Oh, Didn't Get Any Inauguration Tickets Either, Did You Lupe Fiasco?

Look, I don't know Lupe Fiasco personally, and for all I know he might be the type of person to steal his co-workers lunch out of the refrigerator at work. But as an Hip Hop artist and entertainer? I have madd respect for the brother especially given his content is not-so-mainstream and full of substance. But that's just me, and apparently he said some shit recently that has folks around the Internet kinda ticked off just a tad bit.

Now of course you know you cannot be Black and say anything deemed negative about president Barack Obama unless you're a Republican which pretty much makes you De facto racist. So of course a few of my brothers and sisters are pitching a bitch about this specific part of the entire interview:

"In my fight against terrorism, to me, the biggest terrorist is Obama in the United States of America. For me, I’m trying to fight the terrorism that’s actually causing the other forms of terrorism. The root cause of the terrorism is the stuff that you as a government allow to happen and the foreign policies that we have in place in different countries that inspire people to become terrorists. And it’s easy for us because it’s really just some oil, which we can really get on our own. I don’t vote. I don’t get involved in the political process because it’s meaningless, to be honest. I’m a real big believer if I’m gonna vouch for someone, then I’m gonna stand behind everything that they do. So politicians aren’t gonna do that because I don’t want you to bomb some village in the middle of nowhere." - Lupe Fiasco

Personally I understand and empathize with the somewhat tribal response to this. That being, the perennial need to defend America's first Black president from critique by Black folks. But be that as it may, let's stop pretending that this country has become less of a purveyor of imperialism which is rooted in economic benefit and not the need to spread democracy as it says. Let's stop pretending and keep it real as the young folks say. Let's not pretend that there isn't some truth to what Lupe says. Surely this didn't all stop in January, 2009.

Now as far as his views on voting? They are his own; and please believe, there are many who share his view. In the 2008 presidential elections, according to reports by the Census Bureau, Of the total population of eligible voters (225, 499 million 18 & older), only 58% of them voted, and 94, 355 million people did not. Now, the question that begs to be asked to Lupe's point is: did it really make a difference? If more people voted in 2008 would there be less corporate welfare at the expense of the working class?

No seriously, I'd really appreciate an answer.

Hypocrisy: Democrats Silent As President Obama Extends The Patriot Act

I remember when George Bush signed The Patriot Act back in the day, and just how pissed off us lefty lovers of liberty and justice were. I also remember just how appaled we were about the countless instances where people were arrested, held indefinitely in jails across the country, for practically nothing related to 9/11 and or any other terroristic threats or activities. And now here we are today and president Obama has extended The Patriot Act, and yet there's not a word of dissent, disgust, or even disappointment from anyone identified as an Obama supporter. Of course to do so would mean you're racist; and that's not cool. Nope, not in post-racial America where "Blackness" now means no excuses for regular Black folk, and a free pass if you happen to be POTUS.

So, can anyone tell me just exactly what the fuck actually changed? Oh, all of a sudden it's cool to infringe on our civil liberties because, well, the sitting president happens to be a Democrat? OK, so lemme get this right: Osama bin Laden is dead, Al-Qaeda has been reduced to about 12 people after trillions spent on a bullshit war on terror; but the war continues, and yet and still it's important to keep legislation alive which allows the government to give you an anal probe whenever they feel like it without probable cause?

But anyway, lemme stop my tired-ass Liberal/Progressive whining before Seal Team 6 shows up at my door ready to pump something not-so-nice into my booty, and dump my fat ass in the Mississippi river in some secret mission.

Too bad they didn't have this shit when Negroes were terrorized...

Osama Bin Laden:The Greatest Myth Ever Told

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

Osama Bin Laden has represented a host of ideas from various angles. But one thing he remains in the US mind is a myth, a fictitious being that has operated with God-like qualities in a cave, just like Jesus.

Nobody actually saw him, but people hated, feared and/or revered what he epitomized.

And then there are all of these questions surrounding his death. The un-Muslim sea burial with his body chained to a plank like in the movie Van Helsing. The supposedly unreleased photos of a man who remains elusive for over a decade, and the lack of explanation as to why a former CIA operative becomes a US enemy who initially declared he did not blow up the World Trade towers when he was blamed. And certainly, he did not blow up buildings 7 and 8, that mysteriously fell well after the planes crashed.


This mythic creature, Bin Laden, must now be placed in the arena of Santa, Tooth Fairy, Chupacabra, Sasquatch, Elvis and Tupac. His representation will live on in some way, shape or form.

Let me shift this discussion on the continual Fulture of Fear in US. Obama once emphasized that fear was so permeated in normal, everyday American life needed to be free from that type of living. Ironically, the Culture of Fear is becoming more pervasive, post-Bin Laden death.

We thought we were watching our backs then, well now, we will be watching even more! Big Brother is alive and well, and truthfully, he possesses our psyches like a Santeria Orisa mounting a devotee during ceremony.

Big Brother has been framed as a omnipotent technological presence in the form of satellite, eye scans, and computer surveillance, but that is not the most significant and effective weapon of Big Brother. WE ARE!

We are our own Big Brother. We monitor each other and judge our movements.Then we regulate ourselves from a template that is supposed to be "Patriotic" under Administrations that provide schizophrenic intelligence about various operations.

As blogger Rippa pointed out , the Bush Administration stopped looking for Bin Laden before the search every began, yet US culture, by way of the media, was haunted by a hunt that never really existed.

