Celebration Time Is Over!

Meet Denise Helms, she's a 22 year old woman from Califormia.

The day after the election, she suggested on her facebook page that the POTUS should be assassinated.

The same day, Peter Brant II- the son of a billionaire confessed  joked about 'contingency plans' that were already in place to assassinate the president.

*side note*
When billionaires invest almost a billion dollars to get someone out of office, and they don't succeed-do you really think they're going to just sit back and not attempt to get a return on their investment?

I'm not saying this to scare you-I'm saying this to warn you!

Many of you may be shocked to read and hear about such things, but I'm not.

I've been paying attention to these people, and I know that they're serious.

That's why I'm telling you that celebration time is over!

It's time to start praying!

Ghosts of Ole Miss

Ok, raise your hand if you're familiar with ESPN's 30 for 30 series?
*counts hands*
Ok, cool!
Now, raise your hands if you've seen 'Ghosts of Ole Miss'.
*counts hands again*
Hmmm.......not that many hands raised.
For those of you with your hands down, let me tell you what it's about.

In 1962, James Meredith was attempting to become the first black student to intergrate the University of Mississippi.
At the same time, the Ole Miss football team was chasing a national championship.
The two worlds collided when Mr. Meredith's admission to the university set off riots.
It was so bad that the national guard had to come in to protect him.
Klaverns of the KKK and racists from all over the south converged on the campus in Oxford to fight off-what they described as- the "government takeover" of their school, and "big government" trying to tell them what to do.
Sound familiar?
What happened next was something that this part of the country will never forget.
Mr. Meredith was harrassed, beaten, and even shot one day while walking to class.
The national guard had to protect 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for the rest of the school year.
The Ole Miss football team went undefeated, but the violence and images of the riots caused a backlash among voters, and the national championship was awarded to another team.

Fifty years later, Ole Miss has it's first black SGA president.
Last week, they crowned their first black Homecoming Queen.
On the surface, the state looked like it had moved forward.
But the 'Ghost of Ole Miss' reared it's ugly head to remind us all, that racism, bigotry and hatred is still alive and well in the Magnolia state.
Check out the video:

Yep!
These are the descendents of those same people that beat, spat on, and shot James Meredith.
Their behavior is a learned behavior, and the only way to change their behavior is to start punishing the beloved institutions that their 'honorable parents and grandparents' adore.
Example:
The day after the election, I was listening to a sports talk radio show here in Birmingham, Al. when a caller called in to talk about the election and to voice his disdain for the president.
He said, " 'Obuma' may have won re-election, but he didn't win the state of AlaBAMA and he didn't win the SOUF."
(that's SOUTH for those of you who don't speak 'redneck')
Then he said, "I wish these democrats would move to the 'nourth' with the rest of dem' damn liberals."
You know what?
I agree with him!
And when we move, we should take all of these black football players from the university of Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss, and the rest of the SEC with us.

You see, they love us as long as we're running up and down a football field, or dunking a basketball.
But the moment we step off the field and into the political arena, it's a problem.
That type of thinking is what led to the small-scale riot at Ole Miss.
It's time to kill these ghosts!
And the way to kill them is not by using violence (although I'm prepared if it comes to that).
No, the way to fight them is to use our power-political and, yes, athletically.
I wonder how these students would react if their 2012 football team resemblemed their 1962 team?
I wonder if that would get rid of 'The Ghosts of Ole Miss' once and for all.
Probably not, but it would be a start.

*disclaimer*
The majority of the universities in the SEC (Southeastern Conference) are no different than Ole Miss.

The Awakening of the Silent Majority

The race that many people (not including myself) thought would be a nail-biter, was over at 10:30 CST on election night.
Conservatives were shocked!
They couldn't believe, or understand how they lost so badly.
Well, it's quite simple!
When you go out of your way to suppress the black vote...............
When you disrespect Latinos by telling them they should 'self-deport' themselves...........
When you continue to support a man running for the senate seat in Missouri who says,"Women can't be pregnant unless it's a legitimate rape"...................
When your party's platform will force women who are raped to give birth to their rapists' child........
When your party is takes it's cue from Rush Limbaugh, SATAN Sean Hannity and gives credibility to Donald Trump..........
When all of those things happen, you piss people off.
And when you piss people off, you wake up the 'Silent Majority'.
For years, we-'The Silent Majority' has sat by and watched the hypocrisy of the GOP and said nothing publicly about it.
We've watched conservatives call this president everything but a child of God.
But when President Bush was in office, people were called un-American if you said something about him.
When the Dixie Chicks had disparaging remarks to say about President Bush, conservatives called on all radio stations to stop playing their songs. And if they didn't stop, they threatened to boycott those stations.
Yet, when Hank Williams Jr. and Ted Nuggent basically call this president a ni**er and they're exercising their free speech?
We've sat by and listened to you complain about "Taking your country back"............like it was your country to begin with.
We've watched and listened to all of those things, and finally, we've had enough!
'The Silent Majority' will be silent no longer.
Unlike 2008, we're not going away for the mid-terms.
We're not tuning out from the political process.
We're here to stay.
We are 'The Silent Majority'.

