Weinergate?...What's Next?

"The great Wilheim Reich insisted, 'The pleasure of living and the pleasure of the orgasm are identical. Extreme orgasm anxiety forms the basis of the general fear of life.'"

Dear friends,

The great Wilheim Reich insisted, "The pleasure of living and the pleasure of the orgasm are identical. Extreme orgasm anxiety forms the basis of the general fear of life." In a culture where people are starving from a lack of positive emotional energy from their very relatives, much less the rest of society, is it possible that the voyeuristic tales from the mainstream media are borderline pornographic, with no other substance?

Even worse, American sexuality is very confusing. There is now, in fact, a whole group of people who estrange themselves from the rest of society - and humanity - by defining themselves by something as precarious, if not frivolous, as the human sexual appetite. Should these folks instead join their fellows in overcoming the alienation from which all of us suffer as humans in the modern world? Moreover, regarding Anthony Weiner and his playmates, why is there any surprise that the useless government- and corporate-controlled mainstream media has made this exaggerated tale of visual, literary, and audio masturbation a news item?

Additionally, in a society that, through racist arrogance, compares the centuries-old struggle of African Americans to people who deny the precariousness of the human sexual appetite, as mentioned above, and declare an "identity", as it were, that is based upon unsubstantiated claims about with whom they are having sex, what meaningful way to look at life should we expect from our youth?

It seems, at least to me, that people in this society are so used to conforming, that is, not "making waves", as well as having a "go along to get along" attitude/mentality, that they've never really taken any chances that require them to confront their inadequacies and insecurities. For that reason, something as inconsequential as someone else's activities involving consensual sex seems exciting. How sad.

I say this, because for all of the plans that are announced for the future, regarding both "economic development" and "education reform", we never see programs that are specifically designed for young people, much less the actual involvement of the aforesaid young people, that will include them in the process of building for our nation's future. Is their future going to be one of sorting through what should be the destiny of people who either tattle-tale or are "squealed on" about their sexual lives, or will it have more to do with solving the problems of our nation - and world?

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
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Analyzing Islam, since 9/11 - and before (originally posted 8/30/08)

The article on the link below was written only a couple of weeks after 9/11.

Dear friends,

The article on the link below was written only a couple of weeks after 9/11. Yet, considering this historical moment in recent world history, with the possible election of a man of African descent as the chief figurehead for our nation, we may consider asking ourselves: These days, how much do we as citizens actually contribute to supporting the ideal of objective analysis, much less the more lofty ones of freedom, justice, and equality?

At any rate, the author, Edward Said, has since passed. However, he was a great scholar, educator, ad statesman - in his own right, who I have been both reading and appreciating for almost thirty years. His vocabulary can be quite academic; however, he makes his points.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.thenation.com/article/clash-ignorance
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A Short Neurological Test

This was passed on to me in an email...It's fun!

A Short Neurological Test

1- Find the C below.. Please do not use any cursor help.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOCOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

2- If you already found the C, now find the 6 below.

99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
69999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999
99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999

Now find the N below. It's a little more difficult.

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

This is NOT a joke. If you were able to pass these 3 tests, you can cancel your annual visit to your neurologist. Your brain is great and you're far from having a close relationship with Alzheimer's.

Congratulations!
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Re-visiting Harry Reid's Remark about the "Negro dialect" (originally posted 1/13/10)

"Think about it. Have you ever listened to an ordinary European American person do a voice impression of an African American? No matter what the voice of the latter actually sounds like, the European American just mentioned ALWAYS imitates the 'Southern twang'."


Dear friends,

Imagine. This whole media frenzy is all about Harry Reid using the term “Negro dialect”. What is the Negro dialect? For example, the so-called Southern dialect or twang, as it were, is simply the evolution of the vocal expression of West African captives as they tried to communicate with Europeans. (see Melville Herskovits’ New World Negro)

Think about it. Have you ever listened to an ordinary European American person do a voice impression of an African American? No matter what the voice of the latter actually sounds like, the European American just mentioned ALWAYS imitates the “Southern twang”.

Therefore, considering the above, many European Americans, especially Southerners, speak the “Negro dialect” - each moment of their lives.

So why all of the ruckus over a typical, stupid, inept Washington pol’s faux pas? Does the issue of “race” still fire people up - especially those who embrace the moniker “white”? In fact, who are “white” people? After all, not only people of European descent, but many Asians as well as many Latinos call themselves “white” too. Why is that? What does being “white” do for a person?

Well, by calling yourself “white”, you become part of an artificial “majority” group that mean-spiritedly pits itself against a body of then smaller groups who are labeled “minorities”. Moreover. the artificial group mentioned above automatically inherits privilege over the so-called “minority” groups.

But what if the “whites” started calling themselves Irish American, or Polish American, or Italian American instead? Except for the Irish Americans who, by the way, have only been considered “whites” for a few generations, Polish Americans and Italian Americans each, by themselves, would become a “minority”, at least compared to the African American population. Consequently, they would lose privilege. That also means that calling one’s self “white” is in and of itself discriminatory, because it deprives African Americans the same privileges, particularly, equally so in many areas of our lives. If that is not true, then why do people who call themselves “white” feel that they are being disempowered if they stop identifying themselves that way?

Considering all of this here-to-mentioned, it’s fairly easy to understand why the great Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. insisted: Discrimination is a hell-hound that gnaws at Negroes in every waking moment of their lives to remind them that the lie of their inferiority is accepted as truth in the society dominating them.

Have you seen a McDonald’s commercial lately?

G. Djata Bumpus
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Military pay already cut in half - some Memorial Day

Dear friends,

While Michelle Obama and Biden's wife do commercials about supporting the troops and travel the country with that same message, their husbands and Congress have already cut military pay in half.

That means that Navy Seals 6 went on a murder mission for reduced compensation. They may have been paid more doing what FBI agents did in the Sixties, working for the Mob. Meanwhile, the troops in both Afghanitan and Iraq, as well as the other two million people in our armer services, are operating on less than a check-to-check basis.

On the link below, is a brief YouTube post that is sad.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dy1PbDcAa-Q&NR=1
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My recent Letter to the Philadelphia Daily News about the "Black" vote

http://m.philly.com/phillycom/db_41064/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=Wy7LgUAF&detailindex=2&pn=4&ps=3
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A Holiday kickoff - Chaka Khan - "I Feel for You"

Please click on the link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81QDKnV36TE
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Gil Scott Heron dies at 62

http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2011/05/27/136731274/gil-scott-heron-poet-and-musician-has-died

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Happy Birthday Greg Wright!!!!

"Sometimes the problem is not with the name, but with the use of mascots and symbols that are stereotypical or downright inaccurate."

"What's in a name - Dignity or Disrespect?"
(originally posted 1/13/10)

by Greg Wright

The Redskins just finished another losing season and owner Dan Snyder has fired Coach Jim Zorn, his sixth coach since buying the team a decade ago.

But fans are skeptical things will get better -- the one-time Super Bowl contending Redskins haven't made it to the playoffs since 2006. In fact, there has been a running joke here in Washington that the Redskins are cursed and their luck will not change until they ditch their name, which has long been considered offensive by Native Americans and other Americans.

It is unlikely this will happen soon. The U.S. Supreme Court in November refused to hear a case brought by a group of Native Americans seeking to ban the name. The highest court in the land said Americans Indians waited too long to challenge the Redskins trademark, forfeiting a right to sue.

It would be nice if Snyder changed the name and not because he thinks the move will bring his bumbling team a winning record. He should do it because it is the right thing to do. How would Snyder, who is Jewish, feel if there was a team called the "Jersey Jewboys" or "Houston Hymies"?
He would be just as offended as Native Americans.

For more than a decade local towns and teams have been changing American Indian team names from derogatory terms such as "squaw" and "redskins" to those that honor Native Americans or different names altogether. This has mostly been done on the.high school and college level --professional sports have largely resisted the trend.

Sometimes the problem is not with the name, but with the use of mascots and symbols that are stereotypical or downright inaccurate. For instance, some Seminole Indians have called the use of live actors to portray the Florida State University mascot Chief Osceola a "minstrel show." These live mascots can also do performances that are cartoonish and dishonor or belittle Native American traditions.

