacrifices himself for the good of others. His task is to take care of the elderly, the defenseless, those who can not provide for themselves, and above all, the children, the future of humanity." ---Sitting Bull(February 13, 1947 - December 1, 2008)
Dear friends,
Although the passing of a loved one is never timely, I am both honored and proud to have known Steve Coons for most of my adult life. He was a father, longtime economics professor, and activist/scholar. But what I knew him to be most proud of was his accomplishments in his role as a father to his children and many others.
We enjoyed talking with each other about many issues. Parenting, political/social concepts, and boxing were our favorite topics to discuss. The talks were sometimes charged with sincerity, but in a loving way. We shared ideas.
Steve and I watched our progeny grow from being small children to becoming extremely competent adults. In our personal e-mails, over the years, we often bragged/teased each other, so proudly, asserting our roles as "proud Papis". He even has grandchildren, by the way.
He visited my boxing school only a couple of years ago. He was accompanied by one of his beautiful and incredibly talented daughters - Michelle. The pair had come back to Western Mssachusetts from California, for a few weeks, as Steve sought further expertise in dealing with his medical condition (cancer). In the picture below, he appears with Michelle and my brother Eshu (who shared a lifelong best friendship with Steve), and myself, immediately prior to the four of us going to "greeze" at a great local seafood restaurant.
left to right - Djata, Steve, Michelle, Eshu
Earlier this year, when I established this blog, I received a much-appreciated comment about the blog from Steve. It reads:
Gosh Djata! This is very impressive, also "positive" as all get-out! Way to go Brotha'! Very positive! I see you're a doer! Good inspiration for me. Everytime I go to get serious about my writing, I seem to have a setback due to my health issue. Nonetheless, in terms of your blog,....I'm glad I opened it up! I read the wonderful Father's Day message, then saw the Introduction video on one of your local new's stations covering You and your gym.
I know my younger brother, Robert, would probably enjoy that (being a boxing coach, himself). Lastly, I saw the excerpt from the Panther play, which, of course,is based on the book (you gave me a copy of the book the last time we were back East).
I, particularly, like the words on Mom. Give her my best!
I liked your bio in there as well! I will read the rest of the Blog data/info later as I didn't have a good day today. Nevertheless, the main reason I am responding, of course, is to congratulate you on the (new) impressive blog! Great job Djata! Keep-up the good work!
Regards,
Bro' Steve
P.S. I will send the blog address to as many people as I can (starting with my family members)!
I thanked Steve back then, in June, for his generous comments. Additionally, I was happy to let him know recently that this blog is now being read by people in thirteen countries around the world. To be sure, what I share here and have shared before is in no small part due to my spirited discussions with Steve Coons. Moreover, he is not dead, per se; rather, his existence has taken on a new form. That is, his legacy will be carried on by his children, grandchildren, other loved ones, and all those he taught from the East Coast to the West Coast, during the past several decades. Moreover, as another great Steve (Wonder) once put it: Love lives forever.
Much Love to the Coons family - Always.
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
A Song for Steve Coons, by Eshu Bumpus
That sunset, at last when all was said and done
Our Brother, with all his battles finally won
has traveled to a great ancestral place
But I know there's a smile upon his face
Because he knows he left behind
A deep and lasting love
This morning, in our world of war and strife
We take time just to celebrate his life
Our Brother, who with all the things he taught
And battles that he fought, he never once forgot
To give us a deep and lasting love
Always full of wisdom, strength and joy
He was both a teacher and a friend
In each of us some part of him will live on
And on that you can depend
This heartache, over losing my best friend
In my heart, this friendship never will end
My brother, Although today we say goodby
Know that forever I will try
To follow what you taught
To give the best I've got
To give a deep and lasting love Read full post
Our Brother, with all his battles finally won
has traveled to a great ancestral place
But I know there's a smile upon his face
Because he knows he left behind
A deep and lasting love
This morning, in our world of war and strife
We take time just to celebrate his life
Our Brother, who with all the things he taught
And battles that he fought, he never once forgot
To give us a deep and lasting love
Always full of wisdom, strength and joy
He was both a teacher and a friend
In each of us some part of him will live on
And on that you can depend
This heartache, over losing my best friend
In my heart, this friendship never will end
My brother, Although today we say goodby
Know that forever I will try
To follow what you taught
To give the best I've got
To give a deep and lasting love Read full post
Friday, November 21, 2008
Another response to President Obama's choice of Chief of Staff
I'll certainly give President Obama the chance to show that he's really the one "running the ship." No president is free of obligations to and constraints imposed by the powerful, because all presidents need the powerful behind them to get elected...
******************************************
Dear friends,
Below, is another response. This is in reference to my good friend, Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News, by another dear friend, Neil Zagorin, who commented earlier about the issue of President Obama's choices. Moreover, I both welcome and encourage others to contribute to any dialogue that appears on this blog.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
*********************************************
Hi Djata,
It was great to see the reply by Corky Siemaszko. I just want to run by a clarification of my original reply, so that it reads like heartfelt opinion about ideas and policies, and not like negative> words about personalities.
I'll certainly give President Obama the chance to show that he's reallythe one "running the ship." No president is free of obligations to and constraints imposed by the powerful, because all presidents need the powerful behind them to get elected.
I hope that President Obama will be more responsive to the rest of us than President Bush, Jr. has been. Making Mr. Emanuel chief of staff would be good if it works out as Mr.Siemaszko suggests. It was also a good choice if Mr. Emanuel was due something because of his position in the Democratic Party, and the alternative was to give him a Cabinet post. Do we need another Secretary of the Treasury, or Labor,who's committed to the idea that the economy should be "freed up"for entrepreneurship by removing the structures that allow average people tohave a stake in economic growth?
I hope that Mr. Emanuel's appointment as chief of staff was not a signal to the folks who got us into this economic mess (while lining their pockets) that they will always have access and a warm reception. I hope that Corky Siemaszko is right.
I want to be clear. I have nothing personal against Rahm Emanuel, and just want to be sure that what I wrote makes it sound that way. As far as I know,he's intelligent, personally honest,> hard-working, and very competent. He might be a great congressional representative. And if he plays political hard-ball, I can't see how the conservatives have anyreason to gripe after the way their boys in DC have played the game inrecent years.
My concern is that, after almost a decade of a crude "the rich get richer" program, he's a smart, hard-working and competent exponent of a sophisticated "the rich get richer" program rather than a "we haveto balance all our needs" program. I'm alarmed that an exponent of this position will be in such a crucial position in the chain of command, andthat the boss would want him there.
Eake care,
Neil
Read full post
******************************************
Dear friends,
Below, is another response. This is in reference to my good friend, Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News, by another dear friend, Neil Zagorin, who commented earlier about the issue of President Obama's choices. Moreover, I both welcome and encourage others to contribute to any dialogue that appears on this blog.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
*********************************************
Hi Djata,
It was great to see the reply by Corky Siemaszko. I just want to run by a clarification of my original reply, so that it reads like heartfelt opinion about ideas and policies, and not like negative> words about personalities.
I'll certainly give President Obama the chance to show that he's reallythe one "running the ship." No president is free of obligations to and constraints imposed by the powerful, because all presidents need the powerful behind them to get elected.
I hope that President Obama will be more responsive to the rest of us than President Bush, Jr. has been. Making Mr. Emanuel chief of staff would be good if it works out as Mr.Siemaszko suggests. It was also a good choice if Mr. Emanuel was due something because of his position in the Democratic Party, and the alternative was to give him a Cabinet post. Do we need another Secretary of the Treasury, or Labor,who's committed to the idea that the economy should be "freed up"for entrepreneurship by removing the structures that allow average people tohave a stake in economic growth?
I hope that Mr. Emanuel's appointment as chief of staff was not a signal to the folks who got us into this economic mess (while lining their pockets) that they will always have access and a warm reception. I hope that Corky Siemaszko is right.
I want to be clear. I have nothing personal against Rahm Emanuel, and just want to be sure that what I wrote makes it sound that way. As far as I know,he's intelligent, personally honest,> hard-working, and very competent. He might be a great congressional representative. And if he plays political hard-ball, I can't see how the conservatives have anyreason to gripe after the way their boys in DC have played the game inrecent years.
My concern is that, after almost a decade of a crude "the rich get richer" program, he's a smart, hard-working and competent exponent of a sophisticated "the rich get richer" program rather than a "we haveto balance all our needs" program. I'm alarmed that an exponent of this position will be in such a crucial position in the chain of command, andthat the boss would want him there.
Eake care,
Neil
Read full post
Hate Crimes - it's gonna get worse
The blow to racist indecency, with the election of President Obama, will garner greater negative reactions than the country is experiencing right now...
Dear friends,
The article on the link below was written by a columnist with whom I have had contact - via e-mail - a number of tmes over the years. She is Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Susan Snyder. Moreover, it is a pleasure to share this very informative piece that reveals the fact that: The blow to racist indecency, with the election of President Obama, is garnering many negative reactions. Wait until he actually gets into office.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081115_Hate_crimes_up_on_campuses__group_says.html?adString=ph.news/news_update;!category=news_update;&randomOrd=111508014457
Read full post
Dear friends,
The article on the link below was written by a columnist with whom I have had contact - via e-mail - a number of tmes over the years. She is Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Susan Snyder. Moreover, it is a pleasure to share this very informative piece that reveals the fact that: The blow to racist indecency, with the election of President Obama, is garnering many negative reactions. Wait until he actually gets into office.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20081115_Hate_crimes_up_on_campuses__group_says.html?adString=ph.news/news_update;!category=news_update;&randomOrd=111508014457
Read full post
Friday, November 14, 2008
Another friend makes a comment about Obama's Chief of Staff choice
Yeah, his Wall Street connections are troubling. But he’s not steering the ship. Obama is...
Dear friends,
In my drive not to be "fair and balanced" like Fox News, below, I am presenting the response that I received from a very good friend of mine, "Corky" Siemaszko, who also happens to be a staff writer for the New York Daily News, regarding Rahm Emanuel - President-elect Obama's choice to be his Chief of Staff.
G. Djata Bumpus
********************************************
Djata,
Actually, it might be good for Obama to have a tough guy like Rahm Emanuel who will kick some a-- as chief of staff. And, as an exiled Chicagoan whose late mother was represented by Emanuel, I give the guy props for reaching out to the constituencies that did not vote for him. My old neighborhood voted en masse for the Polish candidate, Nancy Kaszak, not for Emanuel. He didn’t hold it against Polish Village.
Yeah, his Wall Street connections are troubling. But he’s not steering the ship. Obama is.
Corky
Read full post
Dear friends,
In my drive not to be "fair and balanced" like Fox News, below, I am presenting the response that I received from a very good friend of mine, "Corky" Siemaszko, who also happens to be a staff writer for the New York Daily News, regarding Rahm Emanuel - President-elect Obama's choice to be his Chief of Staff.
