No Warning Shots Fired !

Coming Next Week: "This Ain't Hip Hop" Black History Month Series

2012-01-26T20:34:00.000-08:00

Next week, I will launch a series of articles dealing with Hip Hop and Black History. For more information on the "This Ain't Hip Hop:" the column for intelligent Hip Hop headz or the "This Ain't Hip Hop" Black History Month lecture series contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Slavery is Back in Effect: Rap, Race and Republicans

2012-01-23T16:35:00.000-08:00

Slavery is Back in Effect:
Rap, Race and Republicans

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"Racism was here but they didn't take it seriously and they said that I was crazy." Final Solution- Sister Souljah

The auditorium was packed with reporters as the Republicans held their recent televised "Hip Hop debate" where they gathered to decide what to do with poor Black and Latino youth. Some of the suggestions were putting African Americans back on plantations and deporting all Latinos to Mexico. It was the most highly rated show of the week but since Niki Minaj was scheduled to make a guest appearance on "Love and Hip Hop" that night, most of the 'hood missed it....

While most of Hip Hop has been focused on the beef between Common and Drake or the birth of Jay and Beyonce's baby girl, the Republican presidential candidates have been waging their traditional war against the poor. Let's keep it real. No matter who wins the 2012 election, Blue Ivy Carter is gonna be good. However, chances are you won't be. There are plans being made to have you back pickin' cotton while rappin' "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."

Although, the Republicans may go in on each other in debates, what they have in common is their hatred of the 'hood. Recently, news sources have reported on Ron Paul's newsletters that contained articles that dissed Black people. How Rick Santorum, allegedly, said that Black folks were down with OPM (spending Other People's Money.) Not to mention the OG "angy white man" himself, Newt "Gangsta" Gingrich suggesting that poor kids should pick up brooms and become school janitors. (Picture Lil Tyrone and Lakesha walking around the high school gym with a mop and bucket singin' "It's a Hard Knock Life.")

But when you try to put Newt and the boys on blast they start braggin' about how they are the "party of Lincoln" and are really our homies.

Bull.

Because they think that most of us can't read they are able to con the people into believing half truths and straight up lies. But as The DOC said back in the day, "I am not illiterate, no , not even a little bit." So it's time to pull the sheets off of 'em.

In reality, Abraham Lincoln never freed anybody as he only gave lip service to the problem by "freeing" slaves during the Civil War in areas where he had no control. He was also no friend of Black people. According to Lerone Bennet in his work "Forced into Glory , "Lincoln said repeatedly that he was a white supremacist and that he wanted to deny Blacks equal rights because of their race." Not quite the Honest Abe you read about in history books, huh?

Also, it must be noted that it was a Republican that sold Black folks out and ended Reconstruction. The Reconstruction Era ended when, in 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes made a deal to remove troops from the Southern States so that he could become president (The Hayes-Tildan Compromise.)Thus, unleashing an era of terror on the recently emancipated Black folks.

It is a historical fact that African Americans did not start gravitating towards the Democratic Party until the 1930's, with President Franklin D. Roosevelt's "New Deal" which, according to Dr. John Hope Franklin in "From Slavery to Freedom," "gave many a sense of belonging that they had never experienced before." And even after that, the southern Dixiecrats were notorious for being anti-black. However, the biggest sham the Right Wingers pull off is the play on words. The real enemy of poor and oppressed communities is a "conservative political ideology" (not a specific political party) that has been bounced around between both parties but is now in the hands of the Republicans. Since, according to Webster's dictionary "conservative" means " tending to preserve established institutions" they are trying to keep the balance of power in this country in the hands of old rich, white men who do nothing but play golf all day and tell Negro jokes. They have been determined to conserve power by any means necessary and those means have been ugly, especially in recent history.

According to Cleveland Sellars in "The River of No Return," in 1968, Republican Richard "Tricky Dick" Nixon "ran for the presidency on a barely disguised 'repress n**** and other malcontents platform' and the streets ran red with blood immediately after he took office."

Beginning with the era of Reaganomics, Hip Hop ran head on with the Right Wing. As early as 1984, Melle Mel rapped on "Jesse" that "they want a stronger nation at any cost/even if it means everything will soon be lost." The run-in that Tupac Shakur had with Conservatives in the early 90's is a part of Hip Hop history. What is interesting is that one of the architects of the Right Wing Rap Attack, Bill Bennett was quoted years later suggesting that one way to lower the crime rate would be to "abort every Black baby."

Also, while most of the Hip Hop Nation was focused on the East Coast/West Coast beef during the mid 90's, Newt Gingrich and the Right Wing were staging a Republican Revolution to "take back America."

One of the tools that the Conservatives have successfully used are the scare tactics where they either tried to convince Molly in Iowa that a big, black boogie man was waiting in the bushes to get her (The Willie Horton ads). Or convince 8th grade drop out, Billy Bob in Alabama that the reason he couldn't get a job was because some lazy "minority" took it. (Jesse Helm's "white hands ad")

So, in 2012, we see history repeating itself, Same dirty tricks; different day.

While the feasibility of voting really helping the 'hood is debatable, being ignorant of current events isn't.

Like KRS said on "The Mind" "whether you know it or not you're deep in politics/all inside of it. In fact, you're the issue."

"Don't let this government, diss you."

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott's weekly column is "This Ain't Hip Hop," a column for intelligent Hip Hop Headz. His website is No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283 Twitter @truthminista

This Ain't Hip Hop Weekly Column

2012-01-17T17:09:00.000-08:00

It's official. My new weekly column, "This Ain't Hip Hop:" a column for intelligent Hip Hop Headz will be distributed thru AllHipHop.com. We are raising the bar for what was formerly known as "Hip Hop" journalism. This is, as Dead Prez would say, "Bigger than Hip Hop" journalism.

For more info on the Black History Month "This Ain't Hip Hop" lecture tour contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Ol' Dirty MLK: America's Most Wanted

2012-01-14T12:36:00.001-08:00

Ol' Dirty MLK:
America's Most Wanted

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"I said it before and I'll still taunt it. Every young brotha with a color is most wanted."

Amerikkka's Most Wanted- Ice Cube

He was considered by some the most dangerous man in America. He spent many nights locked up in jail cells. There were constant attempts made on his life. During his last years he was constantly harassed by law enforcement. The real reason for his untimely demise before the age of 40 still remains a mystery. I'm not talking about Grammy nominated rapper Russell "Ol' Dirty Bastard" Jones," I'm talking about Nobel Peace Prize winner, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr....

Recently, the website Gun.io posted FBI documents suggesting that ODB and the Wu Tang Clan were under surveillance for alleged, illegal activities. It must be noted that the late Dr. Martin Luther King was also under surveillance as documented in Kenneth O'Reilly's book "Black Americans: The FBI Files", proving that if you are an outspoken Black man in America, you don't have to be a criminal for the Feds to watch you.

Although many people today celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King as one of the greatest American heroes, that was not always the case. According to historian Taylor Branch in his book "Pillar of Fire," former FBI director J. Edgar Hoover referred to King as not only a "tom cat with obsessive degenerate sexual urges" but a "notorious liar" and "one of the lowest characters in the country;" in the Hip Hop vernacular " an ol' dirty bastard."

For most people who are only familiar with King via the overplayed "I Have a Dream Speech," this may come as quite a shock. How could a man of peace who only wanted "this nation to rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed" become Public Enemy #1. However, in reality, King was a lot closer to the ideologies of "militants" such as Malcolm X and Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael), especially in his later years, than many people would like to admit. This fact, however, has not been lost on Hip Hop, as even the most revolutionary rappers such as Public Enemy, Immortal Technique and Rakim have all paid homage to him in their songs.

The real Martin Luther King Jr is captured in the parts of his speeches and writings that have been whited-out of high school history books. Most people don't know that in his last speech, " I See the Promised Land," delivered in Memphis the night before he was assassinated, he called for a boycott of Coca Cola, Sealtest Milk and Wonder Bread and also asked that Black people transfer their money from white banks to a black one.

Nor do they know that ,although he is portrayed as the great integrationist, King was as just a strong of an advocate of Black Pride as ODB was of "Knowledge of Self." In his work ""Where Do We Go from Here" King defines Black Power as "a psychological reaction to the psychological indoctrination that led to the creation of the perfect slave." Also, although some only associate Dr. King with songs like "We Shall Overcome," Dead Prez once sampled one of his "missing" speeches where he proclaimed , "Yes I'm Black..I'm proud of it...I'm Black and beautiful!"

This is the King that many hated; the one who dissed President Lyndon Johnson's war in Vietnam by saying that "we have been wrong from the beginning in Vietnam, we have been detrimental to the life of the Vietnamese people." (Which was just a nicer way of putting Muhammad Ali's statement that no Vietcong ever called him the N word. )

These are the types of voices that many in this country have always wanted silenced.

Now does that mean that at some point, ODB might have stopped a Wu Tang concert and spoken out against George Bush's "War on Terror?"

We will never know but wild boys do wild things.

Remember, in an AllHipHop interview conducted shortly after his release from prison, ODB accused George Bush and the government of trying to kill him. While most people wrote this off as the paranoid ramblings of someone suffering from too many years of drug abuse , history makes us take another look. As they say in Greek mythology "those who the gods wish to destroy, they first drive mad."

It is no secret that the FBI bugged Dr. King's hotel rooms and ,allegedly, had tapes of him gettin' his freak on with women which they delivered to his wife in an effort to push him to commit suicide.

Also, according to Clay Risen in his book "A Nation on Fire," before his assassination in Memphis, " the 111th Military Intelligence Group had been keeping tabs on King and the SCLC for signs of an impending riot." Also Risen states that on the day of us murder, anti-riot operations were already put in place by the Army Operations Center "before his death was even confirmed."

Even Rev. Jesse Jackson wrote in the forward of Kings "alleged" assassin, James Earl Ray's book "Who Killed Martin Luther King, " "I have always believed that the government was part of a conspiracy, either directly or indirectly, to assassinate him."

So what is the connection between the ODBs, Tupac Shakurs and even the Soulja Slims of the world and MLK ? Every Black man with a microphone is a potential threat. Whether that threat is realized or not, they all had the potential to incite the youth to revolutionary action. After all, law enforcement has always paid an inordinate amount of attention to rappers. Recently, it was even reported that the DC police and the ATF set up a fake Hip Hop record label in Washington DC.

What if Russell Jones had lived long enough to become more political? What if his ideologies were expanding in the same manner as Dr. King's. Remember the purpose of J. Edgar Hoover's COINTELPRO was to "prevent the long range growth of militant Black organizations especially among youth."

Maybe the truth lies in ODB's haunting words when he bum-rushed the stage at the 1998 Grammy awards,

"Wu Tang is for the children. We teach the children!"

And this is America's greatest fear.

Article courtesy of "This Ain't Hip Hop;" a column for intelligent Hip Hop headz.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Can't Save 'em All...

2012-01-10T00:50:00.000-08:00

A little girl died last Christmas night in Milwaukee. According to news reports, her mother drank a half can of Blast by Colt 45 and tried to drive. Unfortunately, she slammed into the back of a truck trailer killing one daughter and critically injuring another.

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/136928403.html

Most people know about the fight I had with Pabst, the makers of Blast by Colt 45, last year. Besides my argument that a Snoop Dog endorsement would attract young drinkers, there was was also the issue that the "Kool Aid flavor" would mask the 12% alcohol content making the drinker oblivious to the fact that he/ or she was intoxicated.

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8030929

So, I can't really say that I didn't see this coming.

But the question that has me up at 3AM is, did I really do enough to stop it.

Yeah, I went to the press, tried to get anti-drunk driving groups involved, (to no avail) got some stores in my neck of the woods to pull the poison and even chased the Blast promo truck out of my 'hood.

But apparently that was not enough.

There were numerous news stories that 18 attorneys general across were going to do something but besides a good feel good PR moment,after the initial media buzz died down, nothing happened, Not sure, but I kinda think that an alleged leaked letter to the AG's from the Pabst camp that warned them about associating with radicals like myself may have had a little to do with it.

But whatever the case, a little girl is dead and a family is in ruins.

And I sit here kickin' my self thinking about what more I coulda, shoulda done...

I remember something my late Pops told me a decade ago when I was on some crusade to save our youth from the thousands of issues they must face in this cruel, cold world.

"You can't save 'em all ,son"

Yeah, but I can try Dad. I can try....

Paul Scott No Warning Shots Fired.com

"This Ain't Hip Hop" New Syndicated Column

2012-01-06T18:41:00.000-08:00

This Ain't Hip Hop
"It will not be the rappers that save Hip Hop but the writers."

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"This Ain't Hip Hop" is the new syndicated column for intelligent Hip Hop Headz by TRUTH Minista Paul Scott. Coming soon. Also look out for the "This Ain't Hip Hop" lecture series starting this Black History Month.

For more information contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com Twitter @truthminista

Killin' for Candy and Concords

2011-12-25T20:56:00.000-08:00

Killin' for Candy and Concords:
The Price of Black Life

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"You ever once stop to think and wonder why it's so/We dont' know.
Cuz we're blinded by the fog of 'dro/ So we let it go"

Just Don't Learn- Brand Nubian

In the news today, an up and coming rapper was killed in a crowded Atlanta mall. According to authorities, Joe Blackmon aka "Killa Black" was standing in line for a pair of Air Jordan Concords when he, accidentally, knocked a Jolly Rancher out of the hand of the man in front of him. The man, described only as "an African American in a black hoodie with saggin' pants" pumped five rounds in him before fleeing the scene. Witnesses say that the crowd just stepped over the dying Blackmon like nothing happened ,some even refusing to let paramedics through for fear of losing their places in line...

Recently, people were shocked that Brick Squad affiliate, Slim Dunkin was murdered in an Atlanta studio, allegedly, stemming from a fight over a piece of candy. This tragic event was coupled by media images of mobs of people beating each other senseless over the new Air Jordan XI Concords.

Hip Hop has had its share of deaths; Scott La Rock, Jam Master Jay, Pac, Biggie to name a few. Unfortunately, the 'hood is full of tales of young brothas losing their lives over stepping on someone's sneakers or even staring too long at some cat at a stop light. While some may argue that violence permeates society and it is not a "black issue," until I see Justin Bieber chasing Justin Timberlake with an AK-47, I beg to differ. Most of the blood spilling on the streets of America pours out of black bodies and Hip Hop is, predominately, made up of black males.

It must be noted that his thing is bigger than Hip Hop. The issue here is the value (or lack thereof) that this society places on black life.

Although it is a historical fact that black folks were once the kings and queens of civilization, around the 15th century the value of black life begin to drop like the 50% off after Christmas sale at Wall Mart.

Man has been fighting man since the beginning of time and despite the historical romanticism, African civilization was not exempt as tribal wars have existed on the continent for thousands of years. However, it was not until the coming of the Portuguese that black life was given a discount price tag. During that period, European slave traders began to use the existing beefs between tribes to trade Africans for commodities. As Walter Rodney wrote in "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa" "it was so easy to set one against another that Europeans called it 'a slave trader's paradise."

The worst part of the trade was the exchange of Africans for weapons.

According to historian, Joseph Harris in his book , " Africans and Their History," "kings were sometimes given firearms to raid neighboring areas in exchange for prisoners of war."

In America, the technique of making the slaves fight against each other was perfected. Herbert Aptheker wrote in "American Negro Slave Revolts, " the dividing of the victims against themselves, the use of spies and the encouragement of traitors" were powerful tools to keep the slaves from rebelling.

This divide and conquer strategy was also used in the 60's during the Civil Rights /Black Power Movement as the FBI, through is COINTELPRO program, played black activists against each other. This caused the destruction of groups such as the Black Panther Party and led, ultimately, to the formation of "street gangs" in California.

It must be noted that, according to Mike Davis in his book "City of Quartz," the purpose of the original gangs was not to promote black on black violence but to protect the hood from white racist gangs such as the "Spookhunters" but after the destruction of the Black Panther Party, gangs such as the Bloods and Crips were formed and they saw "the enemy" as other black men. This was escalated by the introduction of high powered assault weapons and crack into the 'hood which Gary Webb in "Dark Alliance" alleged was a government conspiracy.

Simultaneously, you had the growing popularity of Hip Hop and it was not uncommon during the 80's for black lives to be lost over gold chains, Troop jackets, Jordans or other articles of clothing worn by their favorite Hip Hop artists.

So this leads us to where we are today with people being beat down for $180 sneakers that cost $12 to make in some sweat shop and young black men being killed over candy.

Psychologist Dr. Bobby Wright suggested that black people have been psychologically programed to kill other black people. In his essay "The Psychopathic Racial Personality," he wrote " historically, the European system has encouraged the killing of Blacks. Because Blacks have been led to believe that they are part of the psychopath's system, they simply follow the practice."

We have been conditioned by these historical events to consider black on black conflict not only a cultural norm but a reason for celebration that is ingrained in the minds of the children, often in very subtle ways. Even something as simple as Freestyle Friday on "106 and Park " conditions the young black mind to accept black on black aggression as normal behavior. Unfortunately, when this "dissin'" is carried into the streets, there are no celebrity judges to hold up score cards, only EMS workers with body bags and toe tags.

Back in 1989, Kool Moe Dee, as part of the Stop the Violence Movement, said "I never ever ran from the Ku Klux Klan, so I shouldn't have to run from a black man."

Unfortunately, until we deal with the origin of black on black violence we will always be headed for self destruction.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283

How the Grinch Stole Hip Hop

2011-12-18T18:17:00.000-08:00

How the Grinch Stole Hip Hop:

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"Don't you give me I'll that jive/'bout things that happened before I was alive"

Christmas Rappin'-Kurtis Blow

I ain't gonna front. One of my favorite X-Mass shows when I was a kid was, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." I always thought it was so gangsta how an ugly green dude with a stank attitude could roll down to Whoville one night and rob the whole 'hood without waking anybody up. I guess the same way that somebody could steal Hip Hop without anybody noticing...

One of the hardest things to do is to break people out of their beliefs in myths. From childhood, we are taught to believe in a tooth fairy that leaves quarters under pillows and Easter bunnies that leave baskets on doorsteps. While most people grow out of such beliefs, the Hip Hop myth that if you hustle hard, you too can live the life of the rich and shameless that you see on tv seems to last from the cradle to the grave.

'Tis the season to believe in flying reindeer and talking snowmen. However, Hip Hop-wise, we must ask ourselves is the myth about a fat, old white dude sliding down "chimneys" in the middle of the night in the grimiest projects any less believable than the story of an overweight corrections officer becoming a drug dealin' superstar rapper?

Also, while no self-respecting "G" would be caught dead walking through the 'hood in a bright red Santa suit, that same dude would have no problem walking through the mall with his pants saggin' as a symbol of manhood.

Webster's dictionary defines myth as, "an unproved or false collective belief used to justify social institutions." While many Hip Hop fans co-sign this when talking about elves, they will give you the screw face when you are talking about Hip Hop.

Most religious or cultural myths are based on some historical truth or tradition and since Hip Hop has become a "religion" for some people, the same standard applies. While the roots of rap music can be traced back to the oral traditions of Africa, the same can be said about religion, as the three "major" western religions also have their roots in ancient African civilizations. One of the fathers of western theology, St Augustine once said, "What is known as the Christian religion existed even among the ancients and was not lacking from the beginning of the human race until 'Christ came in flesh."

While it is true that Christmas is rooted on the principle of "Peace on Earth, Goodwill towards men, " it is imperative that we study how religions have been used for what the late historian, Dr. John Henrik Clarke called "male chauvinist murder causes." The same goes for Hip Hop, as Afrika Bambaataa's vision of "Peace, Unity, Love and having fun" was jacked and has been used to promote the worst aspects of society.

According to Dean Dudley, in "History of the First Council of Nice" the use of Christianity as an excuse for military aggression can be traced back to around 300 AD when the Roman emperor, Constantine, supposedly, had a vision where a cross appeared with the inscription "IN HOC SIGNO VINCES" (Under this sign thou shalt conquer.) Following this were hundreds of years of the enslavement of conquered people under the guise of religion. But Hip Hop has also been used to enslave the minds of the masses by corporations who believe that rappers are worth more dead than alive. It must be said that we are not dissin' a belief system but how beliefs can be misused to manipulate the masses.

How many people are aware that when they are poppin' bottles in the club on Christmas night thinking that they are celebrating the "birth of Christ," according to Rev. Alexander Hislop in his book "Two Babylons," they are, actually, celebrating the 'Winter Solstice" or "Saturnalia" when the Romans got their drink on ? (among other things.)

While it may be true that "Jingle Bells' being pumped over mall intercoms may subliminally seduce you into spending all your money on some bling for your shawtie, we can't forget that not too long ago songs like "Neva Scared" by Bone Crusher and "Tear da Club Up" by Three Six Mafia were accused of inciting violence.

Mental programing runs deep.

Although, the "Three Wise Men" who created Hip Hop may be Afrika Bambaataa, Kool Herc and Grandmaster Flash, it was some other evil, wise men who have destroyed it. These Ebenezer Scrooges are so ruthless that they would take Tiny Tim's crutches and give him a beat-down and pump holes in the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future.

In his book, "Afrikan People and European Holidays: A Mental Genocide ," Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango wrote about how people will "embrace and put energy into a thing without ever analyzing the impact, for better or for worst, it may have upon them and their posterity for generations to come. " The book goes on to expose the true origins of Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, etc,

Unfortunately, you stand a better chance telling a five year old child that Santa Claus is a phony than convincing a 30 year old Hip Hop head that the music that he has labeled "street certified" is really a product of Ivy League think tanks and Wall Street marketing campaigns.

We must begin to understand that Knowledge is power and the best way to keep a people powerless is to deny them access to it and keep them locked into accepting myths as undisputed Truth. So this year, the best gift we can give our children is Hip Hop's forgotten 5th element; Knowledge.

That's the real gift that keeps on giving.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Free Kanye: Are Rappers Political Prisoners?

2011-12-11T19:31:00.000-08:00

Free Kanye:
Are Rappers Political Prisoners?

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"I’m locked inside a cell in me, I know that there’s a jail in you"

Words I Never Said - Lupe Fiasco

People from across the country traveled for hours to attend the December rally in Chicago to demand the freedom of their beloved comrade in struggle. For hours, speaker after speaker pounded on the podium demanding that their brother be released so that he could, once again, be free to speak truth to power as the crowd chanted wildly. They weren't chanting "Free Mumia" or "Free Mutulu." Nah, they were chanting "Free Kanye!"

Despite the title of Kanye West's 2004 cd "College Dropout" and the follow up "Late Registration," both were hailed, by many , as the return of politically conscious lyrics to the mainstream. With songs like "All Falls Down" and "Diamonds from Sierra Leone," if Kanye wasn't the second coming of Chuck D, in a rap world dominated by the Ying Yang Twins, he was close enough. Expectations were lifted even higher when he made the infamous post Hurricane Katrina observation that "George Bush don't like black people." But then something strange happened on the Road to Revolution, Kanye's lyrics were suddenly depoliticized and dumb downed. Nowadays, Kanye is more known for corny catch phrases and snatchin' mics from lil country girls at award shows than political wit.

Of course, Kanye isn't the only one. After all, Common's latest song isn't exactly droppin' science, either. But Kanye is killing the game,right now, as he is leading the pack in Grammy nominations, making him the biggest waste of talent at the moment.

While some may argue that West and the others just had creative changes of direction, others say that they are victims of the same political repression that has plagued radical thinkers for centuries. History books are full of examples of people who were imprisoned, exiled or assassinated for their ideas.

Historically, oppressive, ideological societies have hated free thinkers. Even Galileo was locked down in 17th century Italy for teaching Heliocentrism (the sun is the center of the Universe). So, free thinkers have always been a threat to the status quo because of their potential to free the minds others.

In America, the persecution was no different.

According to Dr. Charsee McIntyre, in "Criminalizing the Race," the colonization movement to deport free blacks to Africa was started because free blacks "served as models of Freedom to enslaved blacks and inspired resurrections. "

It must be noted that the threat of radical idealists within the music industry has also been a thorn in the side of the establishment.