Snyder doesn't even have to leave Washington to get inspiration to change the name. The late Abe Pollin, owner of the Washington, D.C. Bullets, changed the team's to the Wizards in 1995 because he was long concerned about the violence associated with the name.

That shows true class.

The move might also be profitable for Snyder. Think of all the merchandise he could sell with a new team name? And some older Redskins merchandise would become instantly collectible and more valuable.

But for now Redskins management has fought the name change in court. And, ironically, in 1933, the Boston Braves, the football team that eventually moved to Washington, D.C., changed its name to the Boston Redskins to honor coach William "Lon Star" Dietz, who was a Native American.

Funny how time changes what is considered offensive and what is considered correct. Just a few decades ago white performers were still performing in blackface until the Civil Rights Movement largely killed such practices. Why can't we give our Native American brothers and sisters the respect they deserve?
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Israel's blockade of Gaza is cracking

what you'll never hear from a North American journalist - i.e., the truth about the situation in the Middle East, especially Palestine..

Dear friends,

The inhuman atrocities created against millions of human beings for no other cause than power and greed are about to take a different course, in spite of the miscreant US Congress and others. On the link below, is a powerful and scholarly piece, written by a noted female Palestinian activist, that tells us what you'll never hear from a North American journalist - i.e., the truth about the situation in the Middle East, especially Palestine..

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2011/05/201159153020317825.html
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Newspaper article confirms bin Laden kidney issues

"The head of the Dubai hospital's urology department, Terry Callaway, reportedly refused to answer questions about bin Laden's alleged stay."

Dear friends,

On the link below (you may have to copy and paste it to your browser), in an article from the Washington Times, posted on October 31, 2001, there is talk of bin Laden being treated in an American hospital in Dubai for kidney problems. How did he survive for 10 more years without being detected? There are too many unanswered questions, and American journalists, apparently scared for their jobs, refuse to acknowledge all of the holes in the story that has been being passed around for the last two days. Moreover, when will the American public stop being as cowardly and stupid as American journalists and "pundits" are?

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.prisonplanet.com/bin_laden_treated_us_hospital.html
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Is Osama bin Laden even alive? (originally posted on 1/15/10)

"Yet, keeping bin Laden's name alive would serve both Al Quaeda and the US government..."

Dear friends,

After George Bush and his Republican cohorts looted the coffers of our country for eight years, under the ridiculous notion that they were fighting a "war on terror", the question should come to mind, "Is Osama bin Laden even alive?". Who’s got proof?

I mean, ever since a rather young Nigerian national named Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab set himself on fire inside of an airplane that was set to land in Detroit, suddenly, bin Laden's name has appeared again. We've not heard much about him for ages. Now, Saddam Hussein had far more resources at his disposal than bin Laden could ever imagine. Hussein, in fact, had an army, an intelligence agency, foreign collaborators, you name it. He didn't last a month before being found hiding in a hole in the groubd. So, why has no one caught bin Laden yet?

Moreover, can you catch a dead man? Years ago, he was shown walking around with portable dialysis machine. Folks don't live very long on those kind of contraptions, particularly traveling through mountains and deserts. At least, I wouldn't think so. Yet, keeping bin Laden's name alive would serve both Al Quaeda and the US government. After all, the former would still be able to recruit, since they can brag that the US government is a paper tiger - not even being able to catch a terminally ill man in the desert. Meanwhile, Us corporations like Halliburton, General Dynamics, and their ilk can keep bilking us out of our dollars and support. It's a neat trick. Eh? Think about it. And please remember the old African proverb that goesL Before the fool has learned the game, the players have dispersed.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
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National Black Theatre in Harlem - NYC presents...

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Kobe Bryant's mumblings bring protest - a double standard?

“The recent frenzy caused by the pitiful, opinion-making, US government- and corporate-controlled mainstream media, when an African American celebrity called a referee out of his name…”

Dear friends,

The recent frenzy caused by the pitiful, opinion-making, US government- and corporate-controlled mainstream media, when an African American celebrity called a referee out of his name, as said media try to compete with the far more informative worldwide Internet, to me, is actually another case of the unclothed emperor attempting to cover himself up.

Bryant’s mumblings were offensive to a certain body of citizens. The powers-that-be of the NBA fined the young man $100.000. For all of the recording cowards like Chris Rock and African American hip-hoppers who are allowed by record companies to glamorize the use of the word “nigger”, I wonder what would have happened to him, if Kobe Bryant had called the ref a “cracker”? Did someone say “double standard”?

Nevertheless, while a proposition cannot possibly be proof of itself, this is the basis upon which many, if not most, of those who identify themselves as “gay” operate. “I’m just gay; that’s all to it.”, they say. Moreover, theirs is a bogus claim that they make about having such a staunch “sexual identity” as it relates to something as precarious, if not frivolous, as the human sexual appetite. And it is better study for a psychologist than sociologist.

Let’s face it. As the great Freud insisted, and I agree with him, our “identity” is an “emotional tie”. That first identity, of course, develops with our original nurse (mother). Additionally, this “identity”, as it were, is obviously an acknowledgement of one’s humanity. So, at least to me, the real question about “homosexuality” and “identity” then becomes: At what point does a person both alienate and disconnect himself or herself from the rest of humanity, by demanding to be recognized as gay?

To be sure, the “market” is responsible for this turn of events. You see, capitalism has been so attractive, because it is the only political economy, or process of social reproduction, that has afforded total political freedom to its participants, as workers. That means that a person can "flip a bird" at the boss, and walk away, being "free" to find another opportunity for employment. This was certainly not the case in either slave or feudalistic societies. So-called socialist (actually state capitalist) countries do not allow that kind of freedom either, since almost everyone works for the State and must work where he or she is assigned, more or less.

In any case, the downside of the total political freedom of capitalism is: The "market” controls all economic and, therefore, social relationships, based upon the notion of "supply and demand", whether for the human commodity - labor, or non-human ones (commodities). Most importantly, the chief rewards that motivate people to thrive in the market are power and sexual greed.

Unfortunately, since, the end of World War 1 or so, the "market" has taken control of what we see as culture, with possession as the strongest desire. As a result, the definition of culture, which historically, has referred to all of the actions by a specific population group, has become anything that the market determines it to be. Consequently, the notion of a “gay" culture (weddings, nightclubs, exclusive recreational venues, magazines and newspapers and ads sold by them, books and book stores, fashions, gay this-gay that, and so forth), is, totally, a market construct.

Invading other countries (military/industrial complex) and locking up citizens and immigrants (prison/industrial complex) is not enough. The market is greedy! Greed, to be sure, is always short-sighted, from the cheating spouse to BP’s oil spill in the Gulf or the Exxon/Mobil oil spill on the Niger Delta of West Africa.

Moreover, culture has no meaning once taken out of the context of a reproductive process. A people who cannot reproduce themselves as a people will cease to exist as a people and become part of something else. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself. For example, the culture that held Africans in slavery, in this society, could no longer reproduce itself in that form and had to change, because of the well-deserved hostility and resistance it engendered.

Still, African American people have an actual cultural and historical experience. As well, the claim to being African American has both historical and social criteria that make a person an African American. So-called "gay" people do not enjoy such an identity. Therefore, perhaps, it may be instructive for someone to come up with criteria that define just what makes a person "gay". Besides, considering what has just been said, is there any reason why one should wonder that it is extremely inconsiderate and insulting to many African Americans when so-called “gays” compare their plight to ours?

Worse yet, it should be no surprise that one of the real dilemmas of a society that is socially-stratified such as ours, lies in the fact that a person can be a member of an oppressor group and an oppressed group, at the same time. This was adequately proven, with the Clarence Thomas - Anita Hill debacle. Except for African American women, but not limited to them, particularly women who call themselves "white", are oppressed as women, but, also, serve as oppressors, as part of the artificial "majority" group that calls itself "white". Therefore, for example, the attempt by these same women to form an artificial "minority" group, by calling themselves "lesbians", is disingenuous, at best.

