Defining the phenomena

The quote that I used to begin this blog was taken from the late Huey P. Newton, a founder of the Black Panther Party of the 1960-70's. This quotation is a powerful one because it speaks to the issues that divide our Nation. Make no mistake we are living in a dangerous time on all levels. The economy is in shambles brought about by incursions of a bellicose nature looking for a madman in the wrong place. Our labor force is unemployed due to decisions of executives that took profit over product at the expense of refitting, retooling,or research. This insane attitude has caused a rift that sees the average CEO making 30,oo0 times the wage of a worker.

The politics have degenerated into us against them. Lies versus truth, hardened positions rather than discourse, all leading to outbreaks of violence in the citizenry. All we need to remember is the Tea Bag movement and their scurrilous depiction of President Obama as Hitler or the Joker to know we are in trouble. Add to the fact that a militia group in Michigan was planning a murder of a police officer and the plant bombs as the funeral processed all to inspire a revolution to over throw the government. What is the issue here? Is it all about race? Is the country so fragile that diversity is pulling the stitches out of the seams, or frankly is it that change in this country is still met with resistance boarding on psychosis.

History shows us that opposition to their niche ( the ability to vote, hold office as exclusionary and the ability to set the agenda as per the Constitution) causes out breaks of fear. Reconstruction gave rise to the Clan, to "save white womanhood"( I am not kidding). Civil Rights lead to Bull Connor, bombing houses, murder of young persons had at the base the same almost exact agenda: a loss of control of the agenda. When this Nation has no challenge a calmness rests on majority voters who let out a sigh of relief and attend their lives.

The loss of the agenda or the phenomena as Newton argues is controlling factor of this period in history. We have elected a man of color to lead. The issues facing Obama's Administration are greater than before. All of the major concerns are exacerbated to the point that to do nothing or maintain the status quo would mire all of us in inertia. However, I believe that this would be more acceptable to a certain segment of the population. After all he was not elected to change things just maintain, except the Nobel Prize was awarded and the flood gates opened.

This recognition was divinely planned. I think that it gave Obama the moral courage to act and as Admiral Farragut said "damn the torpedo's full speed ahead as he took Mobile Bay). Kennedy wrote a book called Profiles in Courage. The persons examined had to make decisions under the most dire of circumstances. They set the phenomena, the standard all of us must strive to meet. This loss of the agenda and the inability to regain it points to the base part of the racist (call them what you will but the bottom line is race and the vilest ugliness they muster) in charge of this attack on legislation to help those in the most need.

So I cheer for the setting of the phenomena take power over those who have no vision and who would rob all of us of hope.....Later

Change and the after shock

Pity poor white people they are at it again. Not able to deal with decisions that change history, 14 Attorney's General have filed a suit to stop the implementation of the Health Care reform bill!! They have chosen an interesting platform: the first and the tenth amendment. The tenth amendment is the argument for discussion. The actual language is this: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively or to the people. Simply put unless it is a specific power granted by the original framers it is a states right issue. This is the same platform used as the reason for separation from the Union.In the 1960's for Civil Rights, integration, in short any issues which deals with the liberation of persons this noisy refrain shines forth again. Why is that? An easy answer might be the deep racial divide permeating within our country. As a person who has lived over a half a century and saw the social unrest, and was raised by parents, grand parents, aunts, uncles and a neighborhood that suffered under this oppression, I thought we had turned a corner when Obama was elected. It is obvious this nation has not. The most outrageous actions have been taken by those who have the R ( or in this case small r) in front of their name. This same band of malcontents and delusional persons who under the guise of patriotism cause more harm than anything else.



Another point of view is more telling and not spoken about within their circle. Frank Rich wrote in an editorial in the New York Times that had this line: "the issue is that a black man was elected president; a wise Latina is on the court, and the hard fact is that certain people see their influence dwindling." ( I apologise as it is not an exact quote but i must give credit to the author). When the head of the Tea Party Movement heard this he called people like Rich "stupid and brain dead". Their only issue is that their country was going to a socialist state. This is stupid enough so I will let it pass without comment.

My belief comes from a quote from the past by Huey P. Newton a founder and organizer of the Black Panther movement. In an interview he was asked what does power mean? His response is interesting especially for this time of increasing white angst. Newton proffered that power is the ability to define phenomena. Look at how then agenda or phenomena's has changed. Obama is doing what he promised: to bring change you can believe in! It is amazing to any observer that when an agenda is offered to help the banks to exploit the dreams of the "middle class", there is no outburst. Please consider the tax cut, when democrats lost, they did not take to the stress, destroying stuff, threatening people, posting addresses on the net, (they may have felt like it) no, they said we disagree but majority rules. Not so in this case. So what is the conclusion of the matter? There is a change but those who feel dwindled refuse to allow it to take place. There are smarter people and their skins is different. And we must move to different thoughts if we are to survive this depression, to compete in a global community, and still be the beacon to others that we are a melting pot but it is the difference that embraces our culture allowing all to truly be free.......Later

The times have changed.. people have not

The system works was the sentence used by former senator Howard Baker when the Nixon scandal ended. Those of us who were aware and alive remember the state of the country at that time. It was a state of disarray, mistrust, and deep schism. In fact people wondered whither the United States would recover: after all, this was the first time a President had resigned in disgrace. Yet as history and time shows wounds heal events continue to progress and we settle in to the routine as if nothing happened. Clinton had White Water, the sexual misconduct issues, the government was shut down, and yet, the Nation moved on. The Bush years came went, wars were started militant Arabs caught and the Towers were destroyed, rebuilt and we remembered the lives lost in this act of mad men. Yes this Nation as Lincoln stated so conceived in liberty has endured, until 2008 when times changed and people did not.

