Multimillion-Dollar Slaves Are Still Field Negroes

America’s history is filled with examples of exploitation. From General Amherst giving Native Americans on the Trail of Tears blankets infected with smallpox to the horrendous capture and transportation of Africans to the New World to work for Europeans for free. Now if Einstein’s Theory of Relativity is accurate, then the same historical practices are occurring today, since energy can neither be created nor destroyed but only altered in form.

Some would argue that slavery does not exist in America in light of the passage of the 13th Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, if we examine the world of professional sports, it could be noted that a large body of evidence suggests otherwise. In America, people are excited and happy when they cheer for their favorite professional sports team, but rarely see the similarity to the former practice of slavery and rich whites owning and utilizing blacks for profit and personal gain.

I know some people would say that the difference is that athletes are paid vast sums of money. This may be true, but slaves were paid with a place to live and food. Not to mention that pro sports is a microcosm of our society, because when athletes can no longer play in the NFL or NBA, they are discarded like waste material.

A slave by definition is “a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another.” This would be applicable to sports because African Americans have turned sports, both college and pro, into a multibillion-dollar industry but collect a paltry amount of the money they help a franchise earn.

So let’s be realistic when we look at professional sports in America and the role African American men and women play. All they do is play, because none own any of these plantations, er, organizations. Not since the Negro Leagues have blacks owned professional sport organizations, and we won’t anytime in the near future.

Escargot instead of apple pie

Just found out today that the United States Pentagon has requested the Air Force, One, the airplane that transports our commander in chief, be built over seas, over seas in France. Seems that these US citizens feel that we as a nation will be better served if folks who are not American are best fit and prepared to build the best dang luxury jet in the world than folks born on these shores.

Doesn’t make too much since to me. Especially in this age in which safety is paramount. Now I know Americans can be just as likely to see harm come to our great leader, but I do not think they will be more likely than foreigners. Nope, I aint xenophobic, I just think that doing such, especially in this economy sends the wrong message.

For almost twenty years, Boeing Co. has made the 747 jumbo jet that has become equal to the flying White House. As such, it is seen is aw inspiring to other nations and a since of pride for Americans – I just don’t think it is sending a message that will encourage…. Not to mention, I know it got some with top-secret, high-tech stuff that I can’t even begin to name. However, I would not want anyone other than Americans to be privy to what this stuff is. Seems to make the job for our security forces, especially the Secret Service a lot harder. What sense does it make to have the internal blueprints of this vehicle in the hand of another nation, even if that nation is considered a friendly nation?

Although this is not schedule to start until 2016, it still seems like a slap in the face to me for of all folks, it should be our government that should by American first just as much, if not more than the American people. This is not a slap in the face of Airbus, the likely builder of the next generation of Air force one, but more so the Pentagon, who tried to sneak this tid bit of info under the cloak of darkness. And it is not as if Airbus would build a cheaper plane. Reports suggest that the Airbus A380, if passenger planes are compared, will cost $50 million more than the new 747-8.

I read once where Thomas Jefferson wrote “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.” I do not thinking the consideration of building what we can build at home abroad, at a likely higher cost is taking care of the American public. Likewise I think doing such is no way protecting us, neither in the form of jobs, nor in terms of our national security. This aint no slap in the face to Airbus as I said, and I may be putting too much into this, but last I looked the Presidential limousine was a Cadillac and it was made in America. If Air force one becomes a flag ship product for Airbus, we may as well make the next limousine a Mercedes Benz, or better yet, replace Apple pie with escargot..

wow

This is the America that I have imagined, the one I have read versed in the words of Paul Lawrence Dunbar, the one Henry Clay spoke of and the one Fredrick Douglas desired. Flags waving by men and women, straight and gay, adult and child, republican and democrat, white and black. All acting as if family and friends, regardless of beliefs or affiliation, as if they are amenable to the perception that one does not have to agree or see eye to eye to walk hand in hand or side by side.

Just an open thread the day after. What were your first words, mine was wow. Facing West, looking over the graves of the many that have died for this great nation as well as the monuments. Just the thought, 45 years ago, blacks and whites could not sit together, without fear of being arrested, or vote. To just see all them folks standing on a former slave market (the Mall) and just to recant in the days of Thurgood Marshall, that he could not even eat in the places that served food, even as a Supreme Court Justice, because of his skin color. As Lincoln said in his second inaugural address “malice towards none, and charity for all”. Inspire Mr. Obama, Inspire, and we will be critical, for the burden of greatness and history demands such. Again – WOW.

from Tobe to Joe Sixpack

One of the events in my life that I have never forgotten occurred when I was in Junior High School. It was when the television mini-series ROOTS came out. I will never forget that music or the father holding his child up to the universe. The show was hard to take and I must admit, it brought out sentiments that I did not even have as a child during the civil rights movement, with the exception of seeing the Nation Guard on my street telling me I couldn’t play outside the day Martin Luther King Jr. was murdered in my home town of Memphis.