After all, one need only recall 1974 and the desegregation of Boston Public Schools, as we watched our televisions, in both horror and anger, at scores of "white" women, daily, uninterrupted, as police stood watching, throwing rocks and other objects at buses carrying the brand new incoming African American children who were being transported to, especially, South Boston neighborhood schools. Additionally, from working in and living around Northampton, Massachusetts, a so-called lesbian stronghold, my own personal experience is that both the venomous vibes and actions of lesbian racists permeate the atmosphere here so thickly that one can cut said air with a knife.

Finally, in a healthy and sane society, people will not alienate themselves from the rest of us by calling themselves “gay”. (After all, imagine the mental health trauma that must be experienced, if one is incapable of making love with someone of the opposite sex.) Instead, folks will think of their communities first and help us all - and everything around us - proliferate with love and prosperity. As a result, males and females alike will engage themselves in nature’s symmetry of heterosexual bonding, as birds and bees do.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
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President Obama's birth records are finally made public

“the Boston Herald, a major newspaper, has just released the actual proof…”

Dear friends,

With super-racist clowns like Donald Trump still insisting that President Obama was not born in this country, the Boston Herald, a major newspaper, has just released the actual proof on the link below (if clicking on it doesn't work, you may have to copy and paste it to your browser).

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.bostonherald.com/news/us_politics/view/20110423some_obama_birth_records_made_public_for_years/srvc=home&position=0
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Faeebook plagiarist demeans Social Networking in post about "God"

"…it’s unfair to claim a special status as a 'believer', while excluding those who have a different interpretation of existence as 'non-believers'."

Dear friends,

Today, April Fool’s Day 2011, mind you, I saw a post about “God” by a Facebook friend. When I started reading it I thought to myself, “ Man, I really like what this guy is saying”. After the second sentence, I thought, “Damn, this sounds like me.”. After the third sentence, I looked down, narcissistically, in order to see my name as the author, since, occasionally, my aforementioned Facebook friend "shares" my posts with his "friends". I became incensed! Someone named Julian Kyle had plagiarized me and taken credit for my work.

Now, occasionally, I keep records of my Facebook responses in a Word folder. When I checked, sure enough, the text appears below:

God is a creation of the human mind, as people try to understand our existence…the idea of one “God”, of course, began under Akhenaton 2 of ancient Egypt…the term is supposed to relate to that which is the ultimate good or that which is perfect…Yet, the claim of a “jealous God” is a contradiction in terms, since jealousy is hardly a sign of perfection…Nevertheless, the fact so many think that both the thoughts or actions of people and even disaster, for example, are so easily explained by attributing whatever happens as “God’s will” is silly and childish…Moreover, the total lack of proof of God’s existence outside of the human imagination begs for the question: How can a proposition be proof of itself?

In addition to that Facebook post, in another Word file, while looking for the former one, I found this one below. It goes right with the one above:

…it’s unfair to claim a special status as a “believer”, while excluding those who have a different interpretation of existence as “non-believers”. That mean-spirited type of exclusion just mentioned is the basis of human intolerance. Ya dig? Moreover, religious intolerance has caused more killing and suffering over the millennia than any other philosophy or world outlook. Additionally, if you believe in a world-ruling personality called “God”, then you are talking about a finite entity, because you’ve appointed a name to that “being”.

In other words, we look at everything geometrically; that is, we recognize each phenomenon or thing by form, shape, and substance, in order to distinguish one thing from another – whether we’re talking about physically or intellectually. Therefore, an infinite, omnipresent, omnipotent phenomenon could not have a name! Dig? At best, we would address that Supreme Being as “that which is nameless.” However, saying a couple of extra syllables is too difficult for fast-paced Americans of any skin color.

While it is difficult for most people to think that deeply, just imagine that in the beginning there was nothing. Yet, nothing IS something. Isn't it? Hence, the origin of all existence. Let's face it. How many people can visualize much past three generations? It's mostly about reconstruction and inference, when looking back at what has already occured. Besides, even watching a video recording doesn't tell you the feelings or intentions of those involved. Feel me?

Finally, what we really need to consider is: imitating the life of, say, the historical Jesus Christ. After all, as far as being a “believer” goes, everyone on Death Row now “conveniently” claims to believe in “God”. Right?

One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
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US Prisons, the new Jim Crow - a brilliant 25 minutes-long video lecture

Dear friends,

The video on the link below by author Michelle Alexander: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Color Blindness.

The speech was made a few months ago. Check it out!

One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://video.wpt2.org/video/1748253821/
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JP Morgan and other businesses make mega-profits from Food Stamps/Poverty

As the crooks who run this country contnue to fleece everyday citizens, there are Tea Partyers and other poor people who complain that rich folks are being taxed too much.

Dear friends,

As the crooks who run this country contnue to fleece everyday citizens, there are Tea Partyers and other poor people who complain that rich folks are being taxed too much. Meanwhile, these heartless racketeers - from Wall Street and on Capitol Hill - are doing better than ever financially, as Americans, generally, are eating the lint from our pockets. Please refer to the link below.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://blog.friendseat.com/jp-morgan-profits-food-stamp-program/
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60 Minutes television program likes Mark Twain, Huckleberry Finn, and the "N-word"

"Why have we never seen a book that uses the term 'cracker' (or even heard it used) anywhere in broad circulation in this country?..."


Dear friends,

Last night (Sunday, March 20, 2011), I saw a piece on 60 Minutes about Mark Twain and his use of the word nigger in the novel entitled The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The station used a young, I presume, African American male as the interviewer and a Black college professor from Oregon who, get this, claimed that he was proud of both being and being called a nigger (but couldn’t even pronounce the pejorative term comfortably), as the expert being interviewed. Wow!

Anyway, this professor reminded me of Clarence Thomas and other such noted Black intellectuals who the television stations always seem to locate. They must have a list. After all, why didn’t they call someone like my longtime friend and colleague Cornel West who would have made a better account of himself and our people? Worse yet, this Oregon guy even seemed, like Thomas, to have a wife who is a member of the Tea Party. You know the type. Still, at least to me, the real question is: Why have we never seen a book that uses the term cracker (or even heard it used), anywhere in broad circulation in this country? Duh?

Moreover, if racism is defined as simply some type of xenophobia, as opposed to its original meaning which is White Supremacy, then those who practice racism can claim the same moral status as the victims of it. Neat trick. Eh? Of course, the term racism was made popular by African and African American scholars/activists, from Kwame Nkrumah and Franz Fanon to Malcolm x and Huey P. Newton.


Therefore, the idea that Mark Twain is pointing out the inhumanity of slavery is contradicted by his insistence upon the use of the word white. For example, for almost the past three generations, the overwhelming majority of the people who call themselves white, in this country, are those of Irish descent. Yet, the Irish are only of recent whiteness.

For example, in the Boltwood Collection of Jones Library in Amherst, Massachusetts, local genealogist and historian James A. Smith makes an interesting point in his work titled Black People in Early Amherst, in relationship to the designation of "whiteness" in the historical town. You see, less than 100 years or four generations ago, Smith writes: The town vital records show an undeveloped and random method of describing racial identities...clerks sometimes listed the person as being Irish in the section used to list race other than white.

Lo and behold! Irish people, surely the single largest group of European Americans in this country, are only of recent "whiteness" - according to their own "race".

Published in nearby Greenfield, almost 200 years or eight generations ago, Howe's Almanac, the only periodical distributed in the area at the time, featured a regular "humor" section in the back of each issue. The following two passages give further evidence to the way that the ruling class' media in this country have consistently been used as instruments for shaping public opinion (in favor of ruling class ideas, of course), as opposed to being the organs of objective journalism that they profess to be.

"An Irishman looking around the horizon, observed with a grave countenance, 'It looks fair for foul weather.'

And

"An Irishman on being asked whether his Sister, (who had gotten to bed) had a son or a daughter; - Answered, 'I cannot tell yet, whether I am an Uncle or Aunt.'"

This is all very confusing, isn't it? Actually, none of the aforementioned passages should be a surprise. Historically, British rulers practiced this sort of "racism" against the Irish, long before English pirates like John Hawkins and Sir Francis Drake even thought of the Americas. In an essay called "Slavery, Race, and Ideology in the U.S.A.", Barbara Jeanne Fields indicates: "...the rationale that the English developed for suppressing the 'barbarous' Irish later served nearly word for word as a rationale for suppressing Africans and indigenous American Indians."