Nevertheless, war coffers were filled, and we are broker than a muthafuckah.

And since when did questioning your government excuse you from citizenship?

Furthermore, when did using rights as a citizen to question a US Administration that has habitually lied since its inception, become unAmerican.

To me, to be unAmerican is to allow a power structure that undermines its citizens dictate to me the order of the day; especially in a culture where black folks were legally slaves, indigenous people were kicked off of their land and slaughtered, Japanese were forced into internment camps, political activist were black listed in the "Red Scare" and Donald Trump is considering running for president.

Interestingly, the understanding of Patriotism has mutated into a different monster since 1776. Once upon a time, US citizens exercised protest, agitation, intellectual battle, fistocuffs, and even Civil War based on their citizenship rights.Interestingly, the Tea Party can throw vile, racist rants, but the Black Panther Party's fight for a shift in a racist and classist structure was neutralized.

Today, if you critique government, you are cast in an iron pot full of fuddy-duddies. Right now I'm dangling on funny rope with racist tea baggers and self-deprecating black folks. And I don't want to have anything in common with them, and am about to Geronimo jump off this bitch to NeverLand with Peter Pan and Michael.

Though my mama hates it when I rip into the current administration, I have to remind her that I have always scrutinized governments. It is the American way. And as long as their are third and fourth world conditions in one of the richest countries in the world, as well as people who are interested in impeaching the Head-of-State because he is black, I will have a lot to say.

But I digressed, so let me get back to the Culture of Fear.


With the talks of imminent terrorist attacks to come, the US is now "preparing" American citizens for repercussions. With that will come a host of methods that will tear down the right to privacy, a fundamental American right that was placed in the Bill of Rights due to England's intrusive colonial tactics.

Some of the things you will expect to see are things that have been long in the making, but will be forced to stay.

Eye, hand, DNA databases for travel and money transactions; Dismantling of social security and social programs; Privatization of public institutions such as education, roads media, and major ports; Complete privatization of the prison industrial complex.

This new American "lifestyle" are one of many issues, but the biggest strife will be the widening division amongst the citizens. As some people become more "Patriotic" others are distancing themselves from a hegemonic, boxed existence.

Blog on, Eco.Soul

Bush Administration Did Not Pursue Osama Bin Laden Post 9/11

I really hate to go the partisan route given the discussion of Osama bin Laden's tragic yet joyous demise. However, I came across the following article and subsequent interview with historian and investigative journalist, Gareth Porter that I found rather interesting. Here's a tidbit from the article, and I urge you to read it in its entirety. Most importantly, if don't do anything else, be sure to watch the video that follows the piece:

The absence of any military planning to catch Bin Laden was a function of Bush's national security team, led by vice president Dick Cheney and secretary of defense Donald Rumsfeld, which had firmly opposed any military operation in Afghanistan that would have had any possibility of catching Bin Laden and his lieutenants.

Rumsfeld and the second-ranking official at the Pentagon, Paul Wolfowitz, had dismissed CIA warnings of an al-Qaeda terrorist attack against the United States in the summer of 2001, and even after 9/11 had continued to question the CIA's conclusion that Bin Laden and al-Qaeda were behind the attacks.

Cheney and Rumsfeld were determined not to allow a focus on Bin Laden to interfere with their plan for a US invasion of Iraq to overthrow the Saddam Hussein regime.

Even after Bush decided in favor of an Afghan campaign, Tommy Franks, commander of the US Central Command and responsible for the war in Afghanistan, was not directed to have a plan for Bin Laden's capture or to block his escape to Pakistan.  (read more)

So as you can see, clearly the intent was never to kill or capture bin Laden. Instead, it was the Bush administration following through by dancing to the tune of their neo-con  handlers who were bent on investing billions trillions in the military industrial complex. When you think about it, kinda explains how many of them were in support of Obama tripling troop levels in Afghanistan when he did. But now I think it's funny how they're bent on giving Bush any credit for bin Laden's death, and are now calling for an end to the war.

Check this out:


BIO: Gareth Porter is a historian and investigative journalist on US foreign and military policy analyst. He writes regularly for Inter Press Service on US policy towards Iraq and Iran. Author of four books, the latest of which is Perils of Dominance: Imbalance of Power and the Road to War in Vietnam

Right Wing Authoritarians [Torture is Good for You]

[Editors Note: I am not the staunchest Obama supporter, in fact I believe there are legitimate critiques of his policies -- especially his (mostly wrong-headed conservative) economic policy decisions. However, much of the right-wing criticism of Obama is fueled by hatred and, yes, racism. I quantify that last assertion here, but today I find myself SMDH at the revolting scumbags on the right. I mean, they have no sense of fuckin decency, no fuckin shame at all. I believe these cretins would fuck their own mothers over without a second thought...]

Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. Hate Multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. p 53, The Strength to Love, 1963

First things first. It seems there’s a mini storm over the above quote by MLK. The quote, with the leading line, I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy... went viral immediately after the news of the murder of Osama Bin Laden was released. A rather irresponsible article penned by Megan McArdle at The Atlantic, noted that after having Googled said quote, she couldn’t find verification. Therefore, the reporter surmised, the quote isn’t accurate, and MLK never said it.