In his book "The Covert War Against Rock" Alex Constantine alleges that the deaths of singers such as Peter Tosh, John Lennon and Bob Marley were really well orchestrated, politically motivated assassinations to silence them.

Perhaps the greatest threat to the social order has been Hip Hop. John Potash, in his book, "The FBI War on Tupac Shakur and Black Leaders" gives a rundown of artists who experienced government repression not because of club jams but because of their political activities. The book raises the issue that Tupac Shakur's gangsta turn after being sentenced to life on Death Row Records after his release from prison may not have been a coincidence. Perhaps it was just a plot to render one of the most potentially, powerful voices to ever pick up a mic, politically impotent and socially irrelevant.

We must understand that even while in the slammer, freedom fighters such as Dr. Martin Luther King (Letter From the Birmingham Jail) and George Jackson (Soledad Brothers) still managed to get their words to the masses. Also, Mumia Abu-Jamal has still been able to smuggle information to the people by reporting "Live From Death Row." The difference is, unlike many Hip Hop artists, they would not allow their minds to become incarcerated.

Although, some may consider comparing Hip Hop artists like Kanye West to political prisoners like Mumia and Mutulu Shakur ,blasphemous, when we consider that political incarceration is about locking down the mind more so than the body the connection is clear. While many acts of political repression have been carried out with guns and chains, in Hip Hop, it has been done by a signature on a contract. There is little difference between someone sentenced to a 10 year prison bid and someone being confined to a 10 year recording deal that restricts their freedom of speech in terms of their relevance to oppressed communities.

This idea is not without precedence. Lupe Fiasco has been outspoken about the industry's attempt to "dumb em down." Also, it was once rumored that former G Unit soldier, Young Buck had to remove a song about police brutality from his cd because of pressure from a mysterious "lyric committee."

Unfortunately, it is not just the artists that are in mental prisons but fans as well. As every time a rapper enters into a mental prison, he carries a legion of followers with him.

So, the question is how do we free Hip Hop artists and consequently, free the minds of their fans.

According to Peter Doggett, in his work, "There's a Riot Going On," back in the 60's, activists formed the Dylan Liberation Front (later the Rock Liberation Front) to "liberate" artists, like Bob Dylan, who they felt had turned their backs on the struggle and "sold out to the man."

Maybe, in 2011, we need a Kanye Hip Hop Liberation Front to do the same.

After all, if Jadakiss and his crew could stage a successful "Free the Lox" campaign back in the day to get released from Bad Boy , why can't we politicize it and start a "Free Kanye Campaign" to free him from Roc-a-fella.

Something has to be done to free incarcerated minds and it has to be done now.

As Bob Marley once sang "Emancipate yourselves from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

A Ludacris Crisis: Does Hip Hop Hate Women?

2011-11-19T19:20:00.000-08:00

A Ludacris Crisis:
Does Hip Hop Hate Women?

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"Every woman in America, especially black. Bear with me. Can't you see we're under attack"

White Man's World- Makaveli (Pac)

Tyanna Johnson wasn't sure how she got there. Three months ago, she moved from Mississippi to Atlanta for a better way of life. But when the crappy economy forced her company to shut down, she found herself standing at the intersection everyday holding a cardboard sign that read "Please Help Me!" Everyday she just stood there trying to hold on to her last piece of dignity. Then ,one day, a gold toothed rapper rolled up in a new Maybach and asked her to "do sumthin' strange for a little piece of change..."

Last week, Hip Hop superstar, Christopher "Ludacris" Bridges released the 1.21 Gigawatts mixtape. While much of the Hip Hop buzz has centered around his disses of rival rappers, little attention has been paid to the disrespect of his primary target; black women.

A few years ago, the song "Do Sumthin," where Luda and Rick Ross trade verses about the freaky stuff that they would make a starvin' sista do for a Klondike Bar would have just been written off as another strip club anthem. But with people facing dire economic situations, the song takes on added socio-economic significance. With single mothers in the real world strugglin' to feed their kids, millionaire rappers promoting ho'in as a viable option is done in extremely bad taste.

Do rappers hate women that much?

While the disrespect of all women is a problem for all cultures, the disproportionate economic suffering of black women plus the fact that they own most of the booties that are seen shakin' in Hip Hop videos makes this issue more race specific. This is compounded by the jacked up relationship between black men and black women that has been promoted by the entertainment industry for the last couple of decades.

Black men dissin' black women is nothing new, as its roots can be traced back to antiquity. Chancellor Williams in his classic work, "The Destruction of Black Civilization" wrote that the problem goes back thousands of years in Africa when foreign invaders raped black Egyptian women, causing the sons to hate their mothers and identify with the nationality of their fathers, the conquerors.

So the seed with which we are dealing today was planted eons ago.

Of course, this is not to say that white men have not exploited black women, as this has been well documented for centuries. South African, Saartjie Baartman was paraded across Europe as a freak show attraction because of the size of her badunkadunk almost two centuries before Niki Minaj appeared on the MTV Music Awards.

Nor can the disrespect of black women be totally blamed on Hip Hop, as Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones were singing "Brown Sugar," a song glorifying the rape of a "slave girl" and "Some Girls" a decade before The Bad Boys dissed "Veronica" and Slick Rick "treated em like a prostitute."

But that does not give black men of today a pass. Especially grown men with young daughters.

Dr. Frances Cress Welsing gave a psychological reason for rap's virtual rape of sistas in "The Isis Papers" when she wrote that "black males engage in this activity out of their imposed frustration and sense of political powerlessness and inadequacy."

However, some have pointed to a more insidious reason; a conspiracy to turn black men against black women and initiate them into a secret society known as the "Hip Hop He-Man Woman Haters Club."

If what Immortal Technique alleges in his song , "Natural Beauty" is true, that "men who don't even like women control the business" this is not only possible but probable as they take enjoyment from the gender war between black men and black women.

As noted historian JA Rogers wrote in his book "Sex and Race Vol III, " the deadliest form of the conflict and process of extermination within a civilization lies in the conflict between the two creative forces-Sex (woman) and Intellect (man).

Now some may argue that Luda is telling a true story and there are really women who act like that. But there are also women who act like Ida B. Wells, Assata Shakur and Kathleen Cleaver. Why are these stories not being told? Not to mention the story of the OG ride or die chick, Mary Turner, who, in 1918, along with her unborn child, was murdered and mutilated by a lynch mob in Valdosta, GA for reppin' her husband who had been murdered by the same mob. Some may consider the actual details of the horrific event, like how one of the members of the mob removed the fetus from Turner's belly and pounded it into the ground , too graphic. However, they are no more graphic then the acts rapped about on Luda's CD or in songs being played on the radio about black men riding around with "choppers" in their cars hunting other black men like prey.

Perhaps, if rappers were taught this history, they would be less likely to make misogynistic songs.

Personally, I think that a group of brothers should find Luda and kindly "escort" Mr. Bridges to the Folsom Bridge, the spot where Turner was lynched, and leave him there until he reconsiders his position on black women.

Either way, this madness has got to stop.

Like Nas said in "Black Girl Lost" "Say men are all the same? What we need to do is break this chain."

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Jay Z: Hip Hop's "Hustle Man"

2011-11-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

Jay Z: Hip Hop's "Hustle Man"

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"Well, it might be sad. Or might sound funny but that's what people do for money."
Divine Sounds

There is one in every 'hood, a "hustle man." Like the dude from the old "Martin" show, "Hustle Man" is the type that would sell vitamin water to his grandma on her deathbed. The type of guy who hawks R.I.P. hoodies outside of funeral homes. The type of person who would use one of the most revolutionary events in modern history to sell T-shirts.

Last week, Shawn "Jay Z" Carter made headlines when he vandalized the Occupy Wall Street movement by creating "Occupy All Streets" T-shirts that are to be sold by his Rocawear Company. Although, it is still being debated whether Jay will go through with it, the fact that he had the cahoonas to attempt it in the first place says a lot about the character of the man.

If you ask the folks from "The Roc" and supporters like Russell Simmons, they will tell you that Jay is just trying to spread the message by launching an Occupy All Streets Movement. If you ask others, he is either trying to make a quick buck ,or worst, trying to dilute the movement by diverting attention away from the economic center of the planet.

What Jay Z is trying to pull off is a textbook example of the Hip Hop Hegelian Dialectic .(thesis, antitheses, syntheses) In this case, create the "problem", front like your solving the "problem" and then sell the "solution" for $22.

Ask any true Hip Hop head what is the major problem with the art form, today and he will say, without hesitation, "commercial exploitation" However, this is not limited to Hip Hop alone, as commercialism has invaded every aspect of society. What makes Hip Hop different is that it started as a movement to give a vehicle of expression to poor and oppressed communities. So, when you co-opt Hip Hop you are co-opting the voice of the people.

It must be noted that commercialism did not start with Shawn Carter, as the practice has plagued Hip Hop every since Adidas found out that they could make a dollar using RunDMC to promote their sneakers in the 80's. One can also remember that infamous Nike commercial from the 90's where KRS proudly proclaimed that the "revolution" was not about fighting for human rights but the revolution was merely, "basketball."

In a capitalist society, nothing is sacred, not even social movements.

In his book "There's a Riot Going On," Peter Doggett traces the genesis of corporations jackin' social movements back to a 1968 meeting of advertising agents and entertainment company bigwigs , "Selling the American Youth Market." According to Doggett, attendees paid $300 dollars a head to find out ways to make money by exploiting the Civil Rights and Anti-War Movements of the 60's.
It must be noted that commercial exploitation is not just limited to music. Remember, Dr. Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream Speech" has been used to sell cell phones and Malcolm X's entire ideology has been reduced to the price of a postage stamp.

What is interesting about the Jigga scandal is the straw man argument where a conversation about the exploitation of a movement was quickly flipped into a debate over who he was gonna break off with some Benjamins.

Although entertainers have been known to give donations to social causes (Marlon Brando and other celebrities supported the Black Panther Party), for the most part, it's strickly business.

As Herbert Haines wrote in "Black Radicals and the Civil Rights Mainstream 1954-1970," "business support for pro-civil rights changes was brought about not by moral enlightenment but by recognition that racial trouble damaged business interests." Historically, social unrest has been bad for business. And a business owner is more than happy to throw a couple of dollars at "radicals" if it means not having to worry about about a brick being thrown through his store window.
(Just look at how many hood dudes got sneaker franchises after the '92 LA rebellions.)

So, when millionaire missionaries such as Shawn Carter and Russell Simmons support projects, it is more so to calm the restless natives then to aid the revolution. The reason why Simmons is given a hood pass is because he holds the golden microphone. Over the last decade Hip Hop activists such as Rev. Conrad Tillard (formerly Minister Conrad Muhammad), Rosa Clemente and Dr. Jared Ball have all pointed out how Simmons has used his star power to, allegedly, undermine legitimate grassroots movements.

The problem is that in the past we have placed symbol over substance.

In his book "An African Answer" Edgar Ridley, argues that "those who are victims of symbolism are, invariably, the ultimate losers in any dialogue or conflict." So, we have to realize that the symbolic act of showing up at a protest or wearing a bootleg version of a movement's slogan on a shirt does not mean that your favorite celebrity is getting ready to toss a Molotov cocktail.

However, the outrage generated by the Occupy All Streets T-shirts does signify a change in the collective consciousness of the people who are beginning to realize that everything is not for sell. Especially the economic future of our children. Finally, Hip Hop fans are beginning to demand accountability from those who exploit the art form.

But Jay Z is not the first person to exploit Hip Hop and he won't be the last.

Unfortunately, there will always be those who are willing to sell their souls to the highest bidder.

And the culture.

Paul Scottcan be reached at (919) 451-8283 Twitter @truthminista

Time to Occupy Hip Hop

2011-10-24T15:46:00.000-07:00

Time to Occupy Hip Hop

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"Y'all been eatin' long enough now, stop bein' greedy
Just keep it real partna, give to the needy"
Stop Being Greedy-DMX

One morning last month, tired of the state of corporate-owned Hip Hop, a small group of people gathered in front of Intergalactic Records with picket signs saying "Hip Hop Sucks!" That night, a DJ rolled up with some old school Kool Herc-type speakers and started blastin' classic, underground Hip Hop, shaking the walls of the building. The movement has since spread like wildfire across the country as thousands of disgruntled former Hip Hop fans have begun gathering at radio stations across the country yelling "Give Hip Hop back to the 99%!"

Think this can't happen? Think again.

With the Occupy Wall Street Movement in full swing, it is only a matter of time before somebody asks the question that will spark the rap revolution.

"Hey, don't those 1 per centers also control the entertainment industry ?"

I think that I can safely say that 99% of the people reading this are fed up with the current state of Hip Hop and are ready to take it back from the 1% that are controlling the direction of the culture. There are only a hand full of major record labels (Sony, EMI , Warner and Universal) most of the radio stations are either owned by Clear Chanel or Radio-One and the major music video programs are all controlled by one company; Viacom. This explains why the same five Hip Hop artists are being played over and over again.

Without a doubt, Hip Hop is one of the most lucrative commodities on the planet and generates billions of dollars, annually, not only for entertainment companies but also for the other Big Willie corporations that the Occupy Wall Street warriors are fighting against. Also, it can be argued that, unlike many of the resident Wall Street tycoons, the entertainment industry moguls are most dependent on "the streets" for their economic survival, making them the most vulnerable to successful protests.

In his book, "Black Labor, White Wealth," Dr. Claud Anderson wrote that " black music is the basis for one of the world's wealthiest industries." He also argues that "the historic exploitation of black music and other art forms provides a strong philosophical reason to target these industries as visible examples of a new black economic agenda."

So, the question becomes not whether an "Occupy Hip Hop" movement will happen but why it hasn't happened yet.

To jack that famous line from Public Enemy, " the reasons are several, most of them federal."

It has been reported that Hip Hop was one of the major motivating factors in the "Arab Spring" uprisings, as it captured the frustrations of the youth overseas. While the average person in the US may not fully grasp the international power of Hip Hop, the government has long recognized the tremendous influence that entertainers have globally: a power that they are not willing to let fall into the " wrong hands."

According to Dr. Penny Von Eschen in her book, "Race Against Empire," during the 1950's the US State Department set up "Cultural Affairs, Psychological Warfare and Propaganda" programs to control Uncle Sam's international image. According to Von Eschen, the State Department recruited entertainers from jazz musicians to the Harlem Globetrotters to travel the globe proving to the world that living in America wasn't that bad.

This is why, even today, despite poverty and record high unemployment, the Feds still need the image of millionaire Hip Hop artists destroying $300,000 cars in videos and throwing up hundred dollar bills in the clubs beamed to every country on Earth. Despite what the Occupy Wall Street "whiners" are crying about on CNN, the Feds need to project the international image that all is still good in the 'hood.

Another reason why Hip Hop has not been occupied is that the people who you would think would be on the front line fightin' the power are actually part of the power structure. Despite the revolutionary rhetoric of even some of the most socially conscious Hip Hop writers and artists, they are still trapped in the corporate matrix and aren't really gonna spark the Gil Scott-Heron "Revolution that Will Not be Televised" or heard on the radio. Like most folks, they are just tryin' to eat and they ain't gonna go back to eatin' Oodles of Noodles for dinner for none of ya'll.

But then you have that pesky 5% at the bottom of the oppressed 99% ladder who really want to see complete constructive change and are willing to do any and everything to get it. Even if it means camping out in front of the Hot 99.9 station and starting a bonfire with Rick Ross cd's and Lil Wayne posters. These are the ones who will put Hip Hop back in the hands of the people .

I know that I speak for the rest of the 99% when I say, "Enough of the Maybach music. It's time for some "payback" music!

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283

Why Are We Still Marchin' ?

2011-10-11T20:38:00.000-07:00

Controlled Chaos:
Why We Are We Still Marchin' ?

Paul Scott

I have marched until my feet have bled and I have rioted until they called the Feds.
What's left my conscious said?
"Revolution" Arrested Development

When folks gather in DC for the Jobs and Justice March and the Martin Luther King Memorial dedication this weekend, I betcha a million bucks that somebody is gonna pose the same question that people have been asking for the last 40 years. "What would Martin Luther King Jr say if he was here, today ?" If MLK was at the march, he would probably mean mug the crowd and yell "after all these years, why are y'all still marchin' ?"

While people have accused the Hip Hop generation of being politically, apathetic (many times for good reason) the hardcore truth is that many young folks are just tired of traveling down the same road that has led us to nowhere-ville. They just need for someone to tell them the best way to bring about change.

Unfortunately, most old school cats are still trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together, themselves. They can't answer the basic question, "after all these years of marching and protesting, why are the conditions of poor people, relatively, the same as they were back in 1963?"

The reason is simple. It's called controlled chaos: when things appear to be out of order but they are really being controlled by a master shot caller. There are forces at work making sure that we stay lost in the wilderness and never make it to the Promised Land.

The government's repression of political dissent goes back decades. One can trace it as far back as the early 20th century with the Bureau of Investigation's attack on Marcus Garvey or the House UnAmerican Affairs Committee's attacks on Paul Robeson and others.

While it is known that the FBI's COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) played a major role in destroying political movements during the late 60's and early 70's, what must be examined in the 21st century is "how" they did it.

According to Ward Churchill and Jim Wall in their book, "Agents of Repression," the FBI used several techniques to disrupt movements, including infiltrating organizations with agents, falsely tagging activists as "snitches" and assassinations. Another strategy was setting up phony, militant organizations or "pseudo gangs" "designed to confuse, divide and undermine, as well as do outright battles with authentic dissident groups." This may even account for the street gangs of today who will kill on sight members of rival gangs but would never consider bangin' on the system.

Also, although politicians praise the strategy of nonviolence, history teaches us that it is only after riots, when people start tearin' stuff up, that the government suddenly is able to "find" money for all sorts of social programs that they couldn't find before the rebellions. This is a technique that President Richard Nixon used as he transformed Black Power into Green Power.

One of the least talked about strategies to stop radical movements did not come from the Feds but from philanthropic foundations. According to Robert W Allen in his book "Black Awakening in Capitalist America," these foundations used their money to co-opt the Black Power movement. The main organization responsible was the Ford Foundation, headed by former US national security advisor, McGeorge Bundy, who's brother just happened to be William Bundy, former director of the CIA. Allen called the Ford Foundation "the most important, though, least publicized" organization manipulating the militant black movement."

Not only did the foundations influence the direction of street organizations but they also manipulated Black studies programs at colleges to make sure they produced "Clarence Thomas's" instead of "Malcolm X's." Noliwe Rooks discusses the efforts of the foundations to take the "black" out of Black studies in her book, "White Money, Black Power."

Later, during the Hip Hop era, we see the role that entertainment corporations played in diverting the rebellious energy of poor and oppressed ghetto kids.

During the golden age of conscious Hip Hop (1988-92) we witnessed a period that best represented how rap music could be used as a tool to organize the masses. This was a time when Hip Hop artists, not only made songs about fighting the power, but also participated in acts of civil disobedience such as when members of the X-Clan were involved in the "Day of Outrage" following the murder of Yusef Hawkins in 1989.
However, after '92, conscious Hip Hop was replaced by a materialistic music that made people want to be part of the system instead of fighting against it. They have made grown men walking around with their drawers showin' the ultimate act of rebellion.

Perhaps the most telling example of the political manipulation of Hip Hop was the 2004 election when, instead of using their influence and resources to politically educate their constituents in the 'hood, Hip Hop moguls created a politically ambivalent marketing strategy called "Vote or Die" that did little more than sell overpriced T-Shirts.

The most interesting political movement in recent history is Occupy Wall Street, as activists have successfully broken out of the box of the Republican/Democratic dynamic and have taken the fight straight to the seat of power. If this movement continues focusing on the source of the multiple problems facing the 'hood ( the multi-national corporations) this could be a major tipping point, effecting the economic balance of this country.
However, we have already seen filthy rich celebrities co-sign what is supposed to be a poor people's movement. And it is just a matter of time before some slick politician tries to turn radical, revolutionists into mild mannered voter registration political reformists good only for putting "Vote for Me" posters on people's front yards.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Today we find ourselves at the crossroads; one way leads to Freedom and the other road leads to perpetual oppression.

We all have a choice to make.

Do we we leave the next generation a movement for real socio-economic change or just sore feet and worn out Air Jordans?

"TRUTH Minista" Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Occupying E. Chapel Hill St (A Black Perspective)

2011-10-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

I don't often hang out with white Liberals. Any student of African American history will know that coalitions between black activists and white Liberals, many times, have been problematic. As Kwame Ture (Stokley Carmichael) said during the '60's, even the most Liberal white folks are fighting for power but we are fighting for survival.

But I respect the grind of Occupy Wall Street. Anybody who is organizing it to stick it to "the man," I'm down. So, that's why I headed to downtown Durham for the Occupy Durham rally.

I do, however, think that the few black faces in the crowd in Durham, probably represent the demographic makeup of other Occupy rallies across the country.

I gotta admit. I like the way that the Occupy Wall Street people are taking care of business. They have latched on to a concept that black folks have yet to grab, a virtually, leaderless movement that organizes around ideas instead of personalities.

Yes!!!!

For years, black folks have frantically looked for a messiah to lead us into the Promised Land and the "powers that be" in this country have been all too happy to pick one for us.

Starting back with Booker T. Washington during the eraly 20th century, we have let outside forces choose who was going to be at the front of our march to Freedom. Those in power need one person with whom to negotiate, instead of of dealing with 30 million black folks with issues.

If black folks get upset and start a riot, no problem. They just get on the phone with Rev. "What's his name ," cut a deal and the riot is over. The leader gets a new sponsor for his next event and the masses of black folks get nothing but a speech.

Fortunately Occupy Wall Street hasn't fallen into that trap as the theme was echoed in Durham today "we are the 99% opposing the 1% who control the resources of this world we live in." So, it is hard to pinpoint a leader. In theory, as long as the poverty remains, the movement remains.

As it is said, absolute power corrupts, absolutely. Already we have seen, nationally, how filthy rich celebrities have started giving props to what is supposed to be a poor people's movement. Next politicians will try to turn the revolution into a glorified voter registration drive.

If you can't beat 'em; join 'em.

So, will the Occupiers stick to their guns or will they become like others and switch from being vocal social revolutionists who are going to change the socio-economic dynamics of this nation to mild mannered political reformers who are only good for putting "Voter for me" signs in people's front lawns.

Time will tell.

But for now, I join them in their collective chant of:

Power to the People!

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Secessions and Insurrections

2011-10-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

Secessions and Insurrections

Paul Scott

Today is the day that Durham was supposed to start its great discussions on race, triggered by an exhibit that made its debut at the Museum of Life and Science, "Race: Are We Really So Different." So what better way was there for a black dude like me to kick off my series examining race then to visit the Civil War commemorative event at Bennett Place State Historic Site?

For those not familiar with Bennett Place , according to the brochure, it is the site of the largest surrender of the Civil War." A fact that a lot of white Southerners are still not too happy about.

I must admit, when I rolled up in the Bennett Place parking lot and saw all those Confederate flag license plates, I started to make a u turn and head to the museum but since the Race exhibit was 14 bucks and the commemoration was free, of course, I headed on into Bennett Place.

Now since I have seen more than a few white folks make themselves right at home at black cultural festivals in Durham; Bimbe, Junteenth, so, I thought that I would see, at least a couple of black faces in the crowd. Or at the very least, see some half clothed black man running frantically through the field chased by hound dogs yellin' "save yourselves!"

I was wrong. I was the only "person of color" within a five mile radius.

See, black folks get nervous around Confederate flags, we expect at any moment to hear "Yeeee Hawww, we got us some live ones, boys ! Gimme a rope!"

Fortunately the commemoration was not that type of party. Just a bunch of white folks celebrating the good ol' days. When life was simple and black people like me knew their place.

They had a wagon ride, some dude teaching people how to load a musket and even a recruiting station to sign up for the war. Now, I wasn't exactly sure if the recruiting station was a reenactment or if they were actually planning to take over West Durham.

