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
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Friday, October 10, 2008
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
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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
Monday, October 6, 2008
In what direction should voters be going?
Dear friends,I have seen this particular writer's work before. His name is Dick Polman of the Philadelphia Imquirer. However, while I can only recall having ever really connected with him - maybe once or twice, I am quite eager to share this beautiful piece with you, on the link below. For, at least to me, it is both very informative and equally thought-provoking. Enjoy!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/currents/20081005_The_American_Debate__HERE_WE_GO_AGAIN.html?adString=inq.currents/currents;!category=currents;&randomOrd=100508090325 Read full post
Saturday, October 4, 2008
Smith on Poverty & Politics
Dear friends,
The current presidential candidates have referred to the "middle class" in abundance. Actually, so have earlier campaigners, from Truman to Clinton. You see, that is exactly to whom the Nazi movement appealed - that is, middle-class Germans. Moreover, it was they who were at the heart of Nazism - not Adolph Hitler...
Webster's Dictionary and American classrooms - from grade schools to colleges - brim with the word "Nazi" as representing a political party. It was not. Rather, it was a movement of ordinary people - the middle class. Today, politicians manipulate this body, in order to pass fascistic legislation like The Patriot Act. As has been said by others long before me, "The seeds of fascism are well-planted in America's soil.".
In his classic work The Mass Psychology Of Fascism, Wilheim Reich, the renowned scientist and thinker, insisted: "My character-analytical experiences have convinced me that there is not a single individual who does not bear the elements of fascist feeling and thinking in his (or her) structure. As a political movement fascism differs from other reactionary parties inasmuch as it is borne and championed by masses of people...Since fascism, whenever and wherever it makes its appearance, is a movement borne by masses of people, it betrays all the characteristics and contradictions present in the character structure of the mass individual. It is not, as is commonly believed, a purely reactionary movement- it represents an amalgam between rebellious emotions and reactionary social ideas." (see Preface to the Third edition)
The middle class consists of those who "go along to get along". Moreover, they make up "the herd" that allows individuals to hide in that group and spew forth hatred and imjustice, without fear of reprisal, because, as part of the herd, each member of the group becomes anonymous. Moreover, it was millions of ordinary "middle-class" people who aided in the killing of 40 million of their fellow Europeans (22 million Russians alone). Hitler and his cohorts understood the significance of recruiting this group, in carrying out their (the former's) dastardly plan. So, they appealed to that group. Every single American presidential candidate has followed their example, ever since.
At any rate, on the link below, in his typically original thoughtfulness, Elm Smith, of the Philadelphia Daily News, awakens us to the group that is almost never mentioned. Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080930_Elmer_Smith__Candidates_don_t_show_much_interest_in_the_poor.html
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Where There Is Smoke...
Dear friends,
Ed O'Reilly, is a colleague of mine in the fight for equality, dignity, justice, and prosperity for all people. Just a few weeks ago, he reached the end of a great campaign, albeit unsuccessful, against incumbent John Kerry, in the Democratic primaries here in Massachusetts, for the US Senate. I am hopeful that, in the near future, he will try again to gain appropriate support from voters, for some other public office...
Nonetheless, Ed has not stopped in his diligence to offer leadership that is enmeshed in goodwill. With his personal permission, I am honored to share his acerbic insight with you. on the "Bailout" and the general political environment, through this informative piece below.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************
Where There Is Smoke, There Is (still) Fire!
As we begin this week, we have seen Congress working overtime rushing to put together the largest bailout plan in the history of our United States. Let’s make no mistake what this bailout is all about. It is all about trickle down economics! Every Congressional proposal is FOR the financial industry and NOT FOR average American working families and our senior citizens.
During the campaign, I often talked about the J.P. Morgan takeover of Bear Stearns. How was it that executives from J.P. Morgan could call the power brokers at the Federal Reserve Bank and within days put together a multi-billion dollar deal that gave out a multi-million dollar, no-bid, contract to a company called Black Rock and leave the average American taxpayer holding the risk? The answer is pure and simple—special interest money in politics. If an ordinary American has a financial problem, can he/she call the Federal Reserve and get the same kind of access, service and influence? The answer is clearly and obviously, no.
So, let’s take a look at how this all happens. There is great disparity in terms of access and influence with Washington decision makers. During the campaign, I cited my opponent’s campaign kickoff event as an example of how money gains access, and without access, there can be no influence. Let me be clear here. I use this as an example to illuminate a problem with the system and not, necessarily, with the person.
The election is over, but the system remains. This campaign kickoff dinner had a $1,000 minimum cover charge and $2,300 minimum to have a private reception with an elected U.S. Senator who was elected to serve ALL of the people of Massachusetts. Who would pay a $1,000 cover charge? Certainly an average American can not afford to spend this amount of money for dinner. So, why would a person pay $2,300 for dinner and a reception? The answer is simple. The expensive cover charges are the price of admission, not only to talk with the elected official, but also to help form relationships with others who have paid a similar amount.
Unfortunately, this campaign kickoff dinner is not an isolated occasion linked to this one so-called representative. Events like this happen all across America every week. Looked at from another angle, the contributions to campaign funds by lobbyists, bundlers, and Political Action Committees are the “dues” necessary to become a loosely-affiliated member of the “club”. Over fifty years ago, this “club” is what C. Wright Mills called “The Power Elite”. Mills described this “club” as being glued together by the interwoven interests of our corporate, military, and political leaders. What was written about over fifty years ago, has become fully illuminated by this bailout plan. This “club” is running OUR government! The truth is that ordinary Americans are being left relatively powerless and subject to the manipulation by today’s “ power elite”.
Let’s get back to the rush and panic that has set in and around Washington and, specifically, within Congress itself. Why not wait to have hearings? Are there no alternatives to bailing out the people at the top? Wouldn’t it be better to take $700 billion dollars and put it into direct aid to average Americans? What about all the pillaging that was done by the “greedsters”? The panic and the chaos that has enveloped Washington is the result of the realization that, if hearings were held, the truth would come out.
The truth is that most members of Congress need to look no further than the nearest mirror. The true blame for this mess rests with Congress itself and a system that thrives on special interest money.Recently, we have seen the largest gap in the inequality of income since just before the Great Depression. Out of the Great Depression came reform legislation such as the Glass-Steagall Act (1933), and later the 1956 Bank Holding Company Act, which mandated the separation of banks, insurance companies and securities firms. In 1999, however, Congress passed the Financial Services Modernization Act which basically tore down what has often been called the firewalls between these institutions.
As a result of the lack of regulatory firewalls, the arsonists of greed have pillaged our country and ordinary Americans are left to bear the costs of putting out the fire. Congress is acting quickly to extinguish the flames because the heat is licking at their heels. There is a problem in this country and the problem is special interest money in politics. It is at the root of nearly all political decision-making and, in this case, will keep the embers burning long after temporarily taking the heat away from members of Congress. This bailout plan is a smokescreen and where there is smoke, there remains fire. Let’s make no mistake about this bailout situation. The bottom line is that the middle class is being scorched and a trickling down economic plan will not put out a conflagration fueled by special interest money.
Respectfully,
Ed O’Reilly
PS There were only 8 Senators who voted against the 1999 “Modernization Act” and they were an eclectic mix that seldom, if ever, voted together – liberal stalwart Democrats Boxer, Feingold, Mikulski, and Wellstone to moderate Senators Bryan, Dorgan, and Harkin to the lone Republican, Senator Shelby (R-AL). It will be interesting to see how the remaining 6 U.S. Senators vote on this bailout.
Please Click Here to Help Keep My Opinion Special Interest Free!You can remove yourself from this e-mail list by clicking this link..Powered by MainStreetMAIL.com
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Al Martinez on Celebrity Pregnancies
Dear friends,
In light of celebrity pregnancies and their much-touted claims of adding to our nation's affluence, as well as their ostentatious display of social inequality...
It is always both a pleasure and honor for me to share with you the work of my friend and celebrated writer, Al Martinez ( who also just happens to be a Pulitzer Prize- winning journalist). Enjoy!
G. Djata Bumpus
***************************************
The Pregnancy Game
September 17, 2008
First Published - FRIDAY, JULY 25, 2008
It’s pregnancy season again among Hollywood’s nubile, and not so nubile, women, who are increasingly photographed for magazines, supermarket tabloids and various blogs while parading around in bikinis that reveal the expanding nature of their midriffs.
Their proud demeanor indicates that they believe their state of expectancy is an accomplishment few could ever achieve. This is a cultural oddity which at one time would have been handed over to a science writer who specialized in procreation, but in the re-imagining of the L.A. by God Times, he has been downsized out the door.
So I guess it’s up to me to make a few candid observations from the relative obscurity of my own blog. I trace the prance of the pregnant celebrities back to that revealing Vanity Fair Magazine cover photograph of Demi Moore some time ago, in which she offered America a naked profile of her pregnancy in its 4th trimester. Well, anyhow, in its advanced stages. This encouraged every female celebrity with sweet dreams of scoring the same notoriety to quickly begin wondering how to get themselves great with child and parade up and down the boardwalk or wherever for all to see.
Those periodicals concerned with their activities realized that celebrity pregnancy was a cash cow and let loose the dogs of photography, which would be the paparazzi, and now even naturally obese women aren’t safe from the hairy beasts. “Are you pregnant or just fat?” they shout in the mantra of their new quest. The subject of gravidity has become so all consuming that I am here today to explain just how it happens.
The attitude of many readers of celebrity journals is that the pregnant women of Hollywood have achieved some sort of intellectual benchmark by getting themselves, well, knocked up; as though they have studied for it and passed a barrage of tests. The truth of the matter is all you have to do is get drunk and take off your clothes. That will do it for many desiring to achieve the status of their cultural leader, Angelina Jolie, who became pregnant with twins and let it all hang out, big time. God knows what she will do next.
Human cloning is not currently a legal option, but when you have star power, who knows? It is probably wiser if one knows the name of the male sperm bearer, as it were, who impregnates her but that’s up to the individual female involved, who may or may not wish to know the identity of the with whomguy she slept. Some want picture IDs, others just want a stud.
My interest in the subject springs from two quarters: first a People Magazine cover photo of Angelina and Brad Pitt, the presumed father, promising to tell all about their new twins, Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline, names that are bound to make the news on their own someday if only for their lyrical qualities. Inside the magazine lurks the photograph of a slightly pouchy young woman under the heading, “Is Eva Pregnant?” One might ask “Eva who?” at first glance, but that is quickly explained. She is Eva Longoria Parker, who, we learn, is attempting to look “frumpy” for her role in next season’s “Desperate Housewives,” in which, one supposes, her character will stuff herself with beer and sausages and sleep around with similarly inclined men who devote their lives to meeting frumpy women in bars.
So now, as I understand the trend, we are looking for celebrity women who are not pregnant in order to speculate why they aren’t and whether they are likely to become so. It is said that hotshot investigative bloggers have already obtained the sperm counts of many of Hollywood’s most eligible men, and those who aren’t so eligible, and are watching to see which women they are spending the most time with. One of the more-or-less eligible men, People informs us, is someone named Balthazar Getty, who has already proved his virility by fathering four children. He was seen making out with Sienna Miller as his wife and kids vacationed nearby, if you can believe that little arrangement. Sienna was once “romantic,” by the way, with Jude Law and before him Matthew Ryes. A line forms to the right. Is the Pre-Pregnancy Derby off and running again? Not until Miley Cyrus assumes the permanent role of Hannah Montana and begins filling her shelves with how-to books. It may take awhile. She’s a rock star and they’re terribly slow learners.
http://almartinezeverythingelse.blogspot.com/
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Friday, October 3, 2008
The Palin/Biden debate
Dear friends,
The debate/personality contest, at least to me, proved something that I already knew. It is: There are, literally, a million or more women in this country, from all cultural and economic backgrounds who are more capable and competent than Sarah Palin, in any number of capacities. To be sure, she is unbelievably unskilled, regarding her understanding of leadership. Proof?