GO VOTE!

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Voting Act of 1964 into law.
Four days later, a group of about 50 people went to the Dallas County courthouse in Selma, Al. to register to vote.
Not only were they denied, but they were arrested.
The next day, a judge signed an injunction that made it illegal for two or more people to gather together and talk about voter registration.
Think about that: You couldn't even talk about registering to vote.

-Six months later on January 2, 1965, Dr. King defied that injunction and held a meeting at Brown Chapel in Selma, Alabama to plan a strategy to get people registered.
The plan was to branch out into surrounding counties and get as many people involved as possible.

-On February 18, 1965
Rev. C.T. Vivian, of the SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee) led a march through the streets of nearby Marion, Al. to the Perry County courthouse.
That march took place late in the evening.
Local officials were ordered by the governor to turn the street lights off.
When the street lights were turned off, state troopers moved in and attacked the marchers.
Later that night, one of those state troopers followed a young man by the name of Jimmie Lee Jackson to his house. Once he got to the house, the trooper got into an altercation with Jimmie Lee Jackson's mother.
In an effort to protect his mother, Jimmie Lee fought the state trooper. Instead of fighting, the trooper pulled out his gun and shot him.
Jimmie Lee Jackson died in the hospital eight days later.
After his death, Rev. James Bevel of the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference) called for a march from Selma to Montgomery to confront Gov. George Wallace over Mr. Jackson's death-and to also demand that every black person in the state of Alabama have the right to vote.

-Sunday, March 7th
An estimated 500 people gathered at the Edmund Pettus Bridge to begin that march.
As they appraoched the bridge, they were met by state troopers who cited that earlier injunction and ordered the group to disband.
When they didn't, the marchers (men AND women) were sprayed with tear gas, beaten with billy clubs, brass-knuckles, chains etc.
One of those people was John Lewis, (now Congressman John Lewis of Georgia), who to this day still has the gash on the left side of his head where the billy club split his head open.
The marchers were beaten so badly, and there was so much blood shed that-that day became known as "Bloody Sunday".

-Two days later, Tuesday March 9th
Dr. King led about 2,000 people (including those same people who were beaten) out to the Edmund Pettus bridge for a prayer session. After they prayed they turned around, showing the authorities that their motive was not to break the law.
This day became known as, "Turnaround Tuesday."
Later that night, Rev. James Reeb, a WHITE minister from Boston who was there showing his support for the marchers, was beaten to death by the KKK.
His death got the attention of the national media, which put pressure on local officials to lift that earlier injunction.

-March 21st
 An estimated 10,000 people gathered once again at the Edmund Pettus Bridge to once again, march from Selma to Montgomery. They marched through rain, cold weather and other horrible elements. But those elements weren't enough to deter them from their mission-which was to confront Gov. Wallace, but more importantly, get registered to vote.
Not everyone made it the entire trip, but that's not the point.
The point is: They were determined to vote!

For those of you who don't know, the distance from Selma to Montgomery is almost 50 miles.

If these people were willing to be beaten.......
If they were willing to risk their lives.......
If they were willing to march 50 miles.........
Then why in the world can't you get up off of your sorry, lazy a** to go vote?

GO VOTE!

Politics In The Pulpit

Rev. A.R. Bernard is pastor of The Christian Culture Center in Brooklyn, New York.
It has a membership of over 30,000.
Like most influential pastors, if he tells his congregation to do something, chances are, they'll do it-simply because they trust his judgement.
And given Rev. Bernard's track record of generosity and work in the community, he's earned that trust.
But occasionally, people like Rev. A.R. Bernard will take advantage of that trust, and will make an effort to lead their congregation or community in a direction that's against their best interest.
Case and Point:
Last month, Rev. Bernard suggested to his congregation that they should stay home on election day.
His reason:
"Because the president's stance on gay marriage goes against the word of God."

For the record I don't support gay marriage, but I'm sure gay people who want to get married wouldn't support some of the things I do either-so we're even.

