skip to main |
skip to sidebar
"Of course, our government, which declares that it has sole authority over who lives or dies, including the individual citizen, conveniently makes committing suicide a crime, while the aforesaid government's execution of people is legal."
Dear friends,
At this particular time of the year, at least in this country, the holiday season brings a lot of feelings of celebration. However, there are many people who are reminded of loved ones who are no longer part of the living. No mood for celebrating.
Now, to be sure, human beings are the only creatures on this planet who are even aware of our existence. That's why the maintenance of cemeteries is strictly a human undertaking (pun intended. Other creatures have no need for them, since they have no idea that they even exist. That is, all of their actions are instinctual, even though some have the ability to reason and follow orders from humans. Additionally, this world, including people, exists whether any particular human being is alive or not. Ask any mortician.
Nonetheless, the desire to maintain one's status as a living being is reinforced by both mental and motor reflexes for self-preservation. So why do people sometimes consciously bypass the aforementioned mechanisms and take their own lives? Moreover, in a market-driven, possession-oriented society such as ours, where people alienate themselves from both themselves and the fruits of their labor, by surrendering such products or services just mentioned to an employer who will ultimately be the one making the profits from the hard work of the former, how do people persevere? This is especially disturbing, because people in our society are also alienated from each other. For instance, in the newer wealthy neighborhoods, they do not even bother to build sidewalks anymore. We need "community" in this country, more than ever.
To be sure, there is a generation raising children that is so steeped in this possession-oriented culture that ideas of community, and so forth, represent the folklore of generations past. Additionally, it is hard to steer the imagination towards humanity, community, and the common good in a society that holds individualism as paramount. Individualism has its place, but given too much emphasis, it can encourage greed, selfishness and petty materialism, creating serious identity problems along the way.
Therefore, and ultimately, if our youth are to be our future, then it will only happen if we as adults, particularly parents, take the reins of this present culture and provide our children with both an historical and social conscience, and set the example for them, by informing identity through recognition of the connection between generations and defining human life in a meaningful way (as opposed to basing who they are upon claims that cannot even be substantiated, regarding with whom they are having sex, or what "gang colors" they're wearing). That way, our society will benefit from the "leadership" of our youth. As well, the "market" will then be a function of the values of the society, and not vice versa.
Still, suicide is the word used to acknowledge self-murder. However, because we look at everything geometrically, that is, we give shape, form, and substance to phenomena, whether physically, intellectually, emotionally, or spiritually, then our understanding of all things is based upon "dialectical" vision or a "unity of opposites". That means that we cannot know what "hot" is, unless we know what "cold" is. We cannot know what "yes" is, unless we can relate to the concept of "no". Likewise, how can there be murder of others, without self-murder? And each time a person murders has s/he, at least partially, murdered her or his own humanity?
Moreover, is suicide necessarily a bad thing? For example, if an adult warrior, especially a male one, like a soldier or police officer, learns that he has a terminal illness and chooses not to be a burden to his loved ones or anyone else, is it wrong for him to end his life? After all. that it is an old tradition in all cultures and happens all of the time. Besides, that is a decision that has been made by a mature, responsible adult who. apparently, has a genuine "sense of self", and has made a final decision, of his own volition. Of course, our government, which declares that it has sole authority over who lives or dies, including the individual citizen, conveniently makes committing suicide a crime, while the aforesaid government's execution of people is legal. Huh?
At any rate, when children commit suicide other issues come into the dialogue. I mean, unlike the earlier-mentioned warriors, a child has not adequately developed a "sense of self" as an adult has to make that kind of decision about his or her life. That is, "sense of self" requires two criteria to be realized. The are: 1) The person knows what it is like to live alone on his or her own. and 2) The person knows what it is like to accomplish goals on his or her own.
Consequently, being under the care of an adult, a child who kills himself or herself brings great feelings of guilt to the caretaker(s). But is pointing fingers at the aforementioned caretaker(s) fair? For example, when I told her about writing this piece, one of my two daughters, Dr. Namandje N. Bumpus of Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, insisted that I should mention that Prozac, the popular anti-depressant drug, is directly responsible for many adolescent suicides these days. Also, she says that both freshmen and sophomore teens at schools like Cal Tech and MIT are still high on the list of teen suicides.
On the link below, renowned journalist Sandy Banks of the Los Angeles Times shares some ideas that are quite thought-provoking, regarding this subject. Cheers!
G. Djata Banks
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-1119-banks-20111119,0,3621640,full.column
Read full post
" 'So, shame on you, Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public, that’s what I expect from you.' That was an unhappy Hilary Clinton..."
Dear friends,
As usual, one of Africa's premier journalists, Dr. Chika Ezeanya of Nigeria, provides us with a brilliant, "no-holds-barred" analysis of the enemies of Africa from both within and outside of our Mother continent that reminds me of the work of the late, great Dr. Walter Rodney. Enjoy!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://saharareporters.com/article/support-oil-subsidy-removal-shame-you-united-states
Read full post
“…we are all sickened by the notion of an “anti-bullying” law. Both the thought of it and any subsequent actions are useless! Let’s be serious. At what point is a person being bullied or vice versa – that is, at what point is a person bullying another?”
Dear friends,
The obituary reads, in part, “Phoebe leaves behind her mother Anne Obrien Prince, father Jeremy Prince, sisters Lauren, Tessa and Bridget and brother Simon.” Recent reports, regarding the unfortunate suicide of the former South Hadley, Mass. high school freshman Phoebe Prince seem, mostly, to be concentrating on alleged “bullies”, while disregarding the fact that Prince had an older sibling (a senior, at that) attending the exact the same school.
Apparently, Phoebe couldn’t appeal to this older sister for help. What was going on in the Prince household that such a lack of connection between siblings was happening, much less allowed? I mean, two siblings may have their differences; however, they will still defend each other against outsiders.
And what of the claim by an aunt from Northampton, Mass. that school administrators had been warned earlier in the school year of the now dead girl’s vulnerability to bullies? Does that aunt’s claim suggest that Phoebe Prince was some kind of “bully magnet”? If that is true, then it also means that she had learned to engage in masochistic behavior that would either draw bullies to her, or make people want to bully her. Duh. The question then would seem to be, “With what kind of people was she living?” As a matter of fact, was she being bullied at home by one or more of her four siblings too? It happens.
Additionally, not only to me, but to several other educators, as well, with whom I’ve connected about this whole mess, we are all sickened by the notion of an “anti-bullying” law. Both the thought of it and any subsequent actions are useless! Let’s be serious. At what point is a person being bullied or vice versa – that is, at what point is a person bullying another? Children can be cruel. Therefore, what law will stop that! Moreover, from where do kids learn to be cruel?
Finally, what’s all of the talk about a lawsuit? Who will pay? Our cash-strapped school system? It’s an easy payday for lawyers. Any trial will be a field day for even the most inept defense attorney. In any case, will any lawyer complain? After all, it’s the client’s money. Right?
On the link below is a piece that I sent back in 2009 to the Philadelphia Daily News about school violence. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://articles.philly.com/2009-12-29/news/25270484_1_school-safety-safe-place-students
Read full post
Dear Friends,
At this point of the "Occupy" Movement that has begun to spread across America, we are now seeing and hearing from some of the people who made names for themselves, years ago, not for actually doing real work, but, instead, for simply being a "celebrity" of the Movement. Now such folks are back in the spotlight. However, one person who the mainstream government- and corporate-controlled media has not been publicizing is Elaine Brown, my former Panther comrade.
Nevertheless, on the link below, is a seven minutes-long video that will introduce you to this longtime warrior.
All power to the people!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=roGNxckardg
Read full post
"what sympathy are the Occupy Wall Street folks going to get, if they start taking over buildings in order to provide shelter and work for themselves?"
Dear friends,
Recently, I questioned the effectiveness of the Occupy Wall Street Movement, in bringing change to our country.
Ultimately, in order for a group to sustain themselves, they have to acquire a means to produce their material means of survival. In other words, there's more to building community than people getting together and being nice to each other. Moreover, many of these people are basically destitute. Consequently, alien marauders can then move in and take advantage. That's what happened to African Americans after we fought with guns and freed ourselves during the North American Civil War or what's been called the First War of Black Liberation. (see Lloyd Hogan's Principles of Black Political Economy)
Instead of using such great energy to protest (and freeload), folks should combine to, for example, take over abandoned factory buildings (structures like that are abundant in this country), and organize both housing and business facilities. There are many carpenters, plumbers, and electricians who would surely help them. There may even be some artisans and others among them.
Please remember that the people themselves are the economy. That is, human beings both make and consume the products of their combined labor. It (the aforesaid economy) is not some mystical, anthropomorphic phenomenon that grows and recesses. That's a silly idea that is the kind of blather constantly spouted by North American so-called journalists and equally unprincipled college professors who defer any notion of integrity in their work, in order to keep their jobs.