G. Djata Bumpus
********************************************
Djata,
Actually, it might be good for Obama to have a tough guy like Rahm Emanuel who will kick some a-- as chief of staff. And, as an exiled Chicagoan whose late mother was represented by Emanuel, I give the guy props for reaching out to the constituencies that did not vote for him. My old neighborhood voted en masse for the Polish candidate, Nancy Kaszak, not for Emanuel. He didn’t hold it against Polish Village.
Yeah, his Wall Street connections are troubling. But he’s not steering the ship. Obama is.
Corky
Read full post
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Letter from a friend about Obama's first pick for his staff
Now the hard work comes for Obama. I am incensed about his choice for Chief of Staff. It's the same ole politics as usual that he so scorned during his campaign.
***************************************
Dear friends,
Below is a series of notes via e-mail, between myself and a former boxing student of mine. He is a veteran educator whose name iis Neil Zagorin. Nevertheless, the recent victory by Barack Obama came up, quite naturally. With his permission,, I would like to share these ideas with you, as I feel that Neil had some very poweruk things to say.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
****************************************
Dear Djata,
I appreciate your keeping me on the mailing list for djatajabs, and just want to say hello and wish you well. It's been a while since I've been in your gym. Life is busy. My beloved son Korie is in 1st grade. I'm still teaching. I still skip rope and shadow box, and hit a bag sometimes.
After training with you, it's possible to work out like this with more intensity. It's a good thing. I'll always appreciate your letting my son tag along to the gym, where he could see strong young men and women training to be tough but not mean.
Here's hoping that you and yours are well. Your blog is informative and stimulating. I'm not sure if you write with a particular audience in mind, but your posts are thought-provoking to a person who by virtue of European descent finds himself in the category of "white" (I appreciate the distinction you make between the two.) In your current post, you clarify that Senator Obama's election is not ground-breaking, since African-Americans have always contributed immensely to this society. This insight is an important one, one that I will share with my son.
Anyway, just wanted to drop you a line.Take care.
Neil
P.S. Still and all, it was very nice to vote for a winner last Tuesday.
*********************************************
Hey Man,
What a wonderful note. Thanx for taking so much time to carefully articulate your feelings and ideas.
The blog is for everyone. Rarely do most people get to see or hear the outlook of an African American. Usually what they hear is sycophancy to "White Supremacy".
Now the hard work comes for Obama. I am incensed about his choice for Chief of Staff. It's the same ole politics as usual that he so scorned during his campaign.
Everything at the gym is coming along. Thanx for all of your kind and encouraging words. Remember, the ultimate job of the teacher is to get your charges to follow your ideals (e.g., hard work, care, discipline, and so forth). Obviously, you got that message from me, regarding your workouts. Of course, that is quite a reward for me, and shows why the idea of "merit pay" for teachers is foolish, since what one learns from a teacher may not necessarily sink in during a particular semester.
Much love to you and your family,
Djata
*****************************************
Hi Djata,
I agree with you about the choice of Rahm Emanuel as chief-of-staff.
The mainstream Democrats are as wired in to Wall Street and the war industry as the Republicans. The Democrats have a legacy from the 20th century of attempting to represent people at the bottom of society when demand comes strongly from the bottom. I'm thinking of the Great Depression before the war, and the Civil Rights Era and anti-poverty campaigns after the war. There were good accomplishments and flawed accomplishments, but much of the effort was sincere.
Now there is no real demand coming from the bottom, although there's more than ample reason for it. But, Wall Street and the war industry still have a tight hold on the government's lapels. The Democratic Party retooled itself long ago to succeed in this environment, to forego attempting to balance the interests of the mighty with the needs of the many in order to wield power. President Clinton is the great success story of this tradition. Rahm Emanuel, though he may be a formidable political operator, looks to be cut from the same bolt of cloth.
This will be a challenge for President-elect Obama. I believe that he is one of a number of individuals high up in the Democratic party who would be willing to lead in the tradition of the New Deal and 1960s Democrats. But, they need something to come from the citizens to pull them in that direction, so they can get away with it politically.
Despite our nation's many problems, I feel it still has the potential to be a better place for many. So, I'm thinking about how I can play my part, though I don't know what that will be. Many hands will have to be put together. I'd like to keep in touch.
Have a good weekend,
Neil
Read full post
***************************************
Dear friends,
Below is a series of notes via e-mail, between myself and a former boxing student of mine. He is a veteran educator whose name iis Neil Zagorin. Nevertheless, the recent victory by Barack Obama came up, quite naturally. With his permission,, I would like to share these ideas with you, as I feel that Neil had some very poweruk things to say.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
****************************************
Dear Djata,
I appreciate your keeping me on the mailing list for djatajabs, and just want to say hello and wish you well. It's been a while since I've been in your gym. Life is busy. My beloved son Korie is in 1st grade. I'm still teaching. I still skip rope and shadow box, and hit a bag sometimes.
After training with you, it's possible to work out like this with more intensity. It's a good thing. I'll always appreciate your letting my son tag along to the gym, where he could see strong young men and women training to be tough but not mean.
Here's hoping that you and yours are well. Your blog is informative and stimulating. I'm not sure if you write with a particular audience in mind, but your posts are thought-provoking to a person who by virtue of European descent finds himself in the category of "white" (I appreciate the distinction you make between the two.) In your current post, you clarify that Senator Obama's election is not ground-breaking, since African-Americans have always contributed immensely to this society. This insight is an important one, one that I will share with my son.
Anyway, just wanted to drop you a line.Take care.
Neil
P.S. Still and all, it was very nice to vote for a winner last Tuesday.
*********************************************
Hey Man,
What a wonderful note. Thanx for taking so much time to carefully articulate your feelings and ideas.
The blog is for everyone. Rarely do most people get to see or hear the outlook of an African American. Usually what they hear is sycophancy to "White Supremacy".
Now the hard work comes for Obama. I am incensed about his choice for Chief of Staff. It's the same ole politics as usual that he so scorned during his campaign.
Everything at the gym is coming along. Thanx for all of your kind and encouraging words. Remember, the ultimate job of the teacher is to get your charges to follow your ideals (e.g., hard work, care, discipline, and so forth). Obviously, you got that message from me, regarding your workouts. Of course, that is quite a reward for me, and shows why the idea of "merit pay" for teachers is foolish, since what one learns from a teacher may not necessarily sink in during a particular semester.
Much love to you and your family,
Djata
*****************************************
Hi Djata,
I agree with you about the choice of Rahm Emanuel as chief-of-staff.
The mainstream Democrats are as wired in to Wall Street and the war industry as the Republicans. The Democrats have a legacy from the 20th century of attempting to represent people at the bottom of society when demand comes strongly from the bottom. I'm thinking of the Great Depression before the war, and the Civil Rights Era and anti-poverty campaigns after the war. There were good accomplishments and flawed accomplishments, but much of the effort was sincere.
Now there is no real demand coming from the bottom, although there's more than ample reason for it. But, Wall Street and the war industry still have a tight hold on the government's lapels. The Democratic Party retooled itself long ago to succeed in this environment, to forego attempting to balance the interests of the mighty with the needs of the many in order to wield power. President Clinton is the great success story of this tradition. Rahm Emanuel, though he may be a formidable political operator, looks to be cut from the same bolt of cloth.
This will be a challenge for President-elect Obama. I believe that he is one of a number of individuals high up in the Democratic party who would be willing to lead in the tradition of the New Deal and 1960s Democrats. But, they need something to come from the citizens to pull them in that direction, so they can get away with it politically.
Despite our nation's many problems, I feel it still has the potential to be a better place for many. So, I'm thinking about how I can play my part, though I don't know what that will be. Many hands will have to be put together. I'd like to keep in touch.
Have a good weekend,
Neil
Read full post
Al Marinez takes us on a brief journey of intellectual, emotional, and physical appreciation
They should have played “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” when Barak Obama was elected president of the United States.
Dear friends,
It is always special for me to be allowed to share the ideas of my good friend, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Al Martinez. Along with his wife and partner-in-life, The Great Cinelli, Al provides us with something about which to consider, at this important moment in world history. The article appears here in its entirety, but you should also click on the blog link at the end of the piece, in order to see photos of its good lookin' authors, as well. Enjoy!!!
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************
When They Drove Old Dixie Down
November 6, 2008
by Al Martinez
They should have played “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” when Barak Obama was elected president of the United States.
It’s a song about a defining moment in the Civil War that saw the old South and all that it stood for going down to defeat.
They should have put the version by Joan Baez on a public address system and let it play over the massive audience in Grant Park like a marching song of freedom rising through the chilly night.
Everyone there and everyone in their homes and everyone all over the world should have joined in singing it. “The night they drove old Dixie down, and the bells were ringing…”
Its intention would not have been to reject the South of today but to acknowledge that the Dixie of slavery, segregation and hatred had been rejected in a new and enshrining moment of American democracy. A black man had been elected president of the United States.
I said hatred had been rejected, not ended. Our new president is as much a symbol as a reality. He represents equality and fairness. But even those who had been his loudest supporters can’t say that the rise of this intelligent, articulate man means that the nation has at last cleansed itself of ignorance and bigotry.
It’s still out there, folks. I bring you an e-mail sent by a woman with whom I have communicated for years who seems to have suddenly lost her mind. Call her Esther. I wouldn’t distinguish her by using her real name.
She wrote: “Make sure your guns are loaded because the blacks, oh excuse, African Americans, are going to be blasting through our front door…”
She wrote: “I won’t ever distinguish him [Obama] by calling him president. He is going to turn our U.S.A. into a Communist nation, and the Muslims will rule. They will shoot every Christian on sight…”
She wrote: “Now we are in for it. We keep a shotgun by our front door, leaning in a corner. We each have a loaded hand gun in our headboards…”
The existence of our Esthers sends chills through me, but they do nothing to dampen the glory of what this nation has accomplished, overcoming Esther to emerge as good and decent people.
Other e-mailers and telephone callers celebrated the election. One wrote, “I’m so proud to be an American, I can’t describe it. Proud in a way I never thought possible two years ago.”
“What a night,” a friend shouted, “what a time!” Newspapers sold hundreds of thousands of extra copies to those who sought a piece of history to take home and keep as a souvenir of Tuesday’s triumph; as proof of change.
Obama’s rise tells the world we have rejected the notion that the past is prelude to the future. We have overcome our past to create a new future, and now it’s time to dance in the streets. It’s time to sing. You know the tune: “The night they drove old Dixie down, and the people were singin’…”—about Obama, about the future and about a new place for America in this old and scary world.
http://almartinez.org/blog
Okey Ndibe on Obama - Africa, and the world
Obama’s relationship with Africa is bound to be complex. While embracing him as an extraordinary politician with African ancestry, African nations ought to realize that Obama is, at core, an American. He has warned, for example, that the U.S. is going to reduce its foreign aid to poor nations...****************************************
Okey Ndibe is currently an associate professor of English at Simon's Rock College in Great Barrington, MA. In 2002, he won the college's New Faculty Teaching Award. During the 2001-2002 year, Ndibe was a Fulbright Lecturing/Research Scholar at the University of Lagos, Nigeria.