Actually, as I have correctly cited, the quote is a genuine MLK quote. What isn’t part of the quote, is the first line and here’s what happened. The sentiment was first posted as a Facebook status, and it read (verbatim):

I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that.” -- mlk [emphasis added]

Note the placement of the quotation marks. As the status was repeated, the quotes were misplaced, giving the impression that the leading sentence -- the sentence not part of the MLK quote -- was attributed to MLK. This then led other reporters, bloggers, commenters to assert that MLK never said it. And that’s a false conclusion. But the larger point here is that journalists are doing a piss-poor job of research. Indeed, the research can be found in the comments section of The Atlantic article. Has this journalist ever heard of... books? Direct sources? *The article has been picked in places like the WashPo, The CS Monitor, and if you Google the first line, you’ll easily get 50-60k hits (the last time I looked).

This is bullshit, lazy, hack writing, plain and simple.

Now on to the important stuff...

I guess it was to be expected. No sooner than the news of OBL’s assassination was released, that the right wing cretins went into feces flingin’ mode, and started patting themselves in the back for the deed. What’s that? Yes, the Bush administration spent trillions, sent us to two unnecessary wars where about 50,000 of our men and women were killed or maimed, and spent almost a decade without even getting close to OBL, but Bush should be given the honors. Obama is just the lawn jockey. he can’t possibly be smart enough to capture/ kill OBL, right?

Except that it isn’t true. In fact, only six months after 9/11, The Village Idiot publicly admitted he was no longer concerned about OBL. Let’s take it to the videotape, Johnny:

Spin that bitches. More importantly, Bush shut down the CIA unit weighted with the responsibility of capturing Bin Laden. Guess who opened it up again? Yup... Obama.

Why I Cried When Osama Bin Laden Died

As I got ready to climb into bed, my husband looked up at me with an urgent look on his face. 

"Do you know that Osama Bin Laden was killed?  It's all over my Facebook."

I told him to turn it to CNN and sure enough there it was.  The screen showed happy people in front of the White House rejoicing, waving American flags.  They were rejoicing in New York.  The news was at a fever pitch. 

At first I was happy.  Not jump around happy, but I was very happy.  It was an amalgamation of feelings.  I felt that this would be beneficial to President Obama, and Democrats in general.  I wanted to feel like this made wrongs right, but then reality set in again, and I became deeply saddened.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that God is in control.  I am happy that Osama Bin Laden has transitioned because there's no justice we could ever dispense in this life that could ease, or sadly erase, the pain that man caused. 

The sad fact is his death didn't do anything to bring those lives back.  I wish to God that it could.  Wouldn't that seem fair?  Instead, he's gone on and we're all here, left with somber memorials and 9/11 observations to remember those who were murdered or killed because of his actions.

I didn't know why, but this emotion came over me.  This sadness.  A profound sadness.  One which found me trying to make sense of why I felt that way.  Like most Americans, on 9/11, I woke up to news and phone calls about planes flying into the World Trade Center.  I saw it with my own eyes.  I saw planes disappear into those towers and felt like my entire world was crashing down on me.  I wondered what the hell kind of world did I wake up to.  It was all good the night before.  I was active duty then.  Like most of my comrades, they could've handed me an M16 right outside my front door, and I would've happily landed in Afghanistan to avenge those who were killed on that chaotic day.  The pain we felt as servicemen and women was amplified because we pledged to protect the country against all enemies foreign and domestic, and somehow we didn't because Osama's hate was so compelling, that he violated the very rules of war we thought were understood everywhere.  Being in Hawaii didn't help.  I felt so cut off.  I felt like I couldn't grieve because I was in a paradise.  And thousands of miles away, the country--one that tends to forget about Hawaii unless it's vacation time--was feeling the pain of such unprecedented attacks.

The death toll grew and it became clear that--with action in Afghanistan and then Iraq--that Osama Bin Laden had set off, with the help of an eager American Military Industrial Complex, a chain of events that claimed lives over and over again.  Day after day after day with no end in sight.  The base became emptier and Hawaii lonelier.  As we prepared to get out of the Army, because our child was our priority, it became clearer that the blood on Bin Laden's hands would multiply; would swell like a river ushering forth.  In one day, in one fateful day, Bin Laden's actions and those of his minions would change the lives of thousands for days, weeks and years to come.  Naturally, everyone responsible, whether their intentions were good or otherwise, will be held accountable, if not in this life, the next.  However, the ONE man that made this insanity possible will have to answer not only for his actions, but for the actions of others on a grander scale. 

Tears sprang forth from my eyes.  I cried because all the memories came flooding back.  I cried because in some way, it felt like some lives were vindicated.  I cried because it was so anti-climactic.  That was it.  He was dead and did not even have to explain himself, and because of that, future generations will never learn the flawed logic of a megalomaniacal madman.  In turn, we may never learn from our mistakes.

So many sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, relatives taken away by IEDs, or suicide because of the strain of combat and the killing of one's fellow man.  So many lives gone never to get married or have children or see their parents grow old and wise.  So many flags draped over so many caskets.  So many grim processions through small town streets to a final resting place.  So many children without their parents.  So many veterans left to their own devices because they are no longer of "use."  I cried because it's not over and if we continue on this path in our foreign policy, it will never be over.  My husband tried to console me.  There was no fairness to this.  His death was as much a simple figurehead as he was.  It is but a chapter in a very large book filled with chapter upon chapter of the same old story, just with different characters.  The outcome in many ways is still the same.  They are all still gone.  Erased and forgotten.  The nation moves on as if they never existed.  The nation moves on as if those who survived tours of duty in Afghanistan and Iraq are lepers.  We, as a collective, pretend they are invisible.  We look on with some sort of sadness when we realize who they are and what they've lost, but that's it.  As a nation we expect that a "thank you for your service" will erase the fact that limbs are forever gone and psyches forever marred by nightmares and visions of fallen comrades; guilt for making it out alive.