When she was speaking about her "experience" in Alaska as an "executive", she spent most of her time talking about "we", never having the confidence to say what "she" actually did. I am not talking about her saying "I" as some kind of narcissistic acknowledgement of herself; but "I" as in "I am I". In other words, as her saying "I" to represent her having a "sense of self" was totally missing from her seemingly pre-recorded spiel.
Additionally, Palin almost never answered Gwen Ifill's questions. Instead, she engaged in grade school-level polemics, repeating platitudes that we have been hearing from the equally unoriginal John McCain for years. Even worse, Palin repeatedly asserted that John McCain knew about "winning wars". What? He got shot down in an airplane, in a conflict that America ended up losing - especially because of failures like McCain, and spent five years (the rest of the war) in a POW camp. What is wrong with this picture? Palin is not even a person of average intelligence, in my opinion.
I will admit, nonetheless, that I was glad that Joe Biden put to rest the notion of John McCain as a "maverick". However, at least to me, it is quite curious that Ifill, the moderator, never asked what actual steps that either side would take, in terms of making the economy one where all citizens can be players. Oh, there were ambitions bandied about, regarding providing educational opportunities and more jobs. However, there was nothing specific said about how and when real jobs, for instance, would be created. In other words, neither had a plan.
Still, Biden's statesmanship overshadowed Palin's lack of it. This is particularly clear to me, because Palin is neither an educated or classy woman. Again, we have, at least, a million or more women in this country (i.e., educated and classy), of various ages and cultures, who fit that bill, so why did McCain pick her?
At any rate, I have never been very appreciative of the views of noted author and commentator Fareed Zakaria - until now. His recent interview, on CNN, shows him insisting that candidates should be placing intelligence over personality, when making choices for running mates. I strongly agree with his comments featured here, on the link below.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/09/29/zakaria.sarah.palin/index.html
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Clintons do not support Obama
Dear friends,
Along with a number of other African Americans, I have been saying for months that the Clintons are hoping that Senator Obama loses his quest for the White House. The article on the link below now makes it clear that our thoughts/words were prophetic.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10022008/gossip/pagesix/clintons_not_supreme_for_o_131711.htm Read full post
Along with a number of other African Americans, I have been saying for months that the Clintons are hoping that Senator Obama loses his quest for the White House. The article on the link below now makes it clear that our thoughts/words were prophetic.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10022008/gossip/pagesix/clintons_not_supreme_for_o_131711.htm Read full post
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Some Videos for Thought
Dear friends.
Please consider watching, at least, one of the videos on the link below.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://thelawparty.org/ Read full post
Please consider watching, at least, one of the videos on the link below.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://thelawparty.org/ Read full post
Monday, September 29, 2008
Palin on "Bailout"
Dear friends,
On the link below, please see the tape of Sarah Palin answering a question about the "Bailout" to Katie Couric. It's simply amazing.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=40f_1222465239 Read full post
On the link below, please see the tape of Sarah Palin answering a question about the "Bailout" to Katie Couric. It's simply amazing.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=40f_1222465239 Read full post
Saturday, September 27, 2008
The "First" Debate
Dear friends,
I just sat through the entire two hours of the first presidential debate. Frankly, I do not feel that McCain did anything other than repeat a "tactic" of showing his alleged experience by continuously using the childish debate strategy of insisting that Senator Obama did not "understand" what is happening as it relates to various affairs. However, he was lucky that Senator Obama did not have better skills in polemics, since McCain should have been pressed, first of all, about the $300 billion dollars in tax cuts that Senator Obama charged the former would provide for the wealthy. That let John McCain off the hook, in my opinion...
On foreign policy, particularly during the lengthy discussion over Iraq, Senator Obama could have easily blown McCain away had he mentioned the fact that it was the Bush administration's disbanding of the Iraqi Army that had been under Saddam that caused the growth of the insurgency; therefore, the "surge", as it were, that came later, at best, has only drawn cosmetic results. This is especially so, as Senator Obama, unfortunately, did not say, because the Iraqi people want the US out; yet, neither candidate mentioned that important point. This is precisely why I insist that Iraq has already become a colony of the US and will be "occupied", just as South Korea has been for the past 56 years, for a long time.
But this will bring the US military/industrial complex problems (colonizing Iraq), since Iran and Iraq are mending fences in a way that neither country has enjoyed, probably, since the US' puppet Shah was in power back beginning in the Fifties. The mainstream media keeps focusing on Iran trying to join the arms race with nuclear power, but neither candidate mentioned the fact that Iran is preparing to send a rocket into outer space, in the very near future. Iran is a developing world power about whom the greedy low-lifes that are being bailed out on Wall Street could care less. Talk about a new world order? NATO will not mean squat, when the Russians get through forming their alliances.
Oh, by the way, on Russia, both stunk! Russia is rebuilding as a dominant world power. They are already making ties with Venezuela (which is about to become what Cuba was to Russia until the late-Eighties). The Russians are blatantly creating ties with Latin American governments. The US is about to be surrounded with powers who will have Russian-made weapons and are not afraid of the US. Neither candidate mentioned that, and I do not believe that either knows much about that, much less the world.
Additionally, and, at least to me, more importantly, neither candidate, for all of the brave words about fighting terrorism, dared to bring up the fact that 19 Saudis flew into this country, killed thousands of people, wounded tens of thousands more, messed up the economy, while destroying billions of dollars worth of property and causing tens of thousands of small busnesses to close, yet, not one hair on the head of one Saudi has been touched. Why is that?
Finally, when Senator Obama made reference to improving education, McCain continued to mumble (and even tried to shed a tear or two, a couple of times at the end) about how much he loves the veterans, never acknowledging the American people, only trying to hoodwink Hillary Clinton's racist supporters. After the debate, the "pundits" came on with their usual useless analyses.
The American people are just being suckered, as usual. Still, we have a chance to start destroying "white" supremacy. That means that all children in this country will finally have a chance, one day, to be judged by their ability to contribute to the commonweal. Being judged by the content of one's character may sound cute and accomodating, but it will not build communities. I do not have to like my neighbor, nor does he or she have to like me; rather, at least to me, what is most important is: We respect each other's right to seek to be fully human, constantly progressing as living beings. John McCain, George Bush, and Sarah Palin just do not think that way. Dig? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
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I just sat through the entire two hours of the first presidential debate. Frankly, I do not feel that McCain did anything other than repeat a "tactic" of showing his alleged experience by continuously using the childish debate strategy of insisting that Senator Obama did not "understand" what is happening as it relates to various affairs. However, he was lucky that Senator Obama did not have better skills in polemics, since McCain should have been pressed, first of all, about the $300 billion dollars in tax cuts that Senator Obama charged the former would provide for the wealthy. That let John McCain off the hook, in my opinion...
On foreign policy, particularly during the lengthy discussion over Iraq, Senator Obama could have easily blown McCain away had he mentioned the fact that it was the Bush administration's disbanding of the Iraqi Army that had been under Saddam that caused the growth of the insurgency; therefore, the "surge", as it were, that came later, at best, has only drawn cosmetic results. This is especially so, as Senator Obama, unfortunately, did not say, because the Iraqi people want the US out; yet, neither candidate mentioned that important point. This is precisely why I insist that Iraq has already become a colony of the US and will be "occupied", just as South Korea has been for the past 56 years, for a long time.
But this will bring the US military/industrial complex problems (colonizing Iraq), since Iran and Iraq are mending fences in a way that neither country has enjoyed, probably, since the US' puppet Shah was in power back beginning in the Fifties. The mainstream media keeps focusing on Iran trying to join the arms race with nuclear power, but neither candidate mentioned the fact that Iran is preparing to send a rocket into outer space, in the very near future. Iran is a developing world power about whom the greedy low-lifes that are being bailed out on Wall Street could care less. Talk about a new world order? NATO will not mean squat, when the Russians get through forming their alliances.
Oh, by the way, on Russia, both stunk! Russia is rebuilding as a dominant world power. They are already making ties with Venezuela (which is about to become what Cuba was to Russia until the late-Eighties). The Russians are blatantly creating ties with Latin American governments. The US is about to be surrounded with powers who will have Russian-made weapons and are not afraid of the US. Neither candidate mentioned that, and I do not believe that either knows much about that, much less the world.
Additionally, and, at least to me, more importantly, neither candidate, for all of the brave words about fighting terrorism, dared to bring up the fact that 19 Saudis flew into this country, killed thousands of people, wounded tens of thousands more, messed up the economy, while destroying billions of dollars worth of property and causing tens of thousands of small busnesses to close, yet, not one hair on the head of one Saudi has been touched. Why is that?
Finally, when Senator Obama made reference to improving education, McCain continued to mumble (and even tried to shed a tear or two, a couple of times at the end) about how much he loves the veterans, never acknowledging the American people, only trying to hoodwink Hillary Clinton's racist supporters. After the debate, the "pundits" came on with their usual useless analyses.
The American people are just being suckered, as usual. Still, we have a chance to start destroying "white" supremacy. That means that all children in this country will finally have a chance, one day, to be judged by their ability to contribute to the commonweal. Being judged by the content of one's character may sound cute and accomodating, but it will not build communities. I do not have to like my neighbor, nor does he or she have to like me; rather, at least to me, what is most important is: We respect each other's right to seek to be fully human, constantly progressing as living beings. John McCain, George Bush, and Sarah Palin just do not think that way. Dig? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
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Smith on Future Consequences of the "Bailout"
Dear friends,The current "bailout" has much harsher consequences than what its proponents are admitting. On the link below, Elm Smith reminds us to consider that fact.
G. Djata Bumpus
Elmer Smith: Generations will be paying for Bush policies* Read full post
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Why won't the Fed let the market work?
Dear friends,
Money is everywhere. Yet, the Federal Reserve Bank acts as if the only money around belongs to the American taxpayers. Additionally, according to the logic of the Fed, when certain big companies are failing, it is our duty o save them. What is that all about? ...
AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the only big companies out there. They have no competition and we Americans, as a people, have zilch intellect, so we may as well buy our way out of this predicament - or our economy will collapse. Right?
No market forces play here. Therefore, with his apocalyptic insight,Bernanke, speaking to members of Congress with the urgency of a guy who must relieve himself in a few seconds, insists that that body must act now. The funny part about much of this is: It has not been that long, since he (Bernanke) was speaking in completely different terms about both the economy and the market. Why did he/we not see this coming? Is he the wrong man for the job or is the job (the Fed) just wrong for us?
