Quote Of The Day

"We know the truth, not only by the reason, but by the heart." -Blaise Pascal

In The World In Which We Live, Hip Hop Died Before Racism Did

I'm saddened to report that racism is alive and sickeningly healthy. In the wake of the unjust- but not surprising- Sean Bell verdict, news outlets around the world have been reporting on the community's reaction.

I have been reading a lot of the online articles, and accompanying comments, regarding the Sean Bell travesty. My exploration of the comments sections of some of the New York based news websites has left me disappointed. I am disappointed by the insensitivity and callousness of the biting and cruel online remarks.

I would like to think that statements that label civic-minded protesters as: "nonproductive deadbeats...welfare recipients...thugs...and unemployed Black men and women with 10 different children all by different mothers and fathers," represent the mindset of an ignorant few. However, the comments sections of the New York Daily News website has been flooded with such taunts and defamation of character-like declarations.

Despite the overwhelming negative online postings, I still reserve a modicum of hope that society is not so far gone that people of any race or culture can not empathize with an unjust and unnecessary lost of life.

To My People: May we continue to live with strength & love in our hearts. May we also PROACTIVELY continue to change this world for the better. Lots of love to everybody. R.I.P. to Sean Bell and all of the others who lost their lives as victims to this racist society.

Quote Of The Day

"But suppose God is black? What if we go to Heaven and we, all our lives, have treated the Negro as an inferior, and God is there, and we look up and He is not white? What then is our response?" -Robert F. Kennedy

Quote Of The Day

"The first principal of nonviolent action is that of noncooperation with everything humiliating." -Cesar Chavez

The Gun Industry Is Well Protected

New York City filed a lawsuit against the gun industry. This was done in an effort to force gun manufacturers to take responsibility for creating a cache of firearms that consistently find their way to the underground market.

This morning, a federal appeals court dismissed the case. According to NY1: "The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the arms industry is immune to litigation from cities and violence victims under federal law."

With the gun industry being granted such immunity and protection under the law, we must ask: "Who exactly is behind the gun industry?" Whoever's pockets are being lined with the sales of guns, has far reaching tentacles. It is rare for a manufacturer of any product to be cloaked in such inculpability.

[Pic from ABC News]

Quote Of The Day

"A nation of sheep will beget a government of wolves." -Edward R. Murrow

In Case You Were Wondering Why Police Departments Across America Operate The Way They Do...

...the book "Slavery: The African American Psychic Trauma," (Authors: Sultan Latif & Naimah Latif) explains why. An excerpt from the book states:

"America's police patrol actually grew out of the south. Up until that time, justice was administered by local sheriffs and deputies. After the Revolutionary War, most states developed some type of militia, in case armed soldiers were needed for national defense. But the institution of slavery required that some type of organized law enforcement would have to be instituted on a regular basis, to protect white slave owners against massive uprisings and escapes. In "From Slavery To Freedom," Franklin describes how the slave patrols worked: 'One of the devices set up to enforce the slave codes and thereby maintain the institution of slavery was the patrol, which has been aptly described as an adaptation of the militia. counties were usually divided into "beats" or areas of patrol, and free White men were called upon to serve for a stated period of time, 1, 3, or 6 months. These patrols were to apprehend slaves out of place and return them to their masters or commit them to jail; to visit slave quarters and search for various kinds of weapons that might be used in an uprising; and to visit assemblies of slaves where disorder might develop or where conspiracy might be planned.'"

Big Brother Keeps Coming Up With New Ways To Watch

NY1 is reporting that the MTA is launching a pilot program to install surveillance cameras inside subway cars. This program is reportedly likely to be implemented within the next 12 months.

The MTA has already equipped 50% of its Manhattan bus line with high tech cameras.

I must ask: Is there such a thing as privacy anymore?

Quote Of The Day

"History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived; but if faced with courage, need not be lived again." -Maya Angelou

Quote Of The Day

"There is no short cut to achievement. Life requires thorough preparation- veneer isn't worth anything." -George Washington Carver

If We Play To Our Strengths, We Can Stop This

We are a community of spiritual, soulful, and intellectual beings. To conquer this constant police terrorism, we must play to our strengths.

Playing to our strengths = Being consistently involved in our community; attending community groups and holding elected officials present accountable (This must be done on a consistent basis if it is to have a transformative effect); Using our economic power strategically; Educating ourselves on the law; Setting up think tanks; Being active in local elections; Being in constant communication with our elected officials; Having liaisons and checks & balances set up to monitor elected officials and law enforcement.

[SIDEBAR: It is not what we do just in the heat of the moment, but what we are disciplined to do consistently that will bring about the results that we desire].

Don't Be So Quick To Throw Rice At Your Summer Wedding

According to "The Independent," major food store chains- like Sam's Club and Costco- are rationing their inventory of rice. They are reportedly barring consumers from buying the food stable in large quantities. This maneuver come as the price of rice has reportedly risen by 68% internationally.

Limiting the amount of food that a citizen can buy in an American market is an unprecedented move. This rationing strategy is being implemented even though the leader of the California Rice Commission stated that there are no rice shortages in the U.S.

After reading this statement I was perplexed as to why the high rise in price, and the rationing measures, were taking place. This seems to defy the laws of supply and demand. Why ration something that is available in abundance? Put your thinking caps on to answer that one. The first person to come up with a viable/non-sinister answer, moves to the head of the class.

[SIDEBAR: It is being reported that flour is next].

UPDATE: CNN has weighed in on this story. CLICK HERE to read their take on the subject. Does CNN move to the front of the class? You be the judge.