Rev. Bernard would have you to believe that his suggestion to his congregation was based strictly on his "religious belief".
But in my opinion, it was done based on his "political belief"!
Rev. Bernard is one of the leading voices in the black conservative movement.
And within the black conservative movement, is a network of pastors who support that movement because (let them tell it) the republican party is the party of family values, and godly principles.
(Since when did discrimination, voter suppression and outright racism become godly?)

During the civil rights movement, the FBI and local officals used black ministers to create division within the movement by encouraging them to tell their congregation not to follow Dr. King because he was an adulter.
In return for doing so, those ministers received money from the FBI.
The same thing is happening today, except today, they're receiving donations to their church from Super PACS.
If your pastor tells you NOT to vote, tell him to keep his politics out of the pulpit!

Sunday Praise & Inspiration

Good morning!

I don't know about you, but I've done some things that I know God wouldn't be proud of.

But I'm so thankful that He loves me in spite of all of my faults and my imperfection....and has given me another chance.

Welfare Politics

This video has been the topic of conversation of every conservative talk radio show today.
Every conservative blog in the country has it on it's front page.
The suggestion here is that black people are voting for President Obama because-as the lady in the video puts it- "He gives us free stuff if we're on welfare."
Does anyone really think this video is authentic?
Does anyone think that a bunch of people will get together, make signs, stand in the street and encourage people to vote for the president because he gives them "free stuff"?

Do I think these type of people exist?
Of course I do!
But I can almost promise you that people on welfare aren't going to go stand on a street corner all day unless someone is paying them.
And since I seriously doubt someone from the Obama campaign is openly soliciting their support, the question then becomes,
Who's sponsoring this bafoonery?
If I had to guess, the color of their skin is the opposite of her skin, and they're probably voting for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.

Sunday Morning Praise & Inspiration

Everybody has a story.

Your story may be different from mine.

However, both you and I, have an obligation to share that story.

What are you doing to share your story with others?

Neo Soul Saturday

September 15, 1963

Today we honor the memory of the four little girls who were killed at the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church.
Denise McNair
Cynthia Wesley
Addie Mae Collins
Carole Roberson

The New GOP

I own about 10-12 books on the civil rights movement.

My favorite is a book that won the Pulitizer Prize titled;

Parting The Waters; America In The King Years 1954-63.

My favorite chapter in that book is chapter 15; Hoover Triangle And King's Machine.

That chapter details the political battles that took place between Dr. King and the leader of the FBI, J.Edgar Hoover.

In shows in depth the moves that Hoover tried to make, politically, to not only destroy Dr. King, but to set in motion events that would ultimately lead to something more sinister.

Although it took place over 50 years ago, that chapter mirrors what's taking place in this country right now.

The effort to destroy President Barack Obama has gone from just making sure he's not re-elected, to creating an environment of hatred that's unlike anything this country has seen since those turbulent times.

Today's GOP reminds me of the old dixiecrat party.

The dixiecrats were a mixture of democrats and republicans who thought both of their parties were too soft on integration. In a sense, today's GOP could be called the offspring of those dixiecrats.

Their fear and intimidation tactics are the same today as they were then.

 

Just the other day, a Connecticut firefighter attacked a man for wearing a pro-Obama t-shirt.

There have been numerous reports of police officers pulling over people with pro-Obama bumper stickers on their cars.

Some employers have fired some employess for being supporters of the President.

It's crazy!

I listen to a lot of talk radio;

(POTUS, Sirius Left, The Power, NPR and maybe 2-3 minutes of conservative talk radio)

I watch a lot of cable news;

(CNN, MSNBC, and C-SPAN)

The language and rhetoric that's taking place in this country right now is very similiar to the language and rhetoric that took place in the 1960s.

At some point, things will come to a tipping point.

Let's just pray that when it does, we won't have to re-live some of the horrific events that took place back then.

 

The Carters Are Hosting A Fundraiser For The Obamas

On Tuesday, September 18th, Mr. and Mrs. Sean Carter are hosting a fundraiser for the President and First Lady at $40,000 a plate!

The event will be held at Mr. Carter's 40/40 Club in New York City.

The Carters-also known as Jay-Z and Beyonce-are the most powerful couple in entertainment.

Last year, they earned a combined $98 million.

When you earn that kind of money, you're more than a couple or husband and wife, you're a movement.

And when you're a movement, you can use your power and influence to do a number of things-both good and bad.

In a day and time where many black celebrities are rightfully criticized for their lack of involvement in issues that affect those who support their careers, it's great to see this power couple movement using  their influence to make a difference.

Shout out to the Carters for taking their movement to the next level.