Ndibe was the founding editor of African Commentary, a magazine published in the U.S. by novelist Chinua Achebe. Ndibe also served as a member of the editorial board of Hartford Courant. A piece he wrote in the Courant titled "Eyes to the Ground: The Perils of the Black Student," was chosen by the Association of Opinion Page Editors in 2001 as the best opinion piece published in any American newspaper. <
From 1997 to 2000, Ndibe was a visiting professor of English and Creative Writing at Connecticut College in New London, Connecticut where he was named by the CollegeVoice, the college's student newspaper, as one of the college's "Five Outstanding Professors."
Ndibe has made editorial contributions to several publications in the U.S., England, and Nigeria including Hartford Courant, Transatlantimes Times, The Fabian Society Journal, Black Issues Book Review, BBC Online, Emerge, The Guardian, and now Nigerian Village Square
****************************************
Dear friends,
I am both enormously proud and honored to share with you the thoughts of my old and dear friend Okey Ndibe. On the link below, this longtime celebrated African scholar,, educator, and author gives us a glimpse into the realities of an Obama presidency, from an African perspective.
Please remember that, in spite of any gains that we make here in the United States of America, African Americans will never truly be respected, until our Mother continent, Africa, is respected.
One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/okey-ndibe/barack-obama-and-the-black-phoenix-2.html
Read full post
Thursday, November 6, 2008
African News: The Audacity of Madness?
Okey Ndibe keeps us up-to-date, regarding matters of the largest, single body of African people on the planet, the country of Nigeria...
Dear friends,
One of the major accomplishments of the recent presidential election was: It showed that our country's brave words about being a beacon of democracy is, at least, true, these days, in the voting booth. That, it seems, few other counrtries can claim. On the link below, Okey Ndibe keeps us up-to-date, regarding matters of the largest, single body of African people on the planet, the country of Nigeria. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nigeriavillagesquare.com/articles/okey-ndibe/the-audacity-of-madness-2.html
Read full post
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Is an Obama Victory a "mortal wound" to White Supremacy?
What is a "white" person? Is it only people of European descent who attach that mean-spirited moniker to themselves? My experience has been that, as well, many Asians and Latinos refer to themselves as "white"...
Dear friends,
While journalists and other such pundits, during this election period, ponder over identity monikers for Senator Obama like "black" and "bi-racial", not a single one of them has ever raised a question about the term "white". To be sure, "white" is a mean-spirited word that people use in order to join an artificial "majority" group that takes privilege over many of their fellow citizens (who are called "minorities").
However, all of those who identify themselves as "white" are not of European descent. For example, many Asians and Latinos call themselves "white", as well. Still, a person can come from Romania yesterday, declare himself or herself "white" and inherit the legacies of the Pilgrims, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, along with privilege over me and those who look like me. That is why this is a "white supremacist" nation.
Now, most, particularly European American, people in this country are offended by the idea that they are "white supremacists", because they only acknowledge people who hide under white bedsheets and Nazi flags as such. Yet, the article on the link below, by a renowned New York Times columnist named Nicholas Kristof, albeit unwittingly on his part, points out how white supremacist thinking is so embedded in the cultural/psychic structure of so many American citizens that they are not even aware of the injustices to which they contribute. Moreover, if you ask a European American to stop calling himself or herself "white" that person will be taken aback, because it is disempowering for a person to "lose" his or her ability to be identified by the phony claim of whiteness (which proves that all arguments against "affirmative action" are disingenuous).
Nevertheless, the question of the moment may be: What will the election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States do to White Supremacy here? What will it do to Israel - or neo-colonized South Africa, two nations that are still ruled under the hubris of White Supremacy?
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/opinion/30kristof.html
Read full post
Dear friends,
While journalists and other such pundits, during this election period, ponder over identity monikers for Senator Obama like "black" and "bi-racial", not a single one of them has ever raised a question about the term "white". To be sure, "white" is a mean-spirited word that people use in order to join an artificial "majority" group that takes privilege over many of their fellow citizens (who are called "minorities").
However, all of those who identify themselves as "white" are not of European descent. For example, many Asians and Latinos call themselves "white", as well. Still, a person can come from Romania yesterday, declare himself or herself "white" and inherit the legacies of the Pilgrims, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, along with privilege over me and those who look like me. That is why this is a "white supremacist" nation.
Now, most, particularly European American, people in this country are offended by the idea that they are "white supremacists", because they only acknowledge people who hide under white bedsheets and Nazi flags as such. Yet, the article on the link below, by a renowned New York Times columnist named Nicholas Kristof, albeit unwittingly on his part, points out how white supremacist thinking is so embedded in the cultural/psychic structure of so many American citizens that they are not even aware of the injustices to which they contribute. Moreover, if you ask a European American to stop calling himself or herself "white" that person will be taken aback, because it is disempowering for a person to "lose" his or her ability to be identified by the phony claim of whiteness (which proves that all arguments against "affirmative action" are disingenuous).
Nevertheless, the question of the moment may be: What will the election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States do to White Supremacy here? What will it do to Israel - or neo-colonized South Africa, two nations that are still ruled under the hubris of White Supremacy?
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/30/opinion/30kristof.html
Read full post
Saturday, November 1, 2008
A 106 years-old African American woman will vote for Obama
Dear friends,
Imagine what it must be like to have lived for 106 years. Now think about it taking that long for you to have your first opportunity to vote for somone who appreciates all of the injusitices, as well as the triumphs, that you and those who look like you have experienced...
Below is the link to an article about a very special lady, at a very special time in our country's history. Please enjoy!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/20/centenarian.votes/index.html?eref=rss_politics&iref=polticker
Read full post
Blacks must get out and vote!
The time for all of the excuses is over...
Dear friends,
We can think of all of the excuses that we can muster for not getting out and voting on Tuesday. Yet, not to do so (i.e., vote) invalidates those complaints, because it means that just when we are about to get to a new level in our centuries-old struggle for equality, dignity, and justice in this land, we have decided that none of it was worthwhile. The formidable journalist George Curry of the Philadelphia Inquirer reiterates the aforementioned sentiment, with his usual biting analysis.
Let's "Seize the Time!"
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/george_curry/20080821_Beyond_the_Spin__A_lesson_from_Jesse_Jackson_s_run.html
Read full post
Voting from the Joint
Each vote counts as part of the whole...
Dear friends,
The wonderful piece on the link below, written by the highly influential Philly journalist Ronnie Polaneczky, shows the "inclusiveness" of Senator Obama's campaign. We are all in this together!
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20081030_Ronnie_Polaneczky__For_them__not_voting_would_be_one_more_crime.html?adString=pdn.news/local;!category=local;&randomOrd=103008064857
Read full post
Dowd's "For Your Consideration"
Art is a bridge between the appreciator and either something that is real or assumed to be...
Dear friends,
It is always special to see a writer remember that he or she is an artist, not just a "journalist". The piece on the link below, by the very special Maureen Dowd of the New York Times is both thoughtful and humorous - all at once. Please enjoy!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/29/opinion/29dowd.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1
Read full post
Please Obey Voting Rules!!!
DEAR FRIENDS,
THE NOTICE BELOW WAS E-MAILED TO ME A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. IT IS AN IMPORTANT REMINDER.
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS OR HATS. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW, AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY, BECAUSE IT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING. MOREOVER, NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN "X" AMOUNT OF FEET TO THE POLLS.
THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BEING AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED - THIS YEAR!!!!!
THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES.. PLEASE, DO NOT WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!!! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION. AND, OH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE. JUST TRYING TO COVER ALL GROUNDS. Read full post
THE NOTICE BELOW WAS E-MAILED TO ME A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO. IT IS AN IMPORTANT REMINDER.
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE ADVISE EVERYONE YOU KNOW THAT THEY ABSOLUTELY CAN NOT GO TO THE POLLS WEARING ANY OBAMA SHIRTS, PINS OR HATS. IT IS AGAINST THE LAW, AND WILL BE GROUNDS TO HAVE THE POLLING OFFICIALS TO TURN YOU AWAY, BECAUSE IT IS CONSIDERED CAMPAIGNING. MOREOVER, NO ONE CAN CAMPAIGN WITHIN "X" AMOUNT OF FEET TO THE POLLS.
THEY ARE BANKING ON US BEING EXCITED AND NOT BEING AWARE OF THIS LONG STANDING LAW THAT YOU CAN BET WILL BE ENFORCED - THIS YEAR!!!!!
THEY ARE BANKING THAT IF YOU ARE TURNED AWAY YOU WILL NOT GO HOME AND CHANGE YOUR CLOTHES.. PLEASE, DO NOT WEAR OBAMA GEAR OF ANY SORTS TO THE POLLS!!! PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION. AND, OH, FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO WERE ALREADY AWARE THIS WAS NOT MEANT TO INSULT YOUR INTELLIGENCE. JUST TRYING TO COVER ALL GROUNDS. Read full post
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Joe the Plumber?
This guy Joe needs to show us his union card...
Dear friends,
During the final debate, John McCain started pushing his new-found buddy "Joe the Plumber". About a week later, I saw the guy on a "fair and balanced" Fox News program.
The original portrayal of Joe was that he wanted to buy his employer's business, but was concerned about Senator Obama's tax plan. Now, especally since he has been interviewed on television, there is no more mention of him wanting to buy his employer's business. What's going on? As a matter of fact, out of the hundreds of thousands across the country - and the world, if not millions, who have come out to see Senator Obama, why were reporters, along with their television camera crews so ready and focused on this particular "little guy"? They had never done that at previous rallies - or since.
It seems, at least to me, that, suddenly, Joe the Plumber is now Joe Sixpack. Is that not interesting, necause while McCain is pushing this "ordinary" working guy, he is also the same politician who is going out of his way to make sure that his super-rich friends do not receive tax increases either? McCain insists: Why should anyone have their taxes raised at a time like this?
The answer, of course, is: Those guys get to keep their wealth, due to the sacrifices of everyday workers, police, firemen and firewomen, and all kinds of other people. Why shouldn't they want to share some of their wealth with the aforementioned, right now? Moreover, is this guy Joe actually a plumber, anyway? Frankly, I think that this guy Joe needs to show his union card...
G, Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Dear friends,
During the final debate, John McCain started pushing his new-found buddy "Joe the Plumber". About a week later, I saw the guy on a "fair and balanced" Fox News program.
The original portrayal of Joe was that he wanted to buy his employer's business, but was concerned about Senator Obama's tax plan. Now, especally since he has been interviewed on television, there is no more mention of him wanting to buy his employer's business. What's going on? As a matter of fact, out of the hundreds of thousands across the country - and the world, if not millions, who have come out to see Senator Obama, why were reporters, along with their television camera crews so ready and focused on this particular "little guy"? They had never done that at previous rallies - or since.
