Don't Believe the Hype 2008!!!

Public Enemy had a song back in the day about the treacherous nature of the media called "Don't Believe the Hype."

They must have been rappin' about the Durham Herald Sun.

A few weeks ago, I posted a piece here called "Prelude to a Race War" where I exposed the Herald Sun's promotion of "Black on Brown" violence by running two stories that blamed Black males for targeting Latinos with robbery and some murders because of "racism." In which, not one member of Durham's Black community was interviewed to refute the claim.

Well, guess what.

In an article, today it says that the two men arrested for one of the murders were Hispanic...

http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-929069.cfm

Now, if you look closely at the article this contradiction is not mentioned (and only briefly) until more than half way through the article. However, when the perpetrators were thought to be Black, it was headline, front page news...

Also, there is another article in the same paper that talks about the community forum that Durham Police Chief Jose Lopez held last evening.

At the meeting, I congratulated Chief Lopez because of his not caving in to media hype and promoting the idea that blacks were targeting Latinos because of race. Although he gave a well though out and rather lengthy response, this exchange does not appear in the article.

I guess the elders were right "believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see....

Especially if it is in the Herald Sun.

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283

Black Man Stand Up! Rally 3/1

For the past several weeks, in Durham, we have been organizing Black men to stand up and change this community for the better. On Saturday, March 1st, we are planning a rally. We will meet at the Know Bookstore at 2:30 PM and depart from there.

For more information contact (919) 491-5268

Denounce This !!!: Tired of Answering the Farrakhan Question

In the Black community, historically, we have had one cardinal rule that has been passed from generation to generation...

Family First...

You don't go dissin' your "family" to please other folks...

That is something that Senator Obama should remember...

One of the hot news items today is "Obama Denounces Farrakhan" (For the second, third....Oh, I forget..time)

From news reports the candidate is denouncing Min. Louis Farrakhan's support?

What tha....?

How can you "denounce" someone's giving you moral support?

Now, maybe I am a little biased as my articles have appeared many times in the Nation of Islam's newspaper, the Final Call..

But the question still remains, why do black folks always have to feel that they have to denounce other black folks to get ahead ?

People have been denouncing Minister Farrakhan for years and 99% of the people have no idea why...

As rapper Chuck D once said,

"Don't tell me that you understand, until you hear the man..."

Every time that Black folks are about to do something big, here comes the Farrakhan question....

"Well, buddy..We know that you have been feeding the homeless in your community for the last 10 years and we heard about you rescuing that little girl's cat from that burning building....But tell me...How do you feel about Rev. Far-a-can...?"

(And for the last time! It's Farra-khan. You know, like "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan !"

Let's keep it real...

As much as some black folks want to complain about Min. Farrakhan, if you looked outside your window tonight and saw that your crib was surrounded by an army of skin heads and dope dealers, who you gonna call to come to your rescue, Bill, Hillary and Chelsea or the Fruit of Islam ?

That's what I thought...

So, why are we in 2008, still letting outsiders define who are friends are?

Now, I know that Obama feels that he has to say some things just to get in the White House but he's taking things too far...

Just like all the hoopla over him wearing traditional Kenyan garb during his trip to Africa...

What did you expect him to wear, a baseball cap and a baggy pair of jeans exposing his underwear?

He has also seemed to be distancing himself from his former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright who some are accusing of having a church that is too "black."

(If you think his church is "black" you otta hang out with me sometimes....I'll show you black !!!)

So, Black folks have always had kind of a code that says "If you turn your back on your own kin folks, how can you expect me to trust you."

We as a black community have to show Senator Obama that you don't have to denounce other black folks to be successful or turn you back on "family," whether it be Rev. Wright, Min. Farrakhan or Uncle Junebug down the street.....

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283

Hip Hop Legend Loses Home

Hip Hop legend and activist Professor Griff of Public Enemy recently lost his home do to fire.
Professor Griff has done alot to raise the consciousness of the Black community.