Finally, there are other companies who will "pick up the slack", as it were, if others go down, because of bad investments and so forth. Besides, why should a centralized body pick and choose what companies get saved and which ones will not be rescued, on behalf of taxpayers, without an iota of our input? Let the "market" for big businesses decide and dictate the survival of such firms, just as the "market" does for either employment or self-employment for us.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=What+happened+on+Jekyll+island%2C+georgia+in+1912&page=1&qsrc=19&ab=5&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apfn.org%2Fapfn%2Freserve2.htm
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Money is everywhere. Yet, the Federal Reserve Bank acts as if the only money around belongs to the American taxpayers. Additionally, according to the logic of the Fed, when certain big companies are failing, it is our duty o save them. What is that all about? ...
AIG, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are the only big companies out there. They have no competition and we Americans, as a people, have zilch intellect, so we may as well buy our way out of this predicament - or our economy will collapse. Right?
No market forces play here. Therefore, with his apocalyptic insight,Bernanke, speaking to members of Congress with the urgency of a guy who must relieve himself in a few seconds, insists that that body must act now. The funny part about much of this is: It has not been that long, since he (Bernanke) was speaking in completely different terms about both the economy and the market. Why did he/we not see this coming? Is he the wrong man for the job or is the job (the Fed) just wrong for us?
Finally, there are other companies who will "pick up the slack", as it were, if others go down, because of bad investments and so forth. Besides, why should a centralized body pick and choose what companies get saved and which ones will not be rescued, on behalf of taxpayers, without an iota of our input? Let the "market" for big businesses decide and dictate the survival of such firms, just as the "market" does for either employment or self-employment for us.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.ask.com/bar?q=What+happened+on+Jekyll+island%2C+georgia+in+1912&page=1&qsrc=19&ab=5&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.apfn.org%2Fapfn%2Freserve2.htm
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The National Review endorses Obama
Dear friends,
It is really no shock to me. As Elm Smith so eloquently pointed out in the previous post, it will be self-interest - not race, that propels Senator Obama to victory, as the statement/letter below makes so clear...
This endorsement holds particular significance, since the author is also the publisher of this conservative magazine. He represents a group who one would think has no use for a "liberal" like Senator Obama. It is not a long piece, but, at least to me, surprisingly thoughtful. Please check it out.
G. Djata Bumpus
***************************************************
My party has slipped its moorings. It's time for a true pragmatist to lead the country. Leading Off By Wick Allison, Editor In Chief
THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT "the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate," the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me.
In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for Goldwater My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later I was invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of National Review. I later became its publisher.
Conservatism to me is less a political philosophy than a stance, a recognition of the fallibility of man and of man's institutions. Conservatives respect the past not for its antiquity but because it represents, as G.K. Chesterton said, the democracy of the dead; it gives the benefit of the doubt to customs and laws tried and tested in the crucible of time. Conservatives are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes, doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to test any political program against actual results.
Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of "oughts." We ought to do this or that because it's the right thing to do, regardless of whether it works or not. It is a doctrine based on intentions, not results, on feeling good rather than doing good.
But today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political programs when they clearly don't work. The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his "conservative" credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using conservatism as a mask.
Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity about making the world "safe for democracy." It is John McCain who says America's job is to "defeat evil," a theological expansion of the nation's mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth.
This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make worse.
Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don't matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama's books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.
Most important, Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American national interests are directly threatened. "Every great cause," Eric Hoffer wrote, "begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.
Read full post
It is really no shock to me. As Elm Smith so eloquently pointed out in the previous post, it will be self-interest - not race, that propels Senator Obama to victory, as the statement/letter below makes so clear...
This endorsement holds particular significance, since the author is also the publisher of this conservative magazine. He represents a group who one would think has no use for a "liberal" like Senator Obama. It is not a long piece, but, at least to me, surprisingly thoughtful. Please check it out.
G. Djata Bumpus
***************************************************
My party has slipped its moorings. It's time for a true pragmatist to lead the country. Leading Off By Wick Allison, Editor In Chief
THE MORE I LISTEN TO AND READ ABOUT "the most liberal member of the U.S. Senate," the more I like him. Barack Obama strikes a chord with me like no political figure since Ronald Reagan. To explain why, I need to explain why I am a conservative and what it means to me.
In 1964, at the age of 16, I organized the Dallas County Youth for Goldwater My senior thesis at the University of Texas was on the conservative intellectual revival in America. Twenty years later I was invited by William F. Buckley Jr. to join the board of National Review. I later became its publisher.
Conservatism to me is less a political philosophy than a stance, a recognition of the fallibility of man and of man's institutions. Conservatives respect the past not for its antiquity but because it represents, as G.K. Chesterton said, the democracy of the dead; it gives the benefit of the doubt to customs and laws tried and tested in the crucible of time. Conservatives are skeptical of abstract theories and utopian schemes, doubtful that government is wiser than its citizens, and always ready to test any political program against actual results.
Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of "oughts." We ought to do this or that because it's the right thing to do, regardless of whether it works or not. It is a doctrine based on intentions, not results, on feeling good rather than doing good.
But today it is so-called conservatives who are cemented to political programs when they clearly don't work. The Bush tax cuts—a solution for which there was no real problem and which he refused to end even when the nation went to war—led to huge deficit spending and a $3 trillion growth in the federal debt. Facing this, John McCain pumps his "conservative" credentials by proposing even bigger tax cuts. Meanwhile, a movement that once fought for limited government has presided over the greatest growth of government in our history. That is not conservatism; it is profligacy using conservatism as a mask.
Today it is conservatives, not liberals, who talk with alarming bellicosity about making the world "safe for democracy." It is John McCain who says America's job is to "defeat evil," a theological expansion of the nation's mission that would make George Washington cough out his wooden teeth.
This kind of conservatism, which is not conservative at all, has produced financial mismanagement, the waste of human lives, the loss of moral authority, and the wreckage of our economy that McCain now threatens to make worse.
Barack Obama is not my ideal candidate for president. (In fact, I made the maximum donation to John McCain during the primaries, when there was still hope he might come to his senses.) But I now see that Obama is almost the ideal candidate for this moment in American history. I disagree with him on many issues. But those don't matter as much as what Obama offers, which is a deeply conservative view of the world. Nobody can read Obama's books (which, it is worth noting, he wrote himself) or listen to him speak without realizing that this is a thoughtful, pragmatic, and prudent man. It gives me comfort just to think that after eight years of George W. Bush we will have a president who has actually read the Federalist Papers.
Most important, Obama will be a realist. I doubt he will taunt Russia, as McCain has, at the very moment when our national interest requires it as an ally. The crucial distinction in my mind is that, unlike John McCain, I am convinced he will not impulsively take us into another war unless American national interests are directly threatened. "Every great cause," Eric Hoffer wrote, "begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket." As a cause, conservatism may be dead. But as a stance, as a way of making judgments in a complex and difficult world, I believe it is very much alive in the instincts and predispositions of a liberal named Barack Obama.
Read full post
Humor and Wisdom from an honored Guest
Al Martinez is a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist for the Los Angeles Times, author of a dozen books, an Emmy-nominated creator of prime time television shows, a travel writer, humorist and general hell-raiser. Try him. He's addictive...Dear friends,
I am both proud and honored to share the work of one of the many esteemed activists, artists, journalists, scholars, educators, and just plain concerned people who have been a part of this Internet journey, in some way, during the past year (some for many years) - first by e-mail, and now on this blog. Please enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
*******************************************
The McBush Interview
by Al Martinez
September 18, 2008
I had the privilege yesterday of interviewing U.S. Sen. Homer McBush who, as you know, is running for president of the United States with a campaign slogan of “Three Gs for Freedom.” McBush appeared before us at the Faux Network superstation KBS-America, accompanied by his new puppy Pali. This is a partial transcript of the interview:
Faux: Tell me, Senator, all of America is curious about the puppy you have suddenly brought to most of your campaign appearances. Pali, I believe you call her.
McBush: That’s pronounced Pay-lee.
Faux: I notice she’s wearing lipstick and earrings. Is there a reason for that?
McBush: A joke. She isn’t a pig (wink), but even a dog can wear lipstick and maybe earrings too. You get it?
Faux: I get it.
McBush: Now let me say that it’s a privilege being here at Faux BS as a war hero and maverick to counteract the falsehoods put forth by my opponent, Senator O-Bomb.
Faux: I believe you mean Senator Obama?
McBush (laughing): We have whimsical sense of humor. We call him O-Bomb as a play on his name meaning every once in awhile he drops an oratorical bomb, if you get my meaning. We have to duck. (More laughter)
Faux: As a Navy pilot and later captive war hero you must know a little something about dropping real bombs.
McBush: Only on the Godless soldiers in ‘Nam. Should’ve seen those little brown suckers scatter! Hoo-boy! (Abruptly serious) By the way, I want to apologize on behalf of certain members of my campaign staff for saying that the senator is a close friend of Osama bin Laden.
Faux: I don’t recall anyone ever having said that.
McBush (musing): Obama, Osama. Funny how close those names are.
Faux: That certainly doesn’t mean they were friends.
McBush: That’s the very reason I’m apologizing.
Faux: But if no one ever said…
McBush: Look at it this way, boy. Someone sure as heaven is going to say it, and that apology will already be in place. It will preempt the accusation. This is modern, electronic politics, boy. Call it E-truths.
Faux: I see. Well, I’d like to get back to the dog. I have a report from an excellent source that says Pali is illegitimate. Is that true?
McBush (angrily): Dastardly lies! I swear on my status as a God-given war hero and maverick that Pali was the legitimate offspring of a male corgi owned by a Pentecostal preacher and a bitch Doberman that was the constant companion of the pastor’s wife Tammy Sue. They were legally married and we have the papers to prove it.
Faux: The parent dogs were married?
McBush: In a holy ceremony attended by family, friends and owners in the pastor’s own church, the Conservative American Church of God and Angels in Flight of Nome, Alaska.
Faux: I notice that you keep Pali on a little pink leash. Does she bite?
McBush: That’s Pay-Lee, boy!
Faux: Of course.
McBush: She bites when she’s told to.
Faux: She’s an attractive puppy, that’s for sure, winking and blinking the way she does, but she seems exceptionally quiet today.
McBush: My daddy, the Admiral, while beating his noisy dog, used to say, ‘There’s a time to bark and a time to whine.’
Faux (teasingly): Do you also script her speeches? Like when to bark, growl, snarl, roll over or bite?
McBush: Something like that. More of a yap than a bark.
Faux: She’s actually scripted? I’ve never heard of a dog that…
McBush (interrupting): I’m not going to have my sweet puppy subjected to the cruel and ungodly questions of the liberal media without some form of preparation! Next question.
Faux: You mention God a good deal. Is he one of the “G”s in your campaign’s “Three Gs for Freedom?” The reason Pali is wearing a gold cross attached to her collar?
McBush: That is correct. It came to me in a dream while I was a captive war hero, and I swore that if I ever became a maverick candidate of any sort I would apply them: God, Guns and Glory.
Faux: I assume the chewable dog toy in the shape of a shotgun that she’s holding in her teeth is relative to the second “G”? For guns?
McBush: That’s right, boy. Guns ready to use on our doorstep if the A-rabs ever invade. And the third is for glory.
Faux: The glory of liberty and freedom?
McBush: Of war, boy. The glory of winning. The glory of the stars and stripes waving bravely over a battlefield of dead A-rabs. And may I add that I deny ever having referred to our friend O-Bomb by the A-word.
Faux: Again, sir, I don’t believe anyone has ever said you had referred to him as an Arab, or, as you put it, an A-rab. Are you apologizing again for something you have never been accused of? Isn’t that just another way of smearing an opponent without bearing the blame?