But why isn’t any of the aforementioned material about the Irish taught in either public or private schools in North America? Why isn’t it taught that slavery was a class institution, not a race one, and that there were thousands of Black slave masters, especially, in the antebellum South whose descendants today are called Hip=hop moguls, along with the makers/actors of obnoxious Black plays and films – like those produced by Tyler Perry.

Finally, what did Twain’s contemporaries like Frederick Douglass, Sojourner Truth, and Harriet Tibman think of Mark Twain’s work? To be sure, that would be a better starting point than having some idiot "professor" from Oregon calling himself the unthinkable.

"Dare to struggle – dare to win", Frederick Douglass
G. Djata Bumpus
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Was Dr. Laura right about her use of the N-word? (originally posted 8/27/10)

“A handful of black activists have waged war against the N-word. Their target is those rappers and writers that have turned the N-word into a lucrative growth industry.” – Earl Ofari Hutchinson

Dear friends,

Almost 40 years ago, back in the early Seventies, a brilliant, albeit small, book was published called The Myth of Black Capitalism. Its author was a man named Earl Ofari. Only a few years later, I started seeing the same writer’s name more and more, although he had added the surname “Hutchinson” to his earlier pen name (which may have already been his surname anyway).

Nevertheless, he is nationally syndicated. Yet, I have had issues with his analyses, at times, over the years, because he seems to relate to ideas that are largely based upon disciplines like sociology and psychology that, at least to me, are two of many genres that analyze both the conditions and behaviors of people as if we are talking insects. Still, Brother Earl has been and always is on the right side of African American liberation. Moreover, Hutchinson’s piece on the link below, about the recent Dr. Laura Schlessinger debacle, in her use of the “N-word”, as it were, is right on point.

Also, while the article is fairly comprehensive, unfortunately, Hutchinson never brings up “Black self-hatred”, the other half of racism – the euphemism for White Supremacy.

To be sure, the self-hatred just mentioned is the sentiment that is both self-imposed and replenished in us through, for example, Black television, movie, and theatre productions that invite us to come laugh at ourselves, over experiences that involve everything from barber shops, to boat cruises, to weddings, to hitting the lottery. This self-hatred, of course, legitimizes the systematic exploitation and oppression that is inflicted upon us by White Supremacy.

Consequently, our self-hatred is the main culprit that keeps African Americans using the word “nigger” as some type of affectionate term, since far too many of us continue to use it amongst ourselves.

Additionally, the N-word has now, mostly due to the buffoon minstrelsy that is known as hip-hop, become part of American vernacular, as it is also a term used by, especially, young people of many other cultural groups, particularly, those of European American (so-called “white”) Latino, and Asian descent. Still, please check out this very thoughtful piece.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.baystatebanner.com/Opinion58-2010-08-26
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New domain name extension is .org - it is NO LONGER .com (originally posted July 2010)

"The domain name of the Website remains Djatajabs. It's just called .org at the end, instead of .com though. Additionally, all of the previously-published posts are still here and in place."

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
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"I Will Follow" - a new road to African American cinema as a functional art form?

"Apparently, it has received some rave reviews. Yet, that in and of itself means nothing to me, because I've known very insulting films either made by and/or starring our actors that have been given acclaim - like the pathetic 'Precious'."

Dear friends,

I received an email today, regarding an African American-produced film about which I've been hearing called "I Will Follow". Apparently, it has received some rave reviews. Yet, that in and of itself means nothing to me, because I've known very insulting films either made by and/or starring our actors that have been given acclaim - like the pathetic "Precious". However, the brief video interview on the link below has captured my interest. I intend to see it.

One Love, One Heart, One Spirit,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOiuV6uYvas&feature=channel_video_title
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Has "Japanese prosperity" been exposed? - Look at GE in Japan's nuclear disaster!

"Has the notion of "Japanese proseperity" really been a cover for the exploitation of Japanese people by US capitalist multinationals?"

Dear friends,

Has the notion of "Japanese proseperity" really been a cover for the exploitation of Japanese people by US capitalist multinationals? General Electric (GE), one of he founding members of the US military/industrial complex, now appears to be an "Emperor with no clothes".

Case in point, right now, it seems that the main concern of GE (General Electric) is how they'll make future profits in Japan, as the US corporate giant tries to rebuild its money-making machinery there. Moreover, I've always believed that after the bombings at Nagasaki and Hiroshima, it was the huge corporations of North America, bogarting their way into the Japanese economy, that was the basis for the phony claim of "Japanese prosperity".

The arrogance of GE regarding this whole affair and the lack of attention that the mainstream media is giving to the culpability of GE in this whole mess should play out in the coming months. On the link below, there's a hint of what we can, perhaps, expect.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/fukushima-mark-nuclear-reactor-design-caused-ge-scientist/story?id=13141287
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US Gov't under Obama rejects the former Haitian President Aristide's return to his Homeland

"Meanwhile, the US government that helped oust Aristede and his wife in 2004, now insists that the Aristides not return to their homeland."

Dear friends,

As usual, President Obama is betraying all of those who look like him, by siding with our enemies. People argue, "Well, he's not just the president for Black people..He's everybody's president." That' funny. The standard of being "everybody's president" has never been applied to a single one of Obama's predecessors

Meanwhile, the US government that helped oust Aristide and his wife in 2004, now insists that the Aristides not return to their homeland. On the link below, a video piece by Amy Goodman of Democracy Now reveals the despicable actions of Barack Obama's "everybody's" administration.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/16/amy_goodman_reports_from_south_africa
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"No Gas Day" strategy for March 31st is STUPID!!!!

“If people don’t buy gas on March 31st that just means that they’ll do all of their gas purchases on the 30th or before in order to hold themselves over until April 1st or so.”

Dear friends,

Just yesterday, I received a Facebook invitation about attending a one day boycott of gasoline purchases. The date is Marchv31, 2011.

Initially, I agreed to join in on the endeavor, seeing it as a way to make a statement to the greedy oil companies. However, towards the latter part of the day, while discussing it with one of my daughters, I thought to myself, “If people don’t buy gas on March 31st that just means that they’ll do all of their gas purchases on the 30th or before in order to hold themselves over until April 1st or so.”

Of course, the Big Oil companies will lose no money. As a matter of fact, on March 30th, people may even buy more gas than they normally would. That would be a bonanza for Big Oil!

Therefore, I think that the only way that the public can make a statement and even get prices for gas lowered, is if we stop buying gas from a specific company for one week at a time. For example, for the first week, if no one buys gas from BP (British Petroleum) for one week, then have the same kind of boycott on the second week, and not buy gas from, say, Exxon/Mobil, by the third week either Shell or Sunoco will lower their prices. The next thing that will happen is: a price war among the oil giants.

Yet, if Americans stick to the imbecilic idea of a “No Gas Day” (which may actually be the work of the BidOil companies), then we’ll be contradicting the whole point of sending a message to those greedy oil giants. Ya dig? Think about it.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
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Nicki Mathis in New York City - Friday, March 17th, 2011

photo by Pinder Ph D

Friday March 18, 2011
Showtime 8pm Nicki Mathis joins Dona Summers Carter Trio, w/Dave Gibson drums, Larry Roland bass, & Jazz Choir Celebrating Women's History Month @ ‘449 LA' SCAT (Show Case for Artists). 449 Lenox Av. bet 132 & 133 near W. 132d St. Harlem, NYC

Cover: $10 music charge includes a beverage
212.234-3298 449 Malcolm X Blvd #A NY NY 10037



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African American child in Ohio used to spread lie about Slavery in North America

“Both Indian and Negro, besides white servants were bound out to a master for a term of years and received no wages. Of these there were a few in the Pilgrim group.” - Commonwealth History of Massachusetts, Vol.1

Dear friends,

Aside from the fact that a European American or so-called "white" kid could have just as easily been depicted as a "slave", since everyone watching knows that it's only a skit. Consequently it is a pretty uninformed teacher who thinks that only African Americans have a slave past here. Additionally, the notion that using an African American child in Ohio to play a captive worker or so-called slave in a classroom play of some sort, for the purpose of providing himself and his classmates with a more realistic account of North American history is a hideous assault on the truth.