Below is an email that has been circulating:

For immediate release - February 12, 2007For more information Contact NBUF- (713) 942-0365 It has come to the attention of the National Black United Front (NBUF) - Houston Chapter, hip hop icon Professor Griff suffered the loss of his home in Atlanta, Georgia Monday night, February 11, 2007, while he was in New York to do a lecture. The house burned after an explosion caused by a gas leak.He says 90% of his belongings - including his studio, books, cds, dvds, clothes, pictures and more were destroyed.Professor Griff has had a close working relationship with NBUF and other organizations and individuals in Houston, be ing a major part of the success of the 10th Annual Sankofaa: Caravan to the Ancestors.NBUF - HOUSTON is organizing a fundraiser to assist our brother. Location and date of the fundraiser will be forthcoming. Meanwhile, donations can be dropped off at the NBUF building. Call 713-942-0365 before coming by, or mail to NBUF, 2428 Southmore, Houston, Texas 77004. Checks should be mailed directly to Professor Griff at: Kavon ShahP.O. Box 11902 Atlanta Georgia, 30355

The Dark Side of Black History

The Dark Side of Black History:

Time to Tell on COINTEL

Min. Paul Scott

CIA, FBI, all they tell us is lies

When I say it they get alarmed

Cuz, I'm louder than a bomb...

Public Enemy

I was going about my normal morning routine. I had just finished my OJ and was in the mirror shaving while, simultaneously, jamming to the song that was blasting from my clock radio. It was then that something happened that made me want to use my electric razor to slit my wrists. Right after Webbie went off, the DJ played a Black History Month commercial sponsored by the FBI.

Since it was a Hip Hop radio station I thought surely, I must have heard it wrong. Maybe F.B.I. meant Free Brothers Incarcerated or at least Funky Beats Inc. But nope, it was the same Federal Bureau of Investigation that never had any love for Black folks talking about how much they appreciate Black History.

How in the world is a black radio station gonna pump a commercial during Black History Month sponsored by an agency that either spied on or tried to assassinate the very people whom we are celebrating ?

Or maybe that question is rhetorical based on the fact that most of their under 30 year old listeners probably wouldn't know J. Edgar Hoover from Jay Z.

Every Black History Month we get a rosie view of the Civil Rights /Black Power Era. A bunch of Black folks got together and started praying, marching and singing until they finally showed the white power structure the error of their ways. After that, toilets were desegregated, schools were integrated and Black folks got the right to vote.

Also, the leaders of the movement, with the rare exception of a few who, unfortunately were killed by some poor misguided souls, went on to head nonprofit organizations or became college professors. And they all lived happily ever after...

What is rarley talked about is the well orchestrated, diabolical way that federal agencies along with their local and state cohorts developed programs to destroy anyone who dared to challenge the powers that be...

If you went to the dictionary and looked up "oxymoron" one of the examples they would use is the FBI and Black History. The organization under its director, J. Edgar Hoover, conducted campaigns to destroy Black leadership dating as far back as the early 20th century with the surveillance of Marcus Garvey and WEB Dubois.

Later, the FBI formed something called COINTELPRO (counter intelligence program) in which they led a vicious campaign against many activists of all races under the guise of preventing the Communist infiltration of America. The program was especially vicious against Civil Rights and Black Power activists of the 60's and early 70's, as one of the stated goals of the program was to prevent the rise of a Black messiah who could electrify and unite the Black community.

COINTELPRO was instrumental in implementing programs to destroy Black leaders, as well as their movements, ranging from Rev. Martin Luther King Jr, Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael), Malcolm X to the Black Panther Party. Even the wife of Dr. King, Coretta Scott King , was spied on for years after Dr. King's assassination.

While some my say that talking about the evils of the FBI is dwelling on the past, it is crucial, need to know information for a generation whose members are caught in "the trap" but don't know how they got there nor how to get out.