McBush: (He smiles, shrugs slightly, winks at the dog, says nothing.)
Faux: I see. Getting back to an earlier topic, there are some who say no one truly wins a war.
McBush: These are the same traitorous liberals in America who said, may God forgive me for repeating it, that the New York Giants would never win a Super Bowl and you and I know that they sure as hell did.
Faux: Your dog is growling.
McBush: Forgive me. I did not intend to defame the name of God, and on my honor as a war hero, maverick and Christian, I apologize for use of the ugly H-word. It upsets Pali.
Faux: We all know you’re a war hero, but how do you figure you’re a maverick? Many feel that you’re very much like our current leader, President Twig.
McBush: Not so. For one thing I’m taller than Twig and when I smile there are those who say my whole face lights up. He just grins. Nothing wrong with grinning, but there’s sure a big difference between us right there.
Faux: Other than that, doesn’t your program, as Twig’s, favor the oil companies’ desire to drill wherever they chose? Doesn’t that profit them more than us? And doesn’t it harm Earth’s ecological balance?
McBush: Ecological my behind! We didn’t even have that word until the hippies made it up. A couple holes in the ground won’t kick the planet out of orbit. And there’s nothing wrong with Americans making a little extra cash, boy, just because they already have some. But we’ve got to be fair about spreading the wealth, so I’m proposing an increase in the minimum wage by 7 and ½ cents!
Faux: An hour?
McBush: A day. Who in the hell do you think we are?
Pali growls again.
McBush: Gosh darn, there I go again, defaming God. Sorry, Pali.
Faux: It seems to me that by saying ‘hell’ you were more likely offending the devil than God. Is the devil a part of your campaign too?
McBush: (He smiles. The dog winks.)
Faux: Thank you, Senator. Thank you, Pali.
McBush: God bless America.
Pali: Woof.
http://almartinezeverythingelse.blogspot.com/
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Monday, September 22, 2008
Even polls are now showing that "race" is at the bottom of many "white" voters' choices in this country
Dear friends,
No surprise to African Americans, however, a recent poll shows that many European Americans (so-called whites) are "clinging" to their whiteness, this election season, especially the less-educated ones that Hillary Clinton energized...
The link below is to a piece by someone who we have heard from before - Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News. Corky, in my biased opinion, courageously, does what few other journalists, African American, European American, or otherwise, have had the courage to do. He has exposed the reality that all African Americans already know. That is, as our dear brother Cornell West has insisted, race "matters" in America. Moreover, while I can only speak for myself, I am sure that African Americans will not let "polls" or newspaper and magazine commentaries that suggest that we do not "matter", keep us from going to the voting machines anyway. Please check out Corky's piece.
Cheers!
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/22/2008-09-22_poll_barack_obama_could_lose_six_percent.html
Read full post
No surprise to African Americans, however, a recent poll shows that many European Americans (so-called whites) are "clinging" to their whiteness, this election season, especially the less-educated ones that Hillary Clinton energized...
The link below is to a piece by someone who we have heard from before - Corky Siemaszko of the New York Daily News. Corky, in my biased opinion, courageously, does what few other journalists, African American, European American, or otherwise, have had the courage to do. He has exposed the reality that all African Americans already know. That is, as our dear brother Cornell West has insisted, race "matters" in America. Moreover, while I can only speak for myself, I am sure that African Americans will not let "polls" or newspaper and magazine commentaries that suggest that we do not "matter", keep us from going to the voting machines anyway. Please check out Corky's piece.
Cheers!
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/09/22/2008-09-22_poll_barack_obama_could_lose_six_percent.html
Read full post
Sunday, September 21, 2008
WANTED: Young Black Males - and females
To be Teachers
Dear friends,
The info below was e-mailed to me very recently. I checked it out. It is real. Therefore, regardless of your age, gender or ethnicity, if you know any African American high schoolers, please pass this information on to him - or her. Cool? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
******************************
Black Male Teachers
Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for 'FREE' ? Several Black Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.
The 'Call Me MISTER' program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina 's lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.
The Call Me MISTER program combines the special strengths and resources of Clemson University with the individualized instructional programs offered by four historically black colleges in South Carolina : Benedict College , Claflin University , Morris College and South Carolina State University. To provide even greater opportunity and access, students have the option of first attending one of our two-year partner colleges before transferring to one of the four-year institutions to complete their baccalaureate degree. In addition, the project has limited enrollment in the middle school Master of Art in Teaching program. Please click on the participating schools on the menu to the left to learn more about these schools' programs.
* Anderson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/anderson.html> * Benedict College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/benedict.html> * Claflin University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/claflin.html> * Clemson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/clemson.html> * College of Charleston <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/coc.html> * Morris College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/morris.html> * South Carolina State University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/southcarolinastate.html> * Greenville Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/greenvilletech.html> * Midlands Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/midlands.html> * Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/orangeburgcalhountechhtml> * Tri-County Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tricountytech.html> * Trident Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tridenttech.html>
The project provides:
Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.
An academic support system to help assure their success. A cohort system for social and cultural support.
Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm> for more details and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.
PLEASE FORWARD TO AS MANY FRIENDS, FAMILY, CHURCH MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO SPREAD THE WORD.
____________________________________________________________________________
Read full post
Dear friends,
The info below was e-mailed to me very recently. I checked it out. It is real. Therefore, regardless of your age, gender or ethnicity, if you know any African American high schoolers, please pass this information on to him - or her. Cool? Peace.
G. Djata Bumpus
******************************
Black Male Teachers
Do you know any Black males who are seniors in high school who want to go to college out of state for 'FREE' ? Several Black Colleges are looking for future black male teachers and will send them to universities/colleges for 4 years FREE.
The 'Call Me MISTER' program is an effort to address the critical shortage of African American male teachers particularly among South Carolina 's lowest performing public schools. Program participants are selected from among under-served, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.
The Call Me MISTER program combines the special strengths and resources of Clemson University with the individualized instructional programs offered by four historically black colleges in South Carolina : Benedict College , Claflin University , Morris College and South Carolina State University. To provide even greater opportunity and access, students have the option of first attending one of our two-year partner colleges before transferring to one of the four-year institutions to complete their baccalaureate degree. In addition, the project has limited enrollment in the middle school Master of Art in Teaching program. Please click on the participating schools on the menu to the left to learn more about these schools' programs.
* Anderson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/anderson.html> * Benedict College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/benedict.html> * Claflin University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/claflin.html> * Clemson University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/clemson.html> * College of Charleston <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/coc.html> * Morris College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/morris.html> * South Carolina State University <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/southcarolinastate.html> * Greenville Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/greenvilletech.html> * Midlands Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/midlands.html> * Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/orangeburgcalhountechhtml> * Tri-County Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tricountytech.html> * Trident Technical College <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/schools/tridenttech.html>
The project provides:
Tuition for admitted students pursuing approved programs of study at participating colleges.
An academic support system to help assure their success. A cohort system for social and cultural support.
Visit http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm <http://www.callmemister.clemson.edu/index.htm> for more details and the online application or call (800) 640-2657.
PLEASE FORWARD TO AS MANY FRIENDS, FAMILY, CHURCH MEMBERS AS POSSIBLE, SO THAT THEY CAN ALSO SPREAD THE WORD.
____________________________________________________________________________
Read full post
Is greed - good?
Dear friends,
It is interesting how quickly ordinary people are placing some of the "blame" for the mortgage industry crisis on those who they accuse of being "irresponsble" (esp. Black) - home-buyers...
After all, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson acknowledges that many of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are needed from taxpayers are for loans to companies that were responsible for covering the investments of ordinary people (i.e., stockholders). Comsidering the logic that is used to berate the aforementioned home-buyers, does that mean that those who trusted companies and invested in them (bought shares), in order to make a quick buck, are "irresponsible" as well, since all of us must bail out those companies that made so many bad decisions?
Additionally, the issue of "greed" appears, during this whole debacle. I remember reading, some years ago, George Will, "the" chief spokesman and pundit for the right wing in this country, ask, "What's wrong with greed?" He wrote that question, at the beginning of an article that appeared in, I believe (it's been a long time, since I read it) the National Review. Shortly afterwards, Will, who at the time was a middle-aged, married man, was arrested (in Washington DC) for having had an illicit sexual affair with a minor (16 years-old girl). Therefore, in light of his, apparently, insatiable sexual appetite, my answer to George Will's above mentioned inquiry, which I e-mailed to him back in those days, about avarice is: That's what's wrong with greed, George.
In any case, below is a link to a delightfully thought-provoking piece, by Elm Smith of the Philadelphia Daily News that helps us think more deeply about the players in this latest government scandal. Enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080919_Elmer_Smith__Why_won_t_the_government_that_backs_business_back_us_.html
Read full post
It is interesting how quickly ordinary people are placing some of the "blame" for the mortgage industry crisis on those who they accuse of being "irresponsble" (esp. Black) - home-buyers...
After all, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson acknowledges that many of the hundreds of billions of dollars that are needed from taxpayers are for loans to companies that were responsible for covering the investments of ordinary people (i.e., stockholders). Comsidering the logic that is used to berate the aforementioned home-buyers, does that mean that those who trusted companies and invested in them (bought shares), in order to make a quick buck, are "irresponsible" as well, since all of us must bail out those companies that made so many bad decisions?
Additionally, the issue of "greed" appears, during this whole debacle. I remember reading, some years ago, George Will, "the" chief spokesman and pundit for the right wing in this country, ask, "What's wrong with greed?" He wrote that question, at the beginning of an article that appeared in, I believe (it's been a long time, since I read it) the National Review. Shortly afterwards, Will, who at the time was a middle-aged, married man, was arrested (in Washington DC) for having had an illicit sexual affair with a minor (16 years-old girl). Therefore, in light of his, apparently, insatiable sexual appetite, my answer to George Will's above mentioned inquiry, which I e-mailed to him back in those days, about avarice is: That's what's wrong with greed, George.
In any case, below is a link to a delightfully thought-provoking piece, by Elm Smith of the Philadelphia Daily News that helps us think more deeply about the players in this latest government scandal. Enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20080919_Elmer_Smith__Why_won_t_the_government_that_backs_business_back_us_.html
Read full post
A high general standard of living is genuine "economic" development
Dear friends,
The recent failure of some of New York City's biggest financial institutions is already having a trickle-down effect on a number of other businesses and their employees, in that city...
The standard of living for thousands of New Yorkers will go down soon. Yet, ruthless, greedy managers who make far more money than they even need to enjoy life will either be saved by the government or just take their "loot" and run. Worse yet, whoever gets hurt is of no concern to them.
In any case, I saw the very short piece below, regarding a New York City cabbie who is experiencing harder times already. The government surely will not help him, in any way.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/09/17/2008-09-17_cabbies_gear_up_for_bad_times_-2.html
Read full post
The recent failure of some of New York City's biggest financial institutions is already having a trickle-down effect on a number of other businesses and their employees, in that city...
The standard of living for thousands of New Yorkers will go down soon. Yet, ruthless, greedy managers who make far more money than they even need to enjoy life will either be saved by the government or just take their "loot" and run. Worse yet, whoever gets hurt is of no concern to them.