With just a few bullets to his body, Osama Bin Laden was gone.  It was quick; probably painless.  A merciful death for a man who showed no quarter, not even to women or children.  In one day, it was over.  For us it's been a gradual punishment.  It's been a sick and twisted deja vu. 

"Two soldiers killed in bomb blast in Iraq"

"Soldier Killed in Afghanistan"

I cried because even after his death, more lives will be lost and now there won't be a major figure to blame, but the country won't care.  As time progressed I wiped my eyes, and proceeded with my night.  His death has become as meaningless and utterly irrelevant as his very existence.  In the end, we shouldn't mourn or even pay attention to his death any longer.  If we truly want to dish out some sort of justice; if we really want to make his death mean something, let's rally around the 9/11 families and survivors, those veterans who answered the call and came home, and those currently still answering the call.  Let's stop talking about that beast, and let's start talking about the forgotten war and the forgotten troops in the forgotten country we went to war with first.  While at it, let's help those who serve and served in Iraq, and the families of those who died there. 

The tragedy in all of this was Osama Bin Laden attacked us, and we were united, but then we let factions fracture us again, and then we discarded those who sacrifice and sacrificed everything, and then we forgot--or never bothered to care--about how Osama Bin Laden even rose to power on our watch.  The tragedy was not learning from the actions of the wicked to combat the wicked.  I guess only time will tell if the life and death of Osama Bin Laden and all those he touched, negatively or otherwise, will actually mean something more than just an "eye for an eye."

Was Killing Bin Laden Justice, Or Should He Have Been Brought To Trial?

I set off a a explosive discussion and pissed off a couple people (as only I can) on Facebook by the following status update in reference to the event that was the assassination (killing sounds less humane) of Osama bin Laden: The next time an unarmed Black man gets shot by the cops, I'm gonna call it justice and start chanting, "USA! USA!! USA!!!" Will you join me? I learned from the feedback I received, that my "thought" was inappropriate.

Many missed the hidden question or message as asked by Alan Colmes over at Liberaland: Was It Legal To Kill Bin Laden? It's a really nice quick read and I urge you to check it out. Like my Facebook status and subsequent comments alluded, the real question is whether bin Laden himself should have been afforded due process as afforded per the U.S. Constitution? Well, checkout the following via POLITICO, as some food for thought. Like Alan Colmes asked in his post: Can  you imagine if another country sent commandos to the United States to assassinate someone who was living here?

[...] human rights and civil liberties groups that have sharply criticized the Obama administration for its use of lethal force against terror suspects outside of war zones remained largely mum after the notorious bin Laden was shot by U.S. Navy SEALs in an operation that took place in Pakistan, where the U.S. is not involved in formally declared combat.

Tom Malinowski, the Washington director of Human Rights Watch, said his group wasn’t prepared to express an opinion “until we know more solid details about the facts of the operation.”

“There are certainly circumstances under which lethal force is justified even in a law enforcement situation far from the battlefield,” Malinowski said in an email. “But we'll have to know more about what actually happened before making a judgment.”

Bin Laden Didn't Blow Up The Projects

“Here is the true meaning and value of compassion and nonviolence, when it helps us to see the enemy's point of view, to hear his questions, to know his assessment of ourselves. For from his view we may indeed see the basic weaknesses of our own condition, and if we are mature, we may learn and grow and profit from the wisdom of the brothers who are called the opposition.” - Martin Luther King, Jr.


I hate to be the piss in your morning coffee, but Bin Laden wasn't the one who caused the housing bubble to burst; and the reason the economy is to' up from the flo' up. If you're making the news of Bin Laden's death out to be a victory for Obama and a loss for Bush, you're an idiot. Nobody wins in a war; that is, with the exception of cprporation on Wall Street. You know, the same people who raped what little wealth common folk held as they targeted minorites with their predatory lending scheme? So yeah, you fools can run around slapping high fives and chanting , "USA, USA," all you want. Innocent lives were lost, and for what? So that wealthy elites can use fear to rule our lives?


To me, that's all that matters. Because at the end of the day, my Black ass wasn't looking over my shoulder for some 6' 9" cave-dweller with a ZZ Top beard and a towel on his head frothing at the mouth ready to take me out. No, it was never him; instead it's the crowd of people celebrating his death reminiscent of those vintage town square lynching photos. Those are the Americans who scare me. Because the truth is, while I'm struggling to survive and navigate this cold harsh world of ours. Instead of trying to kill me, they'd rather have fun keeping me and anybody who looks like me in perpetual servitude: or, trapped in a life of accepted economic inequality as I chase the carrot that is the American Dream, while they take what little wealth we have?

SIDENOTE: If George Bush caught Bin Laden in his 2nd term there'd be no president Obama. Just something to think about while making this a partisan discussion. And, it kinda sucks that they killed Bin Laden. I would've loved to hear him tell how he pulled off the Building 7 thingy after trial. But I guess we can still count on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to tell us just how they pulled off that magic trick.

