Excavating the Future: Pitting Private & Public Sector Workers Against Each Other

[Editor's Note: This is a follow-up to my article on Wisconsin published by Subversify (click here).]

A public union employee, a tea party activist, and a CEO are sitting at a table with a plate of a dozen cookies in the middle of it. The CEO takes 11 cookies, turns to the tea partier and says, 'Watch out for that union guy. He wants a piece of your cookie.'

I was raised to believe in the American Dream. I believed that if I worked hard enough, if I was smart enough, if I got good grades in school, went to a decent college, played by the rules, and worked really really hard, that I could grab at least a measure of that American dream. When I was a child, I was assured that the depth of American ingenuity and expertise would save us all and that we would become an enlightened society pursuing the further reaches of human nature with the increase of leisure time, as technology and human evolution converged to create a more noble model of society. A great society preoccupied with eradicating poverty, hunger, and disease.

I believed in an American future in which we would conquer space, where solutions for previously untreatable diseases were right around the corner. I was assured that the tension between technological innovation and the environmental havoc it sometimes caused would be resolved.

I believed in this dream because so many people were actually out there on the frontlines fighting to ensure such a society. Everywhere people were engaged in critically questioning the status quo. People of color, women, and people of different sexual orientation were fighting and challenging the oppressive institutionalized systems that kept us from becoming a greater whole. And in spite of all the conflict, there was the real sense of hope in that people were doing more than talking about it -- we were all somehow engaged in ensuring the American Dream for all people.

When I was a child, I was assured that we would develop viable alternative energy sources. Lies. A cure for cancer. Lies. I was told of a future wherein people -- for the first time in human history -- could commit the bulk of their lives for their intellectual, spiritual, and material benefit. Lies.

Welcome to the future, my friends. I live in a city where it is illegal to be black or brown. Here the color of your skin, not your grades, determination, or educational attainment, matters most. Today, being smart is considered elitist. Worst of all, today you work longer hours for less money -- if you’re fortunate enough to be working at all. You’re less likely to be able to have access to decent health care, if you have any health care options.

Welcome to the future, it is now -- a future of disappointment. And the only reason you haven’t noticed is because you’re too busy jerking off to the latest online celebrity sex tape or watching “reality” shows of “celebrities” whose talents apparently have more to do with sucking NBA cock than being able to actually sing or dance. Or perhaps you’re too busy watching American Idol or Snowdrift Snookie’s latest idiotic political pronouncements. Either way, we’re amusing ourselves to death.

Single Black Mother Jailed for Sending Her Kids to "Better" School District [UPDATE]

(Updated: 01/25/11 @ 4:30PM)

We often hear these crazy stories involving parents and children, and as is often the case, we walk away from such stories with the notion that some parents just don't care and they should never have kids. This came up last week when we discussed truancy and parents being held accountable for the actions of their children after missing so many days of school. However, rarely do we hear stories or celebrate the individuals who do care. Individuals vested in the future of their children, enough so as to go the extra mile to get them there.

Well folks, pictured in that mugshot above is Kelly Williams-Bolar. Of course her picture above being a mugshot could only mean one thing. That's right, she committed a criminal act and was arrested as are many people who just so happen to be parents. Her story is a bit different though; and, it's a story you won't hear told by president Obama at the State of the Union address tonight, or in the future. At any rate, it's a story like most on this site, that should leave you angry:

An Ohio mother of two was sentenced to 10 days in jail and placed on three years probation after sending her kids to a school district in which they did not live.  Kelly Williams-Bolar was sentenced by Judge Patricia Cosgrove on Tuesday and will begin serving her sentence immediately.

The jury deliberated for seven hours and the courtroom was packed as the sentence was handed down.  She was convicted on two counts of tampering with court records after registering her two girls as living with their father when they actually lived with her. The family lived in the housing projects in Akron, Ohio, and the father’s address was in nearby Copley Township.

Additionally, Williams-Bolar’s father, Edward L. Williams, was charged with a fourth-degree felony of grand theft, in which he and his daughter are charged with defrauding the school system for two years of educational services for their girls.  The court determined that sending their children to the wrong school was worth $30,500 in tuition. (source)

Lemme tell you something; something that I'm sure many of you can identify with. As parents, we want what's best for our children. Be that as it may, especially when it comes to education, we do whatever we have to. What this woman did is very common in "urban" settings. I mean after all, we can't all live in the suburbs, right? Lord forbid us actually doing what we have to do to prevent our kids from falling into the trap of the  prison pipeline via urban public schools. How dare a single black mother in the projects be so defiant.