One of the things that we do not do in the Black community is connect the dots. We have not been effective in showing our children how the past is connected to the present in very real and substantive ways. So the young rappers of today don't understand how the drug dealin' and gang bangin' of today is tied to the COINTELPRO program of yesterday. They do not understand that the societal issues of the absence of Black leadership, drugs in the Black community and the high incarceration rates of Black males are not by accident but are part of a well designed program that was meant to produce the very conditions in which we find ourselves in 2008.

Do we really believe that the same agency that wiped out the Black Panther Party in just a few years can't stop drugs from coming into tha 'hood, if they really wanted to ?

It is sad that 99% of the kids who are reppin' the "stop snitching" movement have no real understanding of the role that paid informants played in causing the deaths of leaders such as Malcolm X and Fred Hampton Sr.

So, without this knowledge of history, it is possible to have FBI Black History commercials being played in heavy rotation without one person even sayin'

"What tha.....?"

Why don't we teach our young people this dark side of Black history ? Is it that we don't think that it is important or is it that COINTELPRO had such a devistating effect on the older generation that even today they are terrified to even mention the attrocity.

At some point we have to start giving our children this information in order to give them the historic context in which to change their patterns of behavior. We have to replace their Hip Hop magazines with books like "Racial Matters" and "The FBI File on Black America" by Kenneth O'Reilly. We must replace their gun totin', booty shakin' videos with videos like "The FBI's Secret War On Black America." And we must replace their Souljah Boy CD's with lectures by our Black leaders like Dhoruba Bin Wahad and the late Kwame Ture who knew first hand the evils of COINTELPRO and had the courage to reveal the truth.

I doubt if the "dope boys" and "trap boys" would continue their current activities if they really knew that the FBI, SWAT and the other "Alphabet Boys" that they rap about really have spelled D.E.A.T.H. for the Black community.

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Nas and the Nigger Outfit

Grandma always told me that there was a time and a place for ev'ry thang...
But was the 50th Anniversary Grammy Awards Show smack dab in the middle of Black History Month the best time and place for Nas to wear a t-shirt with NIGGER written on it ?

Now, I am a big fan of "shock value with a purpose." But there ain't a darn thing that you can say in a 10 second red carpet interview that would make wearing something like that worth the effort...

Maybe, there is a method to Nas's madness..But I missed it this time.

Wouldn't a t-shirt with "Black Power" or "Free Jamil Al Amin" (H. Rap Brown) have been just as much of a show stopper, only the message would have been crystal clear ? Would the Grammy's even have shown an overtly political t-shirt without blacking it out ?

More disappointing than the t-shirt was Nas' CNN interview when he tried to de-racialize the word...

An even bigger question would be, shouldn't CNN and the other networks that aired the segment be taken to task? If CBS can be fined for showing Janet Jackson's breast at the Super Bowl, shouldn't CNN be fined for showing that t-shirt? What' s worst a nipple or nigger ?


So Nas, no matter what it means to you, for the descendents of the slave owners the N-word means the same thing it has always meant...the descendents of slaves....

Unfortunately, Nas is supposed to be one of the more "conscious" rappers..

Like Pops used to say, sometimes a little knowledge is a dangerous thing...

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283

Prelude to a Race War

Prelude to a Race War

Min. Paul Scott

Durham may have its problems but the one thing that we really don't have to worry about is being shot because of the color of our skin.

The color of our baseball caps, maybe. But not the color of skin.

Not yet anyway...

For the last few weeks, the Durham Herald Sun has been on overdrive promoting the idea that black folks are targeting Latinos for robbery because of race.

While anyone, with any knowledge of Durham's history or a fair amount of plain old common sense, would immediately write this off as hogwash, as it is said, if you tell a lie long enough....

First, it is problematic to insinuate that black people can be "racist."

To quote writer Neely Fuller, author of "The United Independent Compensatory Code/System/Concept,"

"The only form of functional racism that exists anywhere in the known universe is white supremacy."