Yes, it isn't Bin Laden, Al Qaeda, or any foreign entity that I'm afraid of. It's the ones who call themselves American, to whom God has entrusted the right to fuck me, and anyone else in the world who looks like me over, I see as a threat. If I were you I'd be worried about them too. Because it ain't about a difference in skin color. It's about generation after generation of them being born into wealth, while we live and die poor doing their dirty work for crumbs. I didn't mean to depress you, and hopefully you're not. This is just something to think about while Bin Laden lies at the bottom of the sea like "Megatron".

Hopefully you can sleep better at night now that Osama sleeps with the fishes...

I know for me, it makes no damn difference.

Osama Bin Laden Buried At Sea? You Mean Like Megatron?? Hmm...

by Eco.Soul.Intellectual

After years of being this elusive figure, the "killing" of Osama Bin Laden occurs in a shroud of mystery, then his body is dumped in the sea. Reports say he was killed in Abbotabad, a city between Gilgit and Ismabad, which is located in the northern part of the country, which is well over 1,000 km from the Arabian Sea.

Very fishy.

Who buried the body? Where is the ceremony? Where are the photos? Come on . . . my conspiracy nose is itching like I have pollen allergies. Just doesn't sit right is all I'm saying.

Then I look at the covers of the Daily News and shake my head. The "report" of this death without concrete data is irresponsible, but the way in which it was handled by this paper is beyond crude. It actually debases the American deaths that are connected to this search of Bin Laden, and in my opinion, pours fuel onto a oil field.

There is this idea that justice has been served. However, in war, there is no justice, just killing, and disrupted lives, and grief. The Bin Laden "killing" doesn't give a father who lost his daughter in Iraq a boner. It doesn't lessen the heartache of a sister who lost her brother at ground zero.

When you are dealing with a population of folk who will use children in diapers to blow up a couple of soldiers, the last thing you want to do is agitate people more. Oh, I thought I was speaking about the US military.

To be so smart, especially as a news source, some folk sure are stupid.

I have to conjure up King's quote, "War no more."

CNN Reports

(CNN) -- Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the worst terrorist attacks on American soil, is dead -- almost 10 years after the attacks that killed about 3,000 people.

The founder and leader of al Qaeda was killed by U.S. forces Monday in a mansion in Abbottabad, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, U.S. officials said.

Four others in the compound were also killed. One of them was bin Laden's adult son, and another was a woman being used as a shield by a male combatant, the officials said.

Bin Laden's body was later buried at sea, an official said. Many Muslims adhere to the belief that bodies should be buried within one day.

The official did not release additional details about the burial, but said it was handled in keeping with Muslim customs.

In an address to the nation Sunday night, U.S. President Barack Obama called bin Laden's death "the most significant achievement to date in our nation's effort to defeat al Qaeda." Washington is nine hours behind Pakistan.

 Click here for the whole story.

Getting to 3rd Base on the First Date; A Date with the TSA.

You know that feeling you get when you're all excited. The anticipation sets in. You feel anxious, yet a little intimidated by the big date. You know it's coming and you just can't wait!

As a result, you begin exercising trying to tone up just a little bit. So Folk thought about doing some squats or kettlebell throws to tighten up the thigh muscles. You know a motherfvcker wanna be prepared when those hands slip up the insides of the legs. You want the sensation to be positive to the hands that slowly make their way to the promise land where the bawlz of glory dwell.

You'll feel a slight release as those hands cup 'em and you'll take a deep breath, but Folk will be wondering if this Uncle Sam is enjoying this a little too much?

What? Y'all thought Folk was talking about a $exual experience with the lil lady or some other world prostitute from delinious twelve? Hell nawl! Folk talking about the upcoming trip on the motherfvcking airplane!

Why the Secrecy Over the Prison at Bagram?

by JuJuBe (Joanna)

Last week, a victory for the government in a federal court case sent a signal out to the rest of the world as to how loosely we hold the ideals of "liberty and justice for all" In a decision that is not surprising AT ALL, Federal District Judge Barbara Jones determined that the Pentagon DOES NOT need to make public vital information pertaining to the prisoners held at the Parwan Prison on the Bagram Air Force Base outside of Kabul.

The ACLU filed suit demanding that such pertinent information as circumstances and location of "capture", the national origin and citizenship, and the length of imprisonment of detainees at Bagram be released. They were denied, under the guise of "national security". And, the judge also decided that there is no need to reveal whether or not the CIA is keeping captives there. It seems like after the debacles at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo, the government is reluctant to share any details of the hundreds of people detained at Bagram. The ACLU believes that it is for fear that the public will find out that many people being held are, in fact, innocent of any wrongdoing, simply victims of circumstance. Prisoners at Bragram DO NOT have the right to challenge their captivity in US Courts.

2,740 People Died on 9/11, & For What?

Look, probably the only thing about the events of September 11th, 2001, that I believe, is the fact that people died on that day. There's no way that anyone can convince me that the 2,740 people who died that day are all off in Tahiti on a beach chillin' with Tupac and Elvis.

But I suppose that I, like millions of other skeptics, still question just exactly what the hell happened on that fateful day now forever etched in our collective minds worldwide.

When members of the 9/11 commission admits to not thoroughly inspecting NSA files on Al-Queda; and only reviewed in a cursory fashion only in the last days of its investigation.