So here another point is raised. That is, the type of "jobs", as it were, at which North Americans are most often employed, just as they are for the so-called journalists and professors just mentioned, are merely exercises in human acquiescence to superior authority. Worse yet, in order to endure the charade, folks alienate, not only themselves from their work, but themselves from themselves and their fellow workers. Ouch!
Additionally, it is here where the escape from all of the misery mentioned above, that is, drugs, sex, religion, you name it, take firm hold. People need to forget about themselves and life in general. This running from one's self is also essential, because being human is a very lonesome experience. After all, one can sleep beside another person for any number of years. Still, you are both lonely. After all, no one can eat for you or go to the bathroom for you. Of course, this escapism is very convenient and profitable for those who control the market that results from the products and services the aforementioned workers produce.
Hence, finding union with others is a way to alleviate some of the pain of lonesomeness. However, one has to be careful of the religious marauders. They prey on such folks. And so, the Occupy Wall Street Movement provides some positive union, but how long will it last, unless those folks establish plans for long term survival that doesn't require begging? And in an environment where poor people, like Tea Partyers, complain about the government wanting to tax the rich more, while, simultaneously, we see the US government, with its "Black" president, raiding Africa and the Middle East, claiming to be "liberators", what sympathy are the Occupy Wall Street folks going to get, if they start taking over buildings in order to provide shelter and work for themselves? That's what's been happening everywhere else. Will our government "help" Americans. as they did for the Egyptians and Libyans?
"Dare to struggle - dare to win" - Fredrick Douglass
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
“…should we not wonder who really wins with Quaddafy’s ouster?”
Dear friends,
While the African Holocaust, which is worldwide in its nature and scope, has been going on ever since Columbus’ first infamous voyage across the Ocean Sea, the cry for a United States of Africa is more necessary than ever.
Originally having been introduced by the great Marcus Garvey, then Drs. Kwame Nkrumah and W.E.B. DuBois, along with others, some 50-plus years ago, a concept that Quaddafy tried to re-introduce with the African Union two years ago (2009), Pan Africanism and its insistence upon a United States of Africa is the only valid philosophy for African peoples around the world.
After all, whether in New York City or Lagos, Nigeria, we will not be respected as a people until Africa is finally respected again, as it once was. Period! Moreover, now with so many African Americans drugging themselves with this “black president” nonsense, those who deny us our humanity everyday are wreaking havoc on the great continent.
Nevertheless, on the link below is an article by one Robert Downie, obviously, a C.I.A. – supported opinion maker, who tells of some of the generosity that Quaddafy has shown towards his African neighbors. The “analysis”, at least to me, leaves far too many questions. Therefore, it is extremely censored.
Still, in a time when the cowardly Obama snivels up to every right wing and political Zionist exploiter around, AFRICOM (the United States expansionist program that currently has the US military all over Africa), should we not wonder who really wins with Quaddafy’s ouster? After all, why does the US support Israel, a murderous enemy of humankind, as both of the aforementioned countries colluded with the former regime of apartheid South Africa, (now a neo-colony of European rulers and their offshoots in the Americas) with financial and technical resources?
G. Djata Bumpus
http://csis.org/blog/qaddafis-tangled-legacy-africa
Read full post
“He has an African name and purports to be African American. In other words, with such a ‘head of state’, I knew that that would be a strong basis for US multinational business to be able to open up markets in Africa.”
Dear friends,
Ever since he first started running for the presidential office, I have insisted that the only reason that Barack Obama was a good choice for the racist rulers of this country is: He has an African name and purports to be African American. In other words, with such a "head of state", I knew that that would be a strong basis for US multinational businesses to be able to open up markets in Africa.
After all, the days of European colonial rule are not that far in the past. Therefore, while China has opened up solid business relationships with a number of African countries, one can only imagine that some of the offshoots of the aforementioned European colonists, i.e., European American businesspeople, would find it difficult to meet welcoming arms there. I wonder why?
At any rate, after first using the flimsy excuse of fighting a “war on terror”, in early 2007, the person who was the president at the time, George W. Bush, instituted The United States Africa Command (USAFRICOM or AFRICOM).
However, Africans were not so lovey-dovey with the idea of having such a strong US military presence there. So, the headquarters of AFRICOM ended up being placed just outside of Stuttgart, Germany.
Nevertheless, AFRICOM has been involved in activities that make it apparent there is an ulterior motive for having military bases set up all over Africa’s 54 countries – oil.
Now, while some Black folks are concerned about the term “tar baby” being used in the same sentence as a reference to Barack Obama’s actions, at least to me, a much more important question is: Why is President Obama maintaining AFRICOM?
Additionally, why are Black journalists from around the country, who are meeting in Philadelphia beginning this week, wondering why, as a body, they are becoming more and more inconsequential, when African American people are not even informed about, for example, the actions of this president and inspired to demand meaningful representation from him?
Please check out the info on the link below. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://peoplesworld.org/africom-and-the-libya-war/
Read full post
“…it is not the banks that are totally, or even mostly, at fault for their failures. Rather, it is our federal government that has continued to “bailout” a banking system that does not work well.”
Dear friends,
Lately, everyday, at least through the government- and corporate-controlled mainstream media, we have been both seeing and hearing about protesters occupying Wall Street, and now even their equally angry fellows have been appearing at banking and other establishments nationwide. However, it is not the banks that are totally, or even mostly, at fault for our current economic problems. Rather, it is, for example, our federal government that has continued to “bailout” a banking system that does not work well.
Moreover, how can citizens expect this government to faithfully behave in our interests, when its agents (in the form of politicians), from the White House to Capitol Hill, are so promiscuous with our trust, let alone our tax dollars, when conducting business affairs with corporations of all kinds? I mean, if one had such disrespect shown to him or her by a spouse, then divorce court would have already become a memory.
Consequently, the solution to the constant cycles of repression and depression in this political economy or process of social reproduction has to be found by all of us combining our inner and outer energies or powers in order to build genuine “communities”, where our banks are community-owned institutions that allow for the funding of businesses, home building, and even more importantly, provide the capital, as it were, for us to maintain value judgments that are based upon relationships that are independent yet cooperative, along with showing care and concern for our fellows, instead of power and, particularly, sexual greed, as all economic/social relations exist now, under the value judgments of a market-driven, possession-oriented society.
By the way, please note that when I say “sexual greed”, I am not simply referring to males who have more sexual interactions outside of their marriages than they do with their own wives, although that is not to be overlooked. Rather, I am talking about Male Supremacy, euphemistically called sexism, as females are expected to contribute vigorously to the proliferation of this or any other society, while they are not given the same access to, much less benefits of, the equality to become fully human, just for being of the “different“ sex. Meanwhile, males in all societies hog it all! In real communities, that would not be the case, and females would be raised to be as competent as males are, as opposed to trivializing their divine potentials so that they do not make males feel intimidated (thus, simultaneously, making males feel superior). Besides, from the cheating spouse to the BP oil spill, greed is always short-sighted.
Finally, the current spate of protests means nothing. It’s a waste of valuable energy. If anything, the “occupation” should be on the steps of White House and Capitol Hill, especially since it has been those federal politicians, ever since the end of the Civil War, who keep bailing out the failing banks and corporations.
Cheers!
G Djata Bumpus
Read full post
"We know that 'Power corrupts.' Playing “sleight of hand” tricks and performing intellectual acrobatics, through tax cuts, with the “fruits” of citizens’ labor is simply more of the same..."
Dear friends,
Will President Obama's “make-work”/economic plan effort be much better than the ineffective welfare-to-work schemes that have popped up all over the country, during the past two decades? Why do we need a federal, centralized bureaucracy to manage our economic affairs anyway? And who is going to be building roads and bridges, Mr. Obama? That is hard and dangerous work. How will responsibilities be distributed? In securing work, what opportunities will African American males, much less other males who also look like you, as well as all female workers, have? Moreover, will not all of those laborers involved need to be fairly young?
In order to attract a large amount of young people, Mr. Obama will have to convince them that the work itself, not the paycheck, is the reward. Yet, in our possession-oriented, market-driven culture, most young people have no interest in doing hard labor. Besides, these days, the paycheck means more to them than having done the job well.
To be sure, the idea of appreciating our own ability to work has been one that has often escaped youth throughout human history. After all, it is hard as a young person to hear that the satisfaction of a job well done is its own reward, when s/he sees the inequities of the distribution of the harvesting of the "fruits" of labor all around us - from bankers to businesspeople to politicians and many others. “Work is the reward!” is one of those notions that would be fine if everyone believed it, but hard to swallow when you know others are getting away with doing so little. Hence, it is the unfairness that eats away at our resolve to do our best in society.