But that was about it. I made it out alive without getting lynched. Exit the black guy, stage right. None the worst for his hair raising adventure.

I guess the Confederacy is part of American History. But so are slave insurrections.

What if next August 21, African Americans got together at some state park and had a commemoration of the Nat Turner slave rebellion? Instead of hanging up Confederate Flags, we decked the joint out in the Black Liberation colors of red, black and green. How about instead of playing country music we cranked up some Public Enemy jams and instead of being sponsored by the "Sons of Confederate Veterans" the affair was sponsored by the Sons of the "Deacons for Defense" or the "Daughters of the Black Panther Party."

That would go over real big. I can hear the cries of reverse racism, opening up old wounds or instigating a race riot from the area Right Wing radio hosts, now.

Although, the state of North Carolina flips part of the bill for Bennett Place, I doubt very seriously if they would fund "Insurrection Weekend."

See , black folks and whites folks perceive the Civil War differently. To white folks, Confederate soldiers are heroes who should be honored, to black folks they are a bunch of traitors who got their butts kicked trying to keep our ancestors picking cotton.

Kinda like a glass half empty/half full, situation.

While, there is a fear that anything dealing with the more militant aspects of black history might produce the next Malcolm X, there is no such fear that a Civil War commemoration may produce the next David Duke.

Also, while many white folks (and some black folks) are scared to death that any attempts to teach Arican American children the more "nontraditional" parts of Black history in fear it may cause Mr. Buchanan's 8th grade history class to rise up and give him a beat down, there is no concern that a Civil War reenactment might inspire some southern sore loser to get a little payback for their bitter defeat a century ago. Given the history of this country, the latter is more probable.

All people have the right to tell their own stories. However, for black folks, we have very few venues to speak our own truths. The reasons are several.

Many black folks who put on cultural events work so hard at not offending white folks that they sacrifice historical accuracy. People who put on events from a white perspective have no such hang ups.

See, the bottom line is , white folks embrace their history; the good, the bad and the ugly. It is a shame that we run away from ours.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Missing: Black Voices

2011-10-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

This week folks in Durham will begin discussing race, courtesy of a new exhibit at the Museum of Life and Science called "Race Are We Really That Different?." If things go the way that they usually go 'round here, there will be one thing missing from these discussions; black voices. Especially, black folks that won't white wash the issue.

Seems like, in recent years, someone came up with the novel idea that race issues could be discussed without black people. Don't believe me? Name some African American columnists or radio talk show hosts in the Triangle area?

(I'll Wait...)

And the one or two that you probably named have been there for at least a decade or two, right? You mean to tell me that no black person with an original thought has come around since Bill Clinton was the prez?

It is a cryin' shame that with thousands of black folks in this area we're supposed to be too stupid to notice the lack of African American opinion shapers. Although many people preach about diversity, the most segregated places in this part of NC are media newsrooms. It seems that the only integration going on in some of the local newspapers is in the weekly crime sheet, other that they are lily white.

Now, I know that some are going to argue that there are quite a few African Americans on the TV channels, especially WTVD, who "report" the news. However, this is not the issue. The issue is the serious lack of black folks who "editorialize" the news of the day.

Since I'm one of the dudes that is rarely invited to these feel good "race" discussions, (imagine that) for the next few weeks, I am going to run a series on No Warning Shots Fired.com dealing with the race issue from a black perspective.

So, stay tuned as we give you the real, uncut, deal about Race in America.

Let's Talk About Race, Baby

2011-10-04T17:38:00.000-07:00

Let's Talk About Race, Baby.

Paul Scott

Back in '91, Hip Hop legends, Salt N Pepa shook up America when they released the controversial song, "Let's Talk About Sex." The song was a wake up call to a mainstream America that was reluctant to talk about sex even in the face of a growing AIDS crisis and teen pregnancy epidemic. This month, Durham will tackle the "other" issue: race.

On October 8th, the Museum of Life and Science will host the exhibit, "Race: Are We So Different" that will address the origin of race in both anthropological and sociological terms. There will also be a series of community discussions surrounding the issue through the end of the exhibition, next January, dealing with an issue that is rarely discussed in an open and honest minor. Usually, any racial discussion that does not end with a group of folks sitting around quoting Martin Luther King speeches and locking arms singin' "We Shall Overcome" is not exactly welcomed in this town. Although, racial conflicts effect all cultures, in America it has been mostly black and white.

So, where do we begin tackling the taboo issue? We start at the same place you start when your five year old comes home from kindergarten and asks "where do babies come from." We start at the beginning. However, we have to make the decision whether to tell the awful truth or send our kids down the road of misinformation by telling them that "the stork brings them."

It must be noted that there was not a beef between the races before antiquity as historians have pointed out that the early Greeks actually had respect for the Ethiopians and Egyptians. It was not until the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that racial inferiority began to be used to justify the enslavement of Africans. After that period, pseudo-scientific theories were constructed to prove the superiority of one race over the other. While Johann Blumenbach is credited with dividing humanity into racial groups, prior to that it was, Carl Von Linnaeus that started attributing natural ability to skin color.

Besides serving as the rationale for racial oppression, there has been the fear of race mixing (miscegenation). The "browning of America" has been such a fear of white folks that the one drop rule was created to establish that one drop of black blood would make even the whitest, white dude want to watch Black Entertainment Television.

Has this changed in recent years? Only in Hip Hop. Artists such as KRS have long argued that the "great American melting pot concept" only exists in the world of rap music where little white kids have posters of Lil Wayne on their bedroom walls" and black kids download Eminem songs on Itune. But outside of Rap World things have not changed much.

So, why do we still feel so uncomfortable discussing the issue ? It's just like when, after being chastised for kissing a boy at school, your 12 year old daughter, asks you about your first time.

Awkward.

Race puts us smack dab in the center of the storm where we have to weather questions like "do you hate all white people" or "have you ever used the N Word ?"

What happens when we don't talk about sex? Just go to the Durham Health Department or to Northgate or Southpoint Mall and count all the teenage girls pushing strollers. What happens when we don't talk about race, just take a look at the polarization taking place across the country.

So, yes Durham. Let's talk about race, baby.

For more information about the "Race Are We Different" exhibit visit

http://www.ncmls.org/visit/events/RACE

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Tyrese vs the Real Decepticons

2011-10-03T16:57:00.000-07:00

Tyrese vs the Real Decepticons

Paul Scott

Last Summer, fans flocked to movie theaters in droves to see Tyrese Gibson help the Transformers save Earth from the Decepticons. Now, he is in a fight with the real "Decepti-Cons" who are destroying the 'hood.

You know who I'm talking about. Go to any 'hood in America and you will see the invaders who pimp the community with overpriced chewing gum, stale potato chips and enough 40's to get the whole city tipsy. If you go in and ask for a bottle of natural spring water, you're fresh out of luck but if you are searching for a vintage bottle of 1988 Olde English 800, they got you.

Last week, during a radio interview on Wilmington, Delaware's Kiss 101.7 , Tyrese went in on the "homies" there for allowing a liquor store to be in close proximity to a school. Apparently, this did not sit too well with the station's head dude who, allegedly, bounced him out the door, not because of his stance against liquor stores near kids but because he had the nerve to refer to his listeners as "homies" on a Hip Hop radio station.

(Doesn't make sense to you, either, huh?)

Either way, allegedly, Tyrese's music has been banned from the station until further notice.

As Gibson has pointed out, this is not just about Wilmington. Go to any poor community in America and you will find more liquor stores (liquid crack houses) than anything else. For years, community activists have accused the high proliferation of these stores in predominately Black and Latino neighborhoods as being acts of genocide. However, while community activist Raheem Jackson can stand in front of a store with a protest sign and bullhorn for years and be ignored, one word from a celebrity like Tyrese can spark a revolution. An issue that has plagued communities for years is now being discussed at bus stops, in barbershops and tattoo parlors.

This is why Tyrese's stand sent shock waves through an industry that works in cahoots with corporations to keep the masses of the people blind to the facts.

What if people start really examining the question of why there are really so many liquor stores in the 'hood and then demand answers? Or if people start actually organizing to push legislation to keep liquor stores out of school zones? How about if other artists start using their star power to raise questions, not only about liquor stores but the prison industrial complex, high unemployment in "urban" communities, or how drugs really get into the 'hood ? It could start a domino effect that could upset the socio-economic order of this country.

That is why a socially conscious artist who uses his celebrity status to do more than make people buy cds or movie tickets is considered a threat. And many who have dared to speak out against social injustice have committed revolutionary, career suicide.

Instead of addressing complaints by celebrities, the "Decepti-Cons" use the oldest trick in the book: try to discredit the messenger. Back in the day, they would call outspoken artists, "Communists," then "militants." Today, they try to make using the term "homie" a federal offense.

Another tactic that they have used is a con game called the "straw man fallacy," which is when the real issue is replaced by a fake issue that has nothing to do with the real issue in order to distract attention from the real issue. (Rewind that back twice and think about it.) In this case, they are using Tyrese's, allegedly, dissin' the folks in Delaware as a straw man argument to draw attention from what should be the primary question, "should liquor stores be near schools."

As they say, the players change but the game remains the same.

Unlike the poor righteous teachers who are the community activists, celebrities have something we don't; influence and access to capital. Suppose, Tyrese and a few of his Hollywood homies put some dollars together and open up a health food/book store in Wilmington to compete with the liquor store? Or, what if he takes some of that Transformer money and opens up a radio station in Delaware that features talk shows and plays nothing but conscious Hip Hop? The possibility is there but it all starts with a conversation.

However, we can't put all the weight on celebrities. They can be catalysts for change but the real work is going to have to be done by the homies in the 'hood who are tired of seeing their children drop out of school in order to embrace a life full of addiction and prison bids.

Even though Megatron and his crew have lots of power, we must be willing to fight them if we are going to save this generation from destruction. And this fight won't be easy.

We must all make a commitment to become the "Transformers" of our own communities.

As Optimus Prime said at the end of Transformers 3 ” there will be days when we lose faith but the day will never come when we forsake this planet and it's people.”

Or the ‘hood.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283

Tyrese Takes a Stand Against Liquor Stores Near Schools

2011-09-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

According to TMZ, R@B star, Tyrese, is having his music pulled from Kiss 101.7 in Delaware for challenging the folks in Delaware for allowing liquor stores to be in school zones.

http://www.tmz.com/2011/09/28/tyrese-gibson-radio-delaware-liquor-stores-schools-interview-banned/

We have to support artists when they stand up for what's right.

Send Kiss 101.7 a Tweet and let them know that we support Tyrese and they are dead wrong for banning his music. @Kiss1017

Obama, throw the Bomb!

2011-09-14T17:24:00.000-07:00

Obama: Throw the Bomb!

Paul Scott

What do the Carolina Panthers and the US economy have in common?
They both suck. And truth is, they have sucked for a while now.

The Carolina Panthers solution to their slump; Cam Newton. America's solution to her economic slump; Barack Obama. Panther fans are looking for Cam to be that spark that will finally ignite the Panthers to get that coveted Superbowl ring that has alluded the franchise since its 1995 inception. Obama was elected to be the agent for change that will bring jobs to the hard working folks of America.

Honestly, I don't know who is facing the toughest odds.

Cam is a rookie, so we won't know his total effectiveness until 'round about October. Obama is in his third season and already, folks are beginning to talk about trading him next year.

Not that some folks ever really gave him a chance from the jump. Many of the bookies were already betting against the Prez before he even suited up for his first State of the Union Address. And many of us North Carolinians , who threw away our Panther caps five years ago, now take more pleasure in seeing the Cats lose than celebrating the occasional victory they manage to snatch a few times a year.

But don't cry either one of them a river too soon. They both knew what they were in for when they took the gigs. I'm quite sure Newton watched the highlight reels of the last 10 seasons before he signed his 22 million dollar contract. And Obama knew that millions of people were hungry and out of work before he got got sworn in. Even though I don't think that he was quite prepared for the strength of the Tea Party offensive, defense nor the audacity of the opposition to scream, "You lie!" during the post game press conference, it kinda comes with the territory.

Also, as die hard Panther fans and Democrats, as well, are always quick to remind you, they both inherited the sloppy seconds of their predecessors. Sometime around the middle of the third quarter, I always got the feeling that former QB, Jake Delhomme would have rather been catfish fishing in New Orleans and George Bush would have rather been riding a horse in Texas than running the country.

Let's face it. Fans and voters have a lot in common; we are self centered, impatient and fickle. We want results and we want them now! So what if the cheerleaders are busy texting "LOL" instead of rallyin' the crowd. Who cares that the band is playing "Taps" instead of "Eye of the Tiger." All that matters to the football fans is the trip to the big game in February and all that matters to the voters is a way to pay the rent at the end of the month.

That's not to say that they are not going to need help from their perspective teams. Even though Cam Newton broke all kind of records, last Sunday, they still loss. It takes a whole team to win a game, not just the quarterback. Just like Cam's teammates are gonna have to put some pep in their steps, Obama's offensive front line Dems are gonna have to stop having panic attacks every time they look in the eyes of a snarlin', 300 pound Right Wing linebacker.

But fair or not, at the end of the day, everybody praises the quarterback when they win and blames the President when they lose. So, it's time for President Obama to show the brilliance that he showed three years ago in the pre-season. The team is down by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. It's time to throw a bomb down field, a Hail Mary to the end zone an ally -oop to the...(my bad, wrong sport, but you get the point.)

He needs to not just win one for the Gipper but for all the parents in Durham and everywhere else in America who are depending on the outcome of this game to feed their kids.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

How 9/11 Missed Hip Hop

2011-09-09T16:48:00.001-07:00

Survivin' the Era of Terror:
How 9/11 Missed Hip Hop

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

September 11, 2001 is a day that will never be forgotten. On that day, an event happened that will effect the lives of generations for decades to come; socially, politically and economically. No, I'm not talking about the attack on the World Trade Center, 9/11/01 was also the day that Jay Z released The Blueprint...

This week, when many people reflect on what they were doing the moment the Twin Towers fell that faithful Tuesday in '01, most won't admit that they were standing in line trying to be the first person on their block to get the new Jay Z CD but that pretty much sums up the collective attitude of Hip Hop during a 10 year period known as the "Era of Terror." It can be argued that The Blueprint had more of an impact on Hip Hop than the attack on the World Trade.

While the 9/11 attack sparked a "War on Terror" that would have a major impact on nations around the planet for decades to come, the effect on the Hip Hop Nation has been minimal, at best.

But was this a matter of apathy or fear?

Maybe the streets just didn't care. For residents of the hood who were constantly trapped between gang wars and crooked cops, 9/11 was just another day in the neighborhood. One more problem to add to the 99 others that we faced on a daily basis. As long as it didn't mean that cable would get cut off or the club would shut down for the weekend, it was what it was.

The fear factor probably played a greater role, especially among the rappers, themselves. And who could blame them? Historically, Uncle Sam has never taken too kindly to being dissed in front of the world.

Dr. Martin Luther King did not really start catching major heat from the Feds until he spoke out against the Vietnam War and Muhammad Ali got his world championship belt snatched because he refused to fight a bunch of Vietcong who "never called him a nigger."

Rappers weren't the first artists to punk out when the price of Freedom of Speech got too high. During the 60's even outspoken artists such as The Beatles and Bob Dylan were accused of abandoning the anti-war struggle to either smoke dust or start making nonpolitical, country music. Not much different than the rappers of today who would rather smoke blunts and go jewelry shopping than fight the power.

We have to remember that the period immediately following 9/11 wasn't the best time to attack America's policies as the general public was out for blood and George Bush was playing an international game of "Who Shot Ya." If the good ol boys would call for the heads of the Dixie Chicks for chin checkin' G-Dub, imagine what they would have done to the brothers on the block?

Although, not totally clear on the legal ramifications of the Patriot Acts, rappers were pretty clear that political Hip Hop was deemed illegal in at least one of them. Nobody wanted to be seen as part of Bush's Axis of Evil. Spending a few months on Riker's Island was one thing but nobody wanted to wind up in a cell in Guantanamo Bay, never to be heard from again.

Remember, we saw how the face of terrorism could change overnight from "Middle Eastern" to a young black male in the hood when back in 2006, seven black men in Liberty City Florida were brought up on trumped up charges of plotting to blow up the Sears Tower in Chicago.

So most in mainstream Hip Hop decided it was best to keep quiet in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. (Unless, you count Petey Pablo doing his ultra-patriot USA remix to "Raise Up. Making him the first rapper to raise his hand when Bush threw down the mandate "you are either with us or against us.")

A few artists did speak out against America's foreign policies. The usual rap revolutionaries like Public Enemy, Paris and a few others continued to do what they did best; challenge the staus quo. Also, relative newcomers like Immortal Technique began to make their fans think that there was more to the story than what they were seeing on the news. In the mainstream, fueled by the popularity of documentaries like Fahrenheit 9/11 and Loose Change, a few mainstream artists such as Eminem and Jadakis began to either literally or figuratively accuse Bush of "knocking down the towers." Also, a new group named the Black Eyed Peas asked "Where is the Love" but perhaps the most hardcore hate letter to the Prez was penned by Fredwreck and the STOP Movement.

The period has not been without it's random Sister Souljah moments such as KRS's "chickens coming home to roost-like " statement at a New Yorker Magazine panel discussion or the infamous Kanye West post- Katrina revelation that "George Bush doesn't like black people,"

However, these were exceptions to the rule of a Hip Hop "culture" that has been increasingly more obsessed with producing materialistic, Maybach music instead of message music. Instead of dealing with serious issues it is safer and easier just to simply pretend that they do not exist and the world is no bigger than the block on which one lives.

For the most part over the last decade, Hip Hop has remained mostly apolitical and detached from reality. A great escape to a mystical land where the champagne is always flowing and the strip clubs never close. Even when the rest of the world is at war.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Fall 2011: The Return of No Warning Shots Fired !

2011-08-10T20:36:00.000-07:00

It's been a long hot summer but the fall is gonna be even hotter. (Yeah, I know it's a worn out cliche but it works!)

The No Warning Shots Fired column will return and the No Warning Shots Fired lecture tour will be coming to a town near you.

For more information on the column or to book a lecture tour stop contact:

info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283

Runnin' Blast Out of the Hood

2011-07-08T04:03:00.000-07:00

Min. Paul Scott aka THE TRUTH Minista runs the Blast by Colt 45 Malt Liquor truck out of Durham NC.

Move Over Tea Party. Here Comes the Malt Liquor Party

2011-06-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Move Over Tea Party. Here comes the "Malt Liquor Party."

Although, Michelle Bachman recently announced that she is reppin' the Tea Party in the next election, a NC activist is starting the "Malt Liquor Party."

Tired of the negative images of African Americans in the media, Paul Scott aka the "TRUTH Minista" is calling for a "Malt Liquor Party" to fight back.

The reason Scott chose the name "Malt Liquor Party" is because next to watermelon and fried chicken, malt liquor is most used to stereotype Blacks.

Not only have 40 ounces of malt liquor been the main staple at the racist college theme parties where Frat boys put on blackface and mimic black stereotypes but recently Fox News commentator, Eric Bolling caused quite a stir when he accused President Obama of "chuggin' 40's" instead of taking care of business on the domestic front.

Scott has also accused Snoop Dogg of being Pabst's "Blue Ribbon Pimp" for promoting the new Kool Aid flavored, Colt 45 malt liquor called "Blast."

Scott says that the Malt Liquor Party will attack the negative stereotypes of African Americans in Hip Hop and the media and, also, educate black youth about the dangers of substance abuse.

For more information contact (919) 451-8283 or email info@nowarningshotsfired.com website: http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

As a Dogg Returneth: Colt 45's Controversial Comeback

2011-06-27T04:26:00.000-07:00

As a Dogg Returneth...
Colt 45's Controversial Comeback

Min. Paul Scott

Many African Americans of my generation have fond (or not so fond) memories of getting up on Saturday mornings to watch our favorite Hip Hop video show, only to be scared out our wits by the sight of an angry, giant blue Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull bustin' through our tv sets. Even today, if you ride through any 'hood and yell out the window the familiar '90's ST Ides Malt Liquor jingle, "just hit the corner store, you know what I'm lookin' for..." I guarantee that some wino in the alley is gonna yell back, " ST IDES!!!!" There was even an evil scientist who came up with the diabolical formula to mix malt liquor with gen-sing, call it Phat Boy and pour it into giant bottles with graffiti on the label. However, thanks to the tireless and thankless work of grassroots activists, for a decade, the blatant advertising of cheap, high powered malt liquor to the "Hip Hop generation" virtually, disappeared.

Fast forward to 2011, as the folks at Pabst Brewing Company are amped up to send another generation on a one way trip to Alcoholics Anonymous.

The company has launched its latest monster piece, "Colt 45 Blast," a 12% high octane malt liquor that comes in a variety of fruity flavors that would put the makers of Kool Aid to shame. The marketing scheme that Pabst is using is pretty much the same that the malt meisters of the past have used; grab a rapper with questionable morals and a bunch of video babes and, bingo, a match made in heaven (or some other place.)

Pabst has launched a major marketing campaign staring the Doggfather, himself, Snoop Dogg. Ironically, it was Snoop who was one of the first rappers to appear in liquor commercials almost two decades ago. He has a history of getting people to join him in the game of "get to' up 'till you throw up" . So, to borrow from the scriptures, in 2011," the dog has returned to his vomit."

Unlike the marketing schemes of the early 90's, in the 21st century, liquor companies have gone high tech. There are Colt 45 Blast Youtube, Facebook and Twitter pages set up that will deliver the latest booze news straight to your child's smart phone.

One may ask how, in the wake of the Four Loko controversy, can a company come out with a product that so blatantly, targets underage drinkers. The answer is quite simple.

Nobody cares.

Quiet as kept, when dealing with black youth issues, many people follow the sage wisdom from "The Godfather," "they're animals anyway, so let them lose their souls." And if you can make a profit in the process, so be it.

By the owners of Pabst own admission, Colt 45 has been known, primarily, a 'hood drink and as long as they keep it ghetto, they do not have to worry about those underage drinking crusader organizations throwing a monkey wrench in their program. Most of these organizations only seem to get MADD (pardon the pun) when alcohol abuse starts affecting middle class white kids at college frat parties.

I can remember on more than one occasion, going to an anti-teen drinking event and loudly proclaiming with a 40 oz bottle raised in a gesture of moral indignation , " In the name of the 'hood, I have come to warn thee of the plague that is about to come upon thy children" only to receive the classic "deer in headlights" look from a crowd who saw nothing wrong with a rapper bragging about malt liquor giving him super sexual prowess but thought some darn talking Budweiser bullfrogs signaled the coming of the Apocalypse.

Only when Bifffy and Buffy, start passing out in the middle of English Lit 101 will it become a problem. Which brings us to the proverbial question "if black kids start falling out in the 'hood do they make a sound?"

I think you know the answer.

What is, also, problematic is the liquor industry's uncanny ability to buy off voices of dissent within the African American community. Any time you start cutting checks to Hip Hop radio stations, Hip Hop magazines and start sponsoring (Black) cultural festivals, you can almost guarantee that your favorite Civil Rights leaders won't say a mumblin' word.

So, where does that leave the community activists who are going to be the ones picking up the pieces when the Colt 45 Tsunami floods the hood with alcohol? What can be done?

Community activists must demand that the neighborhood stores where their children go every morning, before school, to pick up honey buns and orange juice for lunch not stock the product in their establishments. We must also ask our local Hip Hop radio stations not to take the blood money that will have our children dancing down the road of destruction all summer long. Also, black organizations must not accept the 30 pieces of silver to have a malt liquor company sponsor "cultural" events that are supposed to be promoting the health and the well being of the community.

Finally, Hip Hop fans must stand up and tell Snoop Dogg and the legion of other rappers who will come behind him not to be "Pabst Blue Ribbon Pimps" putting poison in the 'hood.

We must not look for politicians nor underage drinking organizations to solve this problem. No one is going to save us but us .

As former malt liquor promoter, Ice Cube, once said in a classic line from a popular gangsta flick.

Either they don't know, don't show or don't care what's goin' on in the 'hood."