It seems, at least to me, that, suddenly, Joe the Plumber is now Joe Sixpack. Is that not interesting, necause while McCain is pushing this "ordinary" working guy, he is also the same politician who is going out of his way to make sure that his super-rich friends do not receive tax increases either? McCain insists: Why should anyone have their taxes raised at a time like this?
The answer, of course, is: Those guys get to keep their wealth, due to the sacrifices of everyday workers, police, firemen and firewomen, and all kinds of other people. Why shouldn't they want to share some of their wealth with the aforementioned, right now? Moreover, is this guy Joe actually a plumber, anyway? Frankly, I think that this guy Joe needs to show his union card...
G, Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Will Senator Obama be "ready" for a Major War-type Crisis?
Was George Bush "ready" for 9/11? Apparently not. Moreover, on that day, when he was first told of the disaster, Bush simply kept his focus on the photo-op that showed him reading to some grade-schoolers?
Dear friends,
Was George Bush "ready" for 9/11? Apparently not. Moreover, on that day, when he was first told of the disaster, Bush simply kept his focus on the photo-op that showed him reading to some grade-schoolers?
Now, because of something that Joe Biden, the Democrats' vice presidential candidate, said, perhaps in reflection, regarding his running mate's forthcoming task, the same Republicans who shunned the abovementioned initial response of President George Bush to 9/11, are now trying to use Senator Biden's comments as proof that Barack Obama has not been tested in handling a major war-type crisis. That is an obvious example of fear-mongering. One would think that John McCain would be too embarrassed to bring it (Biden's comment) up. But he is not. Consequently, at least to me, that shows: When John McCain sees danger, he does not think his way through the dillemma. Instead, he panics and does anything that he feels will help him charm his way out of the predicament. What a warrior!
Senator Obama will do quite well. He is a man who maintains great composure amongst many who offer him no goodwill. Rather, some of them yell, "Kill him!" But he will defend them too. Moreover, he will have the likes of the great Colin Powell nearby. There will also be many more generals and other officers, along with a couple of million soldiers/warriors who are our armed forces. Most of all, he will also have the resolve of any man who is one in millions of others who know his course so very well. Yet, the thoughtless McCain people keep disrespecting the intelligence of the American public, by trying to have us believe that whatever situations occur, Senator Obama will somehow be on his own. No. He will have plenty of help!
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Dear friends,
Was George Bush "ready" for 9/11? Apparently not. Moreover, on that day, when he was first told of the disaster, Bush simply kept his focus on the photo-op that showed him reading to some grade-schoolers?
Now, because of something that Joe Biden, the Democrats' vice presidential candidate, said, perhaps in reflection, regarding his running mate's forthcoming task, the same Republicans who shunned the abovementioned initial response of President George Bush to 9/11, are now trying to use Senator Biden's comments as proof that Barack Obama has not been tested in handling a major war-type crisis. That is an obvious example of fear-mongering. One would think that John McCain would be too embarrassed to bring it (Biden's comment) up. But he is not. Consequently, at least to me, that shows: When John McCain sees danger, he does not think his way through the dillemma. Instead, he panics and does anything that he feels will help him charm his way out of the predicament. What a warrior!
Senator Obama will do quite well. He is a man who maintains great composure amongst many who offer him no goodwill. Rather, some of them yell, "Kill him!" But he will defend them too. Moreover, he will have the likes of the great Colin Powell nearby. There will also be many more generals and other officers, along with a couple of million soldiers/warriors who are our armed forces. Most of all, he will also have the resolve of any man who is one in millions of others who know his course so very well. Yet, the thoughtless McCain people keep disrespecting the intelligence of the American public, by trying to have us believe that whatever situations occur, Senator Obama will somehow be on his own. No. He will have plenty of help!
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
General (ret.) Colin Powell's Endorsement of Senator Barack Obama
What better endorsement than from a man who really knows how to win a war?
Dear friends,
On the link below, there is an article and video of General (ret.) Colin Powell's endorsement of Senator Barack Obama to be the president of the United States. What better endorsement can there be than from a man who really "knows how to win a war"?
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.truthout.org/article/101908Y
Read full post
Dear friends,
On the link below, there is an article and video of General (ret.) Colin Powell's endorsement of Senator Barack Obama to be the president of the United States. What better endorsement can there be than from a man who really "knows how to win a war"?
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.truthout.org/article/101908Y
Read full post
What's up with the ACORN Scandal?
We are now hearing about arrests being made, and "further investigation" of ACORN...
Dear friends,
We are now hearing about arrests being made, and "further investigation" of ACORN workers and former workers. Yet, Bob Herbert, the outstanding New York Times columnist, questions the actual purpose that the Republican Party has for creating all of this consternation, on the link below.
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
We are now hearing about arrests being made, and "further investigation" of ACORN workers and former workers. Yet, Bob Herbert, the outstanding New York Times columnist, questions the actual purpose that the Republican Party has for creating all of this consternation, on the link below.
G. Djata Bumpus
Monday, October 20, 2008
In Honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month
The document below was actually posted on this blog back in Aygust. However, in honor of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, it appears here again.
******************************************
Dear friends,
I was forwarded the information below, very recently. Normally, I am not the type to distribute petitions, although I have signed many such documents, over the years, when approached by someone working a "petition drive" on the streets.
In any case, this particular issue, about mastectomies, is too serious a matter for any of us to ignore. After all, our love for ourselves cannot have any substantive meaning apart from our love for others. As a matter of fact, how would we even know what love is, without understanding what it means to share the experience of love through/with others?
Therefore, please try to imagine, especially for a woman, having to have a breast removed. Forget about the physical pain and discomfort, or the cometic stuff. That must pale in comparison to the emotional and spiritual well-being (mother nature) of any woman, whether she has ever had children or not. For a moment, the initial feeling cannot be a lot different than losing a child - the most devastating of all human losses. Of course, the reason for that is: You have lost a part of your very being.
We live in an age when opportunistic people who have taken improper stock of themselves make inane statements like, "I can run a business well; therefore, I can run a government well." The purpose of an enterprise/business is to create customers. The point of hospitals is to help those who are in immediate need of care for physical and/or mental ailments. If the hospital is seeking customers, as we now see ads running both by and for them today, then the entire health care system has lost its very meaning. That's sad.
Please take, literally, less than two minutes of your time. I did it! Peruse the missive below, and simply type your name, US mail address, and e-mail address into the already-made form. It is that simple. That info will be forwarded to the US Comngress, on your behalf, as a supporter of the petition. By the way, there is also a little space to leave a small comment, if you choose to. I did that too.
Finally, It is easy to show indifference; it requires no inner strength. However, it takes the inner powers of love and courage to care about other people and things. Besides, have you ever felt bad about doing the right thing?
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************************
Please sign the petition and help other women.
City of Hartford - City Hall - Rm. 305
Office for Youth Services,
550 Main St.> > Hartford, CT. 06103
860-757-9883
martha.jackson@hartford.gov
Proposed Mastectomy Law Change (Outpatient> Surgery)
(written by a surgeon)
I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.
So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.
********************************************
A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress. It takes 30 seconds to do this and is very important . Please take the time and do it really quick! Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill - Important legislation for all women.
Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this> issue and send it on to others you know who will do the> same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from> anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site> below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number. http://www.mylifetime.com/community/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer/petition/breast-cancer-petition
This takes about 2 seconds.> PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends
Read full post
******************************************
Dear friends,
I was forwarded the information below, very recently. Normally, I am not the type to distribute petitions, although I have signed many such documents, over the years, when approached by someone working a "petition drive" on the streets.
In any case, this particular issue, about mastectomies, is too serious a matter for any of us to ignore. After all, our love for ourselves cannot have any substantive meaning apart from our love for others. As a matter of fact, how would we even know what love is, without understanding what it means to share the experience of love through/with others?
Therefore, please try to imagine, especially for a woman, having to have a breast removed. Forget about the physical pain and discomfort, or the cometic stuff. That must pale in comparison to the emotional and spiritual well-being (mother nature) of any woman, whether she has ever had children or not. For a moment, the initial feeling cannot be a lot different than losing a child - the most devastating of all human losses. Of course, the reason for that is: You have lost a part of your very being.
We live in an age when opportunistic people who have taken improper stock of themselves make inane statements like, "I can run a business well; therefore, I can run a government well." The purpose of an enterprise/business is to create customers. The point of hospitals is to help those who are in immediate need of care for physical and/or mental ailments. If the hospital is seeking customers, as we now see ads running both by and for them today, then the entire health care system has lost its very meaning. That's sad.
Please take, literally, less than two minutes of your time. I did it! Peruse the missive below, and simply type your name, US mail address, and e-mail address into the already-made form. It is that simple. That info will be forwarded to the US Comngress, on your behalf, as a supporter of the petition. By the way, there is also a little space to leave a small comment, if you choose to. I did that too.
Finally, It is easy to show indifference; it requires no inner strength. However, it takes the inner powers of love and courage to care about other people and things. Besides, have you ever felt bad about doing the right thing?
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************************
Please sign the petition and help other women.
City of Hartford - City Hall - Rm. 305
Office for Youth Services,
550 Main St.> > Hartford, CT. 06103
860-757-9883
martha.jackson@hartford.gov
Proposed Mastectomy Law Change (Outpatient> Surgery)
(written by a surgeon)
I'll never forget the look in my patients eyes when I had to tell them they had to go home with the drains, new exercises and no breast. I remember begging the Doctors to keep these women in the hospital longer, only to hear that they would, but their hands were tied by the insurance companies.
So there I sat with my patient giving them the instructions they needed to take care of themselves, knowing full well they didn't grasp half of what I was saying, because the glazed, hopeless, frightened look spoke louder than the quiet 'Thank you' they muttered.
********************************************
A mastectomy is when a woman's breast is removed in order to remove cancerous breast cells/tissue. If you know anyone who has had a mastectomy, you may know that there is a lot of discomfort and pain afterwards. Insurance companies are trying to make mastectomies an outpatient procedure. Let's give women the chance to recover properly in the hospital for 2 days after surgery.
This Mastectomy Bill is in Congress. It takes 30 seconds to do this and is very important . Please take the time and do it really quick! Breast Cancer Hospitalization Bill - Important legislation for all women.
Please send this to everyone in your address book. If there was ever a time when our voices and choices should be heard, this is one of those times. If you're receiving this, it's because I think you will take the 30 seconds to go to vote on this> issue and send it on to others you know who will do the> same.
There's a bill called the Breast Cancer Patient Protection Act which will require insurance companies to cover a minimum 48-hour hospital stay for patients undergoing a mastectomy. It's about eliminating the 'drive-through mastectomy' where women are forced to go home just a few hours after surgery, against the wishes of their doctor, still groggy from> anesthesia and sometimes with drainage tubes still attached.
Lifetime Television has put this bill on their web page with a petition drive to show your support. Last year over half the House signed on.
PLEASE!! Sign the petition by clicking on the web site> below. You need not give more than your name and zip code number. http://www.mylifetime.com/community/my-lifetime-commitment/breast-cancer/petition/breast-cancer-petition
This takes about 2 seconds.> PLEASE PASS THIS ON to your friends
Read full post
Is Barack Obama experienced enough to be our president?