In any case, I saw the very short piece below, regarding a New York City cabbie who is experiencing harder times already. The government surely will not help him, in any way.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/money/2008/09/17/2008-09-17_cabbies_gear_up_for_bad_times_-2.html
Read full post
Foreclosing promise
Dear friends,
The short piece on the link below regards a brand new program in Philly that may spread across the nation. Who knows? It was written by Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I think that you will like it. I know that I did.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/annette_john-hall/20080919_Annette_John-Hall__A_step_against_foreclosures.html Read full post
The short piece on the link below regards a brand new program in Philly that may spread across the nation. Who knows? It was written by Annette John-Hall of the Philadelphia Inquirer. I think that you will like it. I know that I did.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/columnists/annette_john-hall/20080919_Annette_John-Hall__A_step_against_foreclosures.html Read full post
Lose your home, lose your vote?
Dera friends,
The information below was sent to me via e-mail. It is worth reading, so I decided to share it with you on this blog.
G. Djata Bumpus
********************************
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:19:11 -0700
Subject: Lose your home, lose your vote?
The Republican plan for struggling homeowners in Michigan? Take away their right to vote. Help us stop this, now.
Dear Kathleen, It's the ugliest attack on voting rights we've seen in recent history--if you live in Michigan and you're in danger of losing your home to foreclosure, Republicans will try to take away your right to vote.
1. McCain's response? Silence. Like Bush in 2000 and 2004, he's trying to keep a safe distance from these tactics, while benefiting from them. McCain could end this with a phone call. But he won't.
It's voter-suppression at its worst. They're taking advantage of folks falling on hard times and using it for political gain--kicking people while they're down. It's time to hold McCain publicly accountable for this strategy.
Will you join us in outing McCain for not denouncing these tactics and invite your friends and family to do the same? It just takes a moment:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
For years, Republicans have engaged in 'caging'--challenging the eligibility of voters on election day to suppress turnout and intimidate voters.
2. They'll often try to reject voters by claiming they don't live at the address where they're registered. This year, they've taken it to a new low--the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan said last week, 'We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren't voting from those addresses.'
3. In other words, they'll target every voter whose house is on a foreclosure list, and challenge their voting rights on election day. But just because your name is on a list, it doesn't mean that you've lost your home or moved. In fact, many homeowners stay in their homes for months after the foreclosure process has begun, and some people are able to catch up on their payments and reverse the process.
4. So why are Republicans illegally targeting homeowners who've had a tough time under Bush's economy? Because they know they're likely to vote for Democrats, and for Obama for President. In Michigan, over 60% of sub-prime loans were made to African-Americans.
5. And in general, people who've been hit hard by the economy are less likely to vote for Republicans. This tactic won't just affect struggling homeowners--it will cause longer lines and delays at the polls for everyone that lives in a neighborhood with a high number of foreclosures. And that's the point. After making the plan public, Michigan Republicans are backtracking and claiming they were misquoted.
6. But everything indicates that these are exactly the kinds of tactics they'll use,
7. Aand they're just trying to squash an embarrassing story.
8. Similar tactics are being used across the country, but the McCain campaign simply sits in the background, quietly benefiting from voter suppression. The Obama campaign is fighting against this plan in the courts,9 but they need our help to expose these dishonorable tactics and make this a national story.
If enough of us step up and connect the dots, we'll give the press a reason to make the connection between McCain and what's happening in Michigan. And as we've seen in our other campaigns,10 when we stand together behind a clear message, the press covers it and moves our message forward.
Calling on McCain to publicly reject these tactics is just the first step in our campaign to shame the Republican Party for attacking the voting rights of struggling homeowners.
Please join us:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 17th, 2008
1. 'Lose your house, lose your vote,' Michigan Messenger, 9/10/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=1
2. 'Caging list,' Wikipedia http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=2
3. See reference 1.
4. 'Obama campaign files suit over 'voter-foreclosure' plans,' Michigan Messenger, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=4
5. See reference 1.
6. 'Flap over foreclosure challenges in Michigan grows,' Chicago Tribune, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=6
7. 'Former GOP operative explains why Republicans will use foreclosure lists to block voters,' Michigan Messenger, 9/15/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=7
8. 'Messenger rejects GOP plea for retraction,' Michigan Messenger, 9/12/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=8
9. See reference 4.
10. ColorOfChange.org campaign against Congressional Black Caucus debate on Fox News http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=10
11. 'D.N.C. Shuns Fox in Debate Schedule,' The Caucus (New York Times blog), 4/5/07 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=11
Read full post
The information below was sent to me via e-mail. It is worth reading, so I decided to share it with you on this blog.
G. Djata Bumpus
********************************
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:19:11 -0700
Subject: Lose your home, lose your vote?
The Republican plan for struggling homeowners in Michigan? Take away their right to vote. Help us stop this, now.
Dear Kathleen, It's the ugliest attack on voting rights we've seen in recent history--if you live in Michigan and you're in danger of losing your home to foreclosure, Republicans will try to take away your right to vote.
1. McCain's response? Silence. Like Bush in 2000 and 2004, he's trying to keep a safe distance from these tactics, while benefiting from them. McCain could end this with a phone call. But he won't.
It's voter-suppression at its worst. They're taking advantage of folks falling on hard times and using it for political gain--kicking people while they're down. It's time to hold McCain publicly accountable for this strategy.
Will you join us in outing McCain for not denouncing these tactics and invite your friends and family to do the same? It just takes a moment:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
For years, Republicans have engaged in 'caging'--challenging the eligibility of voters on election day to suppress turnout and intimidate voters.
2. They'll often try to reject voters by claiming they don't live at the address where they're registered. This year, they've taken it to a new low--the chairman of the Republican Party in Macomb County, Michigan said last week, 'We will have a list of foreclosed homes and will make sure people aren't voting from those addresses.'
3. In other words, they'll target every voter whose house is on a foreclosure list, and challenge their voting rights on election day. But just because your name is on a list, it doesn't mean that you've lost your home or moved. In fact, many homeowners stay in their homes for months after the foreclosure process has begun, and some people are able to catch up on their payments and reverse the process.
4. So why are Republicans illegally targeting homeowners who've had a tough time under Bush's economy? Because they know they're likely to vote for Democrats, and for Obama for President. In Michigan, over 60% of sub-prime loans were made to African-Americans.
5. And in general, people who've been hit hard by the economy are less likely to vote for Republicans. This tactic won't just affect struggling homeowners--it will cause longer lines and delays at the polls for everyone that lives in a neighborhood with a high number of foreclosures. And that's the point. After making the plan public, Michigan Republicans are backtracking and claiming they were misquoted.
6. But everything indicates that these are exactly the kinds of tactics they'll use,
7. Aand they're just trying to squash an embarrassing story.
8. Similar tactics are being used across the country, but the McCain campaign simply sits in the background, quietly benefiting from voter suppression. The Obama campaign is fighting against this plan in the courts,9 but they need our help to expose these dishonorable tactics and make this a national story.
If enough of us step up and connect the dots, we'll give the press a reason to make the connection between McCain and what's happening in Michigan. And as we've seen in our other campaigns,10 when we stand together behind a clear message, the press covers it and moves our message forward.
Calling on McCain to publicly reject these tactics is just the first step in our campaign to shame the Republican Party for attacking the voting rights of struggling homeowners.
Please join us:
http://colorofchange.org/michigan08/?id=2122-206436
Thanks and Peace,
-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, Andre, Kai, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
September 17th, 2008
1. 'Lose your house, lose your vote,' Michigan Messenger, 9/10/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=1
2. 'Caging list,' Wikipedia http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=2
3. See reference 1.
4. 'Obama campaign files suit over 'voter-foreclosure' plans,' Michigan Messenger, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=4
5. See reference 1.
6. 'Flap over foreclosure challenges in Michigan grows,' Chicago Tribune, 9/16/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=6
7. 'Former GOP operative explains why Republicans will use foreclosure lists to block voters,' Michigan Messenger, 9/15/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=7
8. 'Messenger rejects GOP plea for retraction,' Michigan Messenger, 9/12/08 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=8
9. See reference 4.
10. ColorOfChange.org campaign against Congressional Black Caucus debate on Fox News http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=10
11. 'D.N.C. Shuns Fox in Debate Schedule,' The Caucus (New York Times blog), 4/5/07 http://colorofchange.org/link/?cat=mich&?id=2122-206436&link=11
Read full post
Video about Senator Obama - from his Canpaign
Dear friends,
The video on the link below is a chronology of Senator Obama's voyage to his/our current situation. It may or may not be very new info to you. Nonetheless, here it is.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid452323111 Read full post
The video on the link below is a chronology of Senator Obama's voyage to his/our current situation. It may or may not be very new info to you. Nonetheless, here it is.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid452323111 Read full post
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Hundreds upon hundreds of Alaskan women hold a big anti-Palin Rally
From: Joseph Wei [http://us.mc355.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=josephwei@comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, September 17, 2008 9:06 AM
Subject: Fw: Fw: This does my heart good!!!!! Fwd: Pics of Biggest Rally in AK history... anti-Palin
Read and look at the pics below and be heartened that the lunacy of the past 8 years will end in November! Loving peace to all, Joseph Psssst...pass it on! [The] Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was to be held outside on the lawn in front of the Loussac Library in midtown Anchorage . Home made signs were encouraged, and the idea was to make a statement that Sarah Palin does not speak for all Alaska women, or men.
I had no idea what to expect.The rally was organized by a small group of women, talking over coffee. It made me wonder what other things have started with small groups of women talking over coffee. It's probably an impressive list. These women hatched the plan, printed up flyers, posted them around town, and sent notices to local media outlets.
One of those media outlets was KBYR radio, home of Eddie Burke, a long-time uber-conservative Anchorage talk show host. Turns out that Eddie Burke not only announced the rally, but called the people who planned to attend the rally "a bunch of socialist baby-killing maggots," and read the home phone numbers of the organizers aloud over the air, urging listeners to call and tell them what they thought.
The women, of course, received some nasty, harassing and threatening messages.I felt a bit apprehensive. I'd been disappointed before by the turnout at other rallies. Basically,in Anchorage, if you can get 25 people to show up at an event, it's a success. So, I thought to myself, if we can actually get 100 people there that aren't sent by Eddie Burke, we'll be doing good. A real statement will have been made.
I confess, I still had a mental image of 15 demonstrators surrounded by hundreds of menacing "socialist baby-killing maggot" haters.It's a good thing I wasn't tailgating when I saw the crowd in front of the library or I would have ended up in somebody's trunk. When I got there, about 20 minutes early, the line of sign wavers stretched the full length of the library grounds, along the edge of the road, 6 or 7 people deep! I could hardly find a place to park. I nabbed one of the last spots in the library lot, and as I got out of the car and started walking, people seemed to join in from every direction, carrying signs.
Never, have I seen anything like it in my 17 and a half years living in Anchorage. The organizers had someone walk the rally with a counter, and they clicked off well over 1400 people (not including the 90 counter-demonstrators). This was the biggest political rally ever, in the history of the state. I was absolutely stunned. The second most amazing thing is how many people honked and gave the thumbs up as they drove by. And even those that didn't honk looked wide-eyed and awe-struck at the huge crowd that was growing by the minute.This just doesn't happen here.