Still, President Obama must push forward in getting our youth to appreciate work. That will require leadership. Unfortunately, about this notion of work being the reward, as mentioned above, I have not heard one peep from the mouth of either our incoming president or the one going out, or the guy before that one. There is no leadership.
Rather, the only sense of urgency that President Obama seems to have is how quickly he can get some money into the hands of the big banks and companies. After all, who but big banks and companies will really be benefiting from this make-work venture that Mr. Obama is passing off as his "Economic Plan"? Heck, Halliburton will leave Iraq. Their contractors will make the money here, with less chance of losing their lives. Also, with Obama’s “make-work” enterprise, people will be able to buy DVDs and other electronic goods from the big national chain stores. They will be able to buy designer clothes from the national clothing chains, and so forth. The economy will be doing great! Right?
Thus far, we have only been considering blue collar workers. But what will become of the millions of laid-off office and white collar workers? How many will want to build bridges and roads? How many have the physical strength or emotional will to do so? How will a person who has been an account executive for the past fifteen years experience economic progress by doing “make-work” jobs to feed the family? Is that not a huge loss in his or her standard of living, by itself?
In another area of economic concern, instead of “Bail-outs” for incompetent executives and their gullible investors, how about the United Auto Workers themselves taking over the Big Three, in a similar context as the Avis workers did back in the 90s. To be sure, the former employees-now employers will not mind pay or other benefit cuts, because they will be developing an enterprise that belongs to them. As well, that particular union, UAW, with its, historically, suspect leadership, will, in effect, dissolve itself, since with the workers as the owners, they will not need anyone to represent them other than themselves. Currently, of course, like all workers, they need a union, because the employer and employees do not have the same interests. In other words, it is not in the interests of employers to represent the interests of the workers. If they did, then there would never be disputes or strikes, much less lay-offs and benefit cuts. Most importantly, if the workers take over the companies, it will be Americans making better cars for themselves/us and we will buy their products from them, because it will actually benefit all of us.
Ultimately, all capable people will have to discover the divine powers within themselves that will make them both creative and productive. As a matter of fact, at least to me, the best results of strong economic development are revealed by humans being able to spend their leisure time engaging in both personal and group interactions where one’s relatedness to himself or herself - and others – as opposed to the trinkets and baubles that one possesses – allows each citizen to cooperatively co-exist with his or her fellows in peace. It will require a leader who has wisdom, experience, and courage to guide the citizenry in that direction. Re-doing Bill Clinton’s administration will, predictably, "lead" us right back to where we are. Considering the make-up of Obama’s Cabinet as it now stands (of mostly Clinton people), and for all of the present hoopla about the “inauguration”, this is all sad – if not pathetic.
We know that “Power corrupts.” Playing “sleight of hand” tricks and performing intellectual acrobatics, through tax cuts, with the “fruits” of citizens’ labor is simply more of the same. Consequently, Americans need to scrap the kleptomaniacs who make up our federal government officials and Obama needs to “change” his current course, by becoming a leader who guides the American people in a way that helps us create our own industries, and build our own self-sufficient, loving, and, therefore, prosperous communities.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
I am coming to believe that there is a type of zero-sum game of discussion about Palestine and Israel that needs rethinking. Do you know what I mean by this? A half-century or more of Israelis bad/Palestinians good, or Arabs bad/Israelis good rhetoric leaves people nothing to do but react predictably to the latest crisis...
Dear friends,
The current blood-letting that is going on in the Gaza Strip, particularly, should, at least to me, raise questions in all of us, regarding our genuine belief in human freedom, dignity, and justice.
I am honored to begin a series of discussions about the constant mess that represents the life experiences of our brothers and sisters, of all groups, in the Middle East. Neil Zagorin, a brilliant thinker, who has appeared on this blog in the past, brings a wealth of scholarship and goodwill to the dialogue that appears below.
One Love, One Heart, One Spirit!
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
Djata: Neil, in our attempt to bring more clarity to the current view of what is going on in the Middle East generally, how do you think we should approach it? In other words, is it the “terms” of the discussion or the “facts” of same that we need to consider?
Neil: I want to put it out there that our written exchange stems from a meal we shared recently, when there happened to be disturbing news about Israel’s military operation in Gaza. We’re both citizens of the U.S. You’re an African American with family roots in Barbados. I’m an Ashkenazic Jew with family roots in the Czarist Empire. It was the kind of situation in which probing discussion of the Palestinian-Israeli impasse often goes nowhere, yet we shared outrage, dismay, and sadness in many of the same ways. More importantly, we explored areas where we might differ without personal venom, and most importantly, did so while resisting the temptation to resort to dehumanizing narratives about either side, Palestinian or Israeli. I think this is too rare: do you agree?
So, I am coming to believe that there is a type of zero-sum game of discussion about Palestine and Israel that needs rethinking. Do you know what I mean by this? A half-century or more of Israelis bad/Palestinians good, or Arabs bad/Israelis good rhetoric leaves people nothing to do but react predictably to the latest crisis: anti-Israel as usual, anti-Arab/Palestinian as usual, or anti-both as usual. It’s a horrendously complicated situation. Israel is much stronger than the Palestinians, but they’re both small and diverse groups of angry, scared, confused people in a world where small nations – and they’re both small nations – can sway in the wind created by bigger powers.
Djata: Okay. But is calling Israel a small nation in the same context as one does Palestine a false abstraction? Israel does have nuclear weapons, after all. More significantly I must ask, at what point does the government of Israel pull a Nagasaki and Hiroshima, as the US did in becoming a world power?
Neil: Israel is a military giant compared to Palestine, but not compared to the entire Arab world. Don’t forget that Israel has also relied heavily on U.S. support for decades to maintain its tenuous position in the world. So I’ll maintain that Israel is a small country.
I observe that it’s common for critics of Israel to view Israel as some huge monolith that always sets the agenda. For all of Israel’s resolution in pursuing its aims, I challenge you to acknowledge the many ways that efforts by Jews to build a Jewish state have been influenced and conditioned heavily by outside factors. That is,the Ottoman Empireʼs colonial policy allowed Palestinian land to be legally acquired for Jewish settlement in the late nineteenth, early twentieth centuries.
The British and French Empires controlled the Middle East after World War 1, and redrew the map, physically and politically, in ways that endure today. The British Empire made differing promises about Palestine to Jews and Arabs, and, in dissolution after World War 2, dropped the conflict into the lap of the fledgling United Nations. The Nazi campaign to kill Jews, and the world’s reaction to it, had a huge impact on the movement to create a Jewish state. The West and Soviet Bloc both conducted Cold War conflict by proxy in the Middle East.
It’s still an area in which governments and non-governmental actors from abroad support one side or another for financial or political gain. There are governments or movements that support one side or another as minor players in some larger conflict. There are governmental and non-governmental organizations in other places that profit from munitions expended in Israeli-Palestinian conflict. I’m willing to bet that there are smaller and larger military organizations in many places that have some involvement in what’s going on in Gaza to draw lessons for their own use about waging asymmetric warfare. There are governments or movements beside Hamas that anticipate political gain if Hamas continues to lob rockets randomly at Israel to precipitate continued military conflict in which Gazans will suffer the most. Do you think I’m badly wrong in these observations?
As for nukes, they say that Israel has them. If so, I pray they never use them, but I’m a lot more worried about the possibility of nuclear exchange between Pakistan and India.
Djata: I think that what you’re doing here is keeping with the facts, but not with the terms. And that’s fine. Yet, based upon our initial premise, how do we keep the dialogue in "terms" as opposed to "facts", in light of the obvious domination by the Israelis over Palestinians? Additionally, since the violence (rocket launches) of Hamas is mostly symbolic, as are the rocks thrown at both real and imagined planes in the sky, by small Palestinian boys, when does the reality of "moral superiority" defeat the Israelis, regardless of the benefits of this conflict to bigger powers?
Neil: Djata, when thinking of the difference between “terms” and “facts,” I’m thinking of the zero-sum game of judgment that we’re seeing even now. There’s a nightmare occurring in Gaza. Lots of people are quick to point to one side or the other as the villain, forgoing a deeper discussion that this tangled tragedy deserves. By contrast, I think thereʼs responsibility in many places, both in Israel/Palestine and outside. .
In physical confrontation between Palestinians and Israelis, hatred and murderous intent exist on both sides, though I have to reject the stereotyping of either group. In my understanding, Israelis have shed much more Palestinian blood than Palestinians have shed Israeli blood. Am I wrong in thinking this? In trying to find a way forward, this will make reconciliation, if this will ever happen, a complicated as well as painful process. Somewhere along the way, Israel should expect to be judged for the number of casualties it has caused.