It was cool after the Monday show, but after the Tuesday episode things hit the fan. It was as if everybody in the world was looking at roots. And seeing that folks from around my way were selectively bused to a predominantly white school, the environment during that week was completely different. Prior to this, we all just had a ball, no problems never. But after that Tuesday segment, like I said it was on. See, that was the episode when Kunta Kinta was made, via whip to call himself Tobe.

There was a tension in the air that day. That is all we talked about on the bus. And it didn’t take long that morning before the advents of the prior evening manifested itself in real life form. And it was all started when one white kid called my folk Tobe. There may have been 40 to 50 fights that morning before home room until after first period, causing the principal to cancel school and send us black kids back home. Rocks were thrown at our buses and we would get off and resume the head cutting we had been engaged in all of that morning. It was like we were doing what we felt our ancestors should have done.

Just thinking about this has me on edge, in particular as it relates to the present political environment as proffered by Mr. McCain and Mrs. Palin. When I hear “Joe Sixpack”, I can’t help but think this is a code phrase for not me, or the average American, but rather those that harbor the hatred of the past and the racist beliefs that yielded Jim Crow, and even slavery. For me, the average American is more like Bill Jones. For we all have Bills, and see them going up each day: Light Bill, Auto bill, tuition Bill and Gas Bill. Not no Joe Sixpack. I see a man, somewhere in the woods, with a rebel flag on his truck, with a rifle and one that may pride himself on living in a neighborhood with no black folks, Latino folk, or Asian folk; even taking pride that there may be no kids as such attending the school that his child does. I also see a man that would wear a shirt that says “Nigger Please, it’s called the Whitehouse. True, I love me some brew, and pride myself on my Gat and rifle game, but I too am an Average America, but don’t see myself as no sixpack Joe.

I guess this is the true state of American affairs with respect to out political climate. I know and believe that most Americans are true civil-minded patriots and frown on hate regardless. I just do hope that folks like us, regardless of race and gender or any other contrived difference fall on our commonality as being human beings, and stand against this, for I don’t ever wanna be called Tobe again and if someone like Joe Sixpack does, he best be prepared to take a loss, for real though. I mean its like from Tobe to Joe Sixpack and back again.

Addendum: Thanks Tia for Gratitute with Attitude Award

Our America aint black or white – it’s green

I’m hopeful everybody got they fix of CNN this past week, I’m sure they got some huge ratings. Unfortunately, I don’t get down with talking heads and think they may be doing more to divide America than bring us together. I mean the title alone, sure there may be two three or four Americas, but I don’t think a TV special does anything than tell folk what they already know and experience. Unless we live under rocks like Armadillidiidae vulgare, excuse me I mean pill bugs or Earth worms. Strange to me also was the timing, while Obama was on his worldwide tour. Folk brought out 200 stacks of folk out in Germany. Yep, it was a good look, but what does it do for me is my query?

Last I heard Germans don’t vote up in this camp. And I aint hating, I said the same thing about McCain when he was in Israel. Not to mention, I was gonna post on his lameness today but some more brain cells started to twitch – thus the current thought crime. As I have said in maybe too many post, our economy is fucked. As well, I have recanted a number of factors and postulates as to why we are experiencing what we are. Unlike the pundits or politicians, I have offered DOABLE solutions to this economic conumdrum.

But the way I see it, it will only get worse if we don’t take control and create our own reality. Now I’m no leader, but I was taught that leaders do two things: create their own reality and know how to say thank you. What have they created for me thus far is a porridge of unknown proportions. I se e the Dow Jones, and I see it loose and then make up some of the ground, but each time it does gain its losses, it looses another 200 to 300 points and need I remind you, that aint a good look. Dow Chemical profits dropped almost 30 percent over the past quarter, namely from what they say was due to spending 40 percent more on fuel and raw materials. Starwood Hotels, the folk that own Westin among others reported a 28% loss this past quarter and Kimberly Clark, the folk that make Kleenex and Huggies, reported a loss of 10% (do to rising energy cost as well). These are just the past quarter, I would add the last year but I don’t wanna cry in public.

The problem for me, outside of the political presidential hopefully not dealing with such specifics, is that it is only happening here in this country. I mean Daiwa Securities in Japan expects a profit of any where from 200 to 300 million over the next quarter. Credit Suisse can manage to mogul a billion dollar plus profit for the next quarter when overall net profits dropped. The Qatar Investment Authority has just increased its stake in Barclay PLC of London by more than 6 percent or $9 billion.