Then, the infamous Eddie Burke showed up. He tried to talk to the media, and was instantly surrounded by a group of 20 people who started shouting O-BA-MA so loud he couldn't be heard. Then passing cars started honking in a rhythmic pattern of 3, like the Obama chant, while the crowd cheered, hooted and waved their signs high.So, if you've been doing the math Yes. The Alaska Women Reject Palin rally was significantly bigger than Palin's rally that got all the national media coverage! So take heart, sit back, and enjoy the photo gallery. Feel free to spread the pictures around to anyone who needs to know that Sarah Palin most definitely does not speak for all Alaskans.The citizens of Alaska , who know her best, have things to say.A bunch of pictures of that rally:
Read full post
Alaskans speak out against Palin
Dear friends,
In spite of the fact that the overwhelming majority of journalists and their editors seem to be turning their heads away from the protests coming from people all over the country - especially women of all kinds of groups, about Sarah Palin, I am pleased to share the following link that was forwarded to me the other day.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/05/alaskans-speak-in-a-frightened-whisper-palin-is-%e2%80%9cracist-sexist-vindictive-and-mean%e2%80%9d/ Read full post
In spite of the fact that the overwhelming majority of journalists and their editors seem to be turning their heads away from the protests coming from people all over the country - especially women of all kinds of groups, about Sarah Palin, I am pleased to share the following link that was forwarded to me the other day.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.laprogressive.com/2008/09/05/alaskans-speak-in-a-frightened-whisper-palin-is-%e2%80%9cracist-sexist-vindictive-and-mean%e2%80%9d/ Read full post
Does Sarah Palin benefit from "white" privilege?
Dear friends,
I am honored to have received permission to publish this great piece, below, here on this blog. It is in regards to the whole issue of "white" privilege. Moreover, it is quite timely, because of the sudden media fanfare caused by the Republican Party choosing Sarah Palin as its vice presidential candidate. There are many facts that are raised here which have not been given a single bit of attention by the mainstream media...
This is must-reading!
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
**************************************
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise 9/13/08
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.
White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”
White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.
And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.
White privilege is, in short, the problem.
Tim Wise is the author of White Like Me (Soft Skull, 2005, revised 2008), and of Speaking Treason Fluently, publishing this month, also by Soft Skull.
For review copies or interview requests, please reply to publicity@softskull.com
Read full post
I am honored to have received permission to publish this great piece, below, here on this blog. It is in regards to the whole issue of "white" privilege. Moreover, it is quite timely, because of the sudden media fanfare caused by the Republican Party choosing Sarah Palin as its vice presidential candidate. There are many facts that are raised here which have not been given a single bit of attention by the mainstream media...
This is must-reading!
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
**************************************
This is Your Nation on White Privilege
By Tim Wise 9/13/08
For those who still can’t grasp the concept of white privilege, or who are constantly looking for some easy-to-understand examples of it, perhaps this list will help.
White privilege is when you can get pregnant at seventeen like Bristol Palin and everyone is quick to insist that your life and that of your family is a personal matter, and that no one has a right to judge you or your parents, because “every family has challenges,” even as black and Latino families with similar “challenges” are regularly typified as irresponsible, pathological and arbiters of social decay.
White privilege is when you can call yourself a “fuckin’ redneck,” like Bristol Palin’s boyfriend does, and talk about how if anyone messes with you, you'll “kick their fuckin' ass,” and talk about how you like to “shoot shit” for fun, and still be viewed as a responsible, all-American boy (and a great son-in-law to be) rather than a thug.
White privilege is when you can attend four different colleges in six years like Sarah Palin did (one of which you basically failed out of, then returned to after making up some coursework at a community college), and no one questions your intelligence or commitment to achievement, whereas a person of color who did this would be viewed as unfit for college, and probably someone who only got in in the first place because of affirmative action.
White privilege is when you can claim that being mayor of a town smaller than most medium-sized colleges, and then Governor of a state with about the same number of people as the lower fifth of the island of Manhattan, makes you ready to potentially be president, and people don’t all piss on themselves with laughter, while being a black U.S. Senator, two-term state Senator, and constitutional law scholar, means you’re “untested.”
White privilege is being able to say that you support the words “under God” in the pledge of allegiance because “if it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me,” and not be immediately disqualified from holding office--since, after all, the pledge was written in the late 1800s and the “under God” part wasn’t added until the 1950s--while believing that reading accused criminals and terrorists their rights (because, ya know, the Constitution, which you used to teach at a prestigious law school requires it), is a dangerous and silly idea only supported by mushy liberals.
White privilege is being able to be a gun enthusiast and not make people immediately scared of you. White privilege is being able to have a husband who was a member of an extremist political party that wants your state to secede from the Union, and whose motto was “Alaska first,” and no one questions your patriotism or that of your family, while if you're black and your spouse merely fails to come to a 9/11 memorial so she can be home with her kids on the first day of school, people immediately think she’s being disrespectful.
White privilege is being able to make fun of community organizers and the work they do--like, among other things, fight for the right of women to vote, or for civil rights, or the 8-hour workday, or an end to child labor--and people think you’re being pithy and tough, but if you merely question the experience of a small town mayor and 18-month governor with no foreign policy expertise beyond a class she took in college--you’re somehow being mean, or even sexist.
White privilege is being able to convince white women who don’t even agree with you on any substantive issue to vote for you and your running mate anyway, because all of a sudden your presence on the ticket has inspired confidence in these same white women, and made them give your party a “second look.”
White privilege is being able to fire people who didn’t support your political campaigns and not be accused of abusing your power or being a typical politician who engages in favoritism, while being black and merely knowing some folks from the old-line political machines in Chicago means you must be corrupt.
White privilege is being able to attend churches over the years whose pastors say that people who voted for John Kerry or merely criticize George W. Bush are going to hell, and that the U.S. is an explicitly Christian nation and the job of Christians is to bring Christian theological principles into government, and who bring in speakers who say the conflict in the Middle East is God’s punishment on Jews for rejecting Jesus, and everyone can still think you’re just a good church-going Christian, but if you’re black and friends with a black pastor who has noted (as have Colin Powell and the U.S. Department of Defense) that terrorist attacks are often the result of U.S. foreign policy and who talks about the history of racism and its effect on black people, you’re an extremist who probably hates America.
White privilege is not knowing what the Bush Doctrine is when asked by a reporter, and then people get angry at the reporter for asking you such a “trick question,” while being black and merely refusing to give one-word answers to the queries of Bill O’Reilly means you’re dodging the question, or trying to seem overly intellectual and nuanced.
White privilege is being able to claim your experience as a POW has anything at all to do with your fitness for president, while being black and experiencing racism is, as Sarah Palin has referred to it a “light” burden.
And finally, white privilege is the only thing that could possibly allow someone to become president when he has voted with George W. Bush 90 percent of the time, even as unemployment is skyrocketing, people are losing their homes, inflation is rising, and the U.S. is increasingly isolated from world opinion, just because white voters aren’t sure about that whole “change” thing. Ya know, it’s just too vague and ill-defined, unlike, say, four more years of the same, which is very concrete and certain.
White privilege is, in short, the problem.
Tim Wise is the author of White Like Me (Soft Skull, 2005, revised 2008), and of Speaking Treason Fluently, publishing this month, also by Soft Skull.
For review copies or interview requests, please reply to publicity@softskull.com
Read full post
Sarah Palin is a phony "tough girl"!
Dear friends,
I normally am not in agreement with what this particular columnist from the Boston Herald has to say, regarding a number of subjects. However, he makes a great point here about Sarah Palin's readiness to be the commander-in-chief. Perhaps, either one has- or both of us have- grown, during this assault on humanity by the Republican Party.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1118553 Read full post
I normally am not in agreement with what this particular columnist from the Boston Herald has to say, regarding a number of subjects. However, he makes a great point here about Sarah Palin's readiness to be the commander-in-chief. Perhaps, either one has- or both of us have- grown, during this assault on humanity by the Republican Party.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://bostonherald.com/news/opinion/columnists/view.bg?articleid=1118553 Read full post
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
US refuses Israel bomb technology?
Dear friends,
At least to me, it is quite curious that, just in the last day or so, a "former" George Bush aide has revealed that the president will not attack Iran before he leaves office...
That statement comes only a few days after the US government refused to sell certain military technology to Israel. To be sure, during South Africa's apartheid era, the US reneged on its promise to abide by UN sanctions against South Africa, by funneling technology and other assets through Israel. I now wonder: What country will be Israel's conduit for what they need from the US?
Meanwhile, Russia and Iran are developing closer ties. Talk about the economy, if you want. Wait until Mr. Obama is faced with having to defend Israel. Big problems. A new world order is apparently on its way.
Finally, the link below raises more questions than it answers.
At any rate, as the washed up whale insisted: Life's a beach, and then you die.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080911/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsisraelusweapons_080911123836
Read full post
At least to me, it is quite curious that, just in the last day or so, a "former" George Bush aide has revealed that the president will not attack Iran before he leaves office...
That statement comes only a few days after the US government refused to sell certain military technology to Israel. To be sure, during South Africa's apartheid era, the US reneged on its promise to abide by UN sanctions against South Africa, by funneling technology and other assets through Israel. I now wonder: What country will be Israel's conduit for what they need from the US?
Meanwhile, Russia and Iran are developing closer ties. Talk about the economy, if you want. Wait until Mr. Obama is faced with having to defend Israel. Big problems. A new world order is apparently on its way.
Finally, the link below raises more questions than it answers.
At any rate, as the washed up whale insisted: Life's a beach, and then you die.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080911/wl_mideast_afp/irannuclearpoliticsisraelusweapons_080911123836
Read full post
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Getting Paid to live in Alaska
Dear friends,
On Saturday the 13th, I was rappin' with my longtime mail man about the current election, and he mentioned to me that people get paid to live in Alaska. I am not one to accept people's claims so easily, so I investigated. I found him to be exactly correct...
Then I began thinking about how easy it must be to win a political office in a state where every single citizen, child or adult, gets paid to live there. Moreover, I cannot imagine that many people would even bother going to the polls to vote. Why would anyone care who was in office, as long as the money came on time each year?
At any rate, the link below says it all.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.printnpost.com/articles/1348/1/Get-Paid-to-Live-in-Alaska/Page1.html
Read full post
On Saturday the 13th, I was rappin' with my longtime mail man about the current election, and he mentioned to me that people get paid to live in Alaska. I am not one to accept people's claims so easily, so I investigated. I found him to be exactly correct...
Then I began thinking about how easy it must be to win a political office in a state where every single citizen, child or adult, gets paid to live there. Moreover, I cannot imagine that many people would even bother going to the polls to vote. Why would anyone care who was in office, as long as the money came on time each year?
At any rate, the link below says it all.
Cheers!
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.printnpost.com/articles/1348/1/Get-Paid-to-Live-in-Alaska/Page1.html
Read full post
Palin's record with Alaska's Native peoples
Dear friends,
The two pages-long piece below was forwarded to me via e-mail, a few days ago. It is well worth reading....
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************
Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native and Tribal Issues
1.Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Fishing. Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.
Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights. Once in office, Governor Palin decided to continue litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. (State ofAlaska v. Norton, 3:05-cv-0158-HRH (D. Ak).) In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens' brother-in-law's law firm (Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot).
The goal of Palin's law suit is to invalidate all the subsistence fishing regulations thefederal government has issued to date to protect Native fishing, and to force the courts instead totake over the roll of setting subsistence regulations. Palin's law suit seeks to diminish subsistence fishing rights in order to expand sport and commercial fishing. In May 2007, the federal court rejected the State's main challenge, holding that Congressin 1980 had expressly granted the U.S. Interior and Agriculture Departments the authority to regulate and protect Native and rural subsistence fishing activities in Alaska. (Decision entered May 15, 2007 - Dkt. No. 110).