Paul Scott is a minister, activist and lecturer based in Durham NC. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com Website http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Why I'm Mad at MADD

2011-06-14T18:22:00.000-07:00

Why I'm Mad at MADD:

Min. Paul Scott

It's been over 100 days since that faithful March morning when I called the reporter at the Wall Street Journal to tell him about a nefarious plot that I stumbled upon to push high powered malt liquor to our children. Yet, more than three months later, most anti-teen drinking groups have continued to ignore the two ton drunk elephant with a flower pot on his head blasted in the living room. There has been no real outcry about Blast by Colt 45 Malt Liquor.

When I say outcry, I'm not talking about polite little letters" kindly asking that the good, wholesome, community oriented folks at Pabst Brewing Company to kindly remove Blast from store shelves or else we are going to write you another letter." No, I'm talking about letters that convey moral outrage, not a minor irritation.

Most of the dialogue outside of the usual thorn- in- the- side grassroots activists has gone like this:

"Gee, kind sir. If it does not bother you too much, will you stop putting Blast in our neighborhoods."

"NO!!!!"

"Okay sorry to have bothered you...."

See, so far Mothers Against Drunk Driving and the rest of these groups have done just enough so, when some kid OD's off of Blast they can say, "hey, we gave it a shot. "

We have also heard next to nothing from the habitual "grant grabbers" who do just enough to serve as resume material for the next time they have to apply to their friendly philanthropic foundation for another hand out. It has been my experience that many of these nonprofits won't even pick up a telephone unless Mr. Grant is on the other end.

This is especially problematic in North Carolina....

Don't believe me? Google "North Carolina against Blast by Colt 45" and see what organization's name pops up.

I'll wait.........

OK. I rest my case.

See for these types of groups, the joy (and money) is in the hunt.

I wish I had a dollar for everyone of these heroes for hire who have told me stuff like:

"See, we don't actually fight against the targeting of our kids by the liquor companies...We put on big elaborate conferences to discuss what the companies are doing..."

Well, OK....huh?

Well while these groups are working on next year's conference on the beach, grassroots activists have been working their butts off trying to keep this poison out of the hands of our children.

What is really ironic is that while MADD and the rest of the groups that oppose drunk driving have been twiddlin' their thumbs, Pabst has sent a pimped out, Skittles colored, Blast Truck (no doubt pumpin' Snoop Dogg songs) on a cross country tour to promote the liquor.

(If there's any justice in the universe that Blast truck will get totalled by a drunk driver with an empty can of Raspberry Watermelon Blast in the passenger seat....)

Surely, these groups see the irony in that...Or maybe not.

As the saying goes, " none are as blind as those who refuse to see. "

Min. Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Winter in America: Rest In Peace Gil-Scott Heron

2011-05-27T21:20:00.001-07:00

Winter in America:
Of Black Heroes and Black Homicides

Min. Paul Scott

Back in 1974, Gil Scott-Heron recorded a song called "Winter in America." No, he wasn't talking about the weather. He was mourning the death of activism after the Civil Rights/Black Power Era.

I thought about those lyrics during a lecture that I recently gave in front of a group of black male teens regarding black leadership. I had almost finished discussing the assassinations of Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr when I was interrupted by one of the young men.

"You guys are always telling us to be leaders but all the black leaders get killed ," he said. "How can we be strong black leaders and still survive?"

Good question.

Being a black leader has been the hardest job in America for the past 300 years. The earliest black leaders in this country were those who led slave revolts such as Nat Turner , Denmark Vessey and Gabriel Prosser. The leaders of those rebellions and their co-conspirators were rewarded with hangman's nooses. One must also not forget writers such as David Walker, whose "Appeal to the Coloured Citizens of the World' resulted in a $10,000 bounty being placed on his head. In 1830, Walker was found dead in the doorway of his shop.

Lerone Bennett in his book, "Before the Mayflower" wrote that during the Reconstruction Period of the late 1800's , "at least 5,000 Negroes died for their political beliefs."

Beginning in the early 20th century J. Edgar Hoover's Bureau of Investigation (later, the Federal Bureau of Investigation) targeted black leaders such as Marcus Garvey, Paul Robeson and WEB Du Bois. Later, under its Counter Intelligence Program (COINTELPRO) many black leaders, such as Dr. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, were targeted by massive disinformation campaigns to "prevent the rise of a black messiah who could unify and electrify the militant black nationalist movement," according to Kenneth O'Reilly in his book, "Black America: The FBI Files." COINTELPRO and its affiliate programs contributed to the deaths of many young African American leaders like Bobby Hutton of the Black Panther Party, barely 18 years old when was murdered by Oakland, CA police.

This led into the Richard Nixon Era, as his "get tough on crime" policies finished off what was left of groups like the Panthers.

Although, the COINTELPRO program had been "officially" over for more than a decade, during the the early stages of the Hip Hop movement of the late 80's and early 90's, rap artists like the members of Public Enemy, Sister Souljah and Ice T were targeted for their outspoken political stances.

Although, some would like to write off the late Hip Hop artist , Tupac Shakur as just some common street thug, author John Potash makes some pretty convincing arguments in his book "The FBI War on Tupac and Black Leaders" that Shakur was not targeted by law enforcement for being a "gangsta rapper" but because of the possibility that he would follow in the footsteps of his mother, Afeni Shakur and extended family members Mutulu and Assata Shakur, who were members of the Black Liberation Army.

This is why many of the rap artists of today find it safer to rap about gangs, guns and girls instead of black empowerment.

Although, many folks (especially Conservatives) are quick to blame the various pathologies facing black youth on Hip Hop, unwed mothers and absentee fathers, they refuse to acknowledge the calculated societal factors that turned revolutionaries to gangsta rappers.

As much as people like to talk about Freedom of Speech, for black men and women speech has been anything but free as, even today, there are still consequences for daring to speak truth to power.

Whether it be sacrificing that six figure dream job with the great retirement plan or knowing that your uncompromising style of writing will never get you a Pulitzer or even that coveted columnist job at the daily paper, the price of Freedom has been too much for most to be willing to pay.

Only a choice few have been willing to put the needs of future generations above their own. Their only rewards being the possibility of pictures on postage stamps or streets in the hood named after them long after they are dead and gone.

Why go through all the hassle when it would be just as easy to look the other way and adopt "Don't Worry be Happy" as a personal mantra?

Maybe it's the voices of the ancestors that whisper to you in the still of the night, urging you to keep on, keepin' on. Or the sense of responsibility as you walk through neighborhoods filled with young men who will either wind up in jail or the grave before they are 21 years old unless some one intervenes.

Heavy is the head that wears the crown of thorns.

But how do you explain that to a 15 year old?

Perhaps Scott-Heron was right. Maybe "nobody's fighting because no one knows what to say."

As I started to wind down my lecture, the young man interrupted me, again.

"But you didn't give me an answer to my question!"

Truth is... I didn't have one.

Min.Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Dedicated to the memory of those who died so I may write.

40oz of Racism

2011-05-25T19:24:00.000-07:00

40 ounces of Racism:
Bollings Boilermaker of a Statement

Paul Scott

Recently, Fox News' talking head, Eric Bolling complained about President Obama being in Ireland "chugging 40's" instead of TCB-ing (Taking Care of Business) on the home front in the wake of the tornado tragedy in Joplin. For those who aren't hip to the Hip Hop vernacular, a "40" is short for high octane, malt liquor, also known as "liquid crack" that comes in giant 40oz bottles.

The response from black folks?

Outrage!

The response from the right wingers ?

What?

Most Conservatives are at a lost as to why a comment about the Prez sippin' on a 40 would make black folks wanna give Bolling a back-alley beat down.

Let's look at the history of the marketing of malt liquor.

For over a generation, the image of malt liquor "drankin'" has been a negative stereotype of African Americans, taking its rightful place among other stereotypes such as tap dancing, watermelon eatin' and a love affair with Colonel Sanders' extra crispy fried chicken.

This is, mostly because ,over the years, alcoholic beverage companies have targeted the black community aka "urban neighborhoods" with high powered, cheap alcohol. During the 1980's, movie star and Colt 45 spokesman Billy Dee Williams inspired a nation of future alcoholics and wanna-be Casanovas with his motivational slogan "Works Every time," alleging that one sip of the drink would land you in bed with a supermodel. In the early 90's, ST. Ides Malt Liquor recruited such Hip Hop artists as Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, to promote a drink that would not only get you high as the sky but also increase your sexual performance, making malt liquor the forerunner of Viagra.

These marketing schemes outraged black activists during that era who launched successful campaigns against malt liquors such as "Power Master" and "Phat Boy," which came packaged in a graffiti decorated can and was laced with gensing.

Despite the success of activists in the 90's, the marketing of malt liquor continues to be a major problem facing African Americans, as the liquor companies are now targeting an even younger demographic. Recently, Pabst Brewing Company, in an attempt to elevate the Colt 45 brand back to its former glory, pulled Snoop Dogg out of the malt liquor pimp retirement home to promote "Blast by Colt 45," a new Kool Aid flavored, 12% alcohol drink that comes in colorful soda pop-like cans. The company has also used Hip Hop magazines and social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter to push the product. Blast has been nicknamed "genocide juice" because the company seems to be using malt liquor to exterminate a whole generation of African American youth.

That's not to say that white kids don't get blasted off of malt liquor. Over the last year, Four Loko malt liquor has come under fire because of college kids passing out during English Lit 101 after a night of getting Loko off the joy juice. Also, many homeboys in the vanilla suburbs like to, vicariously, experience life in Chocolate City by getting tipsy off a tall can of booze. Malt Liquor is also the featured attraction at the racist college theme parties where
frat boys put on black face and Afro wigs and boogie to old 2 Live Crew albums. However, malt liquor is still mostly marketed as a "hood drink;" the bulk of the liquor being sold in communities that suffer disproportionately, from poverty and unemployment.

So, yes, not only was Eric "Easy E" Bolling's joke tasteless and racist but the marketing of malt liquor to the black community, is racist, as well.

And if you can't see that, you need a sobriety test.

Paul Scott is a minister, activist and writer based in Durham NC. In 1997, he led a successful boycott against Phat Boy malt liquor and is currently part of a national campaign against "Blast by Colt 45" malt liquor. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Letter to Family Fare Convenience Stores

2011-05-08T05:51:00.000-07:00

Dear Family Fare,

I was recently in several of your Durham area stores and noticed that you are selling the new high alcohol, fruit flavored malt liquor by Pabst Brewing Company , "Blast by Colt 45." As you know, many of your stores are near elementary, middle and high schools. The drink has been at the center of controversy over the past few months because, not only does it come in "soda pop-like" containers but the company is using Hip Hop superstar, Snoop Dogg to promote the product. The artist has recently appeared on such child-oriented shows such as the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards and Black Entertainment Television's "106 and Park." This has outraged citizens across the country who feel that the product is targeting underage drinkers. Also, in 18 states, attorney generals are calling for its removal from store shelves.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0422/Blast-a-fruity-Pabst-drink-gets-scrutiny.-Whom-is-Snoop-Dogg-selling-it-to

It is known that Family Fare prides itself on being a respectable, family oriented business and I am sure that you will agree that this product is neither respectable nor family oriented. Therefore, we are asking for the immediate removal of "Blast" from your shelves.

Thank you,

Min. Paul Scott
PO Box 3474
Durham, NC 27702
(919) 451-8283

Letter to NC Attorney General Roy Cooper

2011-05-01T18:49:00.000-07:00

May 1, 2011

Attorney General’s Office
9001 Mail Service Center
Raleigh, NC 27699-9001

Dear Attorney General Roy Cooper,

Last April 5th, a new malt liquor was released by Pabst Brewing Company , "Blast by Colt 45." The liquor contains 12% alcohol and comes in fruity flavors that will appeal to under-aged drinkers.
Also, Pabst Brewing Company is using popular Hip Hop artist, Snoop Dogg to promote the liquor.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704360404576206621165029478.html

All across the country, politicians, activists and organizations have expressed their concern over the marketing of this product.
Recently, attorney generals in at least 19 states have called for the removal of the product from store shelves in their states. http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/04/22/national/main20056462.shtml

Unfortunately, North Carolina is not one of the states represented.

Therefore, I am asking you to join the other attorney generals in demanding that this product be taken out of the neighborhoods of North Carolina. As the president of the National Association of Attorney Generals, your stand will encourage other states to follow suit and send a strong message to Pabst Brewing Company that North Carolina will not allow a product to enter its borders that is, potentially, dangerous to our young people.

Thank you,

Minister Paul Scott
Durham, NC
(919) 451-8283

Colt 45 Blast is Genocide Juice

2011-04-28T03:15:00.001-07:00

The controversial new fruity malt liquor Blast by Colt 45 has been given a new name by a NC minister, "genocide juice."

Malt Liquor has been traditionally been used to destroy young African American males in urban communities, says Minister Paul Scott of Durham NC.

Last month, Scott stumbled across the Pabst Brewing Company marketing video on You Tube that outlined plans to use Hip Hop to market the liquor to "urban" communities. Pabst recently had the video yanked from Youtube.

"Alcohol kills, " says Scott. "That video was like a diabolical plan to exterminate a whole generation by using malt liquor instead of gas ovens. '

Scott recently called for the formation of a "Malt Liquor Party" to demand that Blast is removed from store shelves and to educate African American youth about the dangers of malt liquor.

http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2011/04/move-over-tea-party-here-comes-malt.html

Move Over Tea Party: Here Comes the "Malt Liquor Party"

2011-04-24T20:57:00.001-07:00

Move Over Tea Party. Here Comes the "Malt Liquor Party."

It all started when Durham NC minister and activist Paul Scott stumbled upon a YouTube video containing Pabst Brewing Company's leaked marketing plan for their controversial new malt liquor, Blast by Colt 45, last month.

http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/12472491/article-Activist-nukes-Pabst-s--Blast-?instance=homefifthleft

The video (now known as "malt liquor-gate") lays out the plan by which the 12% alcohol fruit flavored will be marketed using Hip Hop and rapper Snoop Dogg.

Soon, activists across the country began to accuse Pabst Brewing Co of targeting underage drinkers.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704360404576206621165029478.html

In recent weeks, the issue has gained national attention, even prompting attorney generals to take steps to ban the beverage from being sold in their states.

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0422/Blast-a-fruity-Pabst-drink-gets-scrutiny.-Whom-is-Snoop-Dogg-selling-it-to

Now, Minister Paul Scott is calling for the formation of a "Malt Liquor Party" that will demand the immediate removal of the product from store shelves.

"Just as the Tea Party dumped tea into the Boston Harbor. The "Malt Liquor Party" is calling for people to "dump" Pabst Brewing products, as well as those companies that advertise them," says Scott.

While Scott says that attorney generals in all states should demand the immediate removal of the product, ultimately, it is the responsibility of everyday citizens to remove the product.

"It's up to the people to speak out when poison is being pimped to their children, says Scott."

Scott says that the "Malt Liquor Party" will also educate young people about the dangers of malt liquor consumption and how it has been traditionally, disproportionately marketed to young African Americans.

Minister Paul Scott first gained national attention in 1998, when he led a successful boycott against Phat Boy Malt Liquor and again in 2003 when he led a campaign against rap star Nelly's energy drink "Pimp Juice."

For more information contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com Scott's website is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Open Letter to Governor Bev Perdue Regarding Blast

2011-04-05T19:47:00.000-07:00

April 5, 2011

Dear Governor Perdue,

Last year, you took a very courageous stand by asking the makers of Four Loko to, voluntarily, stop producing their product. However, a new malt liquor is entering North Carolina that is just as dangerous. On April 5, Pabst Brewing Company released "Blast By Colt 45," a high octane malt liquor that contains 12% alcohol. The drink also comes in fruity flavors such as raspberry watermelon.

Although, the liquor does not contain caffeine, what makes it more dangerous than Four Loko is Pabst's marketing campaign. While Four Loko was mostly popular with college kids, Blast is using Hip Hop music to target a younger "urban" audience. It is well known that the terms "Hip Hop" and "urban" are used mostly when referring to "inner city" African American and Latino youth. The company has hired popular Hip Hop artist, Snoop Dogg along with video models such as Rosa Acosta to pitch the fruity beverage. It must be noted that recently Snoop Dogg has appeared on two programs that are extremely popular with preteens and teenagers, Black Entertainment Television's "106 and Park" and Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.

What is sad, is that while many people spoke out against Four Loko, the silence has been deafening in response to Blast. Unfortunately, we still live in a society where the lives of African American and Latino children are valued less than the lives of others. So, Governor Perdue, we are asking that you speak out against Pabst Brewing Company's "Blast" with the same passion in which you addressed the makers of Four Loko.

While the drink should be a major concern for African American and Latino parents, in reality, the issue should concern all of the citizens of this state. To borrow from a popular saying, "first they came for the Black children and I said nothing. Then they came for the Latino children and again I said nothing. Then they came for my children and there was no one left to say anything."

Thank you,

Minister Paul Scott
Durham, NC
(919) 451-8283

A Dog Returneth...

2011-03-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

As a Dog Returneth...
Colt 45's Controversial Comeback

Min. Paul Scott

Many African Americans of my generation have fond (or not so fond) memories of getting up on Saturday mornings to watch our favorite Hip Hop video show, only to be scared out our wits by the sight of an angry, giant blue Schlitz Malt Liquor Bull bustin' through our tv sets. Even today, if you ride through any 'hood and yell out the window the familiar '90's ST Ides Malt Liquor jingle, "just hit the corner store, you know what I'm lookin' for..." I guarantee that some wino in the alley is gonna yell back, " ST IDES!!!!" There was even an evil scientist who came up with the diabolical formula to mix malt liquor with gen-sing, call it Phat Boy and pour it into giant bottles with graffiti on the label. However, thanks to the tireless and thankless work of grassroots activists, for a decade, the blatant advertising of cheap, high powered malt liquor to the "Hip Hop generation" virtually, disappeared.

Fast forward to March 2011, as the folks at Pabst Brewing Company are getting amped up to send another generation on a one way trip to Alcoholics Anonymous.

In a few weeks, the company is scheduled to launch its latest monster piece, "Colt 45 Blast," a 12% high octane malt liquor that comes in a variety of fruity flavors that would put the makers of Kool Aid to shame. The marketing scheme that Pabst is using is pretty much the same that the malt meisters of the past have used; grab a rapper with questionable morals and a bunch of video babes and, bingo, a match made in heaven (or some other place.)

Although the brew is not officially scheduled to come out until April 5th, the company has already launched a major marketing campaign staring the Doggfather, himself, Snoop Dogg. Ironically, it was Snoop who was one of the first rappers to appear in liquor commercials almost two decades ago. He has a history of getting people to join him in the game of "get to' up 'till you throw up" . So, to borrow from the scriptures, in 2011," the dog has returned to his vomit."

Unlike the marketing schemes of the early 90's, in the 21st century, liquor companies have gone high tech. Already, there are Colt 45 Blast Youtube, Facebook and Twitter pages set up that will deliver the latest booze news straight to your child's smart phone.

One may ask how, in the wake of the Four Loko controversy, can a company come out with a product that so blatantly, targets underage drinkers. The answer is quite simple.

Nobody cares.

Quiet as kept, when dealing with black youth issues, many people follow the sage wisdom from "The Godfather," "they're animals anyway, so let them lose their souls." And if you can make a profit in the process, so be it.

By the owners of Pabst own admission, Colt 45 has been known, primarily, a 'hood drink and as long as they keep it ghetto, they do not have to worry about those underage drinking crusader organizations throwing a monkey wrench in their program. Most of these organizations only seem to get MADD (pardon the pun) when alcohol abuse starts affecting middle class white kids at college frat parties.

I can remember on more than one occasion, going to an anti-teen drinking event and loudly proclaiming with a 40 oz bottle raised in a gesture of moral indignation , " In the name of the 'hood, I have come to warn thee of the plague that is about to come upon thy children" only to receive the classic "deer in headlights" look from a crowd who saw nothing wrong with a rapper bragging about malt liquor giving him super sexual prowess but thought some darn talking Budweiser bullfrogs signaled the coming of the Apocalypse.

Only when Bifffy and Buffy, start passing out in the middle of English Lit 101 will it become a problem. Which brings us to the proverbial question "if black kids start falling out in the 'hood do they make a sound?"

I think you know the answer.

What is, also, problematic is the liquor industry's uncanny ability to buy off voices of dissent within the African American community. Any time you start cutting checks to Hip Hop radio stations, Hip Hop magazines and start sponsoring (Black) cultural festivals, you can almost guarantee that your favorite Civil Rights leaders won't say a mumblin' word.

So, where does that leave the community activists who are going to be the ones picking up the pieces when the Colt 45 Tsunami floods the hood with alcohol? What can be done?

Community activists must demand that the neighborhood stores where their children go every morning, before school, to pick up honey buns and orange juice for lunch not stock the product in their establishments. We must also ask our local Hip Hop radio stations not to take the blood money that will have our children dancing down the road of destruction all summer long. Also, black organizations must not accept the 30 pieces of silver to have a malt liquor company sponsor "cultural" events that are supposed to be promoting the health and the well being of the community.

Finally, Hip Hop fans must stand up and tell Snoop Dogg and the legion of other rappers who will come behind him not to be "Pabst Blue Ribbon Pimps" putting poison in the 'hood.

We must not look for politicians nor underage drinking organizations to solve this problem. No one is going to save us but us .

As former malt liquor promoter, Ice Cube, once said in a classic line from a popular gangsta flick.

Either they don't know, don't show or don't care what's goin' on in the 'hood."

Paul Scott is a minister, activist and lecturer based in Durham NC. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com Website http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Regarding Colt 45 Blast

2011-03-18T02:18:00.000-07:00

The Wall Street Journal is running a story, today about Pabst Liquor Company's new Malt Liquor, Colt 45 Blast.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704360404576206621165029478.htm

The Malt Liquor is using rapper, Snoop Dogg and half naked women from music videos that our children watch to promote this poison.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyiMB7VKiKY

Here are my thoughts.

Do we really need Colt 45 to "Blast" the brains of our children?

Snoop Dogg has a history of promoting Malt Liquor to disproportionately suffering communities dating back to the early 90's with ST Ides Malt Liquor, so in 2011, to borrow from the scriptures "the dog has returned to his vomit.".

I hope that Hip Hop magazines and radio stations who have the eyes and ears of our young people don't accept the 30 pieces of silver to sell us out.

And finally, it is a shame that liquor companies would stoop so low as to use celebrities who appear on youth oriented shows and radio stations to pimp poison. My prayer is that our Hip Hop youth will not fall victim to "Colt's cult of personality" and drink some "killa Kool Aid."

I will continue my "Intelligence Over Ignorance" campaign to encourage Hip Hop artists to use their powerful influences to develop the minds of our children instead of destroy them.

Minister Paul Scott
Messianic Afrikan Nation Ministry
Durham NC

How Rodney King Changed Hip Hop

2011-03-02T03:39:00.000-08:00

Rap, Riots and Rodney:
How Rodney King Changed Hip Hop

Paul Scott

March 3, 1991. What started off as just another case of a brotha gettin' beat down by the Po Po, would set off a chain of events that would forever change the socio-political dynamics of America, especially for the Hip Hop generation.

Although, the beating of Rodney King by four Los Angeles police officers happened 20 years ago, the shock waves from the event are still being felt today. To grasp the gravity of the situation one has to look at it in historical terms.

The period of the late 80's was,possibly,the most revolutionary since the '60's, as the combination of Reaganomics and racial incidents such as the Virginia Beach and Crown Heights incidents had pushed America, once again to the brink of revolution. There was also a cultural revolution happening ion America, where Black youth were rediscovering the works of heroes such as Malcolm X and Huey P. Newton. The rapidly maturing Hip Hop genre also began to absorb the changes as the party music of the early 80's began to become what Public Enemy front-man, Chuck D, coined "The CNN of Black America."

While the music previously was seen as fad and just a blip on the radar screen of middle America, the idea of rebelling "ghetto youth" using rap music as an unregulated form of information dissemination sent shock America's political foundation.