With that said, can we truly conclude we know the truth. Further, why then should we accept what we know per their investigation of the events? Philip Shenon of The Daily Beast writes:

"Throughout its investigation, staffers complained, the commission's leaders were fixated on what could be found in the terrorism files of the CIA and the FBI, the two big targets for criticism in the panel's final report, and largely ignored the NSA, the government's chief eavesdropping agency.

When the commission did get into the NSA archives during a frantic, down-to-the-wire weekend search in June 2004, it found explosive material suggesting links between the 9/11 plotters and the government of Iran and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants of Lebanon. The Iran material was forced into the commission's final report with limited context and without any chance for followup by the commission; the panel was about to shut down." (source)

Well, checkout the following videos by The Real News Network which features Peter Dale Scott. Scott is a former Professor of English at the University of California, and is a renowned researcher and author.

His most recent books are: Drugs, Oil, and War (2005), The Road to 9/11: Wealth, Empire, and the Future of America (2007), The War Conspiracy: JFK, 9/11 and the Deep Politics of War (2008) and Mosaic Orpheus (poetry, 2009). So yeah, checkout the following and lemme know what you think, OK?


9/11: Questions Remain Unanswered:

The Media's Lackluster Reporting on Afghanistan

A couple of days ago I was having a conversation with my friend and journalist, Tracie Powell, about the recent WikiLeaks debacle. In our conversation I noted that in my opinion, there's a certain apathy within the general public towards the war in Afghanistan. I told her that I thought the media had a lot to do with it. Although I'm not sure why, but it seems to me that we're not as inundated with war coverage in Afghanistan as we were with Iraq under the previous administration. Am I wrong about that?

Not only were we assaulted with coverage of our infamous war for oil, which came up a tad bit short on the hunt for those ever elusive WMDs. There was hardly ever a news broadcast which did not feature the angst of the general public as captured by war protests. Oh how funny things have changed from one president to the next. Last July is on record as being the deadliest month to date as far as U.S. casualties in Afghanistan, but you'd hardly have a clue of this fact if you haven't been following Afghanistan specifically.

So what is it? Could it be true that the Obama administration has some secret lock on the mainstream media as some of our friends on the right espouse? Or is it that we're so past 9/11 and the tragic events of that day that this war meas nothing, similarly to the fight for health care for New York's first responders? Does someone in the halls of Congress have to go into an enraged conniption fit the likes of Congressman Anthony Weiner to bring this home for the public at large via the media?

Joseph Stack: It's not called terrorism, it's called having a bad day, and then you get a Facebook group in your honor - that's if you're white, of course

So lemme get this straight; a white male angry at the government flies a plane into a government building in Houston, and it is not considered an act of terrorism? What, terrorism or terroristic acts are only considered as such if the perpetrator is black or if his name sounds like you're hacking up a lung?  Is that right? Is that how it is? So when it's a white guy, he's just considered to be having a bad day, right? Yep, he was "Falling Down". Hopefully the next time I have a bad day and I get a speeding ticket, my Willy T. Ribbs impersonation isn't seen as a personal Jihad or an attack on America.

Of course Joseph Stack didn't just have a bad day. Not when right-wing nutjobs start a Facebook group in your honor and you're heralded as a hero, and a true patriot. You know, sorta the same way abortion doctor murderer, Scott Roeder, was recognized last year? Sure Stack wasn't a terrorist or an extremist; he was an "activist". Yep, to be a terrorist you have to first be of another ethnicity and be proficient in wielding box cutters, and throwing rocks.

Look at this crap:

Racial Profiling at Airports: "I'll take anal cavity search for $2 million Alex."

What do you do after a 23yr old Nigerian who is of the Islamic faith tries to blow up a plane in Detroit but fails miserably only to escape with 3rd degree burns on his nut-sack? Well, aside from being fearful of other Nigerian men who might be also Muslim, who just so happen to have the bubble guts and camp out in an airplane bathroom for an hour. If you're a wing-nut you do the obvious; you blame it on Obama. Then you get on Fox News because they have cornered the market on scaring a few million silly viewers and suggest the need for better racial profiling:

Barack Obama's war in Afghanistan: Crack Pipe, Peace Pipe... Same difference!

"It should be incandescently clear that no one who has any concern for the integrity and life of America today can ignore the present war." - Martin Luther King Jr.

So I woke up yesterday only to be greeted by one of my Black Republican buddies on Facebook by the question: So what are your thoughts on Obama's war? The question didn't throw me off as it is what I have come to expect from Conservatives. Obama's war? Wait a minute, didn't we invade Afghanistan a little over 8yrs ago? Shit, they way they've spun this, you would swear that there aren't any troops currently deployed to that God forsaken depleted part of the world. My buddy then went on to criticize Barack Obama as I expect all now rehabilitated warmongering neoconservatives and their legion of lemmings to do.

My man said Obama was a hypocrite because he was an anti-war candidate while he campaigned for the highest office in the land. I laughed at after I questioned myself as to whether there has ever been an anti-war candidate, or whether there was ever one to successfully become president. I had to check my buddy again and remind him that Barack Obama was against the Iraq war, didn't vote for the then "surge", but always stated that the focus should have been Afghanistan.