After all, a voluminous amount of literature proves otherwise. For example, in British settlements like Massachusetts Bay Colony, Charlotte M. Waters wrote, "The colonies were used too as dumping ground for prisoners and undesirables generally, in spite of protests from the colonists. Criminals, prisoners of war, and inconvenient Irish were thus got rid of. Royalist prisoners after Worcester shared the fate with 2,000 Irish girls and boys deported by order of the Government. Kidnapping was not uncommon. Such emigrants were sold by auction..." (Waters, An Economic History of England).

Indentured servitude is the name applied to Europeans, particularly the early British settlers, who traded both their human and civil rights to British merchants, usually for a term of four years, in order to gain access to North America, mbecause these indentured servants were unable to feed themselves in their European homelands.

In the Commonwealth History of Massachusetts, Vol.1 it is pointed out about early New Englanders including the famous "Pilgrim" group that landed at Cape Cod, that there was a small servile population. The official document reads: “Both Indian and Negro, besides white servants were bound out to a master for a term of years and received no wages. Of these there were a few in the Pilgrim group.” Huh? The school books lie when they said the Pilgrims came here for religious freedom. If they did, then why were some of them temporary slaves? The so-called Pilgrims came here to get loot. Plain and simple. As a matter of fact, the Pilgrims came then left. They didn’t settle here. Therefore, anyone who says that they had relatives on the Mayflower is a liar, just as the lying mother or grandmother who told them that nonsense.

At any rate, the following passage was written by a priest who wanted to see for himself exactly what European peoples had to go through on the ships that transported them to British North America. This particular six months-long voyage took place around 26 years before the start of the War of Independence (about ten generations ago). "...during the voyage on these ships terrible misery, stench, fumes, horror, vomiting, many kinds of sea-sickness, fever, dysentery, headache, heat, constipation, boils, scurvy, cancer, mouth-rot, and the like, all of which come from old and sharply salted food and meat, also from very bad and foul water, so that many die miserably. Add to this want of provisions, hunger, thirst, frost, heat, dampness, anxiety, want, afflictions and lamentations, together with other trouble, as c.v. the lice abound so frightfully, especially on sick people, that they can be scraped off the body...Children from 1 to 7 years rarely survive the voyage; and many a time parents are compelled to see their children miserably suffer and die from hunger, thirst, and sickness, and then to see them cast into the water." (English Historical Documents, Vol. 9, edited by Merrill Jensen)

Although the above passage resembles the description of an enslaver's ship leaving Africa, obviously, it is not. To be sure, being in bondage was nothing new to any Europeans, especially the British. For instance, during the so-called early Saxon period - this began presumably around 1600 years or 49 generations ago and was supposed to have lasted for about 400 years or sixteen generations. Edward P. Cheyney points out, "In many ways England had gone back to much the same state of barbarism as that in which it had been before the Roman conquest...Gregory, a Roman deacon, in going to the market place and seeing some boys with white skins, fair faces, and fine hair exposed (naked) by a merchant for sale as slaves, was struck with their beauty and asked their race - he was told they were Angles." - (Cheney, A Short History of England)

In the so-called 'later' Saxon period, which has been said to have begun about 1200 years or 48 generations ago - lasting for, perhaps, 200 years: "There were many slaves, some being born bondmen, others captured in war and sold into slavery, and still others reduced to slavery for debt or for crime." (Cheyney, op. cit.)

Apparently, neither whiteness nor Anglo-Saxonism had been invented yet. Another thing proven in Cheyney's last passage - "some being born bondmen" - is that hereditary slavery was not invented by Europeans for Africans as is often claimed by uninformed European American social theorists and a few of their gullible African American counterparts.

Nevertheless, in a few respects, the way that Black captive workers (so-called slaves) were treated in New England was quite different than their Southern counterparts. For one, the concentration of work was, usually, on small farms as opposed to huge plantations. As well, while many were skilled artisans, a number of the Northern captive workers were trained to do things like operating grocery stores, printing presses, and other businesses (see Lorenzo Greene's timeless work, The Negro In Colonial New England). Factually speaking, there was hardly a single occupation that African Americans did not hold in either colonial or post-colonial periods.

In 1656, a Black man named Bus-Bus bought a slave named Angola from a Mrs. Kearney, in the Dorchester section of Boston. In the same book mentioned above Greene pointed out:: "...slaveholding was a class rather than a racial institution is suggested by the fact that at least one Negro family owned slaves in colonial New England, "...he continued, "while six Negro slaveholders were reported from Connecticut" in the first Federal census 202 years or eight generations ago (Greene, ibid.)

Finally, in The Myth Of Black Capitalism, based upon the research of the noted historian John Hope Franklin, author Earl Ofari (now Hutchinson added to his surname) noted that by around 1830 there were an estimated 3, 777 African American slavemasters in the United States. It is believed that some of these folks were merely "buying" their brethren out of bondage and were registered as slave owners. However, there were a number of those who actually held slaves for profit. Some of them held so many captives that they were the envy of their "white" counterparts.

Let’s stop teaching garbage to children and start telling the truth. Then African Americans and European Americans alike can see what these crooks in both government and corporations are about really.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/03/04/2011-03-04_bad_lesson_ohio_elementary_school_in_trouble_after_black_student_made_to_play_sl.html
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Great 10 minutes-long video about Corporations, Corrupt politicians, and the corrupt Supreme Court

Please click on the link velow:
http://storyofstuff.org/citizensunited/
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Isreali and Egyptian armies love US taxpayer dollars

Corruption, endemic in Israel's political culture, has rapidly seeped into the military." - Jonathan Cook

Dear friends,

The enterprise called Israel that resides under the banner of political Zionism, in part, admits to its suspicious legitimacy due to its “peace” contract with Egyptian rulers. Consequently, the here-to-mentioned corrupt enterprise has great stakes in the outcome of the current revolt by Egyptian citizens.

Moreover, for all of the brave words of “freedom and democracy” that, particularly, North American politicians love to bandy about, it is, perhaps, instructive for us to ask: What role will the threat capability (i.e., the military) of Western governments play, along with their allies in Northern Africa and the Middle East, if there is any hope for democratic institutions to flourish in Egypt? That is an especially important question since the very essence of democracy is “non-violent conflict resolution”. Simply having a one person/one vote forum has nothing to do with democracy. Let’s face it. You can have the right to vote in a tyranny, and often do these days. After all, Iraqis had the right to vote under Saddam Hussein. Did they not?

Nevertheless, on the link below, the renowned journalist Jonathan Cook, at least to me, provides a clearer picture than traditional Western journalists do, regarding that whole mess. Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/articles/39/Israeli-army-will-cash-in-on-Egyptian-revolution.html
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Us Army operatives Hoodwink some US Senators out of Money

http://www.readersupportednews.org/off-site-news-section/46-46/5065-army-deploys-psy-ops-on-us-senators
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Sandy Banks offers a different "take" on Black History (originally posted 2/5/10)

"It reminded me that history depends on who's doing the telling. When I was her age, people of color were asterisks, not narrators. Tomorrow's version will depend on today's storytellers." - Sandy Banks




Dear friends,

On the link below, veteran Los Angeles Times columnist Sandy Banks provides us with a different "look" in articulating just what African American history has to offer to all of us. This is a great piece!

One Love,
G. Gjata Bumpus
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-banks23-2010jan23,0,2274077.column

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Krugman makes some progressive points about the current Wisconsin protests

"...were the slave master’s interests the same as the slave’s?"







Dear friends,

While perusing my Facebook “News feed” page last night, I saw a piece by Paul Krugman, regarding the current situation in Wisconsin, that made some worthy points, although I beg to differ on a couple of his assumptions.

They are:

1) Krugman is wrong when he says, “public-sector workers in Wisconsin and elsewhere are paid somewhat less than private-sector workers with comparable qualifications…”…In fact, for example, secretaries with little education often make more money than many PhDs when they’re either state workers or in academia...I'm not trying to nit pick here, but there are some serious issues of fairness that need to be addressed regardig compensation, whether employer or employee....of course, Republicans aren't interested in fairness.