This is not the first time that the rising collective voice of "the silent minority" became a matter of national security.

According to the March 21, 1993 edition of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, in 1917, a Lt Col. Ralph Van Deman created the Army's black spy network, which snitched on black organizations, even black churches. The article names Robert Morton of Booker T. Washington's Tuskegee Institute and Joel Spingarn, one of the founders of the NAACP,as operatives in the spy network.

In the book, "Heard it Through the Grapevine," Patricia A. Turner wrote that "rumor clinics" were set up during World War II to "prevent potentially adverse hearsay of all sorts from gaining credibility."

Also, although the FBI's COINTELPRO is the best known of the "dirty trick" operations of the Civil Rights /Black Power Era, Clay Risen, in his book "A Nation On Fire: "America in the Wake of the King Assassination," wrote about the Army Operations Center and" its first operations plan for national disturbances, code named Steep Hill." Risen also talks about the U.S. Army Intelligence Command (USAINTC) which included 1000 agents "around tthe country whose job was to spy on militants and "monitor indicators of imminent violence."

The entertainment industry was not immune of the fear of a black uprising. In Peter Doggett's book, "There's a Riot Going On" he wrote about how James Brown was hired by the mayor of Boston , Kevin White, to throw a concert the night after the King murder to keep the natives calm.

From the very beginning it has been clear that America's fear was not the thugs in the street stealing hubcaps but the fear that they may become politicized, intelligent hoodlums. So on April 29, 1992, the day the police officers were acquitted of beating King, the apparatus was already in place to deal with young "urban" youth who were chanting Hip Hop lyrics challenging the system as their mantra.

As, rebellions took place in cities across the country, even the watchful eye of the Fed's underestimated the politicizing of the youth courtesy of rap lyrics. The site of "gangstas" articulating the political ideologies of Frantz Fanon on Night-line caught politicians with their pants down.

According, to the May 11, 1992 Time Magazine article "How TV failed to Get the Real Picture" it was reported that LA mayor Tom Bradley "requested" that in the midst of the chaos that the highly rated "Cosby Show:" air as an exercise in "crisis counter-programming." However, this was not 1986 and black youth were more responsive to the voices of the X-Clan, than they were "Dr. Heathcliff Huxtable."

So, another form of "crisis counter-programing" had to be developed that would insure that rebellions like what happened in LA would never happen again.

Even before the LA Rebellion, President George Bush had instituted the "Weed and Seed Program" which many residents of Los Angeles, such as those interviewed in the book "Uprisng" by Yusef Jah and Sister Shah Keyah considered a spy operation. The official purpose of weed and seed was to "weed" out gang members and in their places "seed"the hood with community programs.

So, we see the same strategy was used in Hip Hop as the biggest threat to this country's racial hegemony " conscious rappers" were weeded out and the industry was seeded with "gangsta" rappers.

One can clearly see how the careers of early conscious rappers suffered because of their courage to speak truth to power. However, the "gangster rappers" of the period became multi-millionaires and were rewarded with movie scripts and endorsement deals.

It is against this historical backdrop that two major post-LA Rebellion developments took place.

First the "no snitching" ethos was taken out of its historical context and was been replaced with a scapegoat for black on black violence and the demonization of entire black neighborhoods. Conveniently forgotten were the various government sponsored snitch operations that had plagued the black community for decades.h

More important is the overall anti-political direction of commercial Hip Hop, where, instead of "Cosby" crisis programming, the Hip Hop artists are now part of preemptive crisis programming, where the minds of the youth are distracted by such things as face tattoos This can help to explain, in part, why the incidents of police brutality in cities such as Cincinnati, New York, Oakland and Houston generated relatively little outcry.

Some may argue that times have changed and the season of "fighting the power" is a part of a bygone era.

However, with incidents of global outrage taking place from Egypt to Wisconsin, maybe not.

Perhaps Ice Cube was right when he once rapped ," April 29th brought power to the people, and we just might see a sequel."

Only the 'hood knows....

Paul Scott can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Was Honest Abe a Racist ?

2011-02-09T22:54:00.000-08:00

Lincoln, Lies and Black Liberation

Paul Scott

It is recorded that one of the reasons why February was chosen as Black History Month was because it is the birthday of Abraham Lincoln, the man who is glorified in history as the one who "freed the slaves." Unfortunately, this is just one of many myths about the black experience that is often repeated but rarely challenged. This is an especially important issue in 2011, as we see black history becoming increasingly, "politicized."

We live in a political climate where the truth about the African American experience has either been ignored by the main stream media or obscured by false Right Wing talking points. Instead of the truth, we are fed a hodgepodge of myths, fables and pseudo-historical hogwash.

One of the most propagated myths is that African Americans had no history worth mentioning before they were brought to America in the hulls of slave ships. This lie could not be further from the truth as scholars such as George GM James, Anthony Browder and Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan have all done extensive research proving not only the existence of powerful ancient African societies but also that what is known as Greek culture was actually stolen from the ancient Egyptians who were Black people.

Also, there are the many falsehoods surrounding chattel slavery. Every time the issue of black history is brought up, you can bet that some conservative pundit will parrot the oft repeated talking point that "it was Africans who sold your ancestors into slavery." Like most right wing rhetoric, the devil is in the details.

According to historian Basil Davidson, in his book " the African Slave Trade, " African slavery was not much different than the feudal system of medieval Europe. Other scholars have noted that that even the very concept of enslaving another people because of racial superiority was foreign to African culture. In his book "How Europe Underdeveloped Africa," Walter Rodney wrote that the Africans could not fathom the idea that the Europeans "had come to stay ,permanently" nor that they "were out to conquer, not some, but all of Africa."

There is also the long standing legend of the docile slave that would have been happier staying on the plantation picking cotton than enjoying Freedom. Contrary to popular belief, slave insurrections were a grave concern for plantation owners in the South, especially following the Haitian Revolution of Toussaint L'Ouverture , as many slave owners feared that the uprising in Haiti would inspire the enslaved Africans in America to rebel.

Another myth is that African Americans should be eternally grateful to the great Republican Honest Abe Lincoln for "freeing us." In his work "Forced Into Glory" Lerone Bennett, portrays Lincoln as a wishy -washy political opportunist whose Emancipation Proclamation was merely a ploy to stifle the proposed Confiscation Acts which would have "freed" the slaves years earlier. Also, it must be noted that Lincoln's much heralded "Emancipation Proclamation" did not "free all slaves" just the ones in states rebelling against the Union which did not include the border states. Although Lincoln is often portrayed as a friend of black folks, according to Bennett he believed in the inferiority of black people and was fond of telling "anti-Negro jokes."

Following, the end of chattel slavery in America, came the misunderstood period of Reconstruction. While it is often portrayed as a period of black political corruption, according to WEB Dubois, in his work, "Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880" the black politicians were no more "corrupt" than their white counterparts and the misinformation concerning black historical facts was "often a deliberate attempt to change the facts of history that the story will make pleasant reading for Americans." This, unfortunately, laid the foundation for unfair criticisms of African American politicians that plague this country today, including the not -so -subtle attacks on President Barack Obama.

Lastly, one of the falsehoods that is still propagated by the right wing is that African American leaders are overly dependent upon government handouts. This is patently false, as one could point to leaders such as Booker T. Washington (the Tuskegee Machine), the Honorable Marcus Garvey (Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League) and the Honorable Elijah Muhammad (The Nation of Islam) all of whom preached a doctrine of black economic empowerment and self-sufficiency.

The best way for African Americans to celebrate Black History Month, this year, is to challenge the historical inaccuracies about our history. This must be done, if not for ourselves, for our children, who are constantly given negative information regarding their ancestors.

As Malcolm X once said, "of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research."

In this case, the reward is the sense of positive self identification for future generations of black children.

Paul Scott is a minister, activist and writer based in Durham NC. His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com. Scott can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283

Black History: The Lost Episodes

2011-01-30T13:28:00.000-08:00

Black History: The Lost Episodes

Paul Scott

Black History Month is like one of those cheesy 80's sitcom reruns. Even though you know every punch line, word for word, you, somehow, find your eyes glued to the tube every time it comes on. The Black History Show opens with slaves picking cotton and singing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" before being "freed" by Honest Abe Lincoln. Then a black seamstress will sit in the front of a bus, a black scientist will get milk from a peanut and a black southern preacher will lead them on a merry march to the Promised Land. Finally, a multi-racial choir will sing "We Shall Overcome" as the closing credits roll, thanking white owned corporations with questionable hiring practices for sponsoring the program.

Every year, we are programmed to death with the same stories during Black History Month. There will be the obligatory stories about Frederick Douglas, Rosa Parks , Rev. Martin Luther King Jr and some inventor or entertainer who died broke after making millions of dollars for a white owned company. Surely, there has to be more to the black experience than that!

Contrary to popular belief, Black people did have a history before they were "discovered" by European explorers. Although, they have been ripped from the pages of history books, there existed mighty civilizations in Africa before "Europe" even existed. Scholars such as Dr. Anthony Browder, George GM James and Dr. Yusef ben Jochannan have done extensive research on the subject but because their scholarship did not conform to traditional western propaganda that promotes the idea that anything worth having came out of Europe, their works have been, largely, ignored.

As Dr. WEB Dubois wrote in his essay "The Souls of White Folk," " Europe has never produced and never will in our day bring forth a single human soul who cannot be matched and over matched in every line of human endeavor by Asia and Africa."

Even when such fan favorites such as Douglas and King are mentioned, their images are white washed, so we are left with a Frederick Douglas who never questioned the black celebration of Independence Day and a Martin Luther King who never questioned the war in Vietnam.

Also, although much of the attention is paid to the lead characters of black History, little attention is given to the supporting cast of thousands. There are hundreds of heroes and heroines that are never discussed because they dared to veer off script that promotes black intellectual, inferiority. How many people know about Imhotep, who, according to historian J A Rogers, was "the real father of medicine" or Marcus Garvey, who led the largest black movement in American history.

The blatant disregard for black history is becoming increasing problematic on two fronts.

First, it has allowed many black youth, who were denied the truth about their history, to develop a Hip Hop pseudo-history that replaces "revolutionaries" with rappers.

Secondly it has allowed nouveau, revisionist historians to create an American fantasy land where legalized slavery was never sanctioned by the US Constitution, Jim in Huckleberry Finn was never called the dreaded "n" word and right wing pundit Glen Beck is the legitimate heir to the Martin Luther King's throne.

So the challenge before us in 2011 is to find a way to change the channel and present a new, high definition picture of Black History. How do we show the real black experience without corporate, commercial interruption?

The answer is, literally, in the palm of our hands. We use social media to show the world the lost episodes of Black History. Everyday during February we should use our ipads, iphones and lap tops to post information about black history on Youtube, Facebook etc. And not just the PC fluff that we get every year. We need the (Malcolm) X- rated stuff too. Whether it be stories about ancient African civilizations, unsung African American leaders or those members of our own families who have made positive contributions to society, we must seize the time and become the executive producers of our own history.

As Malcolm X once said, "of all our studies, history is best qualified to reward our research."

In this case, the prize is not an Emmy nor an Oscar but a proud history to be passed down to future generations.

Paul Scott is a minister, activist and writer based in Durham NC He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com . His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com

Exposin' the Hip Hop Hood Hoax

2011-01-20T17:54:00.001-08:00

Exposin' the Hip Hop Hood Hoax

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

"Mental pictures, stereotypes and fake history reinforces mystery."

Why is that ? Boogie Down Productions

From birth ,we are taught to believe myths. We start off believing fables about tooth fairies and an old fat dude in a red suit ridin' around the hood in a red sleigh pulled by a red nosed reindeer. As we grow older and enter the mis-educational system, we are indoctrinated by stories about a lost sailor named Chris "discovering" America and an "honest" opportunist named Abe "freeing the slaves." We are also programmed to believe the urban legend that the Hip Hop of today comes out of the hood.

It may come as a shock for some but the Hip Hop that is played on the radio today owes more to the campus of Harvard than it does the streets of Harlem . Most Hip Hop fans can recite, verbatim, the often parroted propaganda about how Hip Hop started in the parks of the Bronx in the late 70's and went on to become the global enterprise that it is today. Like most myths, there is a shred of truth in this hype, however, the whole truth is hidden from the masses.

One flip through the pages of books like "The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip Hop" by Dan Charnas and one sees how quickly the focus on Grandmaster Flash spinin' in the Bronx switches to stories about Maury, the mild mannered accountant thinking of a master plan to have his multi- national company exploit the talents of "ghetto" youth.

Contrary to the popular belief that commercial Hip Hop is the brainchild of mix masters in the 'hood , in reality, much of the credit goes to the masterminds at Ivy League schools.

While it is, indeed, true that Hip Hop originated in the Big Apple, the moment that "Rapper's Delight" was played outside of the five boroughs, the corporate takeover of Hip Hop began. Later, as interest in Hip Hop spread throughout the world, the people who were largely responsible for defining what Hip Hop is or is not were not the neighborhood scribes but Ivy League brainiacs who interpreted the street lingo of the Chocolate cities for the Vanilla suburbs. Although, rap is promoted as being the voice of the streets, it is interesting that the founders of Hip Hop's premier magazine , the Source, Dave Mays and Jon Schector, as well as early members of "The Mind Squad" formed the magazine while they were students at Harvard during the late '80's.

Also, in 1993, Keith Clinkscales, who received an MBA from Harvard Business School, was named CEO of Vibe Magazine. It was under his watch that the magazine heavily promoted the East Coast/West Coast Beef that resulted in the deaths of Tupac Shakur, Notorious BIG and many others. Which adds to the theory that all the "Hip Hop" beefs are just a part of a diabolical marketing scheme to sell cd's.

Also, although rappers such as Waka Flocka Flame have said in interviews that they purposely dumb down their lyrics to "keep it real" for their homies in the 'hood, according to a 2006 article in New York Magazine, one of the hottest producers at Bad Boy Records was Ryan Leslie who scored 1600 on his SAT, entered Harvard at 15 and graduated at 19 years old.

It must be noted that Harvard's connection to black music did not start with Hip Hop but goes back to the early 70's with "A Study of the Soul Music Environment" aka the Harvard Report. According to Yvonne Bynoe in her essay "Money, Power and Respect: A Critique of the Business of Rap Music, "the systematic colonization of Black music began in 1971 when Columbia Records commissioned the Harvard University Business School to conduct an investigation about how they should better benefit from soul music." Later, according to a May 1996 article in the Harvard Gazette, a more Hip Hop version of the study, the "Harvard Report on Urban Music" was compiled by the Harvard Consultation Project.

Besides the money aspect, Hip Hop's influence on the minds of our youth and the strange behavior of some artists cannot be denied.

Ironically, Harvard is also famous for experiments in mind control. Dr. Timothy Leary, a professor in Harvard's Center for Research in Personality, in the early 60's conducted mind control experiments involving psychedelic drugs. According to Alex Constantine in his book "The Covert War Against Rock" Adophus Huxley, a visiting professor at Harvard asked Leary to "form a secret society to launch and lead a psychedelic conspiracy to brainwash influential people."

Although Harvard has produced some of the most influential African Americans in this country's history including scholar WEB Dubois, who was one of the founders of the NAACP , Soledad O'Brien, host of CNN's series "Black in America" and President Barack and Michelle Obama, the institution has also been affiliated with some who believed that Black folks are genetically, intellectually inferior to Whites. William Shockley received his PhD from Harvard and Arthur Jensen's "How Much Can We Boost IQ and Scholastic Achievement?" was published in the 1969 Harvard Educational Review. Also, "The Bell Curve," a 1994 book that also questioned the intelligence of African Americans was co-authored by Harvard professor, Richard Herrnstein.

So, is it possible that the current "dumb down" movement in Hip Hop is a self full-filing prophesy orchestrated by those who will stop at nothing to prove a point?

That Harvard should produce those who feel that African people are inferior to Europeans should come as no surprise to those who have researched Harvard's dark hidden history. A February 1999, edition of the student newspaper, The Harvard Crimson, reported that buried "deep within the annals of Harvard" there is a file HUD 3502 that reveals information about the Harvard chapter of the Ku Klux Klan that was formed in 1921.

Of course, there are some who will still believe the "Hip Hop hood myth" in the same manner that some people will fight you if you try to tell them that WWE wrestling is fake. No matter what, some Hip Hop heads will still be in denial.

Whether you want to believe it or not , the next hot rapper may not come out of the Marcy Projects in Brooklyn but from some top secret science project in a lab hidden away deep down in a basement in Harvard.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283.

Dethroning a King

2011-01-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Dethroning a King:
The White Washing of Black History

Paul Scott

If the late Civil rights leader, Rev. Martin Luther King Jr was able to look down from Heaven at the numerous MLK Day memorial celebrations taking place across the country, I'm sure that he would have one question.

"Who are they talking about?"

Like many black historical icons,the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, has been victimized by revisionist pseudo-historians who take great liberty with the truth when discussing the life of this great man. . Although, he was assassinated over 40 years ago, every third Monday in January his legacy is murdered over and over again. The King who is glorified as the Prince of Peace bears little resemblance to the man who marched in cities from Mississippi to Illinois seeking socio-economic justice for African Americans.

It must be noted that while some Americans now wear the fact that they "marched with Dr. King" as a badge of honor, he was actually hated by many members of society both black and white, who thought that King's form of radical civil disobedience was moving America too fast.

Even those who initially supported his movement dropped him like a hot potato when he used his nonviolent philosophy in the context of opposition to the Vietnam War. Dr. King was considered the most dangerous man in America by FBI chief J. Edgar Hoover, who launched a smear campaign to discredit King that plagued him until the end of his life.

It can be argued that many of the same corporations who are sponsoring MLK Day events and using his image to attract Black customers to their stores would themselves have been picketed by Dr. King if he were alive today. Also, even though many newspapers will devote a lot of ink towards the legacy of Dr. King, he would probably be considered persona non grada by today's newspapers, who would fear that giving the activist too much coverage may anger their advertisers.

While much attention is paid to his nonviolence "turn the other cheek" philosophy, in reality, Dr. King knew that the best way to hurt the rich and shameless person was not to hit them in their heads but in their wallets.Most Americans do not know that according to Kennth O'Reilly in his book "Black Americans: The FBI Files" at the time of his death, King was planning a Poor People's March which would have pressured the government to spend more money social programs. This surely did not sit well with the conservatives at the time who argued for smaller government.

It must also be noted that, while many churches in America will be singing "We Shall Overcome" during their morning services in honor of Dr. King, he was often criticized by his more conservative colleagues in the ministry. In his book "Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years 1963-65, historian Taylor Branch wrote that King was once "excommunicated" from the National Baptist Convention by the former head of the organization, Rev. J H Jackson.

Perhaps, the greatest myth that has been perpetuated regarding Dr. King was that his whole mission can be summed up in the "I have a Dream Speech, where he prophesied that " the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down at the table of brotherhood." While this is the stuff that makes for good Hallmark greeting cards, it does not capture King's idea of race relations in its totality.

In his later years, undoubtedly effected by the growing militancy of black youth in America following the Watts Riot, as well as the activism of rival leaders such as Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) and Malcolm X, King was beginning to sound more like a Black nationalist than a staunch intergrationist.

Although , most people only remember the part of his last speech delivered on April 3, 1968, where he emotionally said that he had "been to the mountain top," in the same speech he not only called for economic sanctions against Coca Cola and Wonder Bread but also asked African Americans in Memphis Tennessee to take their savings out of the white owned banks and put them in black ones. Also, according to Dr. Devin Fergus in his work "Liberalism, Black Power and the Making of American Politics 1965-1980, the day of his assassination, King met with a gang called The Invaders, "a group patterned after the Black Panther Party" in order to "help the group secure funding for community programs."

If we truly want to celebrate the life of Dr. King, we must call for an end to revisionist history. Recent attempts to sanitize American history from the removal of the dreaded "n" word from Huckleberry Finn nor deleting references to slaver when reading the Constitution of the United States will move us forward as a nation. America must face the ghost of her past or forever be haunted by it.

As Dr. King said "truth crushed to the Earth, will rise again."

Paul Scott is a minister, writer and activist based in Durham NC. His blog is No Warning Shots Fired.com

Haters for Hire

2011-01-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

Haters for Hire:
Understanding Racism for Ratings

Paul Scott

It all started when, while standing in the checkout line at Community Foods Supermarket, Mike White told a joke that he heard on the local right wing radio morning show. However, Rasheed Blackmon, who was in line behind him was not amused. The simple off-color joke led to a racial slug-fest, as customers throughout the store began clubbing each other with frozen pizzas and boxes of Twinkies.The radio station finally got what they had been pushing for; a race riot on aisle five of the local grocery store...

Since the last presidential election, there has been a growing interest in right wing shock jocks with new ones springing up like weeds everyday in markets across the country. Whether it be Clear Channel's Rush Radio affiliates or Fox News, the line between journalism and entertainment has been permanently blurred. What is passing for examples of intelligent racial discourse are merely cheap one-liners and the conservative equivalent of "yo' mama" jokes.

Racism for ratings has become the order of the day and stations are scrambling to hire their own stable of hired haters.

What is ironic is that I doubt very seriously that most of the pundits who spew the racist rhetoric actually feel that way when they are off the clock nor will they be able to defend their positions in public debates. They subscribe to the old saying, "I'm not a racist; I just play one on TV." For them the profits of racial rage are strictly business, nothing personal.

Unfortunately, if you follow the right wing rhetoric to its logical conclusion, eventually some one's gonna get hurt and it's not going to be one of the media moguls in an office building in downtown Manhattan nor one of the local haters-for-hire hidden away in a DJ booth in some undisclosed location, it's going to be one of your friends or neighbors. After the racial Apocalypse, the head honchos at corporate will just put the racial rebel rousers in their Clear Channel Radio Host Protection Program, change their identities and ship them off to some unsuspecting town in Idaho where they will start the same mayhem over again, while leaving their former city of employment in shambles.

While many will be quick to blame the messenger, it must be noted that as early as the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson warned that if America did not get its collective act together in terms of race relations, according to Bradford Chambers in his book "Chronicles of Black Protests," he foresaw a race war and the "extermination of the one or the other race."

You have folks on both sides of the political gulf that take what they hear on Fox News and conservative radio as the Gospel, a reflection of how the average white American feels about people of color. However, just as the Hip Hop videos on Black Entertainment Television do not reflect the lifestyle choices of all African Americans, neither does Fox News reflect the racial attitudes of all whites.

According to WEB Dubois in his book, "Black Reconstruction in America, " in 1860 only 7% of the total population of the South owned nearly three million of the 3,953,676 slaves. These were the members of the "planter class" who controlled the politics and economics of the southern states. Dubois wrote that the propagation of the doctrine of black inferiority was based on the interests of this planter class by which the majority of the population (poor whites) were manipulated. In modern society, the planter class would be the media moguls and their prophets of rage, while the poor whites would be the majority of their listeners.

One of the reasons why this trend continues is that most Americans have a very lackadaisical attitude when it comes to historical research. It is easier to listen to some bigot on the radio and just parrot right wing talking points than it is to engage in a critical analysis of the race problem. Plus, it's more entertaining to watch Glenn Beck go off one one of his tirades than it is to sit down and read a book. Let's face it, the Right's theater of the absurd sells out every night.

Also, we live in an area where the local newspapers would rather pretend that by ignoring racial issues they will eventually disappear. Racial issues will not make the morning paper until two days after blood is flowing waist high in the streets,evidence of the old adage "if it bleeds, it leads."

This is not without precedent, as back in 2004, Kentucky's Lexington Herald Leader admitted that the paper "neglected to cover the Civil Rights Movement." Maybe this is why paper's like Durham's Herald Sun have not really explored the race issue, instead, relegating discussions on race to community message boards, the journalistic equivalent of back alley discussions, instead of the actual newspaper.

It must be noted that it was the articles that originated from No Warning Shots Fired.com and not the Herald Sun that have produced some of the most thoughtful dialogue on race relations over the last year. Nor should it be overlooked that the articles that were posted courtesy of No Warning Shots Fired have, consistently ,generated more web hits than all the Herald Sun's staff columnists combined, indicating that there is a desire in this community to have an open and honest discussion on race based on facts and not sophomoric name calling.