More specifically, shout out to Mrs. Carter for upgrading her husband's political awareness game.

The former drug dealer from Marcy Projects has come a long way.

The Roc Is In Da BUILDING!

Where Was The Secret Service?

It seems like everyone from the national media to social media are all giddy over the business owner who bear-hugged the President yesterday.
Everyone except for me!
When I first saw this on the news, the first thing I asked myself was,
"Who is this man picking up the President of The United States?"
The second question I asked was,
"Where in the hell is the secret service?"
I don't ever recall someone doing this to George W. Bush.
Or Bill Clinton...........
Or George H.W. Bush........
Or Ronald Reagan........
Or Jimmy Carter........
Or (who was before Carter)
Oh.......or Gerald Ford..........
So why was someone allowed to not only put their hands on the President in this fashion, but lift him up off of his feet without one single secret service guy stepping into the picture to make this man put the President down?
And even if permission was given to the man to do this, WHY?

Listen, I'm not turning into a conspiracy theorist or anything like that.
However (comma) this makes no sense to me.
Here you have the first African-American president-one who has received more credible death threats than the previous presidents I named combined, and they allow someone to get this close to him?
Somebody slipping!

Watch these folks!
I mean, seriously, watch these folks!
Strange occurances are taking place around our President, and I don't like it.
Hopefully, this is the last time I will have to ask,
"Where Was The Secret Service?"

Sunday Morning Praise & Inspiration

Michelle!

 

There are very few moments when I'm speechless......

When I don't have anything to say.........

When I don't know what to say..............

Last night was one of those moments.

I watched with pride as the First Lady talked about her humble upbringing, and the values her parents placed inside of her, and her brother Craig.

I cheered with excitement as she threw political and personal jabs at Mitt Romney without ever mentioning his name.

I reminisced on the fact that less than a half-century ago, the struggle that afforded her the opportunity to stand on that stage, was still taking place.

I soaked in the moment as I watched this amazing, accomplished, and attractive mother, wife, and First Lady deliver what many pundits have called, one of the most memorable and powerful speeches in the history of American politics-as it relates to political conventions.

 

But the most powerful moment for me was when she started talking about her husband, and the love she has for him.

When  she did that, my emotional radar was taken to another level.

She took me to a place that I dream about, and pray about in my quiet time.

And once I was at that place, I must admit to you that I had more tears in my eyes than she had in hers.

 

And here's why;

It is my opinion that most men-whether they want to admit it or not-desires to have a relationship with a woman that loves him unconditionally, the way Michelle loves Barack.

And for some of us, it's more than a desire, it's a CRAVING!

We CRAVE to have a woman that will fight for us the way Michelle fought for Barack last night.

We CRAVE to have a woman who is willing to accept us for who we are, regardless if we're the President of The United States, or an aspiring author with a blog.

We CRAVE to have a woman who is willing to stand by us, even when we don't have it all together, like Michelle stood by Barack when he picked her up in that old rusted out Honda Accord with the hole in the door.

We CRAVE to have a woman that's not ashamed to take us around her family and friends, whether we have a hole in the bottom of our shoes like the President had in his shoes, or we're wearing a brand new pair of Steve Madden loafers.

We CRAVE to have a woman who is willing to believe in our dream and our vision, just as much-if not more- than we believe in it ourselves.

We CRAVE to have a woman that will proudly stand in front of the WORLD and proclaim that her man is the best man for the job-whatever job it is!

In a sense, we CRAVE a woman like Michelle Obama.

 

I'm sure President Obama and former President Clinton will give great speeches at the DNC.

But I can promise you that none of those speeches will touch me, move me, or inspire me like the one given by Michelle.

Don't Sleep!

On October 1st, BET will premiere a new show hosted by former CNN anchor, T.J Holmes.

The late night show titled, Don't Sleep w/ T.J. Holmes will provide a mixture of politics, social issues, and music.

You know, kind of like The Board Room on television.

Many of us have been screaming for networks to provide us with more quality shows involving people of color.

We finally have it!

Now it's up to us to show the executives (even the ones at BET) that we'll support shows like this, just like we support the train wrecks disguised as "reality tv"..

Please spread the word about Don't Sleep.

Also be on the look out for the bus tour coming to a city near you this fall.

An Ugly Storm

 

Have you ever had the feeling that it's about to storm?
I mean, it's not raining, and everything appears to be normal, but you can sense it in the air.
You can feel it in the atmosphere.........
Does anyone know what I'm talking about?
Well, lately, I've had the feeling that an ugly storm is headed our way.
No, I'm not talking about Hurricane Issac.
(My prayers are with the people along the Gulf Coast)
I'm talking about the political hurricane that's threatening to hit this country.
Some of you know EXACTLY what I'm talking about.
But for those of you who don't, let me hip you to the forecast.