Dear friends,
One of the most specious arguments that people make against Senator Obama becoming the president of the United Staes is: He doesn't have enough experience...
At least to me, that does not make sense. Moreover, anyone who has ever started a new job should be able to follow me through the following scenario. It is: If, for example, you are a janitor of a huge building, for several years, then you change employers and start working for someone who gives better pay and has a smaller place to keep clean, you will still be quite inexperienced, regarding your new duties. Do you agree? Likewise, no one is qualified to be either the president or a janitor, from the very start of that particular gig. Dig?
Besides, Senator Obama will have many competent advisers, as well as other managers, just as all of those who preceded him into the Oval Office did. People who argue about him not having experience act as if he will be doing all of the work by himself. At any rate, , if you look at George Bush's horrendous double-performance, then the argument that Senator Obama is unqualified is exposed for what it really is (no need to mention those adjectives).
G. Djata Bumpus
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One of the most specious arguments that people make against Senator Obama becoming the president of the United Staes is: He doesn't have enough experience...
At least to me, that does not make sense. Moreover, anyone who has ever started a new job should be able to follow me through the following scenario. It is: If, for example, you are a janitor of a huge building, for several years, then you change employers and start working for someone who gives better pay and has a smaller place to keep clean, you will still be quite inexperienced, regarding your new duties. Do you agree? Likewise, no one is qualified to be either the president or a janitor, from the very start of that particular gig. Dig?
Besides, Senator Obama will have many competent advisers, as well as other managers, just as all of those who preceded him into the Oval Office did. People who argue about him not having experience act as if he will be doing all of the work by himself. At any rate, , if you look at George Bush's horrendous double-performance, then the argument that Senator Obama is unqualified is exposed for what it really is (no need to mention those adjectives).
G. Djata Bumpus
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Limbaugh's latest media "attention" grab
Dear friends,
Only a year or so ago, Rush Limbaugh was telling us empty-headed African Americans that Senator Obama is not even a Black man. Now, Limbaugh has decided that the latter is, in fact, an African American. Wow! He is also saying that General Powell is only voting for Obama because of his skin color.
But are either of them (i.e., Senator Obama or General Powell) the same complexion as his Black savior - in the form of a hotel maid, who used to buy drugs for Rush Limbaugh before he finally was caught? Oh, I see, let us not mix Limbaugh's religion with his politics.
"This was all about Powell and race, nothing about the nation and its welfare," Limbaugh added. The talk radio host also criticized members of the media for not addressing his claim that Powell likely hasn't endorsed white candidates who, according to Limbaugh, have similar political leanings and experience as Obama.
I wonder what Limbaugh would have said about "inexperience" had he been at the meeting where Colonel Powell was first promoted to General Powell. Would any African American ever be "experienced" enough to be more than a maid, if Rush Limbaugh had his choice in the matter?
One thing for sure is: After the election, Limbaugh's ratings will be higher than ever, because of the opportunity for racists to spew forth their venom, in the name of "democracy". After all, for most of the illusion that has always been "The American Dream", the only thing that people had who cling to their "whiteness" was just that. They had no money or anything else, but they could still poke out their chests and exclaim, "I don't have anything, but, at least, I'm WHITE!" Right.
Limbaugh will now, without shame, just as the lying, Black baby-making Strom Thurmond did, get new recruits to protect his idiocy, huge bank account(s), and, maybe, drugs. Who nows?
And the beat goes on...
G. Djata Bumpus
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Only a year or so ago, Rush Limbaugh was telling us empty-headed African Americans that Senator Obama is not even a Black man. Now, Limbaugh has decided that the latter is, in fact, an African American. Wow! He is also saying that General Powell is only voting for Obama because of his skin color.
But are either of them (i.e., Senator Obama or General Powell) the same complexion as his Black savior - in the form of a hotel maid, who used to buy drugs for Rush Limbaugh before he finally was caught? Oh, I see, let us not mix Limbaugh's religion with his politics.
"This was all about Powell and race, nothing about the nation and its welfare," Limbaugh added. The talk radio host also criticized members of the media for not addressing his claim that Powell likely hasn't endorsed white candidates who, according to Limbaugh, have similar political leanings and experience as Obama.
I wonder what Limbaugh would have said about "inexperience" had he been at the meeting where Colonel Powell was first promoted to General Powell. Would any African American ever be "experienced" enough to be more than a maid, if Rush Limbaugh had his choice in the matter?
One thing for sure is: After the election, Limbaugh's ratings will be higher than ever, because of the opportunity for racists to spew forth their venom, in the name of "democracy". After all, for most of the illusion that has always been "The American Dream", the only thing that people had who cling to their "whiteness" was just that. They had no money or anything else, but they could still poke out their chests and exclaim, "I don't have anything, but, at least, I'm WHITE!" Right.
Limbaugh will now, without shame, just as the lying, Black baby-making Strom Thurmond did, get new recruits to protect his idiocy, huge bank account(s), and, maybe, drugs. Who nows?
And the beat goes on...
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Claims of "Voter Fraud" may promote "Genuine Fraud"
About what are the recent cries of "voter fraud" by the Republican Party - or the Democrats, for that matter?Dear friends,
On the link below is a very eloquent piece, regarding the cries of "voter fraud" during, especially, presidential elections. George Curry of the Philadelphia Inquirer delivers an exceptional analysis of this topic. Check it out!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/george_curry/20081016_Beyond_the_Spin__Threats_to_the_ballot_box.html
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Smith on Understanding Economics
When politicians and pumdits talk about "the economy", a great deal of attention is given to our government's and big businesses' spending. But how much, if any, do we as workers/citizens, whether employed or self-employed, contribute to overall spending, in comparison?On the link below. Elm Smith of the Philadelphia Daily News gives us a brief "economics" course. Please prepare to make some notes.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20081017_Elmer_Smith__Read_this_if_you_know_zilch_about_the_economy.html
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Foreclosing on a neighborhood
Imagine having finally landed in a dream situation. A home - no more landlords. Feeling like part of a real community. Then...
Dear friends,
It is easy to put blame on people who have no power. What if millions of Americans began thinking and initiating their own "Habitat for Humanity" programs, across the country?
Below, is the link to a recent story that I read in the New York Times. It is very well written, in my opinion, and raises the question of the role that citizens may want to consider playing with each other, instead of embracing the anti-social, anti-community spirit, dog-eat-dog - wishing your fellows "the worse" - mindset that permeates many social and cultural experiences and events in our society, including its prevalence on television "Reality" shows, and the many and varied gambling forums.
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/nyregion/19block.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Read full post
Dear friends,
It is easy to put blame on people who have no power. What if millions of Americans began thinking and initiating their own "Habitat for Humanity" programs, across the country?
Below, is the link to a recent story that I read in the New York Times. It is very well written, in my opinion, and raises the question of the role that citizens may want to consider playing with each other, instead of embracing the anti-social, anti-community spirit, dog-eat-dog - wishing your fellows "the worse" - mindset that permeates many social and cultural experiences and events in our society, including its prevalence on television "Reality" shows, and the many and varied gambling forums.
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/19/nyregion/19block.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin
Read full post
The content of their character?
With what Dr. King's offspring are showing the world these days (and actually have been for many years), I do not think that he would want people to judge them by their characters. How sad.Dr. King would not be too happy with the way his progeny are currently behaving. Unfortunately, greed is not just a part of the character of many of those on Wall Street. This family has a history of it, just as many others in our society do.
Yet, at least to me, it is respect - not whether you like someone's "character" or not - that should be the driving force behind human relations. After all, if a person truly respects you, then he or she will never deliberately do anything to harm you. Do you agree?
At any rate, the link below is to a piece by the ever effervescent, informative, and thoughtful Jen Armstrong of the Philadelphia Daily News. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/31093009.html
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Sunday, October 19, 2008
More about our "allies" in Columbia
Dear friends,
With all of John McCain's talk about the rulers in Columbia being "our allies", we may want t consider keeping in mind the fact that, as Senator Obama pointed out during the debate, Columbia is guilty of all kinds of human rights violations. Moreover, at least to me, it seems that it is easy for us to ignore the plight of Early American Native Peoples. However, many of our ancestors escaped chattel slavery and were accepted into Early American Native groups. As a matter of fact, it is hardly uncommon to hear African Americans, today, talk about having ancestors who were so-called Indians. After all, that is from where the body of folks wo were called the "Seminoles" of Florida came, for example. That is, the group was made up of Early American Natives who brought in African captives who themselves had "run" from, mostly, enslavers' plantations in Georgia...
*****************************************
Press Release from ACIN on Third Day of Mobilization: Imminent
A call to the Inter American commission of Human Rights, global solidarity and progressive Governments to intervene immediately.
The army has surrounded the approximately 10.000 indigenous protesters and is preparing an assault. A man and a woman have been injured with gunshots. The man was transferred to a Hospital with a wound to his head and signs of decerebration. There are five wounded so far and two indigenous have been captured.
Another native, 23 year old César Hurtado Trochez, was shot to death by 4 men last night as he rested at home in Guadualito, Northern Cauca. This indigenous community member had received no threats and dedicated his life to agriculture. The assassination follows the same pattern as that of Nicolás Valencia, whose funeral is taking place right now. César was not involved in the protest.
We call upon the Inter American commission of Human Rights, global solidarity and progressive Governments to intervene immediately. It is a crime to resist corporate greed in Colombia. It has been a crime to be indigenous for 516 years. Repression and death are the institutional responses to our direct action, to which we are forced by terror, media and legal aggression. This Government is against life, we are forced to resist a regime at the service of corporate greed and when we do, we are murdered and the world watches in silence.
Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca
ACIN
Colombian Military and Police Confronting Indigenous Protesters in Cauca;
Organizers call for solidarity from the international community
The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN, reports that today, on the third day of the national mobilization dubbed "Commotion of the Peoples," all the communities gathered in the locality of La Maria, in the department of Cauca, are completely surrounded by the Colombian Army. Apparently, the security forces are preparing to carry out an armed assault against the civilians involved in the protest, which began on Sunday, October 12th. Organizers estimate that there are over 10,000 people currently at La Maria and surrounding areas.
The communities have blocked a portion of the Pan American Highway that connects the cities of Popayn and Santander de Quilichao in the department of Cauca, in an acto f civil disobedience. They are demanding a face to face meeting with the President to discuss the main points on their agenda.
ACIN reports that in the confrontations today, there were at least two indigenous activists severely wounded, with one possibly fatally. Two other indigenous activists from Tierradentro were detained.
Simultaneously, 4 cadavers were transfered from Corinto to the morgue in the town of Caloto. According to ACIN, up to now, local officials have not allowed indigenous authorities in to identify the victims and examine the corpses.
Prior to the mobilization, which was called to protest against the militarization of indigenous territories, the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and the government of Alvaro Uribe, indigenous leaders warned about the potential for this kind of backlash against the movement. That the government declared a state of internal commotion just two days before the start of the protest gave them more reason to be alarmed.