Notwithstanding this ruling, Palin continues to argue in the litigation that the federal subsistence protections are too broad, and should be narrowed to exclude vast areas from subsistence fishing, in favor of sport and commercial fishing. Palin opposes subsistence protections in marine waters, on many of the lands that Natives selected under their 1971 land claims settlement with the state and federal governments, and in many of the rivers where Alaska Natives customarily fish. (Alaska Complaint at 15-18.) Palin also opposes subsistence fishing protections on Alaska Native federal allotments that were deeded to individuals purposely to foster Native subsistence activities. All these issues are now pending before the federal districtcourt.
2. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting Palin has also sought to invalidate critical determinations the Federal Subsistence Board has made regarding customary and traditional uses of game, specifically to take hunting opportunities away from Native subsistence villagers and thereby enhance sport hunting.
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Page 2
Palin's attack here on subsistence has focused on the Ahtna Indian people in Chistochina.Although the federal district court has rejected Palin's challenge, she has carried on an appealthat was argued in August 2008. (State of Alaska v. Fleagle, No. 07-35723 (9th Cir.).)In both hunting and fishing matters, Palin has continued uninterrupted the policiesinitiated by the former Governor Frank Murkowski Administration, challenging hunting andfishing protections that Native people depend upon for their subsistence way of life in order toenhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities. Palin's lawsuits are a direct attack on the coreway of life of Native Tribes in rural Alaska.
3. Palin has attacked Alaska Tribal SovereigntyGovernor Palin opposes Alaska tribal sovereignty.Given past court rulings affirming the federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Nativevillages, Palin does not technically challenge that status. But Palin argues that Alaska Tribeshave no authority to act as sovereigns, despite their recognition.So extreme is Palin on tribal sovereignty issues that she has sought to block tribes fromexercising any authority whatsoever even over the welfare of Native children, adhering to a 2004legal opinion issued by the former Murkowski Administration that no such jurisdiction exists (except when a state court transfers a matter to a tribal court).
Both the state courts and the federal courts have struck down Palin's policy of refusing torecognize the sovereign authority of Alaska Tribes to address issues involving Alaska Native children. Native Village of Tanana v. State of Alaska, 3AN-04-12194 CI (judgment entered Aug. 26, 2008) (Ak. Super. Ct.); Native Kaltag Tribal Council v. DHHS, No. 3:06-cv-00211-TMB (D. Ak.), pending on appeal No 08-35343 (9th Cir.)). Nonetheless, Palin's policy ofrefusing to recognize Alaska tribal sovereignty remains unchanged.
4. Palin has attacked Alaska Native LanguagesPalin has refused to accord proper respect to Alaska Native languages and voters byrefusing to provide language assistance to Yup'ik speaking Alaska Native voters. As a result,Palin was just ordered by a special three-judge panel of federal judges to provide various formsof voter assistance to Yup'ik voters residing in southwest Alaska. Nick v. Bethel, No. 3:07-cv-0098-TMB (D. Ak.) (Order entered July 30, 2008). Citing years of State neglect, Palin was ordered to provide trained poll workers who are bilingual in English and Yup'ik; sample ballotsin written Yup'ik; a written Yup'ik glossary of election terms; consultation with local Tribes toensure the accuracy of Yup'ik translations; a Yup'ik language coordinator; and pre-election andpost-election reports to the court to track the State's efforts.In sum, measured against some the rights that are most fundamental to Alaska Native Tribes –the subsistence way of life, tribal sovereignty and voting rights – Palin's record is a failure.
Read full post
The two pages-long piece below was forwarded to me via e-mail, a few days ago. It is well worth reading....
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
*****************************************
Sarah Palin's Record on Alaska Native and Tribal Issues
1.Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Fishing. Perhaps no issue is of greater importance to Alaska Native peoples as the right to hunt and fish according to ancient customary and traditional practices, and to carry on the subsistence way of life for future generations.
Governor Sarah Palin has consistently opposed those rights. Once in office, Governor Palin decided to continue litigation that seeks to overturn every subsistence fishing determination the federal government has ever made in Alaska. (State ofAlaska v. Norton, 3:05-cv-0158-HRH (D. Ak).) In pressing this case, Palin decided against using the Attorney General (which usually handles State litigation) and instead continued contracting with Senator Ted Stevens' brother-in-law's law firm (Birch, Horton, Bittner & Cherot).
The goal of Palin's law suit is to invalidate all the subsistence fishing regulations thefederal government has issued to date to protect Native fishing, and to force the courts instead totake over the roll of setting subsistence regulations. Palin's law suit seeks to diminish subsistence fishing rights in order to expand sport and commercial fishing. In May 2007, the federal court rejected the State's main challenge, holding that Congressin 1980 had expressly granted the U.S. Interior and Agriculture Departments the authority to regulate and protect Native and rural subsistence fishing activities in Alaska. (Decision entered May 15, 2007 - Dkt. No. 110).
Notwithstanding this ruling, Palin continues to argue in the litigation that the federal subsistence protections are too broad, and should be narrowed to exclude vast areas from subsistence fishing, in favor of sport and commercial fishing. Palin opposes subsistence protections in marine waters, on many of the lands that Natives selected under their 1971 land claims settlement with the state and federal governments, and in many of the rivers where Alaska Natives customarily fish. (Alaska Complaint at 15-18.) Palin also opposes subsistence fishing protections on Alaska Native federal allotments that were deeded to individuals purposely to foster Native subsistence activities. All these issues are now pending before the federal districtcourt.
2. Palin has attacked Alaska Native Subsistence Hunting Palin has also sought to invalidate critical determinations the Federal Subsistence Board has made regarding customary and traditional uses of game, specifically to take hunting opportunities away from Native subsistence villagers and thereby enhance sport hunting.
------------------------------------------
Page 2
Palin's attack here on subsistence has focused on the Ahtna Indian people in Chistochina.Although the federal district court has rejected Palin's challenge, she has carried on an appealthat was argued in August 2008. (State of Alaska v. Fleagle, No. 07-35723 (9th Cir.).)In both hunting and fishing matters, Palin has continued uninterrupted the policiesinitiated by the former Governor Frank Murkowski Administration, challenging hunting andfishing protections that Native people depend upon for their subsistence way of life in order toenhance sport fishing and hunting opportunities. Palin's lawsuits are a direct attack on the coreway of life of Native Tribes in rural Alaska.
3. Palin has attacked Alaska Tribal SovereigntyGovernor Palin opposes Alaska tribal sovereignty.Given past court rulings affirming the federally recognized tribal status of Alaska Nativevillages, Palin does not technically challenge that status. But Palin argues that Alaska Tribeshave no authority to act as sovereigns, despite their recognition.So extreme is Palin on tribal sovereignty issues that she has sought to block tribes fromexercising any authority whatsoever even over the welfare of Native children, adhering to a 2004legal opinion issued by the former Murkowski Administration that no such jurisdiction exists (except when a state court transfers a matter to a tribal court).
Both the state courts and the federal courts have struck down Palin's policy of refusing torecognize the sovereign authority of Alaska Tribes to address issues involving Alaska Native children. Native Village of Tanana v. State of Alaska, 3AN-04-12194 CI (judgment entered Aug. 26, 2008) (Ak. Super. Ct.); Native Kaltag Tribal Council v. DHHS, No. 3:06-cv-00211-TMB (D. Ak.), pending on appeal No 08-35343 (9th Cir.)). Nonetheless, Palin's policy ofrefusing to recognize Alaska tribal sovereignty remains unchanged.
4. Palin has attacked Alaska Native LanguagesPalin has refused to accord proper respect to Alaska Native languages and voters byrefusing to provide language assistance to Yup'ik speaking Alaska Native voters. As a result,Palin was just ordered by a special three-judge panel of federal judges to provide various formsof voter assistance to Yup'ik voters residing in southwest Alaska. Nick v. Bethel, No. 3:07-cv-0098-TMB (D. Ak.) (Order entered July 30, 2008). Citing years of State neglect, Palin was ordered to provide trained poll workers who are bilingual in English and Yup'ik; sample ballotsin written Yup'ik; a written Yup'ik glossary of election terms; consultation with local Tribes toensure the accuracy of Yup'ik translations; a Yup'ik language coordinator; and pre-election andpost-election reports to the court to track the State's efforts.In sum, measured against some the rights that are most fundamental to Alaska Native Tribes –the subsistence way of life, tribal sovereignty and voting rights – Palin's record is a failure.
Read full post
Open Letter to Barack Obama from Leonard Peltier
Dear friends,
Some of you are already familiar with the longtime prosecution of Leonard Peltier. He is the US version of Nelson Mandela, if there ever was such a person. Only his connection to all of us who embrace human freedom keeps him sane; I am sure...
At any rate, below is a letter that he has written to our dear brother, presidential candidate Barack Obama. Following the letter, there is some information from some of his closest supporters about how to help Brother Peltier.
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
******************************************
August 28, 2008
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
Symbolism Alone Will Not Bring Change
By LEONARD PELTIER
I have watched with keen interest and renewed hope as your campaign has mobilized millions of Americans behind your message of changing a political system that serves a small economic elite at the expense of the peoples of the United States and the world. Your election as president of the United States, where slaves and Indians were long considered less than human under the law, will undoubtedly constitute a historic moment in race relations in the United States.
Yet symbolism alone will not bring about change. Our young people, black and Native alike, suffer from police brutality and racial profiling, underfunded schools, and discrimination in employment and housing. I sincerely hope your campaign will inspire some hope among our youth to struggle for a better future. I am, however, concerned that your recent statement on the Sean Bell verdict, in which the New York police officers who fired 50 shots at a young man on the eve of his wedding were acquitted of criminal charges, displays a rather myopic view of the law. Until the law is harnessed to protect the victims of state violence and racism, it will serve as an instrument of repression, just as the slave codes functioned to sustain and legitimize an inhuman institution.
As I can testify from experience, the legal institutions of this nation are far from racial and political neutrality. When judges align with the repressive actions and policies of the executive branch, injustice is rationalized and cloaked in judicial platitudes. As you may know, I have now served more than three decades of my life as a political prisoner of the federal government for a crime I did not commit. I have served more time than the maximum sentence under the guidelines under which I was sentenced, yet my parole is continually denied (on the rare occasions when I am afforded a hearing) because I refuse to falsely confess.
Amnesty International, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, my Guatemalan sister Rigoberta Menchu, and many of your friends and supporters have recognized me as a political prisoner and called for my immediate release. Millions of people around the world view me as a symbol of injustice against the indigenous peoples of this land, and I have no doubt that I will go down in history as one of a long line of victims of U.S. government repression, along with Sacco and Vanzetti, the Haymarket Square martyrs, Eugene Debs, Bill Haywood, and others targeted by for their political beliefs. But neither I nor my people can afford to wait for history to rectify the crimes of the past.