To suggest that African Americans have the social, economic or political ability to be "racist" is just evidence of those who have the power to define reality though their media organs to spread false propaganda.

In recent weeks, the Durham Herald Sun has published two articles in which members of the Latino community have been quoted as saying that they are being targeted for robbery because of "racism" via "blacks."

In the 1/22 issue under the caption "Hispanics fear rash of crimes is racism: String of robberies committed mostly by black men", it was reported by Dan Way (metro editor of the Herald Sun) that several Hispanic Durham residents were raising the question whether the 30 robberies of against Hispanics during the first two weeks of January were "racist hate crimes."

A few weeks later in an article written, again, by Dan Way, a Mexican woman is quoted as saying,

"The problem in this neighborhood is with the blacks."

Also a "Honduran national" is quoted as saying,

"The "gringo's" don't bother you The Hispanics don't bother you. It's the blacks."

He later says that while his sandwich truck serves black customers, both attempts to break into his vehicle were by black men.

The article ends with the quote,

"How are we going to defend ourselves ? We don't have any help."

http://www.heraldsun.com/durham/4-922593.cfm

Now, there are several things that are very problematic about these two articles.

The first being that both of these articles were not written by some college intern or some kid fresh out of journalism school. These articles were written by the metro editor of the Herald Sun who should know better than to spread these accusations.

Secondly, the terms being used. As stated earlier "racism" would not be the proper term here nor would "hate crimes." When you use these terms you are alleging that those black men who are robbing Latinos are doing it strictly to deny Latinos of their rights. You also assume that these thieves only rob Latinos and have no prior histories robbing any other race, including other African Americans.

The term "gringo" is also used. In the article there is no attempt to define the Spanish term "gringo." Even, when researching the word via other sources the term is hard to define. Taken out of the context of the story, one can assume that the interviewee is using the the term to differentiate European Americans from African Americans, which is disturbing in and of itself. Since most English speaking people, including African Americans, do not use the term "gringo" it can be rightly stated that the article was only meant for a community that understands the lingo or code word.

Also, one cannot help but notice that no African Americans were interviewed in either article to refute the charges of racism. It must be noted that the way the stories are written, it is not a condemnation of a few black thieves but an indictment of the entire black community.

Not only does the Herald Sun's coverage defy logic, the assertion of black racism against Latinos goes against studies such as the one started a few years ago by Duke professor Paula McClain.

In her study "Racial Distancing in a Southern City: Latino Immigrants Views of African Americans" it is said that Latinos have a more negative view of blacks than blacks have of Latinos. According to news reports her study said that 59% of Latino immigrants felt that few or almost no blacks are hard working, one third said that blacks are hard to get along with and 57% said that few or no blacks could be trusted."

http://www.diversityinc.com/public/2967.cfm

Yet, this local study by a local professor was not used in either Herald Sun story.

One must, of course, question the motives for promoting brown on black violence.

A strong argument could be made that Durham is experiencing a strong surge in gentrification. What better way to rid the community of "undesirables" than to have them kill each other off. The out of town business developers could then come in and buy what is left of the neighborhoods dirt cheap and put up high dollar developments. Also, there has been a lot of attention in the national media lately over the political divide between African Americans and Latinos.

This is not the first time that a local newspaper has been accused of inciting violence against African Americans. Josephus Daniels, former owner of the News and Observer has been accused of using the paper to encourage violence against African Americans and he was, also, accused of helping to incite the Wilmington Race Riots of 1898.

http://www.ah.dcr.state.nc.us/1898-wrrc/report/report.htm

It could also be argued that the Herald Sun played a major role in the popularization of local street gangs because of the extensive coverage which it has given the issue over the last decade.

http://www.heraldsun.com/hottopics/topicpage.cfm?topicID=21

Durham does not have a major brown on black race problem yet, that is still a problem that plagues West Coast cities such as Los Angeles. One cannot help but wonder what role the LA media played in promoting the tensions and if the same could happen in Durham, NC.