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly [Pt. II]: Democracy, Social Justice, & Conservatism

“We were taught... that man’s business on this earth was to look out for himself. That was the ethic of the jungle... Take care of yourself, no matter what may become of your fellow man. Thousands of years ago, the question was asked, ‘Am I my brother’s keeper?’ That question has never yet been answered in a way that is satisfactory to civilized society.

Yes, I am my brother’s keeper. I am under a moral obligation to him that is inspired, not by any maudlin sentimentality but by the higher duty I owe myself. What would you think me if I were capable of seating myself at a table and gorging myself with food and saw about me the children of my fellow beings starving to death?” -- Eugene V. Debs, 1908 speech

Previously, I have looked at justice in general terms, purpsely excluding the role governments play in promoting it. In the following post I will explore the idea of social justice -- the idea that we can create a set of social and political institutions that ensures the just distribution of benefits and costs throughout a society.

The idea first emerged in the late 19^th century, and stood at the heart of political debate throughout the 20^th. It requires that the state become much more involved in justice than earlier times. It was also a controversial idea: whereas only a few extremists have attacked the idea of justice, social justice has been ridiculed, mainly by critics from the libertarian right, who view it as a transgression against personal freedom, especially the economic freedom they feel a market economy requires.

Let’s look at these attacks more closely. Critics such as the Austrian economist Friedrich Hayek argued that there was a fundamental error involved in addressing social justice in the first place. According to Hayek (and many self-loathing neocons that call themselves “libertarians” LOL!), justice is a consequence of individual actions. An action is unjust when it violates a general societal rule that allows members of a society to interact with one another. For example, theft is unjust because it violates a rule protecting property. If we look at how resources -- money, property, employment opportunities, and so forth -- are distributed across a society, Hayek maintains, we cannot describe this as either just or unjust, since it is a consequence not from the actions of a single mediator, but from the actions and decisions of millions of separate individuals, none of whom intended to create this or any other outcome in particular.

No Independence Till We Get Freedom!: Picture us coolin' out on the 4th of July

OK look, I'm fat, I'm black, and I live in Memphis; I can eat BBQ swine any day of the friggin year if I choose. But not this year; nope, not today. Let's just say that a brotha got a few things on his mind on this traditional day of celebrating all things American.

Yeah, I could go down the list but you probably don't need to be depressed today; nor should I make you feel guilty for washing back that big-ass homemade burger with red Kool Aid. So I'mma let this following mashup video from my man Davey D do the talking.

Yep, a brotha ain't really down with celebrating right now while the jury is out on the Oscar Grant trial out in California. I mean, why add the extra pounds to what I already have when I just might have to strap up and put on my famous racism chasing running shoes soon, right?

"You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it." - Malcolm X

The Tragic and Untold Story of The Somali Pirates

Last April, I wrote about my thoughts on the Somali pirates and the media hype surrounding their situation. I'd read that piracy was pumping some serious life blood into the coast of Somalia before, but in that very post, I linked to an article by Time that was eye-opening for me.

And the beat goes on...

I was hoping that more people would jump in, but it seems not a lot of people care. I'm not giving up on this because I always find media hype as it relates to minorities to be disingenious and misleading in many ways.

I'm not taking the bait on these guys, and I wasn't from day one. It takes some serious balls to go up against a tanker, and I don't think it's anyone's idea of a real good time, when they could be doing other things. But then I got to thinking... What else is there for them to do? It's not like we left them any fish or anything:

As soon as the government was gone, mysterious European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping vast barrels into the ocean. The coastal population began to sicken. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died.
...
At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood.

I'm riding for the pirates because they've been robbed of a decent life, not just by their corrupt government, but by so-called First World countries insistent on pillaging the Somalian coast regardless of the well-being of the people of Somalia.

Of course, the media--and the world--gobbles it up and chucks it up to a case of "thieving negroes" who don't want to work for their own. How can they work for it, when they've been robbed of everything they could work for?

This is a perfect example of how ignorance among the masses can be the greatest tool a sinister operation, country or corporation used to continue the subhuman treatment of people of color.

Here's Mr. Hari's GREAT piece on the Somali pirates and the sad, yet untold, reality: Click here.

Could you smile if you were facing 15yrs in prison for cutting in line at Wal-Mart? Will Heather Ellis receive a fair trial? Only we can ensure that she does.