As a member of the American Indian Movement, I came to the Pine Ridge Oglala reservation to defend the traditional people there from human rights violations carried out by tribal police and goon squads backed by the FBI and the highest offices of the federal government. Our symbolic occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 inspired Indians across the Americas to struggle for their freedom and treaty rights, but it was also met by a fierce federal siege and a wave of violent repression on Pine Ridge. In 1974, AIM leader Russell Means campaigned for tribal chairman while being tried by the federal government for his role at Wounded Knee. Although Means was barred from the reservation by decree of the U.S.-client regime of Richard Wilson, he won the popular vote, only to be denied office by extensive vote fraud and control of the electoral mechanisms. Wilson's goons proceeded to shoot up pro-Means villages such as Wanblee and terrorize traditional supporters throughout the reservation, killing at least 60 people between 1973 and 1975.
It is long past time for a congressional investigation to examine the degree of federal complicity in the violent counterinsurgency that followed the occupation of Wounded Knee. The tragic shootout that led to the deaths of two FBI agents and one Native man also led not only to my false conviction, but also the termination of the Church Committee, which was investigating abuses by federal intelligence and law enforcement agents, before it could hold hearings on FBI infiltration of AIM. Despite decades of attempts by my attorneys to obtain government documents related to my case, the FBI continues to withhold thousands of documents that might tend to exonerate me or reveal compromising evidence of judicial collusion with the prosecution.
I truly believe the truth will set me free, but it will also signify a symbolic break from America's undeclared war on indigenous peoples. I hope and pray that you possess the courage and integrity to seek out the truth and the wisdom to recognize the inherent right of all peoples to self-determination, as acknowledged by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. While your statements on federal Indian policy sound promising, your vision of "one America" has an ominous ring for Native peoples struggling to define their own national visions. If freed from colonial constraints and external intervention, indigenous nations might well serve as functioning models of the freedom and democracy to which the United States aspires.
Yours in the struggle.
Until freedom is won,
Leonard Peltier
# 89637-132
U.S.P. Lewisburg,
P.O. Box 1000,
Lewisburg, PA USA 17837
*********************************************
Special Note:
Please Help Support the LPDOC for Leonard's Freedom
As Leonard Peltier marks his 64th birthday on Sept. 12, the LPDOC is redoubling its efforts to win his freedom. We are planning an ambitious organizing drive in our new Fargo office to persuade North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, to investigate the federal government's role in the violent counterinsurgency on the Pine Ridge Reservation from 1973-1976, the FBI's withholding of thousands of pages of documents related to the AIM activist, and the unfair federal trial in Fargo which led to Leonard's conviction in 1977.
Leonard is suffering from partial blindness, diabetes, a heart condition, high blood pressure, and prostate problems. He needs your help.
We need your help too, if we are to do the work that needs to be done to obtain justice for one of the longest-serving political prisoners in the world. At the moment, we are barely keeping up with our rent and phone bills, our two full-time staff members are working without pay, and we badly need a new photocopier. Due to the damaging actions of a former LPDC employee, who removed valuable office equipment and contributor records, we are rebuilding our committee virtually from scratch. We have found an experienced volunteer editor for our Spirit of Crazy Horse newspaper, but in order to resume publication, we will need your support.
If you are able to contribute $20 or more for this campaign, you will receive a free subscription to the newsletter to keep abreast on developments in Peltier's campaign and in Indian Country generally. Please contribute as generously as you are able, and also take the time to write and/or call Sen. Dorgan With your help, we can win Leonard's freedom from the same city in which it was taken away. Even if you are unable to contribute at this time, please send us your name and address to help us rebuild our list of supporters at the state and national level.
Please send your donation to:
LPDOC
PO Box 7488
Fargo, ND 58106
701-235-2206
Thank You,
Betty Ann Peltier-Solano,
Executive Director
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
Kari Ann
Co-Coordinator
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
Read full post
Some of you are already familiar with the longtime prosecution of Leonard Peltier. He is the US version of Nelson Mandela, if there ever was such a person. Only his connection to all of us who embrace human freedom keeps him sane; I am sure...
At any rate, below is a letter that he has written to our dear brother, presidential candidate Barack Obama. Following the letter, there is some information from some of his closest supporters about how to help Brother Peltier.
One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
******************************************
August 28, 2008
An Open Letter to Barack Obama
Symbolism Alone Will Not Bring Change
By LEONARD PELTIER
I have watched with keen interest and renewed hope as your campaign has mobilized millions of Americans behind your message of changing a political system that serves a small economic elite at the expense of the peoples of the United States and the world. Your election as president of the United States, where slaves and Indians were long considered less than human under the law, will undoubtedly constitute a historic moment in race relations in the United States.
Yet symbolism alone will not bring about change. Our young people, black and Native alike, suffer from police brutality and racial profiling, underfunded schools, and discrimination in employment and housing. I sincerely hope your campaign will inspire some hope among our youth to struggle for a better future. I am, however, concerned that your recent statement on the Sean Bell verdict, in which the New York police officers who fired 50 shots at a young man on the eve of his wedding were acquitted of criminal charges, displays a rather myopic view of the law. Until the law is harnessed to protect the victims of state violence and racism, it will serve as an instrument of repression, just as the slave codes functioned to sustain and legitimize an inhuman institution.
As I can testify from experience, the legal institutions of this nation are far from racial and political neutrality. When judges align with the repressive actions and policies of the executive branch, injustice is rationalized and cloaked in judicial platitudes. As you may know, I have now served more than three decades of my life as a political prisoner of the federal government for a crime I did not commit. I have served more time than the maximum sentence under the guidelines under which I was sentenced, yet my parole is continually denied (on the rare occasions when I am afforded a hearing) because I refuse to falsely confess.
Amnesty International, South African Bishop Desmond Tutu, the Dalai Lama of Tibet, my Guatemalan sister Rigoberta Menchu, and many of your friends and supporters have recognized me as a political prisoner and called for my immediate release. Millions of people around the world view me as a symbol of injustice against the indigenous peoples of this land, and I have no doubt that I will go down in history as one of a long line of victims of U.S. government repression, along with Sacco and Vanzetti, the Haymarket Square martyrs, Eugene Debs, Bill Haywood, and others targeted by for their political beliefs. But neither I nor my people can afford to wait for history to rectify the crimes of the past.
As a member of the American Indian Movement, I came to the Pine Ridge Oglala reservation to defend the traditional people there from human rights violations carried out by tribal police and goon squads backed by the FBI and the highest offices of the federal government. Our symbolic occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973 inspired Indians across the Americas to struggle for their freedom and treaty rights, but it was also met by a fierce federal siege and a wave of violent repression on Pine Ridge. In 1974, AIM leader Russell Means campaigned for tribal chairman while being tried by the federal government for his role at Wounded Knee. Although Means was barred from the reservation by decree of the U.S.-client regime of Richard Wilson, he won the popular vote, only to be denied office by extensive vote fraud and control of the electoral mechanisms. Wilson's goons proceeded to shoot up pro-Means villages such as Wanblee and terrorize traditional supporters throughout the reservation, killing at least 60 people between 1973 and 1975.
It is long past time for a congressional investigation to examine the degree of federal complicity in the violent counterinsurgency that followed the occupation of Wounded Knee. The tragic shootout that led to the deaths of two FBI agents and one Native man also led not only to my false conviction, but also the termination of the Church Committee, which was investigating abuses by federal intelligence and law enforcement agents, before it could hold hearings on FBI infiltration of AIM. Despite decades of attempts by my attorneys to obtain government documents related to my case, the FBI continues to withhold thousands of documents that might tend to exonerate me or reveal compromising evidence of judicial collusion with the prosecution.
I truly believe the truth will set me free, but it will also signify a symbolic break from America's undeclared war on indigenous peoples. I hope and pray that you possess the courage and integrity to seek out the truth and the wisdom to recognize the inherent right of all peoples to self-determination, as acknowledged by the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. While your statements on federal Indian policy sound promising, your vision of "one America" has an ominous ring for Native peoples struggling to define their own national visions. If freed from colonial constraints and external intervention, indigenous nations might well serve as functioning models of the freedom and democracy to which the United States aspires.
Yours in the struggle.
Until freedom is won,
Leonard Peltier
# 89637-132
U.S.P. Lewisburg,
P.O. Box 1000,
Lewisburg, PA USA 17837
*********************************************
Special Note:
Please Help Support the LPDOC for Leonard's Freedom
As Leonard Peltier marks his 64th birthday on Sept. 12, the LPDOC is redoubling its efforts to win his freedom. We are planning an ambitious organizing drive in our new Fargo office to persuade North Dakota Senator Byron Dorgan, chair of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, to investigate the federal government's role in the violent counterinsurgency on the Pine Ridge Reservation from 1973-1976, the FBI's withholding of thousands of pages of documents related to the AIM activist, and the unfair federal trial in Fargo which led to Leonard's conviction in 1977.
Leonard is suffering from partial blindness, diabetes, a heart condition, high blood pressure, and prostate problems. He needs your help.
We need your help too, if we are to do the work that needs to be done to obtain justice for one of the longest-serving political prisoners in the world. At the moment, we are barely keeping up with our rent and phone bills, our two full-time staff members are working without pay, and we badly need a new photocopier. Due to the damaging actions of a former LPDC employee, who removed valuable office equipment and contributor records, we are rebuilding our committee virtually from scratch. We have found an experienced volunteer editor for our Spirit of Crazy Horse newspaper, but in order to resume publication, we will need your support.
If you are able to contribute $20 or more for this campaign, you will receive a free subscription to the newsletter to keep abreast on developments in Peltier's campaign and in Indian Country generally. Please contribute as generously as you are able, and also take the time to write and/or call Sen. Dorgan With your help, we can win Leonard's freedom from the same city in which it was taken away. Even if you are unable to contribute at this time, please send us your name and address to help us rebuild our list of supporters at the state and national level.
Please send your donation to:
LPDOC
PO Box 7488
Fargo, ND 58106
701-235-2206
Thank You,
Betty Ann Peltier-Solano,
Executive Director
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
Kari Ann
Co-Coordinator
Leonard Peltier Defense Offense Committee
www.whoisleonardpeltier.info
Read full post
Black business "Chamber of commerce" goes to Alaska
Dear friends,
In the recent past on this blog, we have taken a look at the African American population in Alaska, as well as one of that state's Black elected officials. Below, is a link to a story about African American businessmen from outside of Alaska who are seeking to do business there. What do they want? As well, does it have to do anything with that which will benefit African Americans generally?
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/native_corporations/story/420060.html Read full post
In the recent past on this blog, we have taken a look at the African American population in Alaska, as well as one of that state's Black elected officials. Below, is a link to a story about African American businessmen from outside of Alaska who are seeking to do business there. What do they want? As well, does it have to do anything with that which will benefit African Americans generally?
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.adn.com/money/industries/native_corporations/story/420060.html Read full post
A helping hand
Dear friends,
The link below is a wondeful piece, regarding human powers like discipline, focus, endurance, and love. It was written by an absolutely wonderful person and outstanding Philadelphia journalist, Jill Porter. Her work has appeared on this blog before. Please enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/20080910_Jill_Porter__A_helping_hand__a_life_reclaimed_a_way_to_say_thanks.html?viewAll=y Read full post
The link below is a wondeful piece, regarding human powers like discipline, focus, endurance, and love. It was written by an absolutely wonderful person and outstanding Philadelphia journalist, Jill Porter. Her work has appeared on this blog before. Please enjoy.
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/columnists/20080910_Jill_Porter__A_helping_hand__a_life_reclaimed_a_way_to_say_thanks.html?viewAll=y Read full post
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