I do not agree that Hamas' targeting of Israeli civilians can be entirely categorized as "symbolic". Why launch rockets at Ashkelon when the thousands of Israeli soldiers massed at the borders of Gaza are available as a foe against whom one can symbolically resist with dignity and honor? Yes, part of what's going on is an oppressed people demonstrating its uncompromising resistance to subjugation in the modest ways possible to it. Another part of it is that the spilling of Jewish (not just Israeli) blood as an end in itself beyond national self-determination is one of the goals for many of the militants in Hamas, and analagous groups. Some of these people are real religious zealots, and do not operate within the moral or political framework of the national liberation movements that struggled in many parts of the world for justice and liberation when we were younger.
Justice needs to be achieved in the Middle East. I ain't King Solomon, and I don't know to achieve it, though the two-state solution, with the world insisting, watching, and supporting so that it works in some real way, seems like the way to go. More funerals of Palestinian children will not bring justice. I do not want to believe that most Palestinians, and Arabs and Muslims in a wider sense, as angry as they might be with Israel, would really view more funerals of Jewish children as a triumph. Some of the militants who launch rockets at Israeli cities, when they already have the world's full attention, would. They should be judged accordingly.
None of this is to claim that there is equivalence between the suffering of Gazans and whatever atmosphere of fear Hamas is able to achieve in Israel. I don't think that Israel is morally superior; many of its views, goals, and methods are morally troubling, in my opinion.
Do you think that all of Hamas' views, goals, and methods are really morally superior to those of Israel? Something I'd like us to look at together over the coming months is how Palestinians look at Hamas; I'm getting the sense that it's increasingly not with tremendous pride and pleasure.
Djata: I think that we can discuss solutions in a future discourse. Your points are certainly well-taken. To be sure, we hear a lot about the involvement of the United States with Israel. Some have even called Israel our 51st state. Yet, are there any other countries or bodies who share culpability in the mess that has been proliferating for much of the 20th Century -and beyond, in Palestine/Israel?
Neil: You’re right, we hear a lot about the involvement of the U.S. with Israel, here in the U.S. It follows predictable patterns: either you hear about an admirable bond of solidarity between two good nations, or you hear about a partnership in which the U.S. supports, or is manipulated to support, Israel’s unjust domination of Palestinians.
For our purposes, I’d like to respond to the latter view. In my opinion, Israel should be held accountable for its actions, and this includes an accounting for the current nightmare in Gaza. With that said, I am hesitant to assume that Israel has been and continues to be in confident control of its own destiny.
To those who feel that Israel should bear responsibility for what’s happening in Gaza, I say “you’re right.” I’d say the same thing to those who feel that Hamas should bear responsibility. I want to add to this that responsibility should be borne by those, neither Israeli nor Palestinian, who pursue their own interests in the Middle East without regard to the interests of millions of frightened, despairing people who live between the Mediterranean and the Jordan River.
Djata: Yes, but let us not forget that during the apartheid era in South Africa, the US circumvented restrictions imposed by the UN embargo against South Africa, by funneling both financial and technical assets to apartheid South Africa through Israel – a country that ignored the aforementioned UN sanctions. At any rate, in speaking out for justice for Palestinians, when is it right to acknowledge the failures of their leaders? Likewise, in acknowledging Israel's vulnerabilities, as Western media outlets so commonly do, at some point, is it either proper or improper to recognize Israel’s use of military and political force, as well, such as bombing the homes of Hamas leaders? Israeli leaders are never targeted it seems, after all.
Neil: Defenders of Palestine or Israel acknowledge the moral and political failings of the side they support incidentally, if at all. That’s my observation. More honesty is necessary to bring greater understanding and less dehumanization of both Israelis and Palestinians. That’s my conclusion.
Concerning South Africa and Palestine, Nelson Mandela has made the point of acknowledging the steadfast support of Palestinians during the anti-apartheid struggle. I admire and honor Palestinians for this.
Concerning South Africa and Israel, it’s an anti-Israel orthodoxy to underscore Israel’s role in working with the apartheid regime. Yes, Israel did this, and should answer for it, but we both know that there were many governments world-wide during the apartheid years that paid lip-service to justice while quietly doing business with Pretoria. The Israel-South Africa connection has been of undoubted value to those seeking to present the Palestinian cause to the world, but does continuing to stress it as has been commonly done come into conflict with the spirit of South Africa’s truth and reconciliation process, which seeks honesty and openness about what actually transpired during the apartheid era?
Djata: While apartheid is gone in “code”, unfortunately, a new social uprising has begun there against injustice and impropriety. Nevertheless, it has been a pleasure Neil, as always. Until next time, my final thought is: Militarily-speaking, why do you think that the Bush administration finds it reasonable for the Israeli government to attack the Palestinians in Gaza, when our own government sought no such reprisal, of any kind, against Saudi Arabia, when 19 of their citizens killed thousands of Americans in one day - on 9/11?
Neil: Oil is precious and blood is cheap. I think it’s the responsibility of citizens here in the U.S. to prevent our government from acting as if this is true.
Look, man, this has been great. We’ve been wrangling with some thorny, complicated issues, trying to be moral in our judgments and analysis, without oversimplifying, and without resorting to any of the racist discourses about Arabs and Jews that often poison discussions about the Middle East. To me, that’s heartening.
Djata: Cool, Bro’. Peace.
Read full post
"Neil: The Israeli body politic is complicated. Leaving aside what the approximately 25% of Israeli citizens who aren’t Jewish think about Palestinian independence, there is a spread of opinion among Israeli Jews about Palestinian independence."
Djata: Neil, recently, I saw a news clip that featured the mayor of Hebron boasting about how he and his constituents are looking forward to expanding Jewish settlements, especially due to the return of Benjamin Netanyahu as the Prime Minister of Israel. Is this an anti-peace position that that mayor is taking?
Neil: A two-state solution in which Palestine becomes independent in the West Bank and Gaza, and Israel withdraws to its 1949-1967 borders has been discussed and negotiated for the past 15 years or so. It’s not the same thing as peace, but it’s a political resolution that might make peace possible someday – or that’s the hope. The two-state solution assumes that Jewish communities built in the West Bank since the Six-Day War of 1967 will be dismantled to make an independent Palestine possible. Expanding Jewish settlement in the West Bank complicates the process of removing Jewish communities from the West Bank. This in turn complicates the prospect of some type of two-state solution.
Djata: Does it seem that, at least, some political Zionists do not recognize the right of Palestinians to exist as a free and autonomous people within the present geographical domain of Palestine/Israel?
Neil: The Israeli body politic is complicated. Leaving aside what the approximately 25% of Israeli citizens who aren’t Jewish think about Palestinian independence, there is a spread of opinion among Israeli Jews about Palestinian independence. There’s a small group of Israeli Jews who believe that Palestinian independence is the right thing to support no matter the risks involved. There’s a much larger group, possibly a majority, who would support Palestinian independence if they felt it brought them security and peace. At this point many of these Israeli Jews are despairing that Palestinian independence would bring Israel security and peace. There are some other Israeli Jews who favor or would support Palestinian independence, but view this as a settlement to be unilaterally imposed by Israel. Avigdor Lieberman, the new Foreign Minister, exemplifies this. His platform calls for Israel to annex the large Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank, while insisting that a number of Arab-majority areas of Israel adjacent to the West Bank leave Israel to become part of some type of Palestinian state.
Then there are groups of Israeli Jews who have a vision of Israel as a Jewish nation-state stretching from the Mediterranean to the Jordan River. Such visions may be based on political nationalism (many early Zionists held this view,) a fundamentalist reading of the bible (God gave all the Land of Israel to the Jews,) or some combination of the two. So, yes, there are Israeli Jews who oppose any kind of Palestinian political independence between the Mediterranean and the Jordan. Political parties informed by these beliefs predominate in the new Israeli government. Their current electoral strength stems partly from the fact that many Israeli Jews who formerly were willing to negotiate for Palestinians independence and Israeli security now despair of that option, and support political parties that take a hard-line stance on maintaining Israeli control of the West Bank.
Read full post
Funeral arrangements have been made for the late George Benton, the noted Philadelphia middleweight contender and Hall of Fame boxing trainer, who was 78 when he died early Monday morning.
There will be a viewing from 9 to 10 a.m. next Monday, Sept. 26, at Christlike PG Faith Baptist Church, 2901 North 25th Street, in North Philly. A memorial service will follow from 11 a.m. to noon.
There is a strict "no pants" policy for women. All women must wear a dress or skirt to be admitted.
Read full post
"The range of a student's ability is seldom as wide as the range of encouragement that s/he receives" - Eshu Bumpus
Dear Friends,
Kahlil Gibran wrote, "Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding."