Columnists like the LA Time's Gregory Rodriguez bemoaned the media's exploitation on the black vs brown conflict. His 10/7 column, "The Fantasy of LA's Race War " ends with the chilling words:

"I can't help thinking that there is some sort of wish fulfillment in the black-versus-brown fixation."

http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-rodriguez1oct01,0,1767378.column

The Durham community must rise up and stop the spread of this false propaganda before it escalates into a conflict that will neither benefit the black nor Latino community.

We must heed the words of the late great Malcolm X when he said :

"The press is so powerful in its image-making role, it can make a criminal look like he’s the victim and make the victim look like he’s the criminal…. If you aren’t careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed and loving the people who are doing the oppressing.”

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Community in Crisis Town Hall Meeting

A room full of people gathering at the Know Book Store on Fayetteville St in Durham, yesterday, with a clear message...

"Or community is in a crisis and black folks must find the solution."

The meeting, moderated by Cimerron Bandele of the African Diasporin Nationalist Society, featured a panel discussion by area activists such as Larry and Denise Hester, discussing solutions to the problems facing Durham.

One of the issues that was dicussed was the history and future of Fayetteville St, which according to Larry Hester is the only black historic district in Durham. The Hesters, who own the popular Phoenix Square shopping area are concerened that with the influx of outside developers and the expansion plans of North Carolina Central University, not only wil elderly residents be deplaced but the entire historic district is under assault.

The meeting also discussed the drought problem and its effect on the black community.

As one speaker put it, if Durham runs out of water who do you think is going to be the last one to get a drink?

Other topics included the the incarceration of black males, the need for afrocentric educational reform and the recent attempts by the media to promote brown on black violence.

The gathering was just the first of several town hall meetings and events planned in areas throughout Durham.

As Bandele put it,

"Today, we're behind four walls but tomorrow we're in the streets.

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283

The Death of Public Affairs

If you are from the ol' School, you can remember the now extinct creature called public affairs programming. Thanks to the Black Power era, radio and television stations used to have shows that catered to the black community serving as forums to discuss issues. Even the white owned stations used to give up at least 30 minutes every weekend to discuss so called "minority issues." Part of that was public service, part was marketing and part was just a way to see what black folks were talking about, just in case they were planning a riot, the power structure would have a heads up.

But that was then, this is now. FCC regulations that once required a certain amount of public programming began to fade, as well as rules against mega corporations owning multiple stations in a single market. Also, since the '70's, the black community began to become less angry and after the '92 LA rebellion, public outrage became almost nonexistant. So the demand for public affairs programming began to fade.

Fast forward to 2008, an election year which is, auguably , one of the most important times in a post Katrina, post Imus, post Jena 6, black America.

In North Carolina, the major "urban "radio stations are owned by Radio One out of DC/Maryland; WQOK and WFXC. WFXC similcasts on frequencies 104.3 and 107.1 FM which gives them the ability to reach almost every black person in darn near the entire state.
Yet, between the two stations, they only have two "public affairs" programs for one hour, "Talk Back" and "Connections," which alternate between Sundays on 104.3 and 107.1 Out of the two, only Talk Back actually takes call ins and talks about what is happenin' in tha 'hood.

"Connections" is a different story.

The program, which consists of one or two hosts, mostly , talking about what's good with the Democrats and what's bad with the Republicans, stopped taking call ins about a year ago. Now it is just an hour long monologue, every other Sunday.

Who wants to hear someone give their opinions on politics for a solid hour, no matter how valid or invalid they may be?

If I just want to hear someone's opinion, I'll just go down to the corner and rap to Mr. Willie, the wino.

In a way, to, I guess, appease the haters, the host did announce on the air, today, that they will have a book signing at a resturant in Raleigh where listeners can come and discuss the issues that they have been monologuing about.

Here's the kicker....

They "may" just tape your comments and play them back on a future show...