Of course he didn't believe me; it's just like conservatives and their selective amnesia. But anyway, my man went in on Obama and said that the war in Afghanistan was stupid, and his decision to escalate troops was foolish because people in Afghanistan were too primitive to be fighting and as a result as he said "We'll never win!." Of course I laughed again because this was the same guy all gung ho about the "War on Terror," and tracking down some boogieman hooked up to a dialysis machine as he sat in a cave sipping ice tea, and reading the latest Taliban Playboy magazine edition.

These conservatives are a trip and a half. It's obvious that Dick Cheney has something against his cousin Barack Obama. I dunno, maybe he didn't get much love at the last family reunion, and he's a little salty. This fool had the nerve to come out of the lair he shares with the Grinch who stole Christmas and suggest that Obama was taking too long to make a decision on Afghanistan. And when Barack finally made the move, Dick Cheney had the nerve to say that Obama was "weak". Yeah Obama is weak but it took him and George Bush took only 50 days to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan when they went in just after the events of 9/11.

You know, for a war criminal Cheney is a bold muthafucka!

Really Dickhead Cheney? Mission accomplished? Different country, but do you remember that shit? Lemme guess, all this time troops in Afghanistan have been dying from boredom as they made finger puppets, right? Yeah, all those American casualties were as a result of paper cuts and the fact that like America, there is no Universal Health-care in Afghanistan? Yep, and Obama is sending in 30,000 extra troops just in time for Christmas to drop off toys for little Muslim children who pray every-night to Jesus for a Zhu Zhu Pet.

Look, personally, I think Obama made a bad move with this, and I wish he would have decided on bringing those troops home rather than add to quagmire that it already is. Of course I know that he had always lobbied for Afghanistan. But I thought it was just a front while he campaigned because, well, you know how Negroes go out of the way "To show how hard dey is." Yeah, I thought he was just trying to gain support from all those John Wayne war movie loving folks who are clueless as to what war really looks like. But hey, his approval rating with the "white folks" is now at a paltry 39%, so I could see him doing what he's doing to, well, "Show dem how hard him is!"

I'm an anti-war kinda guy and yes I'm disappointed by his decision. Uh-huh, and as an Obama supporter myself, I'm not hearing anymore of that talk about what George W. Bush did in the past from him or any of you other Obama supporters - especially those of you of the Negro kind who are comfortable with the "Give the prez a chance, he has only been in office 2 weeks" bullshit line.

Negroes, Terrorists, Empty Prisons & Constructive Feedback

So I caught some shit on CNN after I got out of bed this morning. They were talking about all the hoopla with Al Queda coming from Gitmo, and being in the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade in New York or some shit like that.

I mentioned this in a recent post and even submitted a proposal as to how this situation should be handled, and I'm still sticking to it. But from what I saw on CNN, this whole thing needs yet another proposed solution, for yet another concern - national security.

Check this out:




These fuckers have an empty prison that has been sitting practically empty for 8yrs. Do you hear me? Eight friggin years! And now they're pitching the idea to get them there terrorists so as to create jobs? Lemme guess, all the colored folks in Illinois, particularly 110 mls away in Chicago have been on good behavior for the last 8yrs? I mean that's the only explanation for this prison being empty as long as it has, right?

And then there was this:




These people as you can see, just like the good and broke folks in Thompson Illinois are also trying to get the gov't to bring those Al Queda limo drivers terrorists to their prison. When I first watched this, it was then I realized, that the real problem for them, is that there are only 8 people of color in the state of Montana. Yep, not enough Negroes or Messikans to arrest to fill a prison. Think about it: this isn't exactly a problem in the south or the north east, now is it?

So how do we fix this?

The Irony of Barack Obama Winning the Nobel Peace Prize

So Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize for 2009 as announced this morning. There has been much debate as to whether it is deserved or not - a debate I'm going to weigh in on a little bit later. But one initial thought I have is the irony of him being the recipient of said award. I mean, isn't it ironic that he is receiving this award for his efforts to affect change internationally through diplomatic talks, negotiations, nuclear proliferation and all of that mumbo jumbo. You know, basically all the shit Bush was against...?

But here at home, he is the motivating source of much ridicule, and hate.

Isn't that ironic?

Lets see, Barack Obama is great for the world, but not for the country?

Like this for example:

Like I said, I just wanted to throw that out there before actually sharing my thoughts on him being awarded the Nobel prize. Whether you agree that the award is deserved or not, we must be careful to not ad fuel to the fire for idiots like the gentleman in the clip above who is clearly racist by the way. But at the same token we must never miss an opportunity to put people like this guy in check, and hold him accountable for his actions. You know, the people who hide behind the bible and constitution and use it as a shield to express their hate? You know, people who used to be identified as racist at one point in time but now are called Teabaggers, Birthers, Republicans etc...?

SIDENOTE: How can a Republicans/Conservatives disagree with Barack Obama receiving this award when in fact he's currently seeking a 40,000 troop increase for Afghanistan? You know, a war they are all for??

Even in receiving this award there are assclowns on the right side of the political spectrum who are as always, politicizing this announcement. The irony of that is that there are people (like me) who are of the opinion that he hasn't done enough by way of ending the war in Iraq and Afghanistan to deserve the Nobel Peace Prize in such a short time in office. But yet even as he is pushing for troop increases in Afghanistan, or stalling on the closing of Guantanamo Bay, those very same right wing nutjobs are still not happy about him winning the Nobel Prize [Click here to read about them].

While people like me cried tears of joy on election night last year. Even with as much hate they throw out now. I take much pleasure in the thought that on that very same night. Assholes like the gentleman in the clip above reacted this way...