While watching Monday Night Football at a sports bar, earlier this week, I received a voice mail message on my cell phone, from a dear friend, who told me that George Benton had passed earlier that day. While I could see it happening over the past few years, the moment that I knew would happen wasn't any less shocking for me.
I left the place right away and went home. After making a couple of phone calls, I posted a small comment on Facebook. Then I emailed another old and dear friend, Elmer Smith (who, btw, will be retiring from the Philadelphia Daily News after 39 yeas, on Friday.)
The next morning, Elm responded, in part: "This is tragic, Bump. I spoke of him this week with my editor. I’ve told him this is not a fight town it’s a fighters town, a place where a kid can learn to fight from a seasoned pro in a gym where he can test his skills with other well-trained Young prospects...
To be sure, Georgie Benton wasn't the only one to fit that bill. I mean, back in the Seventies and before, cats like Joe Frazier, Toothpick Brown, Al Massey, Gypsy Joe Harris, Jimmy Witherspoon, Slim Jim Robinson, Brother Wesley, and Papa Stoppa, up to the Nineties and to this very day with other Philly prizefighters like the now late Artie "Moose" McCloud and Eugene "Cyclone" Hart, to name a couple, have shared their talents with youngsters around town. All of the aforementioned were giants, and some had trained world champions.
But Georgie Benton was the "Giant among giants". That's why, when I, a top amateur boxer in New England at the time, was introduced to Joe Frazier, back in 1978, and he offered me to come down and have George Benton look at me, I was honored to think that I would be training with the person who was already considered the best in the business (as George's picture that particular month graced the cover of Ring Magazine after guiding Leon Spinks to victory over Muhammad Ali). Nevertheless, as soon as I got off of the Amtrak train and crossed the street to Joe Frazier's famed gym on Broad Street, George greeted me, told me that he had been expecting me, and then threw me right in the boxing ring to spar. I did well.
George was really excited, and so was I. Joe Frazier's assistant, the now late Lee Grant, then drove me to a fabulous apartment in the Far Northeast of Philadelphia and told me that that was my new home. A few days later, I was taken to lunch and chauffeured to Joe's lawyer's office where I signed a contract. Before long, I found myself in a whole new league, sparring with pro contenders like Jimmy Young, Tex Cobb, Marvin Stinson, Jerry "The Bull" Martin, Willie "The Worm" Monroe, and many others, the whole time under the tutelage of George Benton.
I was being carefully nurtured. Years later, that would serve well for me, as it allowed me to do the same thing for ordinary people, mostly whose interests were not to become professional boxers, but to learn how to gain the confidence to address the many confrontations, whether personal or social, that we must all encounter in this very lonesome experience called human life. George Benton taught me that with patience, imagination, and creativity, I could do just that. And those sentiments have provided me with a livelihood for the past 23 years, and going. And I owe a great deal of it to George.
My personal pro boxing career was cut short, because I was a single parent (for a young man, Black or otherwise, unheard of - in those days). Therefore, unable to train properly (time-wise), much less get fights consistently, my priorities for raising my toddler son outweighed my desire for fortune and fame as many of my close gym buddies like Mike Spinks, Dwight Braxton/Qawi, and Marvis Frazier acquired only a few years later.
Still, George and I remained in contact, periodically, long after my career had ended. Unfortunately, in the early 2000s, his 22 years of prizefighting that happened prior to his long career as a trainer, caught up with him, and he began to develop Alzheimer's disease.
During the last five years of his life, I began deliberately making visits to him as part of my schedule whenever I was in Philly. He was surrounded by his loving family. The top floor of the townhouse in North Philly where he lived (and owned) was all his. He mostly laid in his canopied bed all day, watching, on his huge television (48" screen?), Cowboy movies, his favorite genre of films. He was on meds, but was aware somewhat of his surroundings. Sometimes he spoke. Often he did more listening. His son, Andre, and his wife, Mildred, took care of his affairs completely. Moreover, unlike most prizefighters and professional athletes in general, he hardly died destitute. He was well off, because the gobs of money that he made training world class fighters had afforded him the ability to own several rental properties and have a good bank account. He lived for 78 years, did a lot, and went a lot of places. And so, through my sadness, I can confidently say to all of us who are still here, in the words of all boxing coaches, "Keep punchin'!".
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
"...democracy only has any integrity, much less validity, if we view the term democracy in relation to the characteristics of any specific institution."
Dear friends,
The notion that the right to vote is "democracy" is foolish, if not deceitful. After all, there are many dictatorships around the world today, and have been in the past, where citizens of a particular regime have the right to vote. As well, especially on the federal level, even in this country, we have seen how vote counts can be manipulated. As a matter of fact, the whole notion of the term "democracy" being an institution, as is the case for, say, capitalism or the Super Bowl, is false.
After all, an institution represents certain activities that are governed by special rules. Moreover,, some institutions require a building - like banks or museums, while others don't. I mean, how many times have you heard a Black preacher say, "This building is not the church." In fact, the Black church started on enslavers' ship and later in cotton and tobacco fields, not when Richard Allen of Philadelphia and some other great men and women started the Free African Society in Philly back in the last quarter of the 18th Century.
Moreover, democracy only has any integrity, much less validity, if we view the term democracy in relation to the characteristics of any specific institution. So, an institution can have either democratic or non-democratic characteristics.
Nevertheless, the hilarious claim of Israel being a democracy is outrageous. The constant murder and bullying by this regime, along with their total disregard for humanity, especially as it relates to not only Palestinians, but anyone who questions their horrific actions, includes attacking anyone who questions Israeli actions with the moral terrorism of being "anti-Semitic". And there are even people out here stupid enough to suggest that there are two sides to this story. That's like saying that there were two sides to the story, when Black captive workers, so-called slaves, like Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, and so many others revolted.
On the link below is a 12 minutes-long video by an exceptional journalist, Jonathan Cook, who has done quite a bit of investigating into the whole enterprise that is euphemistically called Israel. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiKX-CGpDos
Read full post
the 42nd Annual
African American Day Parade
Sunday September 18th, 1:00 PM
111th Street & Adam Clayton Powell Blvd. To 136th Street
Read full post
“Mr. Obama’s insistence upon making businesses wealthier by further cutting taxes makes no sense, especially since the outrageous “Federal Bailout” has already proven that approach to be completely dubious, if not criminal.”
Dear friends,
Last night’s presentation by Barack Obama was the same run-of-the-mill blather that we’ve been hearing from him for several years now. The crucial point that both he and his predecessors, along with Congress, have refused to appreciate is the fact that the real product of economic development is human, not fiscal. Therefore, Mr. Obama’s insistence upon making businesses wealthier by further cutting taxes makes no sense, especially since the outrageous “Federal Bailout” has already proven that approach to be completely dubious, if not criminal.
Still, even worse, during his speech, he even stooped to becoming a doo-rag preacher, replete with quoting from the Bible, as he shamelessly used religion and a little girl’s unfortunate murder to stir up listeners. I found this to be exceptionally dishonest and cowardly of him, because, under his command, US drone rockets kill little girls in Pakistan almost everyday, under the guise of a “War on Terror”, as the US satellite state that is, euphemistically, called Israel murders Palestinian children equally as frequent.
And, worst of all, having two daughters, the emphasis that his administration puts on childhood obesity, as opposed to violence against females - the world’s worst problem, more so than even nuclear proliferation, much less worldwide hunger and disease, when literally every second of every minute, of every day, a female is being physically assaulted somewhere in the world is unconscionable! Moreover, what a loving father this guy is.
But getting back to the “economy”, how will the people of this nation socially reproduce themselves as a distinct population, when there is no specific plan, much less intent, to include our youth in the process? After all, if they are our future, then it seems, at least to me, that we should prepare them to replace us. But how can that happen if, for example, the mainstream media, that is-the chief opinion-makers, are more concerned with selling advertisements than informing the citizenry to inspire us to do what we can to embrace each other in a peaceful and cooperative effort to co-exist? (By the way, please don’t forget that some types of advertisements and commercials that are shown in the US are actually illegal in other advanced countries, due to their psychologically-manipulative nature.)
And please don’t bring the lie about people determining what the market has to offer, based upon what they want to buy. People buy what’s put in front of them. For instance, if you want something to eat, do you go hungry until you find the product that suits your preference, or do you simply buy what’s available? Only a complete moron would do the former.
And how much of what we buy, much less desire, is simply related to the ideas and opinions that have been imposed upon our minds through cultural institutions like the media, schools, and churches? As well, in deference to the threat capacity (police and military) of the government, how much of people’s thinking and behavior are controlled and directed as such, by people having already internalized the aforementioned deference beforehand?