Big whoop...

So, let's get this straight. In order for me to take an active part in the so called public affairs program, I have to get in my car, drive 20 miles to the next city, go to a resturant and listen to Mister Monologue radio host hawk his book ?

Call it what you want...But that ain't public affairs. The reason that it is allowed to pose as "public affairs" is that we, as a community, have not raised the issue, especially when it gets close to FCC license renewal time.

We will never get better, until we demand better...

Until then as Jay Z said ,

I guess we can't "knock tha hustle."

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283

The Rude Awakening Show 2/8

I was a guest on the Rude Awaking Show out of Maryland, this morning to discuss Black History (or the lack thereof).

To listen click on:

http://www.irieradio.com

Click on the Archives icon

Go to the Rude Awakening Show icon

Scroll down until you get to the 2/8 Minista Paul Scott section and click

Black Racism???

For the second time in less than a month, the Durham Herald Sun is promoting the idea that black people are robbing Latinos because of "racism."

Now, I'm gonna say this one mo' time for people who are a little slow....

Black folks, cannot be racist!!!

Bigots, yes...

Prejudiced, yes...

But racists, heck to tha naw!!!

Racism means that you have the ability to deprive someone of their rights to Life, Liberty and all that other stuff that black folks have never had... We do not, collectively, have the economic-political power to deny "nobody nuthin'."

We, as a community, should be concerned that the Herald Sun is quoting members of the Latino community as saying that black racists are targetting them for crimes.

I doubt if the Spanish equivilant of that word "racism" has the same connotations that it has as the way the word is used in America with her history of lynchings, discrimination, etc

So, I can see the reporter rollin' up on Pedro Gomez....

"So, I hear you folks are being targeted by the neg...I mean, colore..I mean African Americans..."

"Que?"

"You know the black people..."

"Oh, si, el negros !!!"

"So would you say that they are dispoportionately targeting people of the mexi..., I mean, Hispanic persuation because of your economic vulnerability, based on color? "

"Que ?"

"I mean, they are being racist right ?...'

"Um, si ???"

It is dangerous that the Heald Sun is promoting this in the community..I guess they must be runnin' out of good Crip and Blood stories...

Shouldn't the city council, human relations commission, boys in the barbershop or somebody be addressing this issue before it gets outta hand ?

So far, Durham has been spared the Black and Brown tensions of, say, Los Angeles...

But give the Herald Sun a few more weeks to hype this misinformation...

To borrow from that great Hip Hop philosopher, Jay Z....

"Black folk's got 99 problems but a Mexican ain't one."

Yet, anyway....

Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ (919) 451-8283

Is NCCU's Radio Station for Black Folks

Just got off the phone with the GM of WNCU (that's radio talk for the general manager, the boss, the big cheese) over at North Carolina Central University. On my never ending quest to find ways for everyday black folks to get their voices heard, I thought I'd call up to the station to get the 411 on how a Brotha or Sista could be down...

What I found out...

If you don't have a big time corporate sponsor that can drop 10 grand a year for a 30 minute spot...that ain't happenin'..

What tha ???

Now, if you are like me. I thought that WNCU was a college radio station...But no, it is a "public" radio station...Apparently, there is a difference...

From what I gather "college" radio stations can give free air time to members of the community because they have a lower budget..but "public" radio stations have the high priced NPR shows (that most black folks don't listen to, except for maybe Tavis Smiley and News and Notes) who they have to break off some major dollars.

Although the station is on NCCU's campus and rep's NCCU , it is not owned by NCCU, it just has a license through them...

Confusing, right ?

See, WNCU is a "jazz" station, not a talk station...So, if you want to make a plea to the community for help for your child, who is being pressured to join a gang, you're outta luck. But if you want to request a mellow tune from Kenny G.. hit 'em up on the request line...

She did inform me of the "community" programing that they have on Saturday mornings
but these are pre recorded. Kinda like a podcast with 50,000 watts. But they do have a sports show that takes call ins. (I guess they're real proud of that fact.)