Somehow, I can't help but to think that many of them have yet to get over the traumatic experience or realization that the president of the USA is a Black man. Well, Barack Obama is definitely Black, and Karma is obviously a Black bitch from the Southside of Chicago as well. These same fools who were ecstatic a week ago because he failed in his attempt to bring the Olympics to his hometown are now all looking like they ate stir fried shit as they carry on with whining. Oh well, Magical Negroes have a way of doing that to some people, I suppose.

QUESTION(S): Why is it that Obama gets love abroad but not here at home? What is it that people abroad see in him that some of us here at home fail to appreciate or embrace?

Bin Laden Didn't Blow Up the Projects

I need somebody to help me understand this Gitmo stuff...

We live in a country, which has no problem throwing people into prisons. A country which has built a thriving industry just in doing so. A country which houses the most people incarcerated in the world. But yet, people are against people currently held in Guantanamo Bay as "enemy combatants" being housed on U.S. soil? A country where a soldier was given life in prison for raping a 14yr old Iraqi girl and murdering her family; while a Black man sits on Death Row being refused a new trial in the face of evidence that could very well exonerate him? What type of shit is that?

WATCH THIS:Guantanamo Bay - USA

And then you have idiots afraid that they're going to be living next door to a fuckin terrorist?!!! Damn, I thought we were over this fear shit in the age of Obama? Hell, now we have Democrats voting against the necessary funds to close Guantanamo Bay? What kinda shit is that?? Why the fuck should I be worried whether a terrorist lives next door to me? Can somebody answer this for me? I mean, I don't even know my neighbors just like most of you. Hell, for all I know my neighbor could have a pit in his basement, or a dungeon like Rick James used to, where he has wild, nasty sado-masochistic sex with lord know who; he could even be a sex offender for all I know - maybe even a child molester.

But yet, I'm supposed to be scared that the guy next door could possibly be a terrorist from another country? Lemme guess, the 240 or so "terrorists" from Guantanamo just might bring those Cuban roaches with them, right? Yup, and now we have some asshole whose first name is synonymous with penis, and last name rhymes with Lamey, tell the American people that torture was justifiable. There are illegal immigrants in detention centers who have been languishing on U.S. soil, and have even died while in custody here in American.

Yeah, but now some people are of the opinion that the Gitmo detainees would be a bad influence on the people in prison here. Bin Laden didn't blow up the projects. Dick Cheney, it was you and George Bush who lied to start this war on terrorism. Shit, it wasn't Bin Laden who pushed for all this deregulation which has all but fucked working class people sideways. That said, why should I believe you when you say that you guys had to do what you had to do to keep the people in this country safe. Hell, people are having a hard time as is trying to make it and now you wanna step in a scare the shit out of them?

I thought Barack Obama was your cousin...

Tell the truth nigga!

Somebody talk to me after watching this video...

God & Country: Why Talk About Afghanistan When We're Not Taking Care of Our Veterans Barack?

I listened to Barack Obama's press conference today as he spoke about NATO agreements on the move to upscale the focus on Afghanistan & Pakistan. As I listened to him speak, and answer questions in the Q&A that followed. It hit me: I thought the war on terror was over. Oh, I get it. It’s not over, but we’re just going to call it a different name now. Ahhh, the winds of change I tell ya; you gotta love it.

Personally, I happen to think it’s a waste of time, money, and life being at war in Afghanistan. Matter of fact, I think the whole idea of the initial invasion of Afghanistan was rather myopic. Has any outside force ever won fighting any wars in Afghanistan? No they haven’t, and you’d think that this country could have learned from history. I don’t know what you may think about this, but, isn’t it a waste of resources financial and otherwise being engaged in Afghanistan, as much as it was in Iraq?

As I listened to Obama speak, I couldn’t help but to think of a documentary I saw last weekend on LinkTV called “When I Came Home”. The documentary told the stories of U.S. Iraqi & Afghanistan war veterans who have returned home only to feel betrayed by their country. These are men and women who are homeless and some who struggle to get the necessary medical care for PTSD.

The setting for the documentary was New York City, and ironically it featured a number of minorities. These were Black men and women, who as they say, sacrificed their lives, for the protection of our country, democracy, and freedoms. Though NYC was the backdrop, I can’t help but to think that these very episodes are played out across this great nation of ours.

My question is: what good is making that sacrifice (for God & Country), when upon your return home you’re not treated accordingly to your sacrifice? Why should other countries stand behind this country in fighting the Global War on Terror … oops, I meant Overseas Contingency Operations, when they fall short on taking care of their veterans when they return home? It is estimated that there are about 250,000 veterans currently homeless on our streets every night.

You should take the time to view the documentary because it is indeed an eye-opener. Below I’ve included an excerpt (it's only 12 minutes long) of some of the people featured in the documentary. Just these snippets alone should encourage you to speak out against this as it is happening to our “heroes”. If we’re supposed to support our troops, I say we support them all the way, especially when making the transition to civilian life. I don’t know if there really is a God, but it’s a shame that Country isn’t around when these man and women need help.

God Bless America?

LEARN MORE:
More links are available at the When I Came Home film website

Visit Aaron Glantz's website

Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America

Help create housing and employment opportunities for homeless vets at US VETS, INC

Information about Stand Downs in your area is available here

Contact the members of the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and the members of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs to urge them to work to improve the lives of returning veterans