No. Obama hasn’t a clue, nor do his opponents. It’s all about power and greed! It has nothing to do with economic development. Still, Black folks support him unconditionally. As the African proverb goes: Before the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
"To be sure, both the care and lack of it that is being directed towards non-human animals is interesting. It raises a lot of questions about how we look at ourselves, much less the aforementioned critters."
Dear friends,
To be sure, both the care and lack of it that is being directed towards non-human animals is interesting. It raises a lot of questions about how we look at ourselves, much less the aforementioned critters. Of course, that means a lot of things. I hope to raise some dialogue about this issue. After all, especially religious institutions have made most people see humans as being apart from nature, when, actually, just like birds and fishes, we are a part OF it (i.e., nature). Consequently, it seems, at least to me, that issues about the abuse of domesticated pets, for example, are very much connected to the same problems that humans experience as a result of our violent sentiments and actions, including personal conflicts as well as international wars....
In recent times, a professional football player, Michael Vick, and his brother were convicted of perpetrating very sick and cruel acts upon some dogs they "owned". Yet, the abuse of dogs like greyhounds, as well as horses, for example, is quite legal and, in fact, proliferates on race tracks, almost everyday, in our country. What distinguishes the cruelty that was delivered by the Vicks from their counterparts at the race tracks just mentioned?
Nevertheless, the author of the article on the link below, Dana DiFilippo of the Philadelphia Daily News, is someone with whom I have connected every now and then, over the past several years. He writes about a variety of topics. However, I had to touch bases with him on this one, not just because it is quite informative, but, as well, it made me reflect upon issues of both violence and the lack of civility that is ingrained in so many citizens in our society. Worse yet, the improprieties are not just directed towards dogs and such, for it seems to spread across the Ocean Sea, as it were, denying other nations their rights to territorial integrity. "What's that all about?", as the jargon goes.
G. Djata Bumpus
Animals 'jailed' for owners' legal woes Philadelphia Daily News 07/31/2008*
Read full post
".
..where's our "Black" president?...And where is a single one of the "Black" journalists of NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) who held a Love Party and golf tournament in Philly last weekend?"
Dear friends,
According to personal reports that I received, this past Saturday (8/13/11), some 100, 000 people rallied in Harlem for a protest against the US War in Libya. Yet, conveniently, we haven't heard a peep about it through either the print or electronic media in the US.
Meanwhile, where's our "Black" president? And where is a single one of the "Black" journalists of NABJ (National Association of Black Journalists) who held a Love Party and golf tournament in Philly last weekend? And where's loudmouth Al Sharpton?
At any rate, on the link below is a little bit of info and a 10 minutes-long video in reference to what the Libyan situation is. This coming Saturday (8/21/11), a similar huge protest is planned in Boston.
"Dare to struggle - dare to win!" - Frederick Douglas
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.finalcall.com/artman/publish/videos/article_8038.shtml
Read full post
"On it was shown an African American woman who assured us, "Most Black people aren't poor..."
Dear friends,
To whom was CNN addressing, when they aired their recent series called "Black America"? Was the show done for African Americans? If not, then why did CNN not spend both their filming and interviewing time defining who "White America" is? After all, according to the last two federal censuses (1990 and 2000), numerically, twice the amount of people who call themselves "white" live below the poverty line than all of the "people of color" combined - regardless of their ages, genders, or national origins? Considering that simple fact, perhaps, the real question may be: What's so great about being "white"? Will CNN have a show with that title? Why must CNN, Fox News, and the rest of the mainstream media outlets continue to either hide or trivialize the significance of the historical presence of Black people in this country?
On a tape that was circulated on the Internet, I remember just last year hearing that incredibly wise model of moral rectitude, Rush Limbaugh, telling African Americans and anyone else who would listen that Barack Obama is not a Black man. Imagine that. African Americans are so dumb that we do not even know how to distinguish the difference between a member of our own group from an "outsider". Now comes CNN. "We poe Black folks" need CNN to hip us to the state in which we are. Wow! I saw a trailer of what was, at the time, the upcoming special report by Soledad O'Brien. On it was shown an African American woman who assured us, "Most Black people aren't poor!" Okay. Who told CNN that she can speak for African Americans? Was it Reverend Al Sharlaton?
Written a generation ago, in a brilliant work titled "How Capitalism Underdeveloped Black America", author Dr. Manning Marable points out the deliberate process involved in making the lives of African American people so precarious that almost thirty years after being placed on the Supreme Court, and shortly before his passing, during a television interview, the late Thurgood Marshall emphatically offered, "I still can't hail a cab in Washington DC!"
Nevertheless, on the link below is an article that just came out in the Sunday edition of the LA Times (July 27, 2008), I believe that its contents deserve a CNN special, if that news outlet truly wants to inform and inspire its viewers. Or do they mean to do something else?
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-covenant27-2008jul27,0,1445256.story
Read full post
"...what makes the murder and terrorizing of millions of Palestinians everyday less evil than the practice of the Nazis?"
Dear friends,
For all of the crocodile tears of political Zionists about "The Holocaust", what makes the murder and terrorizing of millions of Palestinians everyday less evil than the practice of the Nazis?
On the link below is a 3 minutes-long video that shows the brave soldiers of Israel repelling a young Palestinian woman. The first 54 seconds are not in English, but the photos show what's happening.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQyIKyd2gqA&NR=1&feature=fvwp
Read full post
"Now, when Nutter was on Philly's City Council, in 2006 alone, 17 unarmed Black men were murdered by Philly cops. Nutter never had anything to say then."
Dear friends,
This past Sunday, Uncle Tom Nutter, the mayor of Philadelphia, went into a Black church, in Bill Cosby fashion, and scolded people about Black youth betraying their "race". Every fake Black progressive and moderate in Philly came out in support of the mayor's despicable tirade.
Now, when Nutter was on Philly's City Council, in 2006 alone, 17 unarmed Black men were murdered by Philly cops. Nutter never had anything to say then. Only a couple of years earlier, four Philly cops murdered a NAKED Black woman who had a knife. How cowardly can you be? Again, Nutter had nothing to say.
However, we now are hearing about a case where, just the other day, "white" youth went out to murder the first Black person they could find, and did so, in Mississippi. Where's all of the rage?
On the link below is a short video from CNN, regarding the tragedy in Mississippi.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.cnn.com/2011/CRIME/08/06/mississippi.hate.crime/
Read full post
August 13 Millions March in HarlemStop the criminal bombing of Libya! U.S. Out of Afghanistan and Iraq!
Jobs, Not War contingent Assemble at ANSWER Office Saturday, August 13, 10am2295 Adam Clayton Powell (near 135th St)March to Rally at 110th and Lenox Ave.In the name of "protecting civilians," NATO forces are carrying out a merciless air assault on the people of Libya. Just yesterday, 85 civilians were reportedly massacred in Zliten in a late-night bombing campaign. People of conscience around the world are coming to understand that the war is not a "humanitarian intervention," but a bid to control the country with the largest oil reserves on the African continent. This Saturday a very important march will be taking place in Harlem calling for an end to the wars and interventions against Africa.Click this link to sign up to participate in the "Jobs, Not War" contingent, and volunteer to do outreach in the days leading up to August 13.If you are unable to attend the march and rally this Saturday, please take a minute right now to make a much-needed donation to help subsidize transportation for a student or low-income passenger to get to the Harlem march. We need your support! Get on the buses from New Haven, Conn. Click for more information on the buses and to purchase your $25 round-trip ticket.We are facing the most serious economic crisis this country has seen in decades. Millions are out of work. Education and social services are being slashed. The government tells us there is no money.
Yet when it comes to funding the war and occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, there is never a question of coming up with money. And now the Pentagon is launching a new war on the African continent with the bombing of Libya.
It’s time to fight back!
Download and distribute the flyerEnglish (1-sided) English-Spanish (2-sided)
The "Millions March in Harlem" event has been initiated by the December 12th Movement, and endorsed by a wide range of organizations, around the key demands:
Stop the bombing of Libya
End the sanctions on Zimbabwe
Stop Bloomberg’s destruction of our communities
For more information on the march, visit http://www.millionsmarchharlem.com or call (347) 737-3272
Jobs, Not War contingent
The ANSWER Coalition is actively mobilizing for Aug. 13 in Harlem, and will be joining with the Party for Socialism and Liberation and others for a “Jobs Not War” contingent.
Click this link to sign up to participate in the "Jobs, Not War" contingent, and volunteer to do outreach in the days leading up to August 13. Every little bit helps -- we need your support!
We are also organizing a bus to the march from New Haven, Conn. Click this link for more information on the bus and to purchase your $25 round-trip ticket.
If you are unable to attend the march and rally this Saturday, please take a minute right now to make a much-needed donation to help subsidize a student or low-income passenger to get on the bus to Harlem. We need your support!