Nationally, this has been a long hot summer in regards to the topic of race in America and with the upcoming mid-term elections, you can bet that the heat of the summer will bleed into the fall.

While the media gatekeepers are cashing in on the racial hatred, folks like you and I are just pawns in the game.

***Originally published 8/8/10****

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Take Your Mind Back Black Friday

2010-11-22T17:57:00.000-08:00

"Take Your Mind Back" Black Friday:
Countering X-Mass Exploitation

Min. Paul Scott

For Lakesha Jenkins, it was a yearly tradition, get up at 3AM to make a mad dash to the mall in order to catch the early bird specials. This year was no different, as she was determined to not let rain, snow, nor a repossessed car deter her from her mission. With a look of economic ecstasy on her face she went from store to store grabbing everything from the new talking Nicki Minaj Barbie Doll for her niece, Takesha to the Tyler Perry Box set for her Aunt Sally. Exhausted, she returned home late that evening, only to find an eviction notice posted on the door of her one bedroom apartment. Tears rolled down her face as she remembered that she had just spent the last of her rent money on a Sean Jean sweater for her unemployed boyfriend, Tyrone...

The Friday after Thanksgiving is the busiest shopping day of the season. Just like clock work millions of black folks swoop down like hungry vultures on shopping malls across the country, anxious to grab any prey with a reduced price tag sticker. Known, as "Black Friday" it is also the happiest time of year for greedy merchants, as they look forward to making up any money that has been lost because of a bad economy. As NC activist Damon Harris says, "They call it "Black Friday" because they get all that money from Black people."

Harris isn't off the mark with his assessment.

According to the late Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango in his book, Afrikan People and European Holidays: A Mental Genocide, "Black people must understand that Christmas supports an economic system which seldom, if ever, works in our best interest. " So, the issue here is not just how much we spend but on what we spend it.

Although the "yule tide" season is supposed to be a celebration of "Peace on Earth" many Black parents don't see the contradiction between singing carols about "goodwill towards men" and buying their children cds that glamorize the destruction of Afrikan people. This year we must seriously ask ourselves how much money will African Americans spend on music that promotes the death of Black men, disrespects Black women and dumbs down Black children.

It is no surprise that since the early European slave traders used such things as rum and firearms to finance the Trans-Atlantic slave trade that white exploiters of Black culture would now use music that glorifies alcohol abuse and gun play to condemn African Americans to mental slavery in the 21st century.

The European system of African exploitation is like a giant octopus with many tentacles, with each one playing a specific role; the role of the music industry being to dumb down the masses so they will be easy prey for blood sucking corporations whose business motto is "a fool and his money are soon parted."

As Dr. Claude Anderson wrote in his book, "Black Labor/White Wealth, " Black music is the basis for one of the world's wealthiest industries. The wealth and power of the music industry offer the most compelling reasons for Blacks to recapture control of this cultural resource."

While the music industry may be a major player in this game, it is not alone.

Over the last five years we have suffered from the "ghettorization of black literature" as we have seen writers who promote books about sex tales and drug sells prosper while Black owned bookstores that specialized in promoting books that raised the consciousness of Afrikan people were forced to close their doors for lack of support from a community that claims to always be in a quest to find solutions for closing the academic achievement gap between Black children and their peers of other ethnic groups.

It must also be noted that the fashion industry plays it's part as well. Instead of buying clothing that celebrates our rich African culture and its many heroes and heroines, many black folks are more than happy to walk around like human billboards promoting everything from Home Depot to Mountain Dew not to mention T-shirts glamorizing Scarface, mob figures and "gangsta rap" agents of white supremacy.

Perhaps the saddest part of being an African in America this time of year is coming face to face with the realization of the millions of dollars that we spend to fund our own oppression.

This is why a coalition of activists, artists, writers and others are determined this year to break the vicious cycle of economic oppression. Beginning this "Black Friday" we are launching the "Take Your Mind Back" Campaign; an effort to encourage African Americans to channel their resources into areas that will enrich the Black community instead of helping to destroy it.

Instead of spending money on music that promotes the worst aspects of the Black experience, we are encouraging members of the community to seek out those artists with empowering messages, whether it be "old school" artists such as Public Enemy and X-Clan or new artists such as Pittsburgh's Jasiri X and members of (MIA) Music Is Alive Campaign. Also, instead of purchasing "hood dvds" that glamorize Black on Black violence, we should seek out documentaries such as "Operation Small Ax," executive produced by JR, Minister of Information of the Prisoners of Conscious Committee, which explores issues such as police brutality in the Black community.

To further counter the dumbing down effect of corporate America, instead of buying books that degrade Afrikan people and do nothing to stimulate us intellectually, we should not only purchase the classic writings of our late Black scholars such as Dr. Carter G. Woodson and Dr. Amos Wilson but also the works of a new generation of Afro-centric writers whose books can teach us how to survive and prosper in the 21st century.

If we all grasp the spirit of Harambee and pull together, we will not only make a change for this season but for many, many seasons to come.

This year instead of singing "Dreaming of a White Christmas" like Bing Crosby we should be singing songs to "emancipate ourselves from mental slavery," like Bob Marley.

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Hip Hop X-posed Free Download

2010-11-10T07:13:00.000-08:00

Hip Hop X-Posed Free Download

Free Download Hip Hop X-posed!Bro. Wali and TRUTH Minista Paul Scott expose everything in Hip Hop from the Hip Hop Illuminati Connection, Hip Hop homosexuality and who really controls Hip Hop. Make copies and pass out to our youth!

https://www.yousendit.com/dl?phi_action=app/orchestrateDownload&rurl=https%253A%252F%252Fwww.yousendit.com%252Ftransfer.php%253Faction%253Dbatch_download%2526send_id%253D985127175%2526email%253D112ad350b95647a3755a1554e107f806

Why Hip Hop Must Return to Rap

2010-10-31T08:25:00.000-07:00

Why Hip Hop Must Return to Rap:
Lyrics of Fury

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott

Last week , Hip Hop headz gathered for the 20th annual, "Emergency Meeting to Save Hip Hop" Conference to discuss, once again, ways to save the dying art form. All was going well until underground emcee "Intellect" suggested that the lack of lyricism was destroying Hip Hop culture. Outraged, platinum selling artist, " Mo' Ron Nik," busted him upside the head with a bottle of Rose' and left the building with his gangsta goons as the crowd applauded his "reppin' real Hip Hop." Not realizing that they were part of the problem....

The debate over Hip Hop vs Rap has been a source of heated arguments for almost a generation. However, most of these arguments never rise above the level of semantics or someone quoting KRS's oft used line "Hip Hop is what you live, rap is what you do."

However when Hip Hop artists stop "doing rap" we are stuck with a bunch of knucklheadz promoting swagga over substance. What we have seen over the last decade is a steady decrease in lyricism, which is why Hip Hop has ceased to be a source of social change and is now just a weak marketing tool used to pimp ignorance, death and destruction. In essence, we have lost respect for the power of the spoken word.

Respect for "the word" goes back thousands of years. The scriptures teach us that "in the beginning was the word." Also in his book , "The Afrocentric Idea" Dr. Molefi Asante discusses the concept of nommo in traditional African societies which he defines as, "the generative and productive power of the spoken word."

Although the power of the word has been traditionally revered by civilized societies, it has also been feared by those who seek to exploit the masses of the people. The goal of the oppressor has always been to control "rapping" or the transmission of thoughts and ideas that challenge their rule.

Kwame Nkruimah said in his book "Consciencism ," "social revolution must, therefore, have standing firmly behind it , an intellectual revolution; a revolution in which our thinking and philosophy are directed towards the redemption or our society" which is in sharp contrast to the Hip Hop artists of today who are determined to put us back on the plantation.

While some may argue that Rap is just one of the elements of Hip Hop which also, includes "B-Boying, Graffiti and DeeJaying," it must be noted that break-dancing never sparked a social revolution, graffiti on a subway has never challenged the socio-political domination of the world elite and neither has deejaying ever contributed to the protracted struggle against Imperialism. However, rapping in the form of words of power that "moved the crowd" (to borrow from Eric B and Rakim) has done all the above.

We must be clear, it was not Hip Hop "swagga" that sent shock waves throughout America during the late 80's-early 90's but the rap analyses of artists such as Professor Griff and Sister Souljah. Also, the mixing of rap lyrics with the speeches of Malcolm X, Dr. Khalid Muhammad and Minister Louis Farrakhan during that period, blurred the line between where rap ended and revolution began. Not to mention that many artists of the period were, merely , doing rhythmic versions of the information of black scholars and researchers such as George GM James, Steve Cokely and Dr. Frances Cress Welsing, making it more palatable to the masses.

It is for this reason that the industry has waged war against lyrics , with MTV even elevating self- proclaimed ,non-lyrical Hip Hopper Waka Flocka Flame to one of the top 10 artists of 2010.

One must remember that back in 2002, the same company censored Public Enemy's video "Gotta Give the Peeps" which included the lyrics "Free Mumia (Abu-Jamal) and H. Rap Brown (Jamil Al Amin)." Although, members of Public Enemy were know for their intellectual statements, perhaps the greatest fear of the industry is that on any given day, even a dumb rapper might say something smart.

We must remember that back in 2007, it was alleged that a certain "Lyric Committee" at Interscope records prevented the release of an anti-police brutality song by former G Unit member, Young Buck.

In our current political climate, it is more important now than ever to hear strong black voices. It is doubtful that Hip Hop can be that instrument, as commercialism has rendered it impotent. According to activist, Sham Pu Keilyn, "Rap is the art form not Hip Hop." He argues that while anybody can claim Hip Hop, only a "highly skilled melanated being can truly rap."

This is why we are advocating that members of the "conscious" Hip Hop community reclaim the term RAP, which, in this case, could stand for "Revelation And Power." We are calling for a "conscious coup;" an overthrowing of the Hip Hop oligarchy.

Karl Marx once suggested that the seed of the destruction of Capitalism lies within its own contradictions, so it is with Hip Hop, as it strives to be simultaneously, the voice of the oppressed and the tool of the oppressor.

Although some Hip Hop purists will consider tampering with Hip Hop, sacrilege, it must be done. While, some my feel that they have an inherent right to define Hip Hop, no man has a monopoly on Rap ( nommo, the spoken word) as it originates from the Creator and has been passed down through the ancestors. It is on this principle that we take our uncompromising stand.

Even the most dogmatic defenders of Hip Hop will have to admit that it is time for a change. We can no longer engage in what Dr. Frances Cress Welsing ,in her essay "Black Fear and the Failure of Black Analytical Commitment'" calls "circular thought: moving from problem perception, away from problem solution and back to problem perception." She argues that " there is never constant motion towards problem solution because to do so would " challenge and alter the power dynamic of oppression. "

So, as they say, "it's been real" but this is where we part ways. Those who want to use music to elevate the consciousness of the people rollin' with RAP and those who want to keep the masses deaf, dumb and blind going down with the sinking ship of Hip Hop.

Unless we reclaim Rap we will be still complaining about "what's wrong with Hip Hop" 20 years from now and even then, as Fred Hampton once said, still "coming up with answers that don't answer, explanations that don't explain and conclusions that don't conclude."

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283 For more information on the Intelligence Over Ignorance lecture series contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Rappers Need to Be Scared Smart

2010-10-27T17:45:00.000-07:00

In the late 70's a movie called "Scared Straight" was released that featured juvenile delinquents being scared out of lives of crime by hardcore inmates. This week, as many people prepare to celebrate Halloween, a NC minister says that many Hip Hop artists need to be "scared smart."

Paul Scott, a minister and activist in Durham NC, is outraged by the amount of Hip Hop that promotes ignorance that is being spewed across the airwaves and is calling on the community to take a stand.

According to Scott, top selling rappers like Waka Flocka Flame need to either smarten up their rap games or feel the wrath of the black community.

"If Waka Flocka Flame was on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader, he would lose in the first round," says Scott

Unlike the Hip Hop of a generation ago that featured uplifting lyrics by rap groups such as Public Enemy and The X-Clan, many people believe that the Hip Hop music of today is purposely used to dumb down inner city youth.

"In every city in America, people are talking about closing the achievement gap between black children and white children , Hip Hop should be closing the gap instead of making it wider, says Scott.

Scott is urging the black community to demand that Hip Hop artists produce more intelligent music and radio stations play such socially conscious rap or face boycotts by the African American community.

He says that this is especially critical in today's heated political climate where some have accused the Tea Party and other conservatives of racism and "trying to turn back the clock" on black progress.

Their biggest fear is an educated black man, says Scott. "Racists fear that more than Freddy Kruger and Jason put together."

"TRUTH Minista" Paul Scott is a minister, writer, and activist based in Durham NC. He first gained national attention in 1998, when he led a successful boycott agsinst Phat Boy Malt Liquor and ion 2003 when he protested rap star Nelly's "Pimp Juice" Energy Drink.

For more information on the Intelligence Over Ignorance Campaign contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283 website http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Rapper Challenges Pre-Midterm White Racism

2010-10-24T15:27:00.000-07:00

Plies: Why They Really Hate You

Like many of the commercially successful rappers coming out of the South, a release from Plies usually guarantees heavy radio and video play. However, I doubt that his latest release is going to be welcomed with open arms by the powers that be.

Last week, Plies released one of the most thought provoking videos to come out of the "Dirty South" since the days of Outkast and the Goodie MOB called "Why U Hate ?" The song and video, which features the artist rapping with a noose around his neck , poses the question, "what is white America's beef with black folks?

Parental Guidance Suggested (Language Not Content!)

Plies: Why They Really Hate You

2010-10-17T18:42:00.000-07:00

Plies: Why They Really Hate You
The Education of Algernod Washington

Paul Scott

Like many of the commercially successful rappers coming out of the South, a release from Plies usually guarantees heavy radio and video play. However, I doubt that his latest release is going to be welcomed with open arms by the powers that be.

Last week, Plies, born Algernod Wahington, released one of the most thought provoking videos to come out of the "Dirty South" since the days of Outkast and the Goodie MOB called "Why U Hate ?" The song and video, which features the artist rapping with a noose around his neck , poses the question, "what is white America's beef with black folks?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Ber4-pfKI

Although the self proclaimed "goon's" sexually explicit songs such as "Becky" and "Bust it Baby" have received heavy airplay, one has to wonder what reaction "Why U Hate " will get from Hip Hop radio stations and video programs like BET's 106 and Park . The concern being, it might inspire Plies's fellow goons to begin to conduct in-depth analyses of America's race problem. In other words, it might make people think.

The question that Plies has posed is complex and can be answered on many different levels. However, to get to the root of white hate you must go back thousands of years. According to Canadian writer Michael Bradley, in his book "The Ice Man Inheritance: Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Aggression, the problem stems from the hyper-aggressive nature that the European developed as a survival technique for coping with a frigid climate. This led to their need to conquer the whole planet.

Also during the Transatlantic slave trade the Europeans used the myth of racial inferiority to justify slavery. After the Civil War, according to WEB DuBois in his book, "Black Reconstruction," Northern industrialists and members of the Southern aristocracy (the planters) manipulated poor whites into hating the newly freed "slaves" in order to exploit them.

It must be noted that much of the hatin' on black people is based on fear. Dr. Frances Cress Welsing author of "The Isis Papers" has suggested that Caucasians have a fear of genetic annihilation; believing that eventually ,through the amalgamation of the races, the white race will cease to exist.

Also there is the fear of "the big pay back" where African Americans will seek revenge on whites for the atrocities committed against them. Over 200 years ago, as Bradford Chambers writes in "Chronicles of Black Protest," Thomas Jefferson predicted that the "deep rooted prejudices of whites" and the "10 thousand recollections by the blacks of the injuries they have sustained" would produce a division that "would probably never end but in the extermination of one or the other race."

Also, black psychiatrists William Grier and Price Cobbs wrote in their 1968 book "Black Rage," "long after slavery, many whites are haunted by a vision of being oppressed, exposed to the whims of a powerful cruel black man."

It must also be noted that this fear also influenced public policy, as during the Civil Rights/Black Power Era, FBI director, J. Edgar Hoover, set up COINTELPRO (Counter Intelligence Program) to prevent the rise of a "black messiah" that could electrify the youth. Which leads us to why "they" hate political Hip Hop, since it has the potential to convert rap fans into revolutionaries.

However, white America does not really hate "gangsta" rappers like Plies; she created them. What they fear most is Algernod Washington, the business man who is rumored to have been valedictorian of his high school class and a former college student; the proverbial "fear of an educated black man." The Plies's of the world are just thugged -out versions of Frankenstein's monster who have been programmed to never turn on their masters.

That is until one of them is deprogrammed and starts making songs like "Why U Hate ?"

For most folks, Plies is an unlikely candidate to spark the Hip Hop revolution. However, the same might have been said about Detroit Red before he became Malcolm X or Eldridge Clever before he wrote "Soul on Ice" We must also remember that many black leaders from Abubadika Sonny Carson to Bunchy Carter and John Higgins were former gang members. Even one of the fathers of Hip Hop, Afrika Bambaataa was a gangsta at one point.

As Jabari Natur, chairman of Solvivaz Nation said "The spirit of Black Liberation is in all of us. " This is a chance for something to blossom in the millions of people who will watch the video."

What Hip Hop needs is a movement to raise what the late chairman of the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party, Fred Hampton, would call "antagonistic contradictions." We must aggressively question radio stations who will play Rick Ross's "BMF" every five minutes but refuse to play "Why U Hate." Since many DJ's claim to play negative Hip Hop because "that's what people are requesting" we should immediately start calling and tweeting radio stations, asking them why they aren't playing Plies's song. That way we can monitor the tweets and expose Hip Hop radio's hypocrisy.

Perhaps this is a one shot deal for Plies and next week he'll go back to being "the thug you love to hate. Time will tell.

But as Kwame Ture once said, "Every "negro" is a potential Black Man."

I guess that goes for goons too...

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283

Waka Flocka Flame: Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader ?

2010-10-09T07:05:00.000-07:00

Waka Flocka Flame: Are You Smarter than a 5th Grader?

Min. Paul Scott

"All my brothers eatin' chicken and watermelon, talk broken English and drug sellin'"

My Philosophy-Boogie Down Productions

Last night, during the premier of the Hip Hop version of "Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader," 24 year old Waka Flocka Flame, went up against nine year old up and coming rapper, Willow Smith. However, the show ended, abruptly when during the introductions, the host asked Flaka how many years he had been rappin'. After counting on his fingers for several seconds, a puzzled Flame stormed off stage, cussin' at the audience and accusing the host of asking him a trick question...

Waka Flocka Flame is, undoubtedly, one of the hottest artists in Hip Hop, right now. You cannot turn on any Hip Hop radio station in the world and not hear one of his songs blastin' through the speakers. However, what is making Waka most famous these days is not his music but his interviews. Grandma used to tell me that it is better to keep silent and be thought a dummy, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt. Apparently, Flocka didn't get the memo.

On a recent episode of BET's 106 and Park, the host, Terrence J asked him about education and Flame responded by saying that he was going back to school to study "geometry." Later when the other host, Roxie asked him about politics, the boy genius said in classic Captain Caveman fashion "oonga boonga...votin' cool."

What is most disturbing, however, is the follow up interview that he gave on a radio station where he suggested that " Waka Flocka Flame" was just a character that he created in order to relate to the boys in tha hood. So my issue is not really with Juaquin Malphurs, the product of the American mis-educational system, but with his alter ego, Waka Flocka Flame that is being used by the industry to make being dumb, cool. A classic case of "I'm not really an idiot, I just play one on TV..."

The popularity of black folks actin' the fool has its roots in the mid 1800's with the black face minstrel performances. In the book, "Split Image: African Americans in the Mass Media," (Janet Davis and William Barlow) historian William Van Deburg is quoted as saying that in a time when many whites feared slave insurrections "the early slave image offered white audiences a comforting , psychological reassurance." He writes that "such intellectually inferior clowns posed little threat to white hegemony."

Such as it is today with black rappers in black face like Waka Flocka , who, despite all the hood talk are only a threat to the residents of the hood and not the socio-economic well being of those in the suburbs.

What is most disturbing about Waka is that he plays into the hands of those who still believe that black folks are more "Straight Out the Jungle" than "Straight Out of Compton." It must be remembered that barely a hundred years ago, African people were being locked up in monkey cages at zoos and forced to perform for white folks. According to Dr. Harriet Washington in her book, "Medical Apartheid," around 1903, a missionary explorer, Samuel Phillips Lerner, captured Ota Benga, an African "pygmy" and gave him to William Hornaday to put on exhibit in the Bronx Zoo. However, in 2010 they have stopped putting black men in cages but place them on stages.

To hear Malphurs tell it, the Flaka Flame character just represents the collective mentality of young urban males who have been victimized by society and he is only using rap music to express their collective point of view. Anyone who knows anything thing about Hip Hop history will tell you that that is a bunch of bull.

Back in the early 80's during the Reagan Era ,when times were ,arguably, socio-economically worst for black folks, rappers like the Treacherous Three and Funky Four Plus One More , expressed themselves very articulately, despite coming from conditions that were worst than those faced by the multi-millionaire rappers of today. We must ask ourselves why do the rappers of the 80's who were teenagers in the Reagan- Bush Era sound more intelligent than grown men in their 20's and 30's in the age of Obama? Just compare the lyrics of a young Kool Moe D or Grandmaster Caz with the ramblings of Waka Flocka or Gucci Mane. So the "product of my environment" excuse just doesn't fly in the face of facts.

What we have is the mass marketing of ignorance, a classic case of supply and demand. There are people who want to see black buffoonery and an industry more than happy to give it to them in large doses.

As we enter into an era where some people are trying to "turn back the clock" on African American progress, the actions of Waka Flocka Flame cannot be viewed in a political vacuum. In a time when many people want to put us back on the plantation we don't need rappers to supply the lyrical whips to beat us into submission.

So, what should we do? In truth, legitimate illiteracy is a major problem in poor communities. However, these folks should be helped and not exploited on TV. Perhaps there should be some "United Negro College Fund" for rappers to encourage artists like Wacka Flaka to obtain a higher education or develop a Hip Hop Rites of a Passage where more socio- politically conscious rappers take artists such as Flame and mentor them.

If that doesn't work, then it is time for some tough love. Like the old "scared straight" program, stupid rappers need to be "sacred smart" or risk being pulled off stage like KRS One did PM Dawn back in the day by crowds of disgusted black folks who are tired of seeing us portrayed as buffoons.

Either way it goes down, a change must come.

These are critical times for African Americans and we are in the fight of our lives against ignorance. We are at the bottom of the ninth inning; the end of the fourth quarter; down by three points with two seconds on the shot clock. There is a time for subtle diplomacy, but as Waka Flocka Flame said himself, there is also a time to "go hard in the paint."

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com. For more information on Intelligence Over Ignorance lecture series contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott discusses COINTELPRO

2010-10-07T02:53:00.000-07:00

Radio program WE All Be Rsdio discussing the COINTELPRO's effect on the Black community.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2010/10/07/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

Historically Black Coonin'

2010-09-25T21:28:00.000-07:00

Historically Black Coonin':
Institutionalizing Lower Learning

Paul Scott

Dr. Carter G. DuBois was exhausted after pouring all of his energy into an hour long lecture on the colonization of Africa. Out of breath and with sweat pouring down his face, he asked his college freshman class if there were any questions. Nonchalantly smackin' bubble gum, scantily dressed, Lakesia Jackson raised her hand and asked, "Yeah, Doc, can you teach us how to "dougie?" This prompted the rest of the class to break into an impromptu dance routine, transforming Dubois' World History 101 class into a scene from BET's "106 and Park..."

The recent education edition of Ebony magazine featured a picture well dressed Morehouse students standing behind a brotha in a bandanna with his pants saggin' . While the article dealt with the issue of dress codes on black college campuses, the symbolism and deeper meaning of the picture was clear; our future black leaders have become followers of a pop culture that has historically portrayed black people as "coons," "Sambos" and "jungle bunnies."