On the day that the president of the United States signed the Mathew Shepard Hate Crimes Bill into law, it’s ironic that I run with this story. Imagine that, a Black man as president signing a federal hate crimes bill. If that doesn’t make our ancestors proud I don’t know what would, but I guess I’m just sentimental like that.

Sadly, the smiling lady in the picture above may not be smiling too brightly these days. No she’s not one of those angry sisters unhappy because some guy took a hike leaving her to raise children all by her lonesome. Instead, she’s a pre-med student with a promising future who stands the chance of being sentenced to 15yrs in prison for cutting in line at a Wal-Mart shopping center in her hometown.

Check it out:






Wait a minute; did somebody say something about the KKK?






Dang, and here I thought the Klan was dead in this here post-racial America...

These fools have business cards? Stepping up in the world aren’t they?

Oh well, as always, there are two sides to every story, and as for the Klan angle:

“It has been a total nightmare,” said her father, Rev. Nate Ellis, a Church of God in Christ pastor. “My daughter has been mistreated. She has been convicted before trial.”

Rev. Ellis said at one point a Kennett police officer brought KKK cards to two people participating in marches on his daughter’s behalf. Ellis said the officer indicated he had collected the cards from along a street and laughed as he delivered them. Ellis and supporters read the move as an attempt at intimidation.

County Prosecutor Sokoloff, reached at his office, said that on the day of the rally for Heather Ellis, “somebody, and it’s unknown who,” had strewn some KKK cards that were not associated with any chapter or locality on one of the streets of the parade rally.

“The police went out, found them and picked them up and took them and showed them to one of the family members organizing the thing and told them, ‘we’ve found these laying on the ground, we picked them up and we thought you might want to know about this.’ They instantly accused the police of actually distributing them.” (Read more here)

Guest Blogger: Black People are working off old paradigms in a 21st Century World - STOP CALLING REV. AL SHARPTON!! (by Citizen Ojo)

(EDITORS NOTE: Citizen Ojo has been a longtime reader of my blog, and one the very first people to comment and support my blog. He blogs over at The Desultory Life & Times of a Public Citizen; a blog that I visit for brain food and laughs. It's a pleasure having him here on the corner as he attempts to convert some of you who need Jesus. Do visit his blog, show him love, and don't be afraid to share your thoughts.)

I will admit that I listen to the Reverend Al Sharpton show. I know that is not a popular thing to say because of how he is viewed by some people. To some people he is a race baiting con artist and to others he is a champion for the underprivileged. I’ve been watching Rev. Al for a while and I believe he is getting wiser in his old age.

I personally feel when he is right he is right and when he is wrong he is wrong.

I don’t believe that he is the ambulance chaser that some portray him to be. If you listen to his show, black folks are always asking him to come to their town or city. Apparently they feel that only Rev. Al can provide the justice that they need. But sometimes people call him for some of the dumbest things this side of the Mississippi.

The problem with some of his listeners is that they subscribe to this false notion of the “Monolithic Black Community”. It’s a falsehood that has been peddled by many of America’s Black Intellectuals and Commentators (including you Rev. Al). Another falsehood is that “we” need “leaders” to lead us because we can’t lead ourselves. Why does Rev. Al need to fly to Detroit to make your Mayor do what he or she is supposed to do? We have elections to remedy these situations. If you don’t like someone, you vote them out.

The problem with many of “us” is that “we” have let the same people continue to stay in office. Some black politicians have become permanent fixtures that have turned public office into their personal playground. 10, 20 30 plus years of chicken dinners and handshakes and you can’t even come out of you neighborhood at night. Then on Election Day “we” barely show up to vote and the day after have a nerve to complain about what’s wrong with our local government.

How Capital Punishment Can Be Fun For The Whole Family (white family)

Recently, while sitting on death row, Troy Davis received some great news. No, he has not been exonerated and cleared of his conviction. And no, he is not set to walk out of the prison gates anytime soon. Instead, Troy Davis' appeal for a new trial in light of new evidence was reviewed and granted by the United States Supreme Court. In my opinion, this news is a testament to the hard work that many here and around the world have exerted on behalf of Mr. Davis, truth, and justice, through activism.

As his new trial is set to start, we must all remember the undeniable truth of not only our judicial system, but more specifically, Capital Punishment here in these United States:

Um, just for the record, being the almighty racism chaser, and champion for truth and justice that I am. I hope you enjoyed this presentation and illustration of what Rush Limbaugh has asserted in that racism is made up, and a figment of the imagination of liberals. Hey, somebody has to put this stuff out there. And here's to hoping that the truth shall set Troy Davis free.