2) Krugman, who sold out and supported the Federal Bailout hoodwink of the American public in 2008, has the audacity to now say, “On paper, we’re a one-person-one-vote nation; in reality, we’re more than a bit of an oligarchy, in which a handful of wealthy people dominate.”…Huh?...then why did he support a “Bailout” that only helped the “oligarchy” (as he calls it).

Finally, Krugman’s vague notion of “power” being the issue hides the more obvious fact that the worker has no rights without a union, because the employer cannot possibly, simultaneously, serve as an advocate for both sides of any employer- and employee-related issue. After all, the employer and the employee have totally different interests. If not, then why are there ever layoffs, suspensions, furloughs, or dismissals?. Think about it. Were a slave master’s interests the same as the slave’s?. Of course not.

At any rate, Krugman’s piece is on the link below.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/21/opinion/21krugman.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=tha212
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Smokey Robinson knows how to celebrate Valentine's Day weekend (for adults only)

Please click on the link below for a real "Smokey" ride:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGqAwfJenuc
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Marriage Equality and the Bush Family

"...everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love."

Dear friends,

It's funny that marriage equality , as it were, has been trivialized to being synonymous with same-sex marriage, just as feminism has been trivialized to "equal pay for equal work". After all, within the context of "rights", where is marriage equality in so-called heterosexual marriages?

Still, on the link below, the younger Barbara Bush, daughter of the former president - a man who I knew when I was a Black Panther some 40 years ago, insists, "...everyone should have the right to marry the person that they love." That's reasonable. I guess. However, the identity issue, at least to me, becomes cloudy, since it begs for the question: How can anyone make such a staunch claim of sexual identity such as being "gay" - or "straight" for that matter, when the human sexual appetite is so precarious, if not frivilous?

It would seem that the only relevant identity between sex partners lies somewhere between two poles. They are: 1) Sexual liberation. 2) Sexual repression. Most people seem to fit somewhere between the two afprementioned poles. Besides, if the significance of a lover's gender is so important to a person in his or her abilty to express himself or herself intimately, then it seems that one is suggesting that s/he is somehow certain to be pleased with another, based solely upon her or his gender (as if all males and females are sexually enjoyable when they are mated with someone of the same gender). That type of reasoning is called "intellectual acrobatics" in the company that I enjoy.

Let's keep it real!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_theticket/20110201/ts_yblog_theticket/breaking-with-her-father-barbara-bush-voices-support-for-gay-marriage
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Egyptian people have the whole world rockin'

"Isn't it interesting that all of te world's dictators, whether US multinational corporations or military commanders, are on edge about what's happening in Egypt right now?"

Dear friends,

Isn't it interesting that all of te world's dictators, whether US multinational corporations or military commanders, are on edge about what's happening in Egypt right now? After all, with the Internet, the world's people have greater access to the truth. We don't have to simply take the lying words of mainstream media journalists.

On the link below is a great discussion about what's going on there right now.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xvuUryU5GE
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Brief NYTimes video - an 80 years-old female activist joins Egyptian protesters

http://video.nytimes.com/video/2011/02/03/opinion/1248069611811/undaunted-in-tahrir-square.html?ref=opinion
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GOP redefines Rape

As far too many women know, bruises and broken bones do not define rape - a lack of consent does...

From MoveOn.org:
Hi, I just heard about a horrible GOP bill that could redefine rape andset women's rights back by decades.Here's the deal: Right now, federal dollars can't be used for abortionexcept in cases of rape, incest, or when the woman's life is in danger.But the bill, introduced by Republican congressman Chris Smith, wouldnarrow that use to "cases of 'forcible' rape but not statutory or coerced rape."

As far too many women know, bruises and broken bones do not define rape -a lack of consent does. This bill is scary - so I signed a petitiontelling Congress to stand up and oppose the bill. Can you join me at the link below?http://pol.moveon.org/smithbill/?r_by=-18379133-m3upK3x&rc=mailto Thanks.References Visible links. http://pol.moveon.org/smithbill/?r_by=-18379133-m3upK3x&rc=mailto
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Obama's State of the Union speech 2011 - Deceitful gibberish

“President Obama's mention of ‘free enterprise’ serves to cover up the fact that huge corporations, along with their lobbyists, make sure that they control the market. Some free enterprise.”

Dear friends,

Last night President Obama began hitting the stump for his re-election campaign. Of course, last year his speech concentrated more on the absolute failure, as I predicted and was proven right, of the so-called Federal Bailout to help boost the economy. However, riding on the heels of the mainstream media-produced Republican victory in Congressional elections, like any typical bourgeois politician, Obama must switch hats, so that he can fare better than many of his Congressional colleagues did in the 2012 personality contest that will pass itself off as the presidential election.

Nevertheless, while he did mention the necessity to erase the injustice of allowing the full benefits of citizenship to the children of undocumented workers, Mr. Obama made no mention of the two most powerful forms of oppression and exploitation in our society: Male Supremacy (euphemistically called sexism) and White Supremacy (euphemistically called racism). Duh? I wonder why? He acted as if everyone has the same opportunities in this country. Huh?

Oh, still, the president was long on nationalistic fervor. Yet, the "feel good" talk that he gave showed no hint, outside of his or any other politician's usual lofty ambitions, of how the people in this country can begin to relate to each other, much less folks around the world, in a way that we can be both prosperous and loving towards each other. After all, no Arab terrorists - be they Muslim or otherwise, shot up a bunch of people in Arizona recently. Moreover, what difference does it make to have a strong economy, when you never know when someone is going to inadvertently include you in his killing spree? Other countries don’t have that problem. Why? It happens here everyday, especially if you include the domestic violence incidents (i.e., Male Supremacy and its violence against women).

And why are people encouraged to "have patience" and wait for a job, as opposed to teaching them at an early age how to market and manage their own skills. After all, the latter opportunity not only helps keep them from being idle and constantly unsatisfied with life, but, as well, people are then able to make decisions based upon their ability to gather information, experiment, and observe. Then again, that would put a whole lot of politicians and mainstream media "journalists" out of work. Wouldn't it?

It would also kill many industries like those of various forms of entertainment and all kinds of electronic toys. In other words, if people learned to enjoy their own thoughts, because they are used to exercising their minds and their ability to imagine, instead of sitting around being entertained in passive ways such as always having to watch DVD movies or listen to CDs, the same folks would now find ways to entertain themselves without needing to constantly spend money. Rather, they would merely have to use their many inner powers like internal and external energy, concentration, and memory, for example, to discover joy and happiness. That would also change the way that they set goals, relate to others - and how they choose politicians.

Finally, President Obama's corny mention of "free enterprise" serves to cover up the fact that huge corporations, along with their lobbyists, make sure that they control the market. Some free enterprise.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
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In Memory of Peter Tosh - the Stepping Razor (originally posted 11/1/08)

"...It don't matter where you come from, if you're black, you're an African."?

Dear friends,

Do you remember the lyrics, "...It don't matter where you come from, if you're black, you're an Africa."?

Those words were written and sung by a great artist and spiritial man named Peter Tosh. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hxm1cU5Ewbw

In any case, I first saw the piece on the link below, while checking out the Daily Sun (out of Nigeria). This extremely important Website address is: http://www.sunnewsonline.com/ Peace.

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/features/showtime/2008/oct/31/showtime-31-10-2008-001.htm
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Murders in Arizona are culturally sound

“…if the young man’s madness is not connected to the society in which he was socialized, then why don’t such massacres happen in Switzerland, for example?”

Dear friends,

Isn’t it interesting that the recent incident that occurred in Arizona is not being equated with the continuous murders by the US and Israeli governments who use drone rockets to snuff out, as it were, alleged “terrorists” in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa, but mostly slaughter everyday innocents? Moreover, about that, where are all of the analyses of mainstream media pundits, much less their outrage, as we’re being fed the “crazy man” stuff here lately?

Many academic disciplines analyze people as if we are talking insects. Yet, whether you place a creature like an ant or a bee either in the Sahel of Africa or on the North Pole, it will be the same creature and exhibit the exact same behavior. Again, people are not talking insects. We are political animals. That is, we all want what We want. However, we must behave according to the circumstances in which we find ourselves, due to the social interactions that will necessarily need to happen in order for us to sustain ourselves. That is where the politics begin. In other words, since few of us grow pur own food or make our own clothes, and so forth, at the bare minimum, we must have contact with others, and behave in a way that is favorable to the party who has what we want, in order to acquire whatever it is that we need. Ants and bees, for instance, do not have that need for social adaptation.