On this day of sweeping change real change for those who need it the most there is an air of dissonance in the air. As a Nation of immigrants and some who were stowaways, exploited, mistreated and stolen; disbursed, penned or separated we as a people achieved the pinnacle of acceptance: Barack H. Obama. But at what cost change??

I am reminded of a quote from Minister Louis Farrakhan about Dr. M.L. King. He said of him the following: As long as King was a Negro leader, integrating hotels, toilets, lunch counters or buses; he was alright. But, when he spoke out against the Viet Nam war and be came international in scope then the issues arose".

I retell this history because it is relevant to now. President Obama has come to this point in time to begin a new process, to involve the country into a cohesive plan to deal with the health of those who will need it the most in the future. Amid the issues of the Banks, Auto Industry and Housing (to name a few) the ability to attain health insurance for those in the middle as opposed to the indigent and the elderly has been a difficult process. One would surmise that any effort to make health care affordable for ALL persons would be received well. However, as the last 14 months show times have changed people have not. The tea bag movement, as well as the birthers, and other ultra right wing (nuts??!!) pounced into the fray!! Name calling, placards, signs, town hall disruptions and the dreaded C or S word (communism or socialism) dominated the day. It affected the polls, scared politicians, (which does not take much) and in general showed the true color (oops) of the opposition. I have never seen such vituperation's directed at a person as I did during this process. The volume was so loud and vile that a preacher (see blog 2009) actually prayed for the death of BOTH Barack And Michelle Obama. Add to this the behavior of opponents: calling Barney Frank a faggot; Rep. Stupceck a baby killer, and spitting on several members (Emmanuel Cleaver from Kansas City, Missouri who I know personally was one of them) all point to the rabid insanity possessed in these persons.

All this noise in the shadow of the large Insurance companies that raised rates 30 % or more. As there are some that have 90% yes NINETY PER CENT of the business!!! This is unbelievable.

So, the sad issue is that times have changed. We have made great strides, solved issues effecting the human condition, extended aid to Haiti, Chile, and other parts of the world.
We have elected a person of color who has world appeal and carries the hope of a new thought forward. Yet in the midst of change race has reared its head. Hatred still exist and has blinded people to truth. What is sad again is that instead of change we are experiencing status quo living. And in the era of unchecked greed this is a recipe for an unravelling.....Later

A new time

It has been a long time since i have written anything at all. A lot has taken place since December 2009. I moved to a new church, met several persons along the way. Overcame a depression of sorts that made me inert, then found my first love again. Not the easiest of times but as I have aged another year I reflect on the life behind and give thanks for it. This is the bane of old age that we do more reflection than moving. Is it a question of understanding the futility life ? Or is it the fact that youth is wasted on the young?? Either way last year was not a positive one and this year has shown me the possibilities of growth as I learn along with others to get out of the way and go with the flow.

The challenge is to salvage life after mistakes and to seek new challenges, hobbies or just bask in the force of living. This is something that boomers are being forced to look at. Gone are the care free days of Woodstock, Summer of 69, and cheap living. As some pundits correctly suggest: we thought it would last forever. Our generation endured the booms, the bust and made the best of it believing that the party would last forever! I mean what can you say about a generation that wanted to "die before we got old" ( by the way the Who are in their late 60's so much for an assertion or declaration). No we are going to be here for a long time to absorb the medicine of our collective profligacy the waste of resources and the inability of being thrifty as our parents were by experience.

It is our turn to carry the mantle of missed opportunity: to grow a society better than was left; to build a bridge to somewhere attracting others regardless of who we are, what color we happened to be or who we love. It was left to us to destroy all the societal ills and be liberals: setting people free from the weight carried. And, while strides still can be made, walls removed, and barriers destroyed I wonder if the will is there. It is easier to curse the dark, to rail against the efforts to make change; reducing argument to slogans. Declaring through racism hatred and mask it as conservatism and unchecked government growth an intrusion into the lives of others. Arguing the tenth amendment as a way of blocking what is a way to save us. As Jesus said" forgive them they know not what they do."

This is the destiny before us. Will this generation given so much, endowed with such promise, be up to the calling we studied in schools? Will we apply to our children and grandchildren the Great Society that has faded and aged? Or will we leave to others after we have eaten the fruit leaving nothing in the fields. Time will tell ....Later