In an urgent communique put out by ACIN a few moments ago, the organization states: “Everything indicates that this criminal government has initiated a massacre as a response to our indigenous resistance!
Spokespersons for ACIN are calling on the world not to serve as accomplices with silence in the face of this criminal regime.
For more information, contact:
--
Posted By MAMARadio toMAMA Radio at 10/14/2008 08:00:00 AM
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With all of John McCain's talk about the rulers in Columbia being "our allies", we may want t consider keeping in mind the fact that, as Senator Obama pointed out during the debate, Columbia is guilty of all kinds of human rights violations. Moreover, at least to me, it seems that it is easy for us to ignore the plight of Early American Native Peoples. However, many of our ancestors escaped chattel slavery and were accepted into Early American Native groups. As a matter of fact, it is hardly uncommon to hear African Americans, today, talk about having ancestors who were so-called Indians. After all, that is from where the body of folks wo were called the "Seminoles" of Florida came, for example. That is, the group was made up of Early American Natives who brought in African captives who themselves had "run" from, mostly, enslavers' plantations in Georgia...
*****************************************
Press Release from ACIN on Third Day of Mobilization: Imminent
A call to the Inter American commission of Human Rights, global solidarity and progressive Governments to intervene immediately.
The army has surrounded the approximately 10.000 indigenous protesters and is preparing an assault. A man and a woman have been injured with gunshots. The man was transferred to a Hospital with a wound to his head and signs of decerebration. There are five wounded so far and two indigenous have been captured.
Another native, 23 year old César Hurtado Trochez, was shot to death by 4 men last night as he rested at home in Guadualito, Northern Cauca. This indigenous community member had received no threats and dedicated his life to agriculture. The assassination follows the same pattern as that of Nicolás Valencia, whose funeral is taking place right now. César was not involved in the protest.
We call upon the Inter American commission of Human Rights, global solidarity and progressive Governments to intervene immediately. It is a crime to resist corporate greed in Colombia. It has been a crime to be indigenous for 516 years. Repression and death are the institutional responses to our direct action, to which we are forced by terror, media and legal aggression. This Government is against life, we are forced to resist a regime at the service of corporate greed and when we do, we are murdered and the world watches in silence.
Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca
ACIN
Colombian Military and Police Confronting Indigenous Protesters in Cauca;
Organizers call for solidarity from the international community
The Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, ACIN, reports that today, on the third day of the national mobilization dubbed "Commotion of the Peoples," all the communities gathered in the locality of La Maria, in the department of Cauca, are completely surrounded by the Colombian Army. Apparently, the security forces are preparing to carry out an armed assault against the civilians involved in the protest, which began on Sunday, October 12th. Organizers estimate that there are over 10,000 people currently at La Maria and surrounding areas.
The communities have blocked a portion of the Pan American Highway that connects the cities of Popayn and Santander de Quilichao in the department of Cauca, in an acto f civil disobedience. They are demanding a face to face meeting with the President to discuss the main points on their agenda.
ACIN reports that in the confrontations today, there were at least two indigenous activists severely wounded, with one possibly fatally. Two other indigenous activists from Tierradentro were detained.
Simultaneously, 4 cadavers were transfered from Corinto to the morgue in the town of Caloto. According to ACIN, up to now, local officials have not allowed indigenous authorities in to identify the victims and examine the corpses.
Prior to the mobilization, which was called to protest against the militarization of indigenous territories, the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement, and the government of Alvaro Uribe, indigenous leaders warned about the potential for this kind of backlash against the movement. That the government declared a state of internal commotion just two days before the start of the protest gave them more reason to be alarmed.
In an urgent communique put out by ACIN a few moments ago, the organization states: “Everything indicates that this criminal government has initiated a massacre as a response to our indigenous resistance!
Spokespersons for ACIN are calling on the world not to serve as accomplices with silence in the face of this criminal regime.
For more information, contact:
--
Posted By MAMARadio to
Mind over matter
Dear friends,
Many people, at least, know of someone who has lived with a spinal cord injury for many years. While the Bush administration has taken a great amount of funds away from scientific research - generally, there has been some progress made with the development of new ways to end paralysis.
Please check out the short article, on the link below, from BBC. I found it interesting. You may too.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7669159.stm
Read full post
Many people, at least, know of someone who has lived with a spinal cord injury for many years. While the Bush administration has taken a great amount of funds away from scientific research - generally, there has been some progress made with the development of new ways to end paralysis.
Please check out the short article, on the link below, from BBC. I found it interesting. You may too.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7669159.stm
Read full post
Friday, October 17, 2008
The Final Debate
Dear friends.
The final debate, at least to me, was one that stuck to domestic issues, almost entirely. The questions asked by the moderator, I found to be far better than the two previous ones (i.e., debates) by the other networks…
*************************************
Dear friends.
The final debate, at least to me, was one that stuck to domestic issues, almost entirely. The questions asked by the moderator, I found to be far better than the two previous ones (i.e., debates) by the other networks…
John McCain’s strategy began with him speaking to the “little man”, as it were. He was disingenuous, if not deceitful. “Joe the plumber” is not doing so bad economically. This is a man, after all, who wants to buy a plumbing company.
As someone who has owned his own business, albeit fairly small, for most of my adult life (beginning at 18 years-old), I can tell you that the normal sale of a business is ten times the annual income of that business. That means that if a business makes about $500,000 per year, then one needs a loan of $5,000,000 to secure the aforementioned enterprise. Yet, with no more than three or four licensed plumbers, that is a very, very small plumbing business (I have a boxing student who has twenty-five plumbers working for him).
Please do not forget the cost of equipment, trucks, an office, a secretary, along with an accountant – and maybe a lawyer. That does not include rent or mortgage for the office, taxes, and other expenditures. [Note: Retaining a lawyer in such a business is extremely important, as , occasionally, customers make complaints (often times unwarranted), in any small business. For whatever reasons, even if someone just wants a refund in a small claims court. However, many small businesses take their chances in such a legal circumstance and go to court themselves, avoiding a lawyer’s fee. This is especially true of landlords (especially slumlords), for instance.]
In any case, no bank of which I am aware would ever lend such money ($5,000,000), unless they had proof of the seller’s income, as well as the buyer’s assets, because there would have to be a balance sheet that had been drawn up by a certified public accountant (CPA), in order for a bank manager to even consider loaning this type of money. This is not like buying a house. Joe wants to buy an existing, money-making establishment. In other words, because the bank officer is not loaning money to buy a house (a definite asset that the bank can recover if there is a foreclosure), he or she is not interested in “credit references”. Available assets are the only concern of moment - for the purpose of collateral.
What that means is: “Joe the plumber” is far from being a struggling entrepreneur. After all, he did work for these people for twenty years, as McCain mentioned. Moreover, once again, McCain seemed to be showing his absolute disdain for the ordinary American who has no idea of what I just stated above about “Joe the plumber”. Neither did Senator Obama, apparently – nor even McCain, perhaps, for that matter. Who knows? Maybe, that is what his (McCain’s) “advisers” told him to say. If Obama had known, nonetheless, then he would have been able to put that argument to rest the very first time that McCain brought it up. Instead, we had to hear about “Joe”, all evening. Any experienced businessperson, however, was laughing at McCain’s portrayal of Joe’s “predicament”.
Next, when they did move to foreign policy, McCain’s support of lawless Columbia is shameful. Back in 1997, I was invited to deliver a paper at a conference on Caribbean culture in Barranquilla, Columbia, as I had done the year before in Kingston, Jamaica. However, only a few weeks before my date in Barranquilla, I decided not to go, and, instead, sent the paper to my contact there via US mail, after a dear friend of mine told me a story about his experience there (in Barranquilla) where he was told to strip naked in public, downtown, mind you, by five machine gun-toting police officers/soldiers, after he had simply reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, while asking a native a simple question. (The nonsensical excuse by the brutes for the strip-search was, allegedly, because they thought he had just bought drugs.) That was a lie. He exchanged nothing with the person. It was just because he was an American. I can tell you more horror stories about Americans in Columbia, as well as those from Columbia will tell you about Columbia. McCain calls that country a “dear” ally. Puhleez!
McCain really trumped himself when he came out against Roe vs. Wade though. That did him in; he is done, done, done. He will definitely lose the election now. His choice of Sarah Palin has become more obvious. Even though he danced around the question regarding his support of a future Supreme Court justice, he made it clear that he will not just be satisfied winning this election. Rather, he wants to turn back the clock.
Finally, Senator Barack Obama was far more clear and specific about what he intended to do. Yet, his winning the election will only be the beginning. We must all continue working for a better society. People make the economy, and people make the history. We must build our communities, so that they are loving, productive, and prosperous. Except for scattered examples between the mid-19th and early 20th Centuries, before the government became so centralized, communities here have never been that way. There is no reason to turn back in the other direction. Let us move forward on November 4th.
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
The final debate, at least to me, was one that stuck to domestic issues, almost entirely. The questions asked by the moderator, I found to be far better than the two previous ones (i.e., debates) by the other networks…
*************************************
Dear friends.
The final debate, at least to me, was one that stuck to domestic issues, almost entirely. The questions asked by the moderator, I found to be far better than the two previous ones (i.e., debates) by the other networks…
John McCain’s strategy began with him speaking to the “little man”, as it were. He was disingenuous, if not deceitful. “Joe the plumber” is not doing so bad economically. This is a man, after all, who wants to buy a plumbing company.
As someone who has owned his own business, albeit fairly small, for most of my adult life (beginning at 18 years-old), I can tell you that the normal sale of a business is ten times the annual income of that business. That means that if a business makes about $500,000 per year, then one needs a loan of $5,000,000 to secure the aforementioned enterprise. Yet, with no more than three or four licensed plumbers, that is a very, very small plumbing business (I have a boxing student who has twenty-five plumbers working for him).
Please do not forget the cost of equipment, trucks, an office, a secretary, along with an accountant – and maybe a lawyer. That does not include rent or mortgage for the office, taxes, and other expenditures. [Note: Retaining a lawyer in such a business is extremely important, as , occasionally, customers make complaints (often times unwarranted), in any small business. For whatever reasons, even if someone just wants a refund in a small claims court. However, many small businesses take their chances in such a legal circumstance and go to court themselves, avoiding a lawyer’s fee. This is especially true of landlords (especially slumlords), for instance.]
In any case, no bank of which I am aware would ever lend such money ($5,000,000), unless they had proof of the seller’s income, as well as the buyer’s assets, because there would have to be a balance sheet that had been drawn up by a certified public accountant (CPA), in order for a bank manager to even consider loaning this type of money. This is not like buying a house. Joe wants to buy an existing, money-making establishment. In other words, because the bank officer is not loaning money to buy a house (a definite asset that the bank can recover if there is a foreclosure), he or she is not interested in “credit references”. Available assets are the only concern of moment - for the purpose of collateral.