Moreover, the history of humankind is the revelation of lots of stories about generational activities among particular groups. It is not a chronology of the tales of either “great” individuals or “great” events. Additionally, because we are social beings, our existence is based upon two conditions. They are: 1) A cooperative effort to co-exist. 2) Shared responsibility to engage in activities that are regulated by specific rules which allow the continuation of the particular group for hundreds or even thousands of years. The aforementioned generational activities are more commonly referred to as “culture".

In our society, culture is a word that is often used to refer to the higher achievements of a particular group - like painting and music. However, it (culture) involves everything that we do. Therefore, it even has a physiological significance. This is easily identifiable by recognizing the actual mental and motor reflexes that are initiated when a European American (so-called white person) who is sitting in a car pushes down the lock button as an African American approaches the vicinity of the former’s vehicle.

This notion of the initiating of both mental and motor reflexes also explains the cultural differences in the way that people draw, dance, sing, and so forth. In fact, even Our five "senses" are culturally-defined. That is, our perceptions, regarding what we feel, taste, hear, smell, and see, are determined by our cultural experiences.

Also, our culture determines the manner in which We transmit and share both behavior and ideas to present and future generations. However, the first thing that we must understand about culture is that it is largely tied to a people's resources. That is, social status and income as well as materials to produce what people need or desire determine how, why and through what medium folks can express themselves as a distinct group.

At any rate, here in USA culture, reactionary, liberal, and seemingly progressive mainstream journalists – of both print and electronic media - are now backpedaling about despicable people like those of the Tea Party and Sarah Palin. Even the African American journalists, mind you. Ouch! Yet, the milieu that reactionary folks like Tea Partyers, Palin, Beck, and Limbaugh have helped create has been great for mainstream media markets. Eh? Consequently, if the “crazy” young killer is culpable, then so too are all of those mentioned thus far, including the Obama administration.

However, now that, as Brother Malcolm prophesized, “The chickens have come home to roost.”, once again, as usual, the mainstream media and our clown federal politicians are telling the public that we aren’t seeing what we see.

Instead, the here-to-mentioned mainstream media, their agents (so-called journalists) , and pols are apologizing for the dissatisfaction and misery of too many citizens that has been caused by greedy corporations, by blaming the incident on a “crazed” person. In other words, his ideas and all just fell out of the sky into his head. He certainly didn’t get his ideas, much less his language, from anyone in this country.

Besides, who would want to conspire against such a holy forum as the US government? Moreover, conspiracy theorists would have us believe that the Boston Tea Party was a conspiracy-induced event, or that the Confederates conspired to start a war by burning up and/or stealing stores of arms and ships. Or that wealthy bankers and businessmen, along with a couple of sycophantic politicians, met and conspired on Jekyll Island in Georgia shortly prior to World War 1, in order to form the private – not public - Federal Reserve Banking system that would eliminate competition, while taking total control of our economy. Or that the US government and its military decision-makers conspire with huge corporations like Boeing, Polaroid, Lockheed, Halliburton, and others to loot the coffers of this country. “Sure. ..They are all conspiring.”, Rush Limbaugh and his pathetic ilk smirk, as Sarah Palin winks her eye at them in collusion.

Still, if the young man’s madness is not connected to the society in which he was socialized, then why don’t such massacres happen in Switzerland, for example? And why has the mainstream media seemed so unconcerned with all of the open death threats to President Obama? Imagine if it had been Clinton or Bush. Do you think that those threatening perps just mentioned would have had serious problems? Instead, their behavior is shrugged off. So why all of the noise over this, as if it’s a surprise? And why aren’t the four elderly women who were murdered receiving any attention? Are the mainstream media outlets saving their stories for future sales?

Look at Obama’s and BiBi’s drone-killing crusade in Pakistan, Iran, and other places. On top of that, the US government just promised the Pakistani government $7billion in “aid”. Meanwhile, just as in Arizona, nationwide, politicians like Palin and other brave men and women shoot down birds who are minding their own business and call that a sport. Worse yet, such folks think that they’re “bad”, when they shoot defenseless and unsuspecting moose and hang the dressed heads of the unfortunate creatures on their living room walls (and they have the nerve to talk about Michael Vick) .

So, why is the sicko in Arizona less deranged than the US Army helicopter pilot in the WikiLeak link post below this one who tells his Army cohort, “You do the shootin’…I’ll do the talkin’!”, while he’s lying on his radio about eight armed men, to his base?

Finally, President Obama’s suggestion of Democrats and Republicans “uniting” misses the point, aside from the fact that folks like Tea Partyers, Palin, ad other Republicans are probably humored by the whole Arizona incident. (That’s a cultural thing in this country.) Instead. at least to me, what we must do is change our value judgements away from profit and greed, especially since greed is always short-sighted (from the cheating spouse to bank scandals to the BP oil spill), and start socializing our youth to revere all life. However, capitalism can’t survive without war/killing, because a continuous production of commodities for profit, with only a finite amount of consumers in any specific geographical area, calls for “finding” more consumers, by, for example, invading another country and making its citizens become consumers. So why all of the thoughtless and dishonest excuses about crazy people and vitriolic rhetoric? Let’s keep it real!

G. Djata Bumpus
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17 minutes-long Wikileaks video of US Army massacre of unarmed Iraqis (originally posted 12/1/10)

"Recently, I posted some comments, regarding Wikileaks that were based upon what I’d been both hearing and reading from the mainstream media..."
Dear friends,

Recently, I posted some comments, regarding Wikileaks that were based upon what I’d been both hearing and reading from the mainstream media. However, having been introduced to the video on the link below, I now must give some props to the Wikileaks people.

Moreover, after perusing the aforementioned video, I cannot understand, for the life of me, how any decent, much less sane, Iraqi does not hate the United States with great passion. After all, they (Iraqis) are actually experiencing what has been going on there – and in Afghanistan. It’s not just a video recollection to them. Eh?

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5rXPrfnU3G0

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Dr Ndibe's analysis of problem and solutions for Nigeria's democratic processes

"Atiku, Ojukwu, Iwu, and the culture of expediency"

By Okey Ndibe

The time has never been riper for the emergence of a formidable opposition force to dislodge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from power. Yet, there are disturbing signs, once again, that Nigeria’s opposition parties are looking for every means or opportunity to surrender to the PDP – or to sell their prospects for a mess of porridge.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is, from several accounts, on the cusp of returning to the PDP. That would not be so bad, for Atiku’s natural habitat is within the moral jungle of the PDP.

Atiku was part of an initiative to form a so-called “mega party.” With his looming exit, that bad idea appears decidedly stillborn. For one, the potential constituents of the opposition behemoth never seemed able to offer a comprehensive critique of the PDP. Nor did they seek to define their vision, or to tell Nigerians where they intend to take the country if given power, and how.

There’s also the fact that many of the ambivalent founders of the “mega party” were once, like Atiku, in the sanctuary of the PDP. Like him, many of them still belong, in mind and spirit, to the PDP.

Atiku represents the kind of unprincipled, me-first-and-last politics that has kept Nigeria in the doldrums. Last Sunday, Thisday quoted one of Atiku’s lieutenants as saying that “even with the mega party being formed, even if the electoral reforms are concluded on time before the next elections, it will be difficult to oust PDP from power. That is a fact. I say this with all sense of responsibility, because with their rigging machines all out, with people like Iwu still in office, and with all the money they have, I think we will have a battle on our hands.”

So what does Atiku do? Jump ship – and enlist with those determined to employ their rigging machines to sabotage Nigeria’s democracy. Perhaps, Atiku is at home precisely in that company.

The original impulse to form a mega opposition party represented a fundamental misconception. The PDP was deemed a party – to adapt a Nigerian saying – of “no shaking.” Consequently, the party’s opponents concluded that they must create an equally gargantuan force in order to have a shot at wresting power.