All out for August 13th! U.S. Out of Iraq, Afghanistan and Libya!
A.N.S.W.E.R. Coalition http://www.AnswerCoalition.org/ info@AnswerCoalition.org National Office in Washington DC: 202-265-1948Boston: 857-334-5084 | New York City: 212-694-8720 | Chicago: 773-463-0311San Francisco: 415-821-6545| Los Angeles: 213-251-1025 | Albuquerque: 505-268-2488 If this message was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive future ANSWER updates, click here to subscribe.
Having trouble viewing this message? Click here.Click here to unsubscribe from the ANSWER e-mail list.
Read full post
"...President Obama’s current solution is to give the big banks money, if they need it."
Dear friends,
Now that President Obama’s Stimulus Plan is in force the obvious question is: Will it work? In a previous post I insisted that it would not. However, I waited until its passage to elaborate more on why it cannot possibly do anything but repeat what has been happening ever since 1873.
As I mentioned in the earlier post, President Obama is going to put lots of money into the hands of big banks and very large companies. He is not sending out money to individuals, as George Bush did. Rather, Obama is giving the money to the parties to whom he feels beholden - directly. There is no pretense.
Nevertheless, the main problem is: Ever since the end of the Civil War, big banks began to take on a new role. That is, they started loaning money to large companies, so that the latter could maintain operational costs like wages and inventory, with the intention of the former receiving payment that included interest from the latter in the near future. Also, banks started lending money for investments like new industrial facilities. Such practices re-defined the way that businesses work, since now, instead of worrying about gaining capital based upon performance (known as industrial capital), large companies could appeal to banks to “watch their backs”, as it were. This kind of capital is called finance capital. Unfortunately, it (finance capital) also allowed certain companies to be able to monopolize entire industries. So much for “free enterprise”.
To be sure, during the late-19th Century, all of this made a lot of sense, because ships (also financed by the banks and insured by the giant insurance institutions) were being sent to places like Ireland, Poland, and Italy in order to bring people here to work in all of the factories that finance capital was allowing to be developed. Of course, it is interesting that such “affirmative action” was used that way. After all, millions of African Americans, former captive workers (so-called slaves) were already here languishing on Southern plantations as “sharecroppers” (a situation that didn’t end until around 1965).
In any case, the dilemma which occurred then, as well as now is: The banks were stretching their coffers to the point of insolvency, since, if one of the large companies mentioned above did not procure the amount of revenues that had been expected, then that enterprise would not be timely with repayment. Meanwhile, workers would have to be laid off and, consequently, production slowed, so that money could be freed up to go towards paying the banks. Of course, the companies do not always give the aforementioned money to the banks, for whatever reasons.
So President Obama’s current solution is to give the big banks money, if they need it. Wow! How “neat”. Presumably, they will then be able to “help” either new or current clients (i.e., companies). Additionally, he will give money to specially-chosen large corporations. The question then becomes: How will President Obama deal with the next inevitable “economic/financial disaster” cycle? Will he simply print up more money, at our expense, and pass it out to the same parties? Or, will he show leadership and courage, allowing citizens, instead of the market, to make our own course? Perhaps, that is why he has not made a peep about getting rid of either The Patriot Act or The Homeland Security Department. Let’s face it. It seems like the government would not want folks getting any crazy ideas like wanting to determine their own destinies. Eh?
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
“As we feared the Administration’s decision to boycott the Durban Review has sent shock waves around the globe,” said Nicole Lee, Executive Director of TransAfrica Forum. “To date eight countries have announced they are pulling out of the Durban process, many based on the US decision.”
Dear friends,
"Shocking!!!" is an understatement! President Obama's administration chose to boycott the Durban Review of the World Conference on Racism. If you recall, less than two weeks after the United States and Israel pulled out of the aforementioned conference in 2001, a series of airplane attacks occurred - now known as 9/11.
While these attacks may have happened anyway, it seems, at least to me, that the catalyst was the abandonment of the World Conference on Racism about which I have just spoken. Will the latest move bring another attack? Who knows? One thing is for sure: The direction that the current administration is taking betrays all of the campaign rhetoric that caused so many people to support Barack Obama. What will happen next? On the link below, perhaps, we can now understand why Dr. King insisted "Why We Can't Wait".
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://transafricaforum.org/media-center/news-releases/taf-disappointed-obama-admin-failure-attend-durban-review
Read full post
"After all, it's not like it takes a rocket scientist to have a sexual experience, good or bad."
Dear friends,
On the link below, I read a brief piece on Facebook or somewhere yesterday, and thought to myself, "What can this possibly mean?" Dickmatized? After all, it's not like it takes a rocket scientist to have a sexual experience, good or bad. Right?
At any rate, the brief article seems to reveal Jill's maturing as someone who wants to be fully human (that is, continuously evolving) as opposed to either being "stuck"as an object or, having no meaningful way to look at life, identifying one's self by something as precarious, if not frivolous, as the human sexual appetite.
Love is the weapon of the strong,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.s2smagazine.com/stories/2011/07/jill-scott-admits-being-dickmatized
Read full post
The pundits seem to always refer to the 'Economy' as if it is a kind of force or other type of phenomenon that exists apart from us.
Dear friends,
The pundits seem to always refer to the "Economy" as if it is a kind of force or other type of phenomenon that exists apart from us. That is, it appears out of thin air or something. If we are bad to it, then it is bad to us. The way that we are able to control it is by either divine - or government - intervention, at those bad times. When we are good to it, other divine "market forces" maintain our prosperity. Yet, even then, we have to be prepared to make sacrifices, so that we stay in favor with it (said "Economy" ).
This all, of course, seems like a childish fairy tale. Yet, that is precisely what the big corporations who control those who run our government would have us believe. Consequently, there is currently a "scare" tactic directed at citizens both here and many places around the world, as we are told that the "Economy" is on the brink of collapse. The Bush administration, its accomplices in Congress, along with the government- and corporate-controlled mass communications media, are currently imploring to the American people: If companies that we either support or are beholden to need money, then either such companies and their investors will lose out to competition, or we will have to use the fruits of your labor (tax money) to save them.
Again, the biggest problem about the latest bad economic news is: People are made to think that the "Economy" is a phenomenon that exists apart from them. Yet, it is people who make the goods and provide the services. Consequently, at least to me, rather than remaining "submissive" and deferring to "market forces", as it were, in this possession-oriented society, folks should consider being "pro-active" and start developing communities where our values are determined by people (i.e., ourselves), as opposed to representing those of the "market forces". That way, the collecting of trinkets and baubles, cars, spouses, and houses will not be as significant as people starting to learn to appreciate all of the powers within them - like love and work (energy) - that way they can share with their fellows for the commonweal, and future generations.
Can we, as Americans, begin to think about buying from businesses in our own communities? Why, in fact, can we not begin to look at life in a more meaningful way than what Madison Avenue and Hollywood have prescribed for us? Can we truly begin thinking for ourselves, instead of swallowing whatever many of those in the mass communications media like Fox News and CNN tell us to think?
Of course, we can still purchase some commodities from big companies. However, the monopolies that have been set up under the disguise of being "national" and "multi-national" companies are far from patriotic to anything other than the dollar bill. If we begin to build our communities, it will take time - generations, in fact. However, we will, at least, pass on a legacy of love and work that will be able to withstand the natural, social, and economic challenges of human existence, as opposed to the current course of cyclical prosperity for us and constant excess of wealth for the "organized minority".
Finally, at least to me, enlightened, healthy (physically and mentally), and productive people are the result of economic development - not higher levels of weaponry and other types of technology. Not even better homes point to the genuine prosperity of everyday people having both greater inner and outer resources to make their communities more loving, stronger, and constantly growing. After all, the inner resources are necessary in order to act upon the outer ones, and vice versa. And in that process, greater talents evolve. Otherwise, if that were not true, as a species, then we would still be chasing animals and searching for fruits and vegetables, while, simultaneously, praying to totem poles. People make the economy!!! The question of ending economic catastrophe is directly related to how we share in the distribution of our combined efforts. Right now, a few greedy guys get most of everything, and do very little, if any, work.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
"“You gotta tell the children the truth. They don’t need a whole lot o’ lies…‘cause one of these days, baby, they’ll be runnin’ things, so when you give ‘em love, you betta give it right…woman and child, man and wife, the best love to have is the love of life.,,pass it on.” – Jimi Hendrix"
Dear friends,
The present on-again, off-again national tour for a “million mentors” that is being sponsored by radio personality Michael Baisden about recruiting men to "mentor", especially, African American male youth in America is, obviously, well-intended. Yet, aside from signing up a bunch of “men”, is there really a plan?