What that means is: “Joe the plumber” is far from being a struggling entrepreneur. After all, he did work for these people for twenty years, as McCain mentioned. Moreover, once again, McCain seemed to be showing his absolute disdain for the ordinary American who has no idea of what I just stated above about “Joe the plumber”. Neither did Senator Obama, apparently – nor even McCain, perhaps, for that matter. Who knows? Maybe, that is what his (McCain’s) “advisers” told him to say. If Obama had known, nonetheless, then he would have been able to put that argument to rest the very first time that McCain brought it up. Instead, we had to hear about “Joe”, all evening. Any experienced businessperson, however, was laughing at McCain’s portrayal of Joe’s “predicament”.
Next, when they did move to foreign policy, McCain’s support of lawless Columbia is shameful. Back in 1997, I was invited to deliver a paper at a conference on Caribbean culture in Barranquilla, Columbia, as I had done the year before in Kingston, Jamaica. However, only a few weeks before my date in Barranquilla, I decided not to go, and, instead, sent the paper to my contact there via US mail, after a dear friend of mine told me a story about his experience there (in Barranquilla) where he was told to strip naked in public, downtown, mind you, by five machine gun-toting police officers/soldiers, after he had simply reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet, while asking a native a simple question. (The nonsensical excuse by the brutes for the strip-search was, allegedly, because they thought he had just bought drugs.) That was a lie. He exchanged nothing with the person. It was just because he was an American. I can tell you more horror stories about Americans in Columbia, as well as those from Columbia will tell you about Columbia. McCain calls that country a “dear” ally. Puhleez!
McCain really trumped himself when he came out against Roe vs. Wade though. That did him in; he is done, done, done. He will definitely lose the election now. His choice of Sarah Palin has become more obvious. Even though he danced around the question regarding his support of a future Supreme Court justice, he made it clear that he will not just be satisfied winning this election. Rather, he wants to turn back the clock.
Finally, Senator Barack Obama was far more clear and specific about what he intended to do. Yet, his winning the election will only be the beginning. We must all continue working for a better society. People make the economy, and people make the history. We must build our communities, so that they are loving, productive, and prosperous. Except for scattered examples between the mid-19th and early 20th Centuries, before the government became so centralized, communities here have never been that way. There is no reason to turn back in the other direction. Let us move forward on November 4th.
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Senator Obama Roasting Senator McCain
Humor as a way of understanding life's contradictions can be any combination of information, entertainment, or empowerment..
Dear friends,
Here's a clip (if you have not seen it yet) from "You Tube" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk5YJkhizRs that you can also catch on "Comedy Secrets" at http://www.comedysecrets.blogspot.com/ ( a link that also shows McCain roasting Obama at the same dinner program in New York City), it is really funny stuff. :-)
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Dear friends,
Here's a clip (if you have not seen it yet) from "You Tube" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk5YJkhizRs that you can also catch on "Comedy Secrets" at http://www.comedysecrets.blogspot.com/ ( a link that also shows McCain roasting Obama at the same dinner program in New York City), it is really funny stuff. :-)
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Martin on Questioning Palin
For all of the kudos that she has been receiving, have we really heard much about Sarah Palin's views as they relate to her actual life experiences?
Dear friends,
Since the debating is now over, but the campaign is not, Roland Martin reminds us of the need to remember the fact that Palin is only a heart beat away from office, theoretically. Please check out the info on the link below.
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/14/martin.campaign/index.html
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Smith on Gold Relationships
Currently, all we have been hearing is bad news about the economy. Yet, even during the Depression, there were those who made a lot of cash...
Dear friends,
One of the great mysteries of the current "financial crisis", at least, so it seems to me, involves the question: When a company fails and needs a government bailout, why is it that the executives who were in charge of the failed enterprise remain highly compensated?
With the excellent piece on the link below, Elm Smith of the Philadelphia Daily News tries to help us have a little more clarity, concerning this abovementioned matter.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20081010_Elmer_Smith__Failed_execs_get_the_lollipop__laid-off_workers_get_the_stick.html?adString=pdn.news/local;!category=local;&randomOrd=101008061819
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A Black Woman, Star Jones, speaks...
Dear friends,
When Don Imus called members of Rutgers' University basketball team, "Nappy-headed hoes", there should have been a letter - like the one below - sent to him and the main stream media by someone with celebrity - like the writer of the aforementioned missive...
Instead, Imus colluded with Reverends Al Sharlton and Jesse Jackson (the Endored Spokesmen for Blacks) to make it seem as if the comments were directed towards eight young women who Imus did not even know. Then, my feeling was: Imus was attacking ALL Black women. Unfortunately, the spin was: He was talking badly about those young girls.
In any case, I am glad that, at least now, someone with "celebrity" has finally come out, when an African American woman is attacked. Hopefully, this will start a new trend among African American women - and men.
Growing up in the Movement, back in the Sizties, I watched and particpated in a cause where men were given credit for the accomplishments. Yet, in spite of his scholarship and oratory skills, I am not aware of Martin King or any of those guys ever leafleting doors about boycotts and rallies, or any of them having put a single person on a bus. (Please see "Ain't I a Woman" by Belle Hookes aka Gloria Watkins)
Worse yet, when Michelle Obama had an opportunity to articualate her statement of being "proud" of this country on the "View", she blew it, undoubtedly following the direction of her husband's largely non-African American campaign managers. But this election is about "us", not the Obamas. THat is, they will get in because of us. Our votes are not marginal.
At any rate, below is the Star Jones letter that was forwarded to me just yesterday from a friend via e-mail.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
Star Jones Reynolds responds to Bill O'Reilly/Fox News about MichelleObama! Worth reading... Below is Star Jones' informed and provocative response to Bill O'Reilly's comment about 'having a lynching party for MichelleObama if he finds out that she truly has no pride in her country.'
Bill O'Reilly said: 'I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this ishow the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels - that is abad country or a flawed nation, whatever - then that's legit. We'll track it down.'
Star said: 'I'm sick to death of people like Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, and his ilk thinking that he can use a racial slur against a Black woman who could be the next First Lady of the United States , give a half-assed apology and not be taken to task and called on his crap. What the hell? If it's 'legit,' you're going to 'track it down?' And then what do you plan to do?
How dare this white man with a microphone and the trust of the public think that in 2008, he can still put the words 'lynch and party' together in the same sentence with reference to a Black woman; in this case, Michelle Obama? I don't care how you 'spin it' in the 'no spin zone,' that statement in and of itself is racist, unacceptable and inappropriate on every level.
O'Reilly claims his comments were taken out of context. Please don't insult my intelligence while you're insulting me. I've read the comments and heard them delivered in O'Reilly's own voice; and there is no right context that exists. So, his insincere apology and 'out-of-context' excuse are not going to cut it with me.
And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with the 2008 presidential election, me being a Democrat, him claiming to be Independent while talking Republican, the liberal media or a conservative point of view. To the contrary, this is about crossing a line in the sand that needs to be drawn based on history, dignity, taste and truth.
Bill, I'm not sure of where you come from, but let me tell you what the phrase 'lynching party' conjures up to me, a Black woman born in North Carolina . Those words depict the image of a group of white men who are angry with the state of their own lives, getting together, drinking more than they need to drink, lamenting how some Black person has moved forward (usually ahead of them in stature or dignity), and had the audacity to think that they are equal.
These same men for years, instead of looking at what changes they should and could make in their own lives that might remove that bitterness born of perceived privilege, these white men take all of that resentment and anger and decide to get together and drag the closest Black person near them to their death by hanging them from a tree - usually after violent beating, torturing andviolating their human dignity. Check your history books, because you don't need a masters or a law degree from Harvard to know that is what constitutes a 'lynching party.'
Imagine, Michelle and Barack Obama having the audacity to think that they have the right to the American dream, hopes, and ideals. O'Reilly must think to himself: 'How dare they have the arrogance to think they can stand in front of this nation, challenge the status quo and express the frustration of millions?' When this happens, the first thing that comes to mind for O'Reilly and people like him is: 'it's time for a party.'
Not so fast...don't order the rope just yet. Would O'Reilly ever in a million years use this phrase with reference to Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain or Judi Nathan? I mean, in all of the statements and criticisms that were made about Judi Nathan, the one-time mistress turned missus, of former presidential candidate RudyGiuliani, I never heard any talk of forming a lynch party because of something she said or did. So why is it that when you're referring to someone who's African-American you must dig to a historical place of pain, agony and death to symbolize your feelings?
Lynching is not a joke to off-handedly throw around and it is not a metaphor that has a place in political commentary; provocative or otherwise. I admit that I come from a place of personal outrage here having buried my 90 year-old grandfather last year. This proud, amazing African-American man raised his family and lived through the time when he had to use separate water fountains, ride in the back of a bus, take his wife on a date to the 'colored section' of a movie theater, and avert his eyes when a white woman walked down the street for fear of what a white man and his cronies might do if they felt the urge to 'party'; don't tell me that the phrase you chose, Mr. O'Reilly, was taken out of context. To add insult to injury, O'Reilly tried to 'clarify' his statements, by using the excuse that his comments were reminiscent of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' use of the term 'high-tech lynching' during his confirmation hearing. I reject that analogy. You see JusticeThomas did mean to bring up the image of lynching in its racist context. He was saying that politics and the media were using a new technology to do to him what had been done to Black men for many years-- hang him. Regardless of if you agreed with Justice Thomas' premise or not, if in fact ---Bill O'Reilly was referencing it the context becomes even clearer.
What annoys me more than anything is that I get the feeling that one of the reasons Bill O'Reilly made this statement, thinking he could get away with it in the first place, and then followed it up with a lame apology in a half-hearted attempt to smooth any ruffled feathers, is because he doesn't think that Black women will come out and go after him when he goes after us. Well, he's dead wrong. Be clear Bill O'Reilly: there will be no lynch party for that Black woman. And this Black woman assures you that if you come for her, you come for all of us.'
Star Jones Reynolds
Read full post
When Don Imus called members of Rutgers' University basketball team, "Nappy-headed hoes", there should have been a letter - like the one below - sent to him and the main stream media by someone with celebrity - like the writer of the aforementioned missive...
Instead, Imus colluded with Reverends Al Sharlton and Jesse Jackson (the Endored Spokesmen for Blacks) to make it seem as if the comments were directed towards eight young women who Imus did not even know. Then, my feeling was: Imus was attacking ALL Black women. Unfortunately, the spin was: He was talking badly about those young girls.
In any case, I am glad that, at least now, someone with "celebrity" has finally come out, when an African American woman is attacked. Hopefully, this will start a new trend among African American women - and men.
Growing up in the Movement, back in the Sizties, I watched and particpated in a cause where men were given credit for the accomplishments. Yet, in spite of his scholarship and oratory skills, I am not aware of Martin King or any of those guys ever leafleting doors about boycotts and rallies, or any of them having put a single person on a bus. (Please see "Ain't I a Woman" by Belle Hookes aka Gloria Watkins)
Worse yet, when Michelle Obama had an opportunity to articualate her statement of being "proud" of this country on the "View", she blew it, undoubtedly following the direction of her husband's largely non-African American campaign managers. But this election is about "us", not the Obamas. THat is, they will get in because of us. Our votes are not marginal.