To be true, the PDP is a giant, but one whose feet are made of clay. There’s no denying that the PDP’s roster boasts the largest collection of the kind of men and women known in Nigeria as “stakeholders” or venerated as “prominent Nigerians,” but who, in reality, are criminal raiders of the public treasury.

The PDP may be the most bloated “sumo” party in the country, but it’s far from strong in real terms. Its chairman, Vincent Ogbulafor, has served notice that the party plans to rule (translate that word as “ruin”) Nigeria for sixty years. It’s the party’s plan, and one not shared by Nigerians. In order to realize the plan, the party must thwart the democratic will of the Nigerian people through a logistics called electoral fraud.

Since 1999, the PDP has established itself as a master rigger. It goes without saying – but we’ll say it – that a party in power resorts to rigging principally because it recognizes that there’s no clean way to win.

My point, then, is that it does not require a mega party to rout the PDP in an election. No, it takes two things. One is a party with disciplined organization, a commitment to a set of laudable socio-economic goals, and the focused ability to communicate its message to the Nigerian people. The other is a culture of credible elections, a transparent polling system that, above all, demonstrates that the wishes of the electorate are paramount.

Elections are as credible as the system that produces them, and the men and women who run that system.

The wishy-washy effort to form a mega party rests on diseased reasoning. It’s sad to see those who want to unseat the PDP waste their energy trying to acquire the ruling party’s pathologies. What they should do – assuming that they’re up to it – is to push the case for sound electoral reform and the appointment of men and women of unimpeachable moral mettle to oversee the country’s elections. Once these are in place, the opposition should then offer Nigerians a clear-eyed dissection of how the PDP has mortgaged, and still pawns off, Nigeria’s best interests.

(okeyndibe@gmail.com)
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Dr. Billy Taylor - the old lion passes on

“He was a warm and wonderful cat.”

Dear friends,

A few days ago, one of North America’s premier ambassadors of the music idiom called “Jazz” passed on to another form of existence. His name is Billy Taylor. He was a man who I knew personally and held in the highest regard.

The last time we talked was about three summers ago. He knew about this blog and was supportive of what I was sharing with folks. He also liked the fact that our mutual friend, Archie Shepp – another legend – had contributed to these pages.

It’s funny that I’d just had some thoughts about him a couple of weeks ago. Now this. Still, his intense seriousness about his craft, along with his ever present huge smile will always stay in my mind. He was a warm and wonderful cat. Long live Dr. Billy Taylor!

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YXJI9O2D7c4&NR=1
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Proper Grubbin' and Greezin' for the Holidays

"To be sure, this time of the year seems to bring out both the best and worst memories – and subsequent feelings. It also exposes both the best and worst in people. Therefore, people are, perhaps, “alive” the most during this period (which is certainly better than the alternative)."
Dear friends,

With Christmas, Kwanzaa, and New Year’s Day consuming so much of our time over the next two weeks, I thought it would be great to share an informative, but light, piece with you.

To be sure, this time of the year seems to bring out both the best and worst memories – and subsequent feelings. It also exposes both the best and worst in people. Therefore, people are, perhaps, “alive” the most during this period (which is certainly better than the alternative).

In any case, while food and drink can be healthy panaceas, the piece on the link below that was written by someone who I hold in deep regard, Kimberly Garrison, the fitness columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News (www.philadelphiadailynews.com) brings into mind that we need not disconnect ourselves from reality to have a good time. By the way, Every Thursday, Kim appears in the “Yo! Features” section of the newspaper. Her articles are not your typical run-of-the-mill “Eat your Wheaties” admonitions. Rather, they are always imaginative, super-informative, socially-conscious and well written. Still, as the Honorable Elijah Muhammad would say on these occasions, “Eat ‘til your face falls in the plate!”

Enjoy!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20101118_Kimberly_Garrison__Eat__drink_and_be_merry_-_without_packing_on_pounds.html?viewAll=y
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Urgent!!! Thousands of Georgia Prisoners - of ALL colors - on strile together

"The real beauty of this whole affair is: regardless of either skin color or culture, these brothers are sticking together. Historically, prison revolts of any kind have been “racially” divided. "

Dear friends,

Flipping through some tv channels last night, I stopped at a DemocracyNow.org broadcast as a song by one of my old Panther comrades, Elaine Brown, played. The host then introduced Elaine and interviewed her about an extremely important story that is developing in the state of Georgia right now. Not surprisingly, the drama is completely missing from the mainstream media.
http://www.democracynow.org/2010/12/14/prisoner_advocate_elaine_brown_on_georgia

It involves thousands of male prisoners who have joined together in a peaceful way to bring about change in their current living conditions. The real beauty of this whole affair is: regardless of either skin color or culture, these brothers are sticking together. Historically, prison revolts of any kind have been “racially” divided.

The only thing missing from this equation is: communities must develop programs to bring these brothers back to their/our communities for the good of all.

For example, churches, fraternities, sororities, even well-established gangs like the Crips and the Bloods, as well as other such community institutions can sponsor “Free Buses To Prisons Programs” where children are transported to prisons for the explicit purpose of having reading lessons with their incarcerated parents or neighbors.

At any rate, on the link below, you will find a list of their present demands.

Cheers!

G. Djata Bumpus
http://newsone.com/nation/newsonestaff2/historic-georgia-prison-strike-ignored-by-media-prisoners-guards/
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How Wikileaks does it - 30 minutes-long video

Please click on the link below
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kCmjmDXp7TI
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Is WikiLeaks controversy a Red Herring?

"the information that is being shared by WikiLeaks tells us very little about the methods used by those in power to retain their positions..."

Dear friends,

At least to me, all of the WikiLeaks drama merely shows that US Imperialism is still a paper tiger. Worse yet, it’s on its way out as a dominating force in global politics.

The tattle-tale approach of WikiLeaks fits in well with the personality contests that are euphemistically called “elections” in this country. However, as always, the information that is being shared by WikiLeaks tells us very little about the methods used by those in power to retain their positions, much less the actions in which the aforementioned rulers partake in order to keep control, while enriching their corporate sponsors. Some democracy, eh?

Still, I believe that comments in recent months by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are far more revealing than anything that has been made available by WikiLeaks. http://www.mediaite.com/online/mahmoud-ahmadinejad-tells-u-n-general-assembly-911-was-an-inside-job/

Unfortunately, while Brother Mahmoud preaches to the choir with progressive “I got ya”s, he, of course, keeps his mouth shut, regarding the inconsistencies of freedom, dignity, and justice in his own land…to that extent, he is no different than ruling class secretaries like Obama and BiBi.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus
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Dr. Barbara Teer Spirit Awards in NYC - Dec. 17, 2010

Awardees:
Rudy Dee
Dr. Barbara Ann Teer Pioneer Award
Woodie King Jr
Adetunde Samuel Artistic Excellence Award
Avery Brooks
Dr. Barbara Ann Teer Spirit Award
Geoffrey Canada
Fredrica L. Teer Institution Building AwardT - he Brotherhood/SisterSol Fredrica L. Teer Institution Building Award


Teer Spirit Awards
DECEMBER 17TH, 6:00 PM:
Reception & Silent Auction in Lobby 7:00 PM:

7:15 PM: Dinner & Awards Ceremony at the
National Black Theater's Institute of Action Arts
2031-33 National Black Theatre Way
(5th Ave between 125 and 126 St), NY NY 10035


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Entertainment by Ebony Jo-Ann, Blue Magic & Wade Elliot along with the National Black Theatre House Band led by Bert Price.Tickets: $65.00click above or call (212) 868- 4444 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Information phone: 212-722-3800 NATIONALBLACKTHEATRE.ORG This program is funded in part by: Council Member Inez E. Dickens, 9th C.D., Speaker Christine Quinn and the New York City Council, City of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, New York


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In case you missed it - Jill Scott is HOT!!!

Dear friends,

We seldom hear about today’s African American artists doing much for their communities. On the link below, award-winning Philadelphia journalist Jenice Armstrong recently interviewed Jill Scott peior to a fundraiser this past weekend. Please check it out! The beat goes on.

One Love,
G. Djata Bumpus

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/features/20101130_Jenice_Armstrong__Jill_Scott_s_giving_back.html

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