Once upon a time ,Historically Black Colleges and Universities were the homes of future great politicians, scientists and educators; people who would make a life long commitment to uplifting the race. Unfortunately, the highest aspiration of some students in 2010 is to become the next Nicki Minaj or Waka Flocka Flame. What happened? When did HBCU start standing for "Historically Black Coonin' and Underachievement?"

There was a period in our history when education was honored by black folks. According to WEB DuBois in his book, "Black Reconstruction," the very feeling of inferiority which slavery forced upon them fathered an intense desire to rise out of their condition by means of education."

However, almost 150 years out of slavery, the obtainment of knowledge is no longer seen as a privilege of the more fortunate, only a reason to party for four (or more) years and then get a job.

While many old heads will argue that this is a new phenomenon, as early as 1957, Dr. E. Franklin Frazier wrote in his book, "Black Bourgeoisie" that after World War I the attitude of black college students started to change, as many began to rebel against the "puritanical attitudes" of the northern missionaries who founded the early colleges. They began to see a college degree as merely , " the chief means of achieving social and economic mobility." Herein lies the genesis of our jacked up priorities.

Some argue that during the Civil Rights movement too much attention was placed on integration, giving young African Americans the false impression that educational integration , in and of itself, was the key to social equality. So, instead of honoring our African traditions, they started to want to "be like white folks."

This is not to say that we have not had our shining moments when being black and intelligent was fashionable, as one can point to the Black Power era of the late 60's and early 70's and also the Black consciousness era of the late 80's early 90's, however, it must be noted in the same manner that pop culture turned black revolutionaries into pimps in the 70's, by the mid 90's it had transformed Afro-centric scholars into gangsta rappers.

This is the trend that continues today, as many students have embraced "street culture" as a form of rebellion, producing a generation of "rebels without a clue." In his essay, "The Black Child," Dr. Bobby Wright challenges the false idea held by many African Americans of the Hip Hop generation who believe "white s do not control the streets in the black Community nor the behavior of Blacks on those streets." According to Dr. Wright "whites have more control or at least as much control over those in the streets than over those in universities."

Though often misunderstood, the purpose of WEB DuBois' idea of a talented tenth was never to create a group of elitist, stuck up gangsta snobs, but a group of enlightened African Americans who have as their mission statement the upliftment of those who did not have the opportunity to obtain a higher level of education.

This is what is so disappointing about the attitude on so many college campuses; they have failed in their mission to uplift the downtrodden.

The best example of the problem is the strange relationship between HBCU's and Hip Hop. Every year thousands upon thousands of dollars are paid to Hip Hop artists who promote Black on Black violence, drug dealin' and are living caricatures of historical black negative stereotypes during Homecoming season. Last year, students on the campuses of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and North Carolina Agricultural and Technical University protested the use of student funds going towards funding the mental genocide (mentacide) of young black people. Unfortunately, a year later, we still see black universities bank rolling negative behavior.

While the focus of this article is historically black colleges and universities, in truth, it is just a symptom of a larger problem. Black folks in general have lost respect for knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Every school year in every city in America, we are bombarded with numerous stories about the achievement gap between black students and their peers, which gives our children the false impression that they are intellectually inferior to their white counterparts.

It must be noted that the problem of the "dumbing down" of African Americans cannot be just limited to the youth. We are living in a society where grown black folks have made shows such as "The House of Payne" and "Meet the Browns" the most successful in cable TV history, while programs that could enlighten black people struggle to find an audience.

In order to reverse this trend, it is time for those who know better to step up and HBCU's can play a vital role.

Students and administrators on college campuses must get their priorities straight. It is no secret that many HBCU's are located in the middle of the 'hood so it makes no sense to have that many smart black folks gathered in one place and yet have black folks struggling for survival right outside of their gates. HBCU's must not only develop the minds of black young people on campus but must develop ways to heal the 'hoods that surround them. Also, while many universities train their students to become economists and business leaders, why are black businesses in their cities struggling to make ends meet, especially black bookstores?

Lastly, HBCU's must make better use of student funds for hosting programs for not only the students but for the local black community. It is a shame that the same student government association that can find $20,000 dollars to bring Young Jeezy on campus for one night to rap about "Thug Motivation" cannot find the resources to bring in Afro-centric scholars, researchers and historians to campus to hold workshops to motivate the students to be strong black men and women.

So, black students, the choice is yours, are you going to take a stand or continue to watch your people being destroyed for lack of knowledge ?

As Dr. Carter G Woodson wrote in the "Mis Education of the Negro," " No people can go forward when the majority of those who know better have chosen to go backward."

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. For more information on the Intelligence Over Ignorance lecture series on Race, Rap Religion and Revolution contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

D'Souza's Dumb New Catch Phrase

2010-09-15T18:19:00.000-07:00

D'Souza's Dumb New Catch Phase

Paul Scott

Since the 2008, election. President Barack Obama has been called a whole lot of things; Socialist, illegal alien...you name it. However, this week, thanks to an article by Dinesh D'Souza, the right wing has been bestowed with a new catch phrase; "anti-colonialist."

In its September 27th issue, Forbes Magazine is running D'Souza's article, "How Obama Thinks" that alleges the policies of the Obama Administration are influenced by his father's anti-colonialist ideology.

In the article, D'Souza does get one thing right, most Americans don't know jack about anti-colonialism or anything else about Africa that did not come from an old Tarzan movie. This has allowed slicksters like D'Souza to spread their propaganda, unchallenged.

Perhaps more disturbing than the launch of a new smear campaign against Obama, which was immediately parroted by Newt Gingrich and Glenn Beck, is the misrepresentation of African anti-colonialism.

What D'Souza seeks to do is divorce the African struggle against European Imperialism from the struggle for civil rights in America. The attempts to unite the struggle of African people and Africans in America can be traced back to the forerunners of Pan African thought such as Martin Delaney and Marcus Garvey. Also, anyone with even a basic understanding of the works of Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) and Malcolm X would know that the Civil Rights/Black Power Movement benefited from the anti-colonialism struggles in Africa and vice versa. Also, writers such as Walter Rodney and Basil Davidson have done outstanding work on European Imperialism.

But the Tea Baggers have never prided themselves as being the brightest light bulbs on the Christmas tree, have they? Just because one is able to name ever driver on the NASCAR circuit does not make him a Rhodes Scholar.

Trying to separate the African American struggle for equality from the African struggle against European Imperialism would be like trying to separate American Jews from the Holocaust.

But I suppose when ignorance is bliss, anything is possible.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

2010-09-15T16:45:00.000-07:00

TRUTH Minsta Paul Scotts Responds to Dinesh D'Souza's September 27 Forbes Magazine article "How Obama Thinks"

9/11 and the Pimpin' of Patriotism

2010-09-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

9/11 and the Pimpin' of Patriotism

Paul Scott

Following World War I, an evil dictator by the name of Adolf Hitler was able to manipulate the citizens of Germany by constantly yelling "remember Versailles !" Nine years after the attack on the World Trade Center , right wingers are still trying to manipulate the citizens of America by yelling "remember 9/11 !"

Just as Hitler was able to enrage the Germans by blaming the Treaty of Versailles for their condition, the Conservatives have used the events of September 11 2001, to create a hatred and contempt among their crowd for anything that does not coincide with their collective vision of America.

Although, the attack on the World Trade Center was a horrible tragedy, what is equally tragic is the use of the event to promote a political agenda. It is shameful that over the last nine years the Republicans have pimped the memory of the victims of 9/11 like a cheap two dollar whore. They have constantly used the tragedy to promote fear and attack anyone who is "different," not only Muslims, but Latinos, African Americans and anyone else who does not kneel at the altar of Ronald Reagan.

What is especially disturbing is the way they use religious symbolism to promote intolerance, almost like the line from the Chris Rock movie, "Head of State, "God bless America and nobody else." The conversations in this country that are passing as religious dialogue are really discussions over political power. However, this is to be expected since the debate is being led by those whose religious ideology is solely based on the "Book of Beck."

In a theological sense, there is not much difference between the three major western religions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam, as they all come from the same root. Writers from Sir Godfrey Higgins and Albert Churchward to Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan and John G. Jackson have published numerous works explaining this in detail. However, the political aspect of religion is another story and has sparked some of the more passionate disputes. Many of the debates have revolved around Christianity and Islam.

Although most people trace the battle between the cross and the crescent back to the Crusades, scholars have suggested that the Crusades were not based on proselytizing religious ideology but land acquisition and other secular motives.

According to historian Dr. John Henrik Clarke, the real reason behind the Crusades was to divert the attention of a European people who had become disillusioned with the Church and fed up with Feudalism to a search for a mythical holy grail.

Although, many people claim that Islam is a religion of war and Christianity a religion of peace according to "The Two Babylons" by Rev. Alexander Hislop, the cross (or the "X" symbol of Christ) with the inscription "conquer by this" was revealed in a vision by Constantine as he marched into battle against Maxentius.

In modern times, religious wars have gone high tech with the warmongers on Fox News and Clear Channel using their bully pulpits to preach a doctrine of racial hatred.

If you listen to the right wing spin, they celebrate the false idea that the tragedy of 9/11 was a unifying event that brought us all together as one big happy American family. Apparently, the irony of a slaughter of innocents being necessary to have a country live up to its democratic ideals escapes them.

The truth is that the aftermath of the World Trade attack brought us closer to Fascism than any time in recent history. Many of the non-Republicans who lined up behind the policies of George Bush did so out of fear of the Patriot Act and the potential retaliation of those under the hypnotic spell of blind patriotism more so than an overnight epiphany commanding them to tow the Republican Party line.

Even in the outspoken world of Hip Hop, which artist Chuck D once called " the black CNN", most rappers refused to report on the policies of the Bush Administration except for a few Hip Hoppers like Paris, KRS and Immortal Technique and to a lesser, yet, more commercial degree, the Black Eyed Peas.

Since the 2008 election, the right wing paranoia propaganda machine has shifted into overdrive, as one of their favorite strategies is to discredit President Barack Obama by calling him a closet Muslim in a Christian country; even though history teaches us that the "Founding Fathers," themselves, were Deists and many right wing preachers would consider the omission of some parts of the Thomas Jefferson Bible, heresy.

The most recent hot topic is the controversy surrounding the planned building of a mosque/cultural center close to Ground Zero. While there are many people who are genuinely hurt over the proposed mosque many of the right wing media talking heads are merely crying crocodile tears. The most meaningful dialogue should take place between those most affected by 9/11; the families of the victims and those who are planning the mosque. I am sure a meeting between those two parties would be more productive than right wing theatrics. Although CNN might cover such an event, Fox would probably preempt it with clips of Ted Nugent performing Cat Scratch Fever if the meeting proved to be too civil.

If we are to move forward as a nation, we can no longer believe the propaganda of the right wing but must encourage Americans to think beyond Tea Party talking points and make their own informed decisions based on facts not fear. We must see that ignorance is the real enemy.

In his last performance, comedian George Carlin talked about how it is in the best interest of the media moguls and those in power to discourage critical thinking. He said that the American Dream is so named because you have to be asleep to believe it.

It is time for the American people to wake up and decide if they want the Freedom or der Fuehrer.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. For information on the Intelligence Over Ignorance lecture series on Race, Rap, Revolution and Religion contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Dissin' Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Oxymoron

2010-08-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Classic example of an oxymoron Glenn Beck/Restoring Honor

March Madness: Glenn Beck and the Death of Civil Rights

2010-08-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

March Madness: Glenn Beck and the Death of Civil Rights.

Paul Scott

The date is August 28th 2010, and Glenn Beck stands before a crowd of 100,000 fellow Conservatives holding the severed head of a Martin Luther King Jr statue like a victorious Roman gladiator. With Sarah Palin by his side, he, triumphantly, yells, "free at last; free at last," as the civil rights leaders can only weep from afar...

There is an old saying that if you love something, set it free and if it doesn't come back it was never yours to begin with; so it is with Glenn Beck and the Right Wing's, upcoming, "Restoring Honor Rally" which is scheduled to take place this Saturday in Washington DC, commemorating the 47th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "March on Washington."

Of course, some members of the civil rights generation are afraid that this is an attempt to kill their movement and are holding a counter rally called "Reclaim the Dream."

What must be noted is that for many African Americans who came into political consciousness during the Hip Hop Era, the Civil Rights Movement died a long time ago, as its end game strategy of cultural assimilation has proven to be unable to cure the societal ills facing the black community.

For nearly 50 years they have pushed a commercialized version of Dr. King's struggle for racial equality to this country. This is the version of black history that is easily co-opted by white America and of which Glenn Beck and others consider themselves the rightful heirs.

However, there is a non-commercial version of the African American experience that the Right Wing will not touch with a 10 foot pole. This is the ideology embraced by many younger African Americans that includes black empowerment , black self determination and an Afro-centric world view.

Can you imagine Sean Hannity holding one of his Freedom concerts at the site of the 1972 Wattstax Music Festival which commemorated the Watts Rebellion of 1965? Or do you really believe that Glenn Beck would hold an event on October 16 to commemorate the 1995, Minister Louis Farrakhan led, Million Man March/Day of Atonement and have a million white men gather to beg forgiveness for their crimes against non-white humanity?

Of course not. These events are pretty much off limits. However, the March on Washington is ripe for the pickin'.

Although, the conservative talking heads, constantly, refer to mainstream black leaders as "poverty pimps," who should not be in leadership positions, there is one major flaw in their criticisms. In some warped version of the Hegelian Dialectal Principle, they chose them. For the most part, the civil rights leaders have been ringers. (Or as we say in the 'hood marks.)

Now, you have to give it to the Tea Party people , when they roll out to a march they come to chew tobacco and kick butt and at this point they are all out of Red Man. As for the civil rights folks, they put so much emphasis on easing ,unfounded, white fears of a bloody revolution that everything else kinda gets lost in the translation.

"blah blah blah....NONVIOLENCE...blah blah blah"

This lack of aggression does not go over too well with a generation who grew up on rap videos and Grand Theft Auto video games.

Not to mention, the focus of the Civil Rights Movement on what writer Harold Cruse called "non-economic liberalism" is seen as outdated by members of a Hip Hop generation who consider black self -made millionaire entertainers as role models, some of whom got there start by selling cd's out of their car trunks.

Also, for a community that is suffering from black on black youth violence, an over emphasis on "little black boys holding hands with little white girls" is seen as treason.

As Hip Hop artist KRS once rapped "the civil rights leaders ain't seeing...they wanna be equal with the white...I wanna to be equal with the light...."

As we move toward the mid term elections and King's, prophetic, "difficult days ahead," America will see the rise of a new movement of younger, more Afro-centric thinkers, writers, activists and historians who believe the keys to solving our problems do not lie in the minds of white Americans but are buried deep within our African souls.

If more black folks knew the historical truth about Martin Luther King, instead of getting their underwear in a bundle over Beck's rally they would get quite a chuckle from the arrogant ignorance of the Right.

For most people, their knowledge of Dr. Martin Luther King ends, immediately, after his "I Have a Dream Speech"of 1963. However, the remaining years of his life found him, increasingly, sounding more like a black militant Marxist -Leninist than the Southern preacher of the Montgomery Bus Boycott fame.

Do the Right Wing champions of the white middle class realize that ,according to Kenneth O'Reilly in his book "Black Americans: The FBI Files," at the time of his death, King was planning a Washington Spring Project/Poor People's March which would have pressured the government to spend more money on the same social programs that are hated by Conservatives ?

Also, how can a bunch of folks who pride themselves as being the major advocates of big business embrace the ideology of a man who, the night before he was assassinated, delivered a speech not only calling for economic sanctions against Coca Cola and Wonder Bread but also asking African Americans in Memphis Tennessee to take their savings out of the white owned banks and put them in black ones?

Lastly, although the Tea Partiers constantly bash President Obama for hangin' with radical homeboys such as the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, according to Dr. Devin Fergus in his book, "Liberalism, Black Power and the Making of American Politics 1965-1980, the day of his assassination, King met with a gang called The Invaders, "a group patterned after the Black Panther Party" in order to "help the group secure funding for community programs."

If a bunch of intellectually, challenged yahoos whose resident genius is Sarah Palin can 'jack an event held so dear to the civil rights folks, more power to 'em.

Instead of "reclaiming the dream" we need to be reclaiming our history and cultural identity because ultimately, that is only the solution to our problems.

As Dr. King said "Yes, I'm black and proud of it! I'm black and beautiful !"

And that is something that Beck and company can never take away.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. For more information on the Intelligence Over Ignorance lecture series on Race, Rap and Revolution contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Dr. Laura: The Right's New Martyr

2010-08-17T18:45:00.000-07:00

Dr. Laura: Hard to Say I'm Sorry?

Paul Scott

Back in the 80's, the rock group, Chicago had a big hit with "Hard to Say I'm Sorry." I beg to differ. Just look at Dr.Laura Schlessinger.

The good Dr. was just on Larry King talking about how distraught she was after her show where she used the N Word and how she apologized before the "special interest groups" started calling for her head.

OK. Kinda like when I broke something as a child and decided that I would punish myself, instead of waitin' for mama to get the belt.

"Oh, mother dear. Truly I must be punished! Banish me to my room with no spinach tonight..."
So, Dr. Laura has decided that since her contract is up at the end of the year that she will no longer do radio but will do other things to regain her Freedom of Speech.

Is that Right wing speak for, "Sean Hannity just got a new co-host?"

How much do you wanna bet that come January 1st, she winds up on Fox.

Schlessinger should step down now! December is too long for her to get her just desserts.

If there is any justice in the universe, come tomorrow morning, when Schlessinger's audience tries to turn in to her show, they will find it replaced by the "Public Enemy Greatest Hits Hour."

However, the Right Wingers are the masters of making the best of a bad situation. Even when they lose they win.

Now that she has done the dirty deed, you can bet that the Tea Party and the rest of the Right Wingers will hook their homegirl up with a new gig.

Racists have a way of looking out for each other.

You can best believe that come tomorrow, Laura Sclessinger will be the Right's new martyr; the patron saint of racist radio hosts, everywhere.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Laura Schlessinger's Crazy Cure for Racism

2010-08-15T18:58:00.000-07:00

Laura Schlessinger's Crazy Cure for Racism:
Do We Blame Dr. Laura or Dr. Dre?

Paul Scott

A broken, elderly black man limped into his doctor's office last Tuesday afternoon. His neck bore the scars of numerous lynching attempts and his back the welts of years of severe beatings. Reflected in his eyes was the pain of seeing his mother and sister raped and being powerless to do anything about it. As he described in vivid detail his many thoughts of committing suicide, the physician just sat emotionless in her chair. Finally, she scribbled on her prescription pad, "take two doses of the "N word" and call me in the morning. LOL..."

Last week, talk show host, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, came under fire for using the "N word" multiple times to help a caller get over her racial "hypersensitivity." While the purpose of the conversation was, supposedly, to give the caller life changing advice, in reality, Schlessinger was merely trying to help her predominately white audience get over their collective guilt of harboring white supremacist attitudes as she soothed them with the old standard, "Black Comedians use the N Word, Why Can't I" Therefore, if it's cool in Compton it must play well in Peoria.

Newsflash for Dr. Laura. Not all black men walk around grabbin' their crotches, showing their dirty drawers and dropping the "N bomb" like there's no tomorrow. I, personally, have never made a habit of using the word and have spoken out against its use on many occasions. Also, activists such as Gary, Indiana radio host, Kwabena Rasuliu have led multiple protests against those in the Hip Hop world who have used such ignorance as a marketing tool.

However, folks like "Sgt. Schlessiger" and her Right Wing Storm Troopers, continuously, use black entertainers as justification for their racist rants. The comedians to whom Schlessinger referred do not speak for me nor do they speak for most people of African descent. It is unfortunate that, while folks like Dr. Laura can name black comedians who use the word, they cannot name one Afro-centric historian who has put the word in a social or historical context and can explain how it became a term of black endearment.

So, herein, lies the major problem facing this country in terms of race relations: historical and cultural ignorance.

Although, the use of the "N word" pops up as a topic of discussion every few years, most people, black or white, do not know the historical origins of the word.

The word "nigger" is derived from the Portuguese adjective "negro" which was used by the early slave traders to describe their new found "property." So, when it crossed the Atlantic , "negro" was ,eventually, transformed into the word "nigger;" different spellings but for all intents and purposes, having the same meaning as they both infer that black people are less than human.

Black psychologists have suggested that the use of the word by African Americans is a subconscious response to white supremacy.

In his book, "Black on Black Violence: The Psycho-dynamics of Black Self-Annihilation in the Service of White Domination" the late psychologist Dr. Amos Wilson wrote, " through identification with the aggressor, the subject attempts to magically transform himself from the one being threatened to the one threatening; from powerlessness to powerful: from inferior to superior."

It must be noted that the degradation of black people for comedic purposes started with white black-face performer Thomas Rice's Jumpin' Jim Crow in 1830, predating early black comedians such as Moms Mabley and Redd Fox by more than a century. Not to mention that most black entertainers work for white owned companies.

While comedian Richard Pryor used the "N word" extensively in some of his early stand up routines, later in his career, following a trip to Africa, he publicly vowed to "never call a black man nigger again."

Perhaps, the group most influential in popularizing the word during the Hip Hop Era was NWA (Niggas With Attitude) of the late 80's and early '90's. However, the group was managed by Jerry Heller, a white man, who was also the co-owner of their record label, Ruthless Records. So, there have always been white business men who have supplied white Americans with an avenue to, vicariously, live out their racist fantasies through black entertainers.

While some may make the argument that it is only entertainment, the contradictions within this statement are many.

One example is that although Jewish comedians such as Jackie Mason and Adam Sandler, may make Jewish jokes, none of their stand up routines would ever be used by outsiders to make light of the Jewish Holocaust.

Also, attacks on the black community seem to be the only topics not off limit by the entertainment industry. Black entertainers from Professor Griff of Public Enemy to the late Michael Jackson had their careers negatively impacted by, allegedly, making anti-Semitic comments or songs. Ironically, Ice Cube, one of the founders of NWA was boycotted in the early 90's by the Korean community over a song he made in regards to the murder of 15 year old Latasha Harland, who was shot by a Korean grocer.

So, we see the real double standard at play.

If we are not careful, the controversy over Dr. Laura's statement will go the route of the infamous Don Imus incident as civil rights leaders and right wing media pundits will find a way to put the blame totally on rap music; blaming Dr. Dre instead of Dr. Laura.

In order to stop the Dr. Laura's of the world, this country must engage in a massive reeducation process. African Americans must learn all they can about their culture and pass the information on to future generations. Also, white Americans must be willing to hear the truth about the African American experience no matter how uncomfortable it might make them feel. This will not come from educators who fear backlash from school boards nor newspaper editors who are more concerned with offending their advertisers than serving the public good but will come from Afro-centric historians and scholars who are brave enough to speak truth to power without biting their tongues.

Unfortunately, this cure is too big a pill for most folks to swallow.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired .com. For more information about the Intelligence Over Ignorance lecture series on Race, Rap and Revolution contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Haters For Hire

2010-08-08T20:29:00.000-07:00

Haters for Hire:
Understanding Racism for Ratings

Paul Scott

It all started when, while standing in the checkout line at Community Foods Supermarket, Mike White told a joke that he heard on the local right wing radio morning show. However, Rasheed Blackmon, who was in line behind him was not amused. The simple off-color joke led to a racial slug-fest, as customers throughout the store began clubbing each other with frozen pizzas and boxes of Twinkies.The radio station finally got what they had been pushing for; a race riot on aisle five of the local grocery store...

Since the last presidential election, there has been a growing interest in right wing shock jocks with new ones springing up like weeds everyday in markets across the country. Whether it be Clear Channel's Rush Radio affiliates or Fox News, the line between journalism and entertainment has been permanently blurred. What is passing for examples of intelligent racial discourse are merely cheap one-liners and the conservative equivalent of "yo' mama" jokes.

Racism for ratings has become the order of the day and stations are scrambling to hire their own stable of hired haters.