That is, what type of “role models” should the aforementioned youth admire and aspire to replicate? For example, should they be like either Tyler Perry or his alter ego “Madea”? Or, perhaps, they can mimic another self-hating “comedian” named Steve Harvey who tells so-called “jokes” like, "I know a woman who is so black that when she puts on a yellow dress, she looks like a traffic light.” Moreover, what good is “mentoring”, if it has nothing to do with helping youngsters appreciate the inner powers of mental and physical stamina (i.e., energy), so that they can strengthen their communities?
Clearly, this whole state of affairs requires us to address the inadequacies and insecurities that hinder us from developing, honing, and maintaining those inner strengths/powers mentioned above - throughout life.
To be sure, most people are not even aware of their inner powers. Instead, they relinquish such strengths, in order to embrace the cuddly pillows of external authorities such as “public opinion”, “common sense”, or the world-ruling personality called “God”.
Nevertheless, how does recognizing one’s inner powers provide him or her with a vision that will be beneficial to the community? And what relevance does that vision just mentioned have to both the proliferation and continued evolutionary growth of the community? Additionally, since a realizable vision demands having a plan for the future, will that foresight foster rational faith and hope. And, most of all, will the young charges learn to practice love as an “act of being” that is geared towards other people, along with things like their studies, their work, and all that comprises enhancing the progress of their communities, as opposed to practicing love as the passive and sentimental “state of being” that silly Hollywood tv and movie productions and countless cheap popular songs on the radio portray?
Of course, none of this means very much to a young person, because only after experiencing many favorable and unfavorable circumstances during life’s journey will they be able to understand and appreciate the necessity of planning ahead, so that they can somewhat control their destinies.
That’s why it’s so important that parents. school teachers, and all other adults who come into contact with young people make sure that young folks have regular experiences with success. That will give them confidence. And, as we already know: confidence gives self-esteem a place to grow.
To be sure, there is a generation raising children that is so steeped in this possession-oriented culture that ideas of community, and so forth, represent the folklore of generations past. Additionally, it is hard to steer the imagination towards humanity, community, and the common good in a society that holds individualism as paramount. Individualism has its place, but given too much emphasis, it can encourage greed, selfishness and petty materialism, creating serious identity problems along the way. For instance, there already exists a vulgar mimicry of genuine individualism that has young African American males wearing pigtails, earrings in each ear, along with placing jewelry and tattoos at bizarre points on their bodies.
This all, of course, relates to the industry created by the so-called "hip-hop" genre of music which a genuinely accomplished musician, Wynton Marsalis, and a noted journalist and music critic, Stanley Crouch, have so adequately labeled hip-hop as being nothing more than "buffoon minstrelsy".
Initially, rap music had a revolutionary potential, with lyrics, by groups like Public Enemy, which sought to articulate the social conditions of urban youth. Unfortunately, before long, greedy record companies convinced equally greedy young folks to produce recordings without using either musical instruments or dignified lyrics (with the latter still calling what they produce "music", mind you).
Some of these new "recordings" focused on the childish narcissism and selfishness in which people with low self-esteem engage, as they try to convince themselves that they have worth. Others, mostly young African American males, attempted to gain their self-worth at the expense of others, using sexual infidelity and violence as proof of their manhood, in their "lyrics". None of these behaviors has been abandoned by either the so-called artists or record distributors of the "hip-hop" industry , as of this writing. Thus, for the most part, the revolutionary potential mentioned above has all but dissolved, except for, perhaps, a very tiny group of independents (mostly called "underground").
Several years ago, on C-Span, I saw Lerone Bennett Jr., the great historian, speaking at an academic conference of some sort about his dismay with our young Black "rappers" and their "fans" who are calling their mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters, and cousins "bitches and hoes". No other cultural group does that in the whole world, be it the entire music industry or the general public - only African Americans. This brings us back to the issue of self-hatred, as in the case of Tyler Perry and Steve Harvey. Worse yet, the so-called hip-hop moguls who receive so much publicity these days are no different than the Black slavemasters of the ante-bellum South. In fact, it is not an exaggeration to suggest that the former are the "spiritual" descendants of the latter.
Nevertheless, connecting to institutions where youth already participate, rather than trying to form new ones, is essential, for any hope of success. Church youth groups, school clubs, athletic teams, specialty learning centers (like boxing, karate, art, trade schools, and so forth), as well as college groups will all have interest in community service on some level, whether for positive publicity or to give concrete application of their principles. Eventually, even gangs could be convinced to act more as social clubs, giving their members a more positive sense of purpose.
By the way, instead of being “anti-gang”, perhaps, we should consider getting gangs to identify with positive behavior, at least, under some circumstances. After all, who would have ever thought that the famous biker gang known as the “Hell’s Angels”, originally out of California, would be connected to philanthropic activities, although their name continues to, sometimes, be connected with criminal activity? Even the infamous Blackstone Rangers of Chicago, at one point, became known for actions other than their violent ones. This can happen with the Crips and Bloods, as well.
Still, for all that has been discussed thus far, the proverbial bottom line is: Capitalism has been so attractive, because it is, thus far, the only type of economy that has afforded total political freedom to its perticipants, as workers. That means that a person can "flip the boss a bird", as it were, and walk away, being "free" to find another opportunity for employment. This was certainly not the case in either slave or feudalistic societies. Socilaist countries do not allow that kind of freedom either, since everyone works for the "State" and, therefore, must work where he or she is assigned, more or less.
The downside of total political freedom for workers within the capitalist political economy is: The "market” then controls all economic and, , social relationships, based upon the notion of "supply and demand", whether for the human commodity - labor, or non-human ones (commodities). Unfortunately, since, the end of World War 1 or so, the "market" has taken control of what we see as culture. As a result, the definition of culture, which historically, has referred to all of the actions by a specific population group, has become anything that the market determines it to be. Consequently, the notions of “youth" culture (clothing, hairstyles, piercing and tattoos, books, magazines with ads sold in them, and so forth), "Hip-hop" culture (drugs, guns, gangs, and so forth), and “gay" culture (weddings, nightclubs, exclusive recreational venues, magazines and newspapers with ads sold in them, and so forth), are, totally, market constructs. Additionally, while there are social constructs like race, age, and gender, for example, those social structures were not created for the appetite of the market. Rather, they serve the purpose of establishing social relationships within that society itself that will allow it (said society) to last for hundreds or even thousands of years.
Still, the idea that a culture can develop without any connection to the past (except its increased availability of consumables) is a contradiction in terms. Hence, the notion of "youth culture", for example, is designed to exploit the vast and seemingly endless energy and enthusiasm of young people. Yet, it seems, at least, to me, that the energy and courage of our youth should, actually, serve the purpose of moving society forward - but only under the guidance of that part of society (parents and other elders) that has both the experience and understanding to recognize the values that maintain both our humanity and spirituality.
Moreover, once the market is allowed to define culture, our only values become those which drive it (the market). For that reason, the mentality needed to function within the market system itself, has a great deal to do with causing the people in this society, for the most part, to not have the ability to act in a loving way towards each other, since it defines people by price or money-name. Hence, terms like low-income and wealthy become the false abstractions, like so many other monikers, that tend to sort out and classify people, then assign said folks to their stations in society and life, with most people never having any real control of their destinies
Therefore, and ultimately, if our youth are to be our future, then it will only happen if we as adults, particularly parents, take the reins of this present culture and provide our children with both an historical and social conscience, and set the example for them, by informing identity through the recognition of the connection between generations and defining human life in a meaningful way (as opposed to basing who they are upon unproven claims, regarding with whom they are having sex, or what "gang colors" they're wearing). That way, our society will benefit from the "leadership" of our youth. As well, the "market" will then be a function of the values of the society and not vice versa.
Let’s face it; culture has no meaning once taken out of the context of a reproductive process. A people who cannot reproduce themselves as a people will cease to exist as a people and become part of something else. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. For example, the culture that held Africans in slavery, in this society, could no longer reproduce itself in that form and had to change, because of the well-deserved hostility and resistance it engendered.
In any case, let us stop asking children what they want to be, in the context of what they will possess, when they grow up. Instead, let us ask, what they want to be, regarding their relatedness to others. Let us ask, "How will you help the community when you grow up?" Let us ask, "What kind of work will you do to help people when you grow up?"
So, mentoring has significance, if it reflects a part of the culture of any particular community. However, social constructs like “race” and “gender” obscure opportunities for guiding young people so that they will be able to adequately replace us and prepare the way for those who have yet to come. Besides, what does either skin color or gender have to do with sharing vital information and skills with a young person? Therefore, however well-meaning, a “Million Mentors Tour” is a total waste of energy and valuable resources, unless its purpose is to direct youth towards embracing the notion, with a great sense of love, that they have a vested interest in building their communities for themselves and all of those who will follow them. Dig?
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
Read full post