Quote Of The Day

"Unlike top management at Enron, exemplary leaders reward dissent. They encourage it. They understand that, whatever momentary discomfort they experience as a result of being told they might be wrong, it is more than offset by the fact that the information will help them make better decisions." - Warren Bennis; New York Times (2/17/02)

Quote Of The Day

"We talk a lot about Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but it's time to be like them, as strong as them. They were mortal men like us, and every one of us can be like them." -Tupac Shakur

So You Mean To Tell Me, That With All The "Terror Alerts" & Big Brother Paraphernalia In The City, Someone Failed To Buy A Paper Shredder...???

Many news sources are reporting that a homeless man has come forward to reveal that he has found what should be top-secret documents, in a Manhattan trash can. According to The New York Post, the vigilant Ohio-native turned New Yorker, reportedly found a 150 page document that contains the blueprints for the Freedom Tower- which is to replace the World Trade Center structure.

Despite the recovered document allegedly containing the blueprints "for each floor, the thickness of the concrete-core wall and the location of air ducts, elevators, electrical systems and support columns;" the project's spokeswoman attempted to defend the security lapse by saying that the discovered plans were not detailed. She also gave the obligatory- "we're looking into it...someone will be reprimanded" spiel.

In light of this egregious breach of security, I must ask myself, "How seriously does the government take their own warnings of 'terroristic threats?'" Citizens have been subjected to invasive government snooping all in the name of "terrorism." Yet, blueprints for one of the supposedly most vulnerable locations in the country is left in a street corner garbage can for anyone to discover. [SIDEBAR: I can't speak on how may "heaven points" the man has, but at least Oliver North knew the value of a good shredder].

Many citizens are understandably rattled by the leakage of the Freedom Tower's blueprints. According to the New York Post, a New Yorker whose son died in the 9/11 tragedy stated: "I'd certainly be pretty leery going to work in the building knowing that security on the plans was so lax...The whole thing is kind of frightening, but at the same time totally expected, because we have been failed time and again." The former head of security of the MTA has also voiced his opinion by saying, "Outrageous security breeches like this amplify how vulnerable New Yorkers are."

Who's Up For A Game Of: Pocket The Buck, Pass The Buck?...Apparently Some NYC Council Members Are

According to news sources, like The Gotham Gazette, approximately $4.7 million of NYC taxpayers' money was allocated by city council members to fictitious organizations. Funds were embezzled via fake non-profits like, "The New York Foundation for Community Development" and "The American Association of Concerned Veterans."

This revelation comes amidst a time when the city is already at least 9 figures in the red. With such a deficit in the city's balance sheet, you would think that city officials would be extra vigilant about how every alloted dollar is being spent. However, despite very tough financial times, some elected officials have been playing fast and loose with discretionary funds. Two council staffers have already been indicted on embezzlement charges.

It is bizarre that such a fiasco would unfold under the gaze of a billionaire mayor who specializes in finance. The fact that the administration of a financial wizard would let millions of dollars slip through the cracks (especially during a fiscal crunch), rings of either: gross incompetence and negligence, or a case of "the fox guarding the hen house."

As of yet, no one has taken responsibility for dropping the ball on watchdogging the funds. The buck is being passed as to who is to blame. However, some government officials who are appalled by the theft of funds, are asking that the Council Speaker, Christine Quinn, step down from her position. This request is due to the fact that the "missing" funds were parceled out to various council members and organizations solely at her discretion.

Quote Of The Day

"Wars of nations are fought to change maps. But wars of poverty are fought to map change." -Muhammad Ali

So Much For The Old American Myth That War Boosts The Economy

Almost every American history teacher I ever had spewed the economic theory of how good war is for the American economy. Well in 2008, that myth is being debunked. With the U.S. having occupied Iraq for over half-a-decade, the U.S. economy has entered an extremely perilous time.

Having traditionally based their power on being a leader in industry, the U.S. is seeing its status take a dive. Today, it is being reported that the U.S. dollar has sunk to an all-time low against the Euro. I can only imagine what this forecasts for the future of American economics. American inflation has already spun out of control. According to CNN, "U.S. inflation is coming in three times as high as expected in March- on top of escalating food and energy prices."

[SIDEBAR: You can only sidestep universal law and karma for so long. There are repercussions for every action. Warmongering, greed, and the worship of money, will only cause an equal and opposite reaction. My economic theory says: Extreme materialism, in which the power of money is so over-valued, will eventually create an economic environment where money is rendered powerless.(SIDEBAR within a SIDEBAR: Ben Bernanke should consult me on this...Lol).

Only a change of values and character can fix this. There's no way we can rectify our country's problems with the same mindset that created them. We need a leader cut from the cloth of Gandhi...now more than ever!].

A Strip Search You Can Keep Your Clothes On For

A new type of invasive camera is being installed in public places around the world. The ThruVision T5000 camera, which can see through clothing and walls, is now being touted by security experts as a new way to thwart terrorist attacks.

The T5000, which is already in use in the London financial district and several airports around the world, has sparked many privacy debates. Discussions concerning whether various "terroristic threats" are real or imagined are also brewing.

Citizens' rights to privacy are rapidly being forfeited around the globe in the name of "public safety." This seems to be placing us on a road to the unveiling of the contents of Pandora's box. Who is to say if these new standards of "public spying" are justified? Also, how much power does the average citizen have to say where the lines of surveillance should be drawn. The Patriot Act, legally erased the lines that law enforcement used to be required to color within.

According to www.cnn.com, surveillance expert David Wood has weighed in on the quickly loosening standards of the publics' rights to privacy. The Director of the Surveillance Studies Network, stated: "What we should consider is how much we want to lose aspects of our privacy in order to attain a sort of national security...In most cases this isn't real security- it's a sense of safety that has very little real effect."

I am interested in hearing how our current presidential candidates feel about this issue.

Quote Of The Day

"The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking, and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe." -Albert Einstein