At any rate, below is the Star Jones letter that was forwarded to me just yesterday from a friend via e-mail.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
Star Jones Reynolds responds to Bill O'Reilly/Fox News about MichelleObama! Worth reading... Below is Star Jones' informed and provocative response to Bill O'Reilly's comment about 'having a lynching party for MichelleObama if he finds out that she truly has no pride in her country.'
Bill O'Reilly said: 'I don't want to go on a lynching party against Michelle Obama unless there's evidence, hard facts, that say this ishow the woman really feels. If that's how she really feels - that is abad country or a flawed nation, whatever - then that's legit. We'll track it down.'
Star said: 'I'm sick to death of people like Fox News host, Bill O'Reilly, and his ilk thinking that he can use a racial slur against a Black woman who could be the next First Lady of the United States , give a half-assed apology and not be taken to task and called on his crap. What the hell? If it's 'legit,' you're going to 'track it down?' And then what do you plan to do?
How dare this white man with a microphone and the trust of the public think that in 2008, he can still put the words 'lynch and party' together in the same sentence with reference to a Black woman; in this case, Michelle Obama? I don't care how you 'spin it' in the 'no spin zone,' that statement in and of itself is racist, unacceptable and inappropriate on every level.
O'Reilly claims his comments were taken out of context. Please don't insult my intelligence while you're insulting me. I've read the comments and heard them delivered in O'Reilly's own voice; and there is no right context that exists. So, his insincere apology and 'out-of-context' excuse are not going to cut it with me.
And just so we're clear, this has nothing to do with the 2008 presidential election, me being a Democrat, him claiming to be Independent while talking Republican, the liberal media or a conservative point of view. To the contrary, this is about crossing a line in the sand that needs to be drawn based on history, dignity, taste and truth.
Bill, I'm not sure of where you come from, but let me tell you what the phrase 'lynching party' conjures up to me, a Black woman born in North Carolina . Those words depict the image of a group of white men who are angry with the state of their own lives, getting together, drinking more than they need to drink, lamenting how some Black person has moved forward (usually ahead of them in stature or dignity), and had the audacity to think that they are equal.
These same men for years, instead of looking at what changes they should and could make in their own lives that might remove that bitterness born of perceived privilege, these white men take all of that resentment and anger and decide to get together and drag the closest Black person near them to their death by hanging them from a tree - usually after violent beating, torturing andviolating their human dignity. Check your history books, because you don't need a masters or a law degree from Harvard to know that is what constitutes a 'lynching party.'
Imagine, Michelle and Barack Obama having the audacity to think that they have the right to the American dream, hopes, and ideals. O'Reilly must think to himself: 'How dare they have the arrogance to think they can stand in front of this nation, challenge the status quo and express the frustration of millions?' When this happens, the first thing that comes to mind for O'Reilly and people like him is: 'it's time for a party.'
Not so fast...don't order the rope just yet. Would O'Reilly ever in a million years use this phrase with reference to Elizabeth Edwards, Cindy McCain or Judi Nathan? I mean, in all of the statements and criticisms that were made about Judi Nathan, the one-time mistress turned missus, of former presidential candidate RudyGiuliani, I never heard any talk of forming a lynch party because of something she said or did. So why is it that when you're referring to someone who's African-American you must dig to a historical place of pain, agony and death to symbolize your feelings?
Lynching is not a joke to off-handedly throw around and it is not a metaphor that has a place in political commentary; provocative or otherwise. I admit that I come from a place of personal outrage here having buried my 90 year-old grandfather last year. This proud, amazing African-American man raised his family and lived through the time when he had to use separate water fountains, ride in the back of a bus, take his wife on a date to the 'colored section' of a movie theater, and avert his eyes when a white woman walked down the street for fear of what a white man and his cronies might do if they felt the urge to 'party'; don't tell me that the phrase you chose, Mr. O'Reilly, was taken out of context. To add insult to injury, O'Reilly tried to 'clarify' his statements, by using the excuse that his comments were reminiscent of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas' use of the term 'high-tech lynching' during his confirmation hearing. I reject that analogy. You see JusticeThomas did mean to bring up the image of lynching in its racist context. He was saying that politics and the media were using a new technology to do to him what had been done to Black men for many years-- hang him. Regardless of if you agreed with Justice Thomas' premise or not, if in fact ---Bill O'Reilly was referencing it the context becomes even clearer.
What annoys me more than anything is that I get the feeling that one of the reasons Bill O'Reilly made this statement, thinking he could get away with it in the first place, and then followed it up with a lame apology in a half-hearted attempt to smooth any ruffled feathers, is because he doesn't think that Black women will come out and go after him when he goes after us. Well, he's dead wrong. Be clear Bill O'Reilly: there will be no lynch party for that Black woman. And this Black woman assures you that if you come for her, you come for all of us.'
Star Jones Reynolds
Read full post
Friday, October 10, 2008
Krugman on McCain's Health Care Plan
...please imagine how many people would be living healthy and properous lives today, if we did not live in a country where, every single day, whether through shootings or drunk drivers, people kill their fellow citizens for no reason...Dear friends,
During this entire presidential campaign season, the issue of "health care" has been brought up incessantly. The focus has been on the different strategies that candidates have dreamed up for realizing "universal" or some other kind of wide-ranging insurance coverage for all Americans. The most crucial aspect of the plans have been based upon a universal ability of citizens to be able to pay for their health insurance.
Many years ago, as an agent for what, at the time, was the most prosperous insurance agency in the nation (operating out of Philadelphia), I learned first-hand that "insurance companies love to collect premiums, but hate to pay claims". Yet, that simple truism points to a much deeper issue that neither candidate seems to be addressing. It is: Our health care is an industry not a "system". In other words, health workers do not work in unity for a specific purpose like better health for all citizens. Rather, they are separated from each other by competing business organizations - both government-sponsored and private, that are replete with televison commercials and newspaper advertisements.
So what is our health care industry other than that which represents the aggregate of businesses that belong to that particular trade? Of course, the actual purpose of any business, if that entity plans to be operating for a long time, is to create customers - not "maximize profits". It is here that HMOs and other bodies ruin hospital and other institutions that choose to have a more lasting affect upon the welfare of the ctizenry.
Still, at face value, all of this seems quite noble, that is, universal health care. However, neither candidate has talked about health care in the context of how people will be able to live healthy and productive lives. I am especially stressing this point, because in our society, mental life is not considered as important as its physical counterpart. Yet, it is the lack of good mental health that is at the basis of many of our problems in society.
For instance, please imagine how many people would be living healthy and properous lives today, if we did not live in a country where, every single day, whether through shootings or drunk drivers, people kill their fellow citizens for no reason. They kill strangers, over road-rage. They kill strangers, because they need money. People kill their entire families or a group of their co-workers, because they are angry. They sell food, in abundance, that they know is unhealthy. They sell cars that emit poisonous gases and can barely last for a few years. They make movies that promote inhumaity and cowardice, and glorify murder - and rape. They promote songs and music that promote hatred and intolerance. The list goes on and on...
Greed, amongst some in our society, that is being so proudly attacked by John McCain - a man who owns seven homes - is certainly a mental health issue. We have known for some time that the miser, for example, tries to "feel better" about himself or herself, by hoarding things, in order to make up for his or her otherwise bad feelings about himself or herself which is caused by a lack of self-worth. Moreover, both power and sexual greed are at the basis of all social relationships, in ths market-based society of "supply and demand", from sexual harrassment at work - to rape and incest.
At any rate, while I have mentioned his name on this blog on, at least, a couple of occasions, I am now actually presenting some of his work. Paul Krugman of the New York Times is always someone worth reading, whether you agree with him or not. Still, regardless of whatever Krugman and others have to say, I can still hear the refrain sung by the great Curtis Mayfield, "Depression is part of my mind, the sun never shines, on the other side of town..." As the jargon goes: Let's keep it real. Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/06/opinion/06krugman.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1
Read full post
McCain's $300 Million Mortgage Crisis Plan
Dear friends,
At the recent second debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, the latter promised that he has constructed a $300 million plan to help citizens who are homeowners be able to remain in their homes, while having lower payments...
That is not a plan; rather, it is an ambition. After all, he did not even specify, region- or income level-wise, exactly who will actually receive aid. As well, he made no mention of either administrative or legal costs for lawyers and other representatives who will need to broker with the banks on behalf of the aforementioned homeowners.
Nonetheless, let us do some simple math. Suppose both the administrators and lawyers will work for free. Also, let us suppose that there are 100, 000 homeowners who need assistance, as opposed to the real number which is, currently, far greater. That means that each person will receive $3, 000 in aid (by dividing $300 million by 100, 000). Will that amount of money last long enough to insure that the homeowners will remain solvent? It seems that McCain is just trying to buy votes, at this point.
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
At the recent second debate between Senators Barack Obama and John McCain, the latter promised that he has constructed a $300 million plan to help citizens who are homeowners be able to remain in their homes, while having lower payments...
That is not a plan; rather, it is an ambition. After all, he did not even specify, region- or income level-wise, exactly who will actually receive aid. As well, he made no mention of either administrative or legal costs for lawyers and other representatives who will need to broker with the banks on behalf of the aforementioned homeowners.
Nonetheless, let us do some simple math. Suppose both the administrators and lawyers will work for free. Also, let us suppose that there are 100, 000 homeowners who need assistance, as opposed to the real number which is, currently, far greater. That means that each person will receive $3, 000 in aid (by dividing $300 million by 100, 000). Will that amount of money last long enough to insure that the homeowners will remain solvent? It seems that McCain is just trying to buy votes, at this point.
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
Dowd on McCain/Palin Desperation
Dear friends,Now comes John McCain, a longtime mover and shaker in Congress who knows how to "reach across the isle". He is a "maverick" who having been in office during, several recessions, now, conveniently, claims that he knows how to solve our problems...
If that is true, then, I must ask the "maverick" senator, "After your great experiences of having been in office during a number of recessions, while always "reaching across the isle", what has happened between the time that you were nominated by the Republican Party - and now, that, apparently, did not occur to you during the prior quarter of a century, that has made you so wise and capable?".
At any rate, I have been reading Maureen Dowd's work for a number of years. I find her to be one of the nation's most distinguished journalists, male or female. Her voice seems to shun whatever is the favored position of the "herd" (whch includes many of her journalistic colleagues). Please enjoy Maureen's, as usual, thoughtful piece, on the link below.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/10/08/opinion/08dowd.html?ei=5070&emc=eta1
Read full post
Martin on Risky McCain
Dear friends,Roland Martin is a serious journalist/thinker who is contributing to the direction of the dialogue in American journalism. I totally support his views and position on the link below. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/10/07/martin.townhall/index.html Read full post
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