So if I have a concern about why the person that I voted for isn't reppin' for the people, why my child is not gettin' a proper education or the hundred other issues facing black folks on a daily basis, too bad, so sad...

But if I want to talk about Super Bowl 42's winning touchdown, I'm in the house !!!!

Also, the last time they added one of these shows was apparently six years ago...So, let's see..We missed discussing the war, the 2004 election results, the cross burnings, Hurricane Katrina, Don Imus, the Obama candidacy.....

She did tell me about an upcoming news talk station but that will probably cost 10 grand as well for air time....

Wonder what talk show host they're gonna get that has enough "cheddar" to buy air time....

I can hear it now...

"Coming up next on WNCU, live from the campus of North Carolina Central University in the heart of Durham NC, formerly known as Black Wall Street where black folks have more issues than you can shake a stick at...... it's The Rush Limbaugh Show !!!!!!"

Min. Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283. His blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/

Books or Bullets Campaign Kicks Off

As many know, I have been making the rounds to community groups over the last few weeks preppin' folks for the Books or Bullets Campaign. The entire lecture that I did at the "It's a Family Affair" event should be airing on "Uncle Bubba's" cable show pretty soon.

The purpose is to create a greater awareness of the black experience, past, present and future among members of the black community, especially the youth.

WUNC did a story on the Books or Bullets campaign, today. Not sure if the other media outlets will touch it. (After all, I didn't shoot anybody or flash a gang sign.)

If you would like for me to bring the "Books or Bullets" lecture tour to your event. Just holla at me...(919) 451-8283

Mike Savage's Savage Comments

I think it's safe to say that most black folks don't listen to Michael Savage, so most , probably, did not hear the venom that he spewed about African people on January 29th. So if you missed it, the clip can be heard via Media Matters.

http://mediamatters.org/items/200801310003

Now for the record, I did try to confront Savage on the air last Friday night but the "screener" said that my cell phone signal was too weak???

Go figure....

Now, Savage and others of his ilk make their livings by saying stuff like this, so it can be expected. However, the main problem is the access to the people that these right wing fascists have as opposed to the lack of the media access that black folks possess.

For every "Tavis Smiley" there are a thousand conservative commentators in cities across this country. And while most local black talk shows are one hour, by weekly shows, conservative talk radio may have five Mike Savages and Rush Limbaughs back to back, 24 hours a day.

Now before you start mouthing off that "it's you're own fault for playing that "hippity hoppity rap stuff" instead of giving your community info...."

You and I both know, its not that simple.

These mega "black" radio stations are funded by white mega corporations to give black folks entertainment instead of information.

Or in other words to keep us dumb...

Most of the time the "black" radio stations are so fearful of saying something that will offend their white sponsors/listeners that they shy away from anything that can be labeled too black...

So, I guess songs about selling drugs in a duffle bag and "super sokin' hoes" aren't offensive to white people.

White folks have stations that are purely for entertainment, as well but they have more than enough talk shows to make up the difference.

Have we ever asked why the talk radio station WZTK (which broadcasts Savage) with one of the most powerful signals in NC does not have any programs that cater to the black community...Have we ever asked? I just sent the station an email but I am not holding by breath while waiting for a response.

I wonder does the parent company, Curtis Media, have any black oriented talk shows? Now I did notice that the company does have a 1000 watt gospel staion down in Goldsboro. But as they say, religion has been used to make black folks focus on heaven while they are living in hell on earth. Kinda like Marx's "religion is the opiate of the people" theory carried to the nth degree.

Now you can argue that a company can do whatever it wants, after all it is their money. However, last time I checked you cannot "buy" the airwaves, you can only borrow them. So, there should be some "soul" coming through once in a while...

Knowledge is power, so the powerful go to great lengths to keep Knowledge from the powerless. Because with the right Knowledge the powerless will one day become the powerful!

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Min. Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com