Now all American Based companies aint fucking up, I mean ask Occidental Petroleum, they profits increased 63 percent the past quarter, that’s right, they in oil. Now don’t get upset, so I aint watch Black in America or what ever it was called. All I am saying that the America I love and know has been foul to me and mine; that it is not black or white or mauve or polka-dot. If such was the case, we would have the black and white IRS and the Yellow and red Federal government. We have neither. The America that is ours (me my, son, and daughter) is green (dollar, dollar bill yawl), regardless of the denomination. That must and should unite us all, what color is yours jones?

poor mr. or mrs. next president

It was my intention to not discuss the caucus results of Iowa and or Barack Obama at all so early in the election. I was hoping after reading a substantial corpus of blogs from around the globe I would see a majority of the implications discussed. Especially after such a "stunning" victory (others words not mine; stunning to me is 50% of the votes).

For the record, your boy here likes to stack a little change. Easy change which means using your brain. Maybe some consulting or statistical data analysis mostly, but also in them markets, precious metals and Forex exchanges. I mean I bought my first stocks when the DOW was at 3500 (which fell today 266.84 to 12,998.28). So one could suffice to say I have accrued and nice sum of chump change.

However, I feel that whoever the next President is, there will be something to deal with that won't be easily dealt with either with the rhetoric of experience or new leadership. This week, an ominous and unfortunate event occurred, the price of oil went over the mythical $100.00 a barrel mark. Although it returned below that level, it did happen.

True, the price is a function of increasing demand, especially from countries in Asia like china and India, but it is also a major consequence of the falling dollar. It is also a function of disruptions abroad due to civil unrest and war. Not to mention, that in America, there is no productivity in manufacturing, we make nothing anymore, no job creation and as noted in 2007, a 40% increase in consumers filing of bankruptcies. The latter itself is the function of another indicator - the increase in foreclosures and the decline of the housing market.

Now I'm no economist, but I think I was taught well by my 10th grade Econ teacher at Hamilton High School in Memphis, Dr, Moyer, but I can say that when Bush came in, we had a surplus and now, by the next 120 day, who knows, maybe inflation. And the Federal Reserve may not be able to do nothing about it. I mean as long as I have been investing, in particular in forex and precious metals, the dollar normally increased proportionally to the price of Gold. Now the dollar goes down as gold (and oil) increases. This scares the fuck out of me and the 300K plus I have saved over the years.

So yep, Obama won Iowa. I do wish him the best albeit I am supporting neither democratic or the republican nominee. Nonetheless, still more states and regardless of whoever wins, I feel sorry for poor Mr. or Mrs. President, whoever they maybe.

[PS: ANY YAWL SEE HOW ROMNEY STOLE THE MESSGE OF CHANGE FROM YO FOLK OBAMA-LOL. THEY STOLE ROCK NOW THIS.]

Kafkaesque

When I think of the current political climate in the U.S. with wars abroad and creeping protectionism, it almost seems surreal. I think that may be they way these neo-conservatives want it. Given their impetuous focus on preemption, regime change and benevolent hegemony, it is only logical that they continue to distort what is actually going on in the world around us in an effort to front as if what they do serves American best interest.

Such ideological predominance makes it seems that foreign policy is rooted on fake moral imperatives that only a few select folks seem to gain benefit from. By invading Iraq, the Bush administration created a problem they said they were trying to abate: they managed to make Iraq the new bastion for terrorism. I still cannot see how these folks concluded that democracy in the Middle East would be the solution to ending terrorism? This is the dumbest shit I have ever heard since Santa Claus.

This concept of benevolent hegemony is another errant concoction. The assumption is that America is benevolent, which is absurd in itself, as if a country founded on slavery and sustained on racist principles can be virtuous, incorruptible, inculpable, and/or righteous in the first place.

We need to re-think our foreign policy approach and do so quickly before we see more of our homeboys going off to foreign lands to fight wars that we gain no betterment from, as if they were the foreign legion protecting the great imperial nation state of America. Having no articulated approach to our foreign policy, especially in the Arab/Islamic regions of the world is another reflection of how little we know or care for what other think and borders on being Kafkaesque.

I suggest this because the Bush Administration has presented a distorted view of actually how dangerous folks in the Middle East are towards us. It’s not like it is anything new, in fact I would note that these views have been consistent since the Knights of Templar and the establishment of Israel. The terms come from the famous writer Frantz Kafka, who wrote two of my favorites (the penal colony and metamorphosis). Franz Kafka was one of the most influential writers of this century. His works were not even published until after his death and often presented a picture of a belligerent and detached world. This is the kind of world I presume President Bush projects based on his approach (if any) to foreign policy alone.