*Last month, a D.C. police officer who was assigned to protect First Lady Michelle Obama, made the statement that he wanted to kill her.

*A couple of weeks ago, a group of Navy Seals-the elite group within the military- came out and blasted the President for lying about his role in capturing and killing Osama Bin Laden.
(Funny, I don't remember the same criticism of George W. Bush for capturing Sadaam Hussein)

*Recently, a Texas JUDGE predicted there would be a civil war if President Obama was re-elected.

* A county commissioner in Lubbock County, Texas proposed a bill to raise taxes so he could hire more police officers to patrol the streets to stop the civil unrest that will take place if the President is re-elected.

*Last weekend, an anti-Obama movie grossed almost $3 million at the box office-becoming the highest grossing documentary of all time.......in one weekend.

*Yesterday, four soldiers were charged with threatening to overthrow the government, and plotting to assassinate the President.

Need I say more?

I'm not a meterologist, but I don't need one to tell me that there's an ugly storm brewing in this country.
And if it continues to gain strength, it will be more costly, and more deadly than any hurricane we've ever seen.

Sure, we're all praying for the President and his family.
But are you prepared to deal with the storm if it comes?

Neo Soul Saturday

The last couple of weeks has been a time of reflection for me.

Maybe because for the first time since I started this current journey in my life, I can finally see the finish line.

Isn't it amazing how certain songs remind you of certain periods of your life?

Good or bad.....

Happy or sad.........

Music is truly the soundtrack to our lives-at least it is for my life.

This song was released about ten years ago, but the lyrics helped me deal with some things I was recently going through.

Hope you guys enjoy.

By the way, does anyone know what happened to this brotha?

His music was so underrated!

Turn Off Fox "News"

Have you ever walked into a place a business and noticed that their televisions were on Fox News?
If that has happened to you, have you ever asked them to change the channel?
If not, why not?
Do you agree with that right-wing propaganda disguised as a news channel?
I don't!
Which is why last week when I was in a McDonald's I made my feelings known.

As I sat down to enjoy my number ten (Filet-O-Fish Meal), I noticed that both televisions were on Fox "News".
I politely asked one of the employees to change it to CNN or MSNBC.
The employee responded by saying they weren't allowed to change the channel.
I asked for the manager.
The manager came over and gave me the same response.
She said, their local corporate office instructed them to leave the televisions on Fox "News" at all times.
So, me being me, I asked for the name of the owner of that particular McDonald's, and the number to the corporate office.
At first, the manager ignored me.
After I let it be known that I wasn't the person to be ignored, she became upset.
She asked, "Why are you making such a big deal about nothing?"
I said, "Because Fox News has been Ground Zero in creating the atmosphere of hate towards my President and I refuse to watch it."
She responded by saying, "It's just the news."
I didn't respond, but I almost said,
"That attitude might be the reason you're working at McDonald's"
Well, that and the huge tattoo on her neck.
(No offense to people who work at McDonald's)

Long story short, I talked to a district manager, and let it be known that
I didn't think people in that neighborhood-who overwhelmingly supports the President-should be subjected to the hatred and lies that are spewed on Fox "News".
I also told them that if they didn't instruct their employees to change the channel from Fox to CNN or MSNBC, I was going to get a group of people, and march and protest in front of their building.
For those of you who know me, you know I don't have the time to march, protest or do much of anything else.
But they didn't know that, and my tone of voice made them think I was serious.
Miracously, a few days ago when I went back into that same McDonald's, the televsion was on CNN.
So from now on, when you walk into a place a business-especially a business that heavily depends on black patrons-do like I did.
Make them turn off Fox News!
Because not everyone wants to be subjected to their lies, hatred and disrepect of our First Family!!

Rest In Peace Michael Teasley

Last week, Michael Teasley who served as the president of the NAACP chapter at Jackson State University passed away.
He was only 40 years old.
Mr. Teasley made national news and created a small uproar in 2010 when he became the first white President to lead a chapter of the historic group at a HBCU.
But Mr. Teasley didn't allow those small-minded people to stop him from doing his job.
He understood the history of the NAACP.
He understood that blacks AND non-blacks-likeViola Liuzzo, Andrew Chaney, Michael Schwerner and others-gave their lives to make sure you and I could have the freedoms we have today.

Thank you for your dedication and service to the cause Mr. Teasley.
May you rest in peace.