What is ironic is that I doubt very seriously that most of the pundits who spew the racist rhetoric actually feel that way when they are off the clock nor will they be able to defend their positions in public debates. They subscribe to the old saying, "I'm not a racist; I just play one on TV." For them the profits of racial rage are strictly business, nothing personal.

Unfortunately, if you follow the right wing rhetoric to its logical conclusion, eventually some one's gonna get hurt and it's not going to be one of the media moguls in an office building in downtown Manhattan nor one of the local haters-for-hire hidden away in a DJ booth in some undisclosed location, it's going to be one of your friends or neighbors. After the racial Apocalypse, the head honchos at corporate will just put the racial rebel rousers in their Clear Channel Radio Host Protection Program, change their identities and ship them off to some unsuspecting town in Idaho where they will start the same mayhem over again, while leaving their former city of employment in shambles.

While many will be quick to blame the messenger, it must be noted that as early as the 18th century, Thomas Jefferson warned that if America did not get its collective act together in terms of race relations, according to Bradford Chambers in his book "Chronicles of Black Protests," he foresaw a race war and the "extermination of the one or the other race."

You have folks on both sides of the political gulf that take what they hear on Fox News and conservative radio as the Gospel, a reflection of how the average white American feels about people of color. However, just as the Hip Hop videos on Black Entertainment Television do not reflect the lifestyle choices of all African Americans, neither does Fox News reflect the racial attitudes of all whites.

According to WEB Dubois in his book, "Black Reconstruction in America, " in 1860 only 7% of the total population of the South owned nearly three million of the 3,953,676 slaves. These were the members of the "planter class" who controlled the politics and economics of the southern states. Dubois wrote that the propagation of the doctrine of black inferiority was based on the interests of this planter class by which the majority of the population (poor whites) were manipulated. In modern society, the planter class would be the media moguls and their prophets of rage, while the poor whites would be the majority of their listeners.

One of the reasons why this trend continues is that most Americans have a very lackadaisical attitude when it comes to historical research. It is easier to listen to some bigot on the radio and just parrot right wing talking points than it is to engage in a critical analysis of the race problem. Plus, it's more entertaining to watch Glenn Beck go off one one of his tirades than it is to sit down and read a book. Let's face it, the Right's theater of the absurd sells out every night.

Also, we live in an area where the local newspapers would rather pretend that by ignoring racial issues they will eventually disappear. Racial issues will not make the morning paper until two days after blood is flowing waist high in the streets,evidence of the old adage "if it bleeds, it leads."

This is not without precedent, as back in 2004, Kentucky's Lexington Herald Leader admitted that the paper "neglected to cover the Civil Rights Movement." Maybe this is why paper's like Durham's Herald Sun have not really explored the race issue, instead, relegating discussions on race to community message boards, the journalistic equivalent of back alley discussions, instead of the actual newspaper.

It must be noted that it was the articles that originated from No Warning Shots Fired.com and not the Herald Sun that have produced some of the most thoughtful dialogue on race relations over the last year. Nor should it be overlooked that the articles that were posted courtesy of No Warning Shots Fired have, consistently ,generated more web hits than all the Herald Sun's staff columnists combined, indicating that there is a desire in this community to have an open and honest discussion on race based on facts and not sophomoric name calling.

Nationally, this has been a long hot summer in regards to the topic of race in America and with the upcoming mid-term elections, you can bet that the heat of the summer will bleed into the fall.

While the media gatekeepers are cashing in on the racial hatred, folks like you and I are just pawns in the game.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Confessions of Fox's Black Boogeyman

2010-07-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Confessions of Fox's Black Boogeyman

Paul Scott

As the spotlight beamed down on my face, I could hear the producer counting down. Ten seconds to Armageddon; my first encounter with Fox New's epitome of evil, Sean Hannity. As I sat there waiting for the big showdown, I asked myself,

"What's a militant, Afrocentric, radical dude, like me, doing in a place like this?"

It started off on a whim. I had watched Hannity and Colmes a few times and developed a strong dislike (OK, bitter hatred) for Sean Hannity before he even opened his mouth. (Something about that permanent smirk on his face makes me wanna slap him.) So, one morning in 2002, I called ABC radio and asked to speak with the producer of his talk show.

"Hold on," the receptionist said. "Too easy," I thought. "She must be new."

I was expecting to talk to an answering machine but, to my surprise, someone picked up the receiver!

Being a seasoned community activist, I new the drill. You get 10 good seconds to pitch a story idea before a snooty producer, who is up against a deadline, rudely cuts you off midstream and tells you to fax him your info at (212) 555 -"click..." So, before the producer guy could finish saying hello, I had already given him my entire bio.

"Good, no click, yet. Now for the story pitch..."

"I wanna tell Sean Hannity, that Jesus was black !"

After a second of awkward silence, the producer said that he liked the idea and would get back with me soon.

I told myself that I wouldn't hold my breath.

Two weeks later, the phone rang. It was a producer from the Hannity and Colmes tv show who had run across my info. She wanted me on the show that night.

"Let me check my schedule," I said, pausing to shadow box with the giant poster of Sean Hannity with scripto horns drawn on his head that hangs on my living room wall.

"Cool." Ready for prime time.

A few hours later, I was rollin' through the 'hood in an expensive town car with a white chauffeur, courtesy of Rupert Murdock on my way to some secret Fox News bat cave satellite studio.

As I got mic-ed up, the producer made small talk while he adjusted the audio.

"Say, someting in the microphone, please."

"Sure, Sean Hannity is a no good, son-of-a....."

"What?"

"Never mind..."

Then it was show time, just me, Sean, Alan Colmes and 10 million Conservatives who would soon learn hate my guts.

The show is pretty much the same every night. They do their classic good cop/bad cop routine. Alan Colmes asks you a few polite questions to butter you up and then ...BAM!!! Hear comes Hannity, the Hitman.

"You, know Pauuuul, he sneered in that arrogant, northern drawl that only a bigot could love, "it's racists like you...."

The show always goes pretty much according to script. Hannity hits you with a couple of patented conservative one liners. You make a quick rebuttal, then Colmes thanks you for coming on the show. The show generated so much controversy, Colmes wrote about it in his book "Red, White and Liberal."

I wasn't on Fox News again until January of 2006. I baited them with an email about "boycotting Black History Month because it was too white."

That morning, I got calls from most of Fox's shows, all wanting me to discuss the issue. At that point, I became Fox's big black boogeyman, appearing on the network 4 times that year.

It's no secret that Fox News has an agenda. They are there to ease white guilt and make Right Wing white folks feel that their bigotry and heightened sense of ethnic paranoia is justified. So, anytime some racist, Michael Richards/Don Imus type guy says something totally ignorant, they bring on a black "militant" so they can say...

"Look, ma..There are "black" racists, too !!!!

If they are not doing that, they are busy trying to play one black "leader" person against another.

I remember hearing a Fox producer quietly, sobbing in the background, when what he thought was going to be a knock down, drag out fight between an African American lady professor and myself over black history, turned out to be a respectful, enlightening conversation.

So, in 2006, any time there was an incident of white racism, anywhere on the planet. I could count on my cell phone ringing.

Now, I know that many of you are asking why, knowing the nature of Fox News, do people like myself even go on the network. After all, its kinda like walking around with a big "kick me" sign, on purpose.

To borrow from the controversial rapper Jadakiss, we do it because " we need air time."

Our hope is that between Cynical Sean's sneering and Wild Bill O'Reilly's "holier than though" finger pointing, maybe, just maybe, we can get one or two good punches in. Also, the appearances lead to other opportunities to clarify our positions that were distorted by the network. In my case, I would go on Alan Colmes' radio program, even interacting with callers, following the show which was a more principled discussion.

Sure, sometimes I felt like kicking myself for even doing the show. (I should have known it was a set up , when they sent a stretch limo with flashing party lights to pick me up for the last encounter.) But hey, they can't all be gems.

As an activist, I always ask myself if my seven and a half minutes of fame helped to raise the consciousness of the country. Did I put an issue before the public that would have otherwise gone unheard ?

Because at the end of the day, that's all that counts.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Wake County: Books Busing and Bigots

2010-07-20T03:56:00.000-07:00

Wake County: Books, Busing and Bigots

Paul Scott

My first brush with racism occurred when I was five years old. I was playing with a little white girl at a beach in White Lake, NC when her grandmother motioned for her to get out of the water. "Sally" came back a few minutes later to inform me that she was not allowed to play with (insert "N word" here), as the old hag sat mean muggin' me under her beach umbrella. In retrospect, at least Granny was honest about her feelings, which is more than I can be say about the folks in Wake County.

There has been a big brouhaha brewing in Wake County over the last year. Seems like some folks (mostly white) are fighting for "community schools", while other folks (mostly black) are condemning it as an attempt at re-segregation. The conflict came to a boiling point last week when school board chairman, Ron Margiotta , made a statement about "animals let out of cages," allegedly referring to the anti-segregation protesters.

Of course, most of the good hearted Wake County citizens are saying that there is nothing racist about the anti-busing efforts, they are merely trying to protect the ecosystem by conserving gas. Also, even though Margiotta's statement is committed to the Youtube viral universe, what he really said was " the way those Tar Heels are playing is outrageous."

I'm not sure what ticks me off the most, the Wake County School Board's racial insensitivity or their attempts to insult my intelligence.

I'm sure that Margiotta and the rest of his homies on the school board know that "community schools" is the modern day PC translation of "no Blacks allowed."

Then again, I bet ol' Ron has never been dissed at the beach by an old lady while wearing swimming trunks decorated with dolphins and starfish.

Let's keep it real. For many of the community schools folks in Wake County, it's not really about Lil' Molly sitting next to Tyrone Jackson in homeroom but the idea of her bringing him home for cookies and milk; the age old fear of miscegenation. So, the whole argument is not really about education but the fear of contracting "colored cooties."

Desegregation of public schools has been a controversial issue in this country since the end of the Civil War.

According to Harold Cruse in his book, "Plural but Equal," during the 1880's there was an unsuccessful attempt to pass a bill by Senator Henry Blair that would have required the government to provide $77 million dollars to be spent "equally for the education of all children, without distinction of race or color, " making "separate but equal" a reality.

In 1954, the Supreme Court rendered its Brown vs the Board of Education decision that put in motion the process of integrating school systems across the United States.

It can be argued that if the Blair Bill would have passed, desegregation would not have even been necessary. However, during that period, some black folks believed that integration was some sort of magic elixir to cure all of the black community''s ills. As if, by some sort of telekinetic osmosis black kids would become smarter by simply being in the same classroom with white kids.

It must be noted that not all African Americans have favored integration. According to Dr. Noliwe Rooks in her book, "White Money, Black Power," in 1968, African Americans in the Ocean Hill-Brownsville section of Brooklyn attempted their own version of community control of schools courtesy of a $59,000 grant from the Ford foundation.

Also, black leaders such as Haki Madhubuti have long championed the cause of the creation of independent black educational institutions.

All of these efforts have one thing in common; better educational opportunities for black children.

It must be understood that even within an integrated school system, there still can be educational segregation in the classroom. As the late black psychologist, Dr. Bobby Wright wrote in his essay, "The Black Child: A Destination in Jeopardy," "even sitting in the same classroom, white children will be 'educated' and black children will be 'trained.' "

Many in the black community would have no problem with community schools if it meant that they would be funded, equally. Unfortunately, there is a well founded concern that the lion's share of the resources would go to the more affluent, predominately white schools.

As the controversy rages on, we must be careful not to give black children the false impression that the ultimate goal of desegregation is to earn the love and respect of the white parents of Wake County. It is about securing the necessary resources to insure that they obtain a first class education so they won't be treated as second class citizens; nothing more, nothing less.

Our ultimate goal must be to teach black children how to love and respect themselves and to instill in them the self confidence to know that their self worth does not have to be validated by white America.

No child should feel the way I did on that hot summer day back in 1972.

A boy and his beach ball, standing in the middle of a lake wondering what was wrong with him.

Courtesy of No Warning Shots Fired.com. For more information contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
"No Warning Shots Fired.com, bringing you the issues that the mainstream media are afraid to touch."

Glenn "X" Beck

2010-07-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

Glenn "X" Beck:
How the Right Revitalized Black Nationalism

Paul Scott

Someday, a museum will be built in Washington DC to honor those who participated in the Black Power Movement. Of course, there will be a picture of Marcus Garvey and a bust of Malcolm X but holding center stage will be a giant statue of the person most responsible for the propagation of Black Nationalism in the 21st century, Glenn "X" Beck.

The media attention that Glenn Beck and the rest of the Right Wingers at Fox News have given Black Power advocates in recent weeks has done more to spread the tenets of Black Nationalism than any time in recent history.

Until recently, the image of black male machismo was limited to gangsta rappers who had run-ins with the law and athletes who signed multi million dollar contracts. However, last week's extensive coverage of New Black Panther Party chairman, Malik Zulu Shabazz, even eclipsed the camera time of basketball superstar, LeBron James. This has sparked a renewed interest in Black Nationalism.

There have always been two competing ideologies facing Africans in America; Integration-ism (Civil Rights Movement) and Black Nationalism, the former receiving the lion's share of attention from the media and in history books.

The roots of the rivalry between Black Nationalists and Civil Rights leaders can be traced back to the abolitionist movement of the 19th century involving Martin Delany and abolitionists such as Fredrick Douglas. According to Lerone Bennet in his book "Before the Mayflower," Douglas once said "I thank God for making me a man ,simply, but Delaney always thanks Him for making him a Black man." Delany also coined the phrase "Africa for the Africans" which was later adopted by Marcus Garvey,

In 1918, Garvey established his UNIA and ACL (Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League) in America. Also during this period, WEB Dubois and his friends in the NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) opposed Garvey's Pan-African-ism. According to Dr. Tony Martin in his book, "Race First" Dubois once wrote in regards to Garvey, "he is either a lunatic or a traitor." This prompted Garvey to reply in third person, " Garvey has no such speculation about Dubois. He is positive that he is a traitor."

Perhaps, the two most popular icons of the dual ideologies were Martin Luther King Jr and Malcolm X. Their legacies have long divided the black community with one group siding with King's "beloved community" and the other subscribing to Malcolm X's ministry of separatism. This debate continues in the black community today.

Media pundants have always found themselves in precarious positions when covering Black Nationalists. Although, Mike Wallace's 1959 expose' on the Nation of Islam, "The Hate that Hate Produced" was intended to warn mainstream America about it's so-called "gospel of hate," it resulted in making Malcolm X a household name. Fifty years later, during the 2008 election, Fox News used Rev. Jeremiah Wright as the epitome of "black racism" even though most Americans outside of the black church and Chicago had barely heard of him.

So we see the Fox Network taking a calculated risk with the attack on Howard educated attorney Malik Zulu Shabazz; demonizing him but at the same time destroying the myth that Black Nationalists are a bunch of illiterate, uneducated street thugs.

It must be noted that it has never been the "militancy" of the Black Nationalist movement that has frightened the white staus quo but the Black Consciousness/Afrocentric Movement that it spawned.

Let's be real. There are still some historical facts that white folks in power don't want the masses of black people to know. So the idea that "militants" such as Wright and Shabazz may be sending out subliminal messages that are inaudible to the non-melanated ear that will make black folks turn off Tyler Perry's "House of Payne" and pick up black history books may have some merit. Contrary to popular belief, just because Bill O'Reilly and others may have learned to decipher Hip Hop lyrics does not mean that they have a total understanding of the Black experience. At most, the Right Wing knowledge of Afrocentricity is limited to talking points that come courtesy of the great Conservative "group think" which are repeated, ad nauseam.

So, the fear that giving Black Nationalists air time may infect moderate Civil Rights leaders with a severe case of radicalism and also produce a new generation of converts preaching a doctrine of black empowerment, may be realized in the very near future. Just because Black Nationalism is not a hit at lily white country clubs does not mean that it is not resonating well in barbershops in the 'hood.

Matter of fact, we can see the results already.

Recently, the otherwise mild mannered head of the NAACP, Ben Jealous sounded as if someone had spiked his latte with Red Bull during his recent convention speech when he called some members of the Tea Party racists.

Even in Hip Hop, Pittsburgh rapper Jasiri X is quickly becoming a viral Internet sensation with his YouTube Hip Hop version of Tim Wise's article, "What if the Tea Party was Black."

Also, there are movements forming such as the Militant Mind Militia that are arming the Black community with Afro-centric information to fight against the right wing racist propaganda.

So, although Glenn Beck has recently began promoting himself and the Right Wing as the rightful heirs of Martin Luther King's dream, in reality, he has more in common with Malcolm X in spreading the message of Black Nationalism. Who knows. maybe even black Republicans will get the message.

Don't be surprised if you turn on the TV one night and see Republican Party chairman, Michael Steele, sporting an Afro and dashiki, singing, "Say it loud. I'm Black and I'm proud!"

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

What if the Tea Partiers Were...Rappers?

2010-07-14T03:31:00.000-07:00

What if the Tea Partiers Were...Rappers

Paul Scott

A few months ago, Tim Wise wrote a widely circulated article called, "Imagine if the Tea Party Was Black " which challenged America to take a close look at the hypocrisy of the Right Wing. Now, a Pittsburgh rapper is accepting his challenge in true Hip Hop form.

Jasiri X has released a video called "What if the Tea Party was Black." The Hip Hop artist says that he got the idea when Paradise,a member of the pro-black rap group X-Clan, forwarded him a copy of Wise's article.

"I saw the article and I liked the concept," says the rapper.

So Jasiri hit the studio with producer Cynik Lethal while Paradise grabbed his video camera and they went on their mission to defeat the Right Wing propaganda machine.

"For them it's all about power, perception and how they control the media," says the rapper. "We need to tell our story in the same way."

While some will consider his new video inflammatory, according to X, what he is doing through Hip Hop is not much different than what the pundits on Fox News do every night.

"Glenn Beck is rapping," says X. "He's just not rapping with a beat."

If you listen to the Tea Party apologists there is, absolutely, nothing (and I mean nothing) even remotely racist about the Tea Party ideology. Why, they're just the modern day version of the Dukes of Hazard, " just some good ole boys, never meaning no harm..."

Not so says the X-Man.

"I'm not an idiot, he says. "We see the signs at the rallies."

Like many black folks , Jasiri X feels that the major reason for the current climate of hate in this country is because there are those who just can't stand the idea of a black man in the White House.

"Why hasn't any other president's patriotism been questioned," he asks.

Also, Jasiri is not too thrilled about Glenn Beck's plan to hold a rally next month on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial to commemorate the 47th anniversary of Martin Luther King's March on Washington.

"Martin Luther King gave his life to produce an environment of peace, tolerance, understanding and unity, says X. " Glenn Beck's hateful rants are the exact opposite, causing hatred and outright racism. He should be ashamed of himself. "

What seems to tic the rapper off the most is the double standard between the way the activism of the Right Wing is perceived as opposed to the activism of African Americans.

"It's about power; I can make these declarations but you can't," says X.

Although Hip Hop was once called "the CNN of Black America," by political rapper, Chuck D, the silence surrounding the Tea Party and Right Wing racism has been deafening. So, why is a Hip Hop community that was so vocal during the last presidential election now afraid to tangle with the Tea Party ?

"You have a community that was so vocal for Obama...now that he is under attack, where are they, "asks X?

Immediately after the announcement of Barack Obama's election win, radio stations began to immediately adopt Jay Z's , "History" as Hip Hop's official victory song and Young Jeezy's, "My President," was played in heavy rotation. However, unlike the Hip Hop of old, rappers today seem afraid to speak truth to power.

"Who's gonna stand up, Drake, asks X ? " They are marketing him as the most the most uncontroversial rapper of all time!"

Not only have the commercially successful rappers been hesitant to address political issues, most have been silent on issues such as police brutality, including the recent controversy surrounding the "involuntary murder" conviction of Johannes Mehserle, the California police officer who shot and killed Oscar Grant. Jasiri X is not one of the silent majority.

"There is nothing 'involuntary' about a trained officer pulling out his gun and shooting an unarmed, defenseless man point blank in the back, "says X.

Although the Right Wing media moguls seem to have unlimited resources at their disposal, the Hip Hop activist says that social media can level the playing field. That is why he created "This Week With Jasiri X" on Youtube.com, where he does a Hip Hop version of the nightly news.

"Less people are getting their news from TV and are getting their news from alternative sources," says X.

"We are the vanguard of a new movement."

To contact Jasiri X call 412-404-2347 or jasirix@gmail.com

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 inf0@nowarngshotsfire.com

Who Me..Racist?

2010-07-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the NAACP passed a resolution against the Tea Party 's racism. Of course, the Tea Baggers ,vehemently, denied the accusation.

"Me a racist...forgetaboutit. I brought the first pair of Air Jordan sneakers when they came out and that first MC Hammer album was off the hook!"

As usual when it comes to the issue of race in America, we don't get the right answers because we don't ask the right questions.

Before you call out people for being racists, first you should ask them if racism still exists. Because if they say that racism ended when Lincoln gave his Emancipation Proclamation, or when Martin Luther King told America about his dream. Or when Hallie Berry won an Oscar for Monsters Ball... Then, of course the Tea Party can't be racists because racism no longer exists.

This country refuses to admit that black folks and white folks have different definitions of racism.

For black folks racism means white folks that deprive them from total equality, whether blatant or subtle. For white folks racism means wearing a white sheet in public and carrying around a Nazi swastika rubber stamp in one's pocket. So, unless you get caught with a can of gasoline and two pieces of ply wood in the form of a cross, then you are not racist...

Maybe, the NAACP should have used the word "white supremacist" instead of racist as one of the benefits of being a white supremacist is the power to define "racism."

So, the Tea Partier motto is "We ain't racist cause we say we ain't!. Now, get in the kitchen and fix me a fried chicken sandwich with a hunk of watermelon, boy!"

I'm not quote clear on what the resolution by the NAACP is supposed to accomplish. After all, they have never been known as the most militant group of people. Maybe if the New Black Panther Party passed a resolution at their convention...but the National Association for the Advancement of "Colored" People?

The Tea Baggers probably take the NAACP as seriously as Barney Fife guarding the mean streets of Mayberry with his bullet-less gun..

In North Carolina the resident racist Right Wing radio station, WRDU has made dissin' the state NAACP its raison d'etre and I have yet to see one bullhorn or protest sign in front of the station...

Now that the NAACP has passed the resolution, the obvious question is, "now what?" Are they going to sing "We Shall Over Come" or are they going to pump up the volume and rap "Fight the Power."

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Do Black Men Make You Nervous?

2010-07-08T03:52:00.000-07:00

Do Black Men Make You Nervous?

Just caught a clip on Fox News of these dudes with their panties all in a bunch over the charges being dropped against the Philadelphia chapter of the New Black Panther Party for alleged voter intimidation during the last election.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/05/29/charges-black-panthers-dropped-obama/

Of course, Fox, with their over-the-top antics tried to link the Obama administration by saying that they allowed the New Black Panther Party endorsement to be posted on the Obama website, last election. What the haters conveniently left out is that "anyone" , even The Our Gang He-Man Woman Haters Club could have posted an endorsement on the site.

But why confuse the ultra intelligent, non biased Fox viewers with facts.According to news reports, two members of the New Black Panther Party were accused of standing at a Philly polling place in black military gear and one dude had a night stick.

To hear the Right wing media tell it , 100 black gangsta thugs with bullet proof vests, AK 47's and missile launchers stormed the polling place and then went on a drunken 40oz malt liquor binge across the city, raping and pillaging innocent town folks.

I am quite sure if there were any laws being broken, Philly's Finest would have been all on them like stink on a skunk

.I wonder why the New Black Panthers thought it was necessary to provide security at the polling place anyway?

Oh yeah, it might have had something to do with those yahoos that were threatening Obama at those Mccain/Palin campaign rallies

.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/06/mccain-does-nothing-as-cr_n_132366.html

One of the talking heads went on to moan about how "dangerous" the group is. Funny, I've never heard of the New Black Panther Party ever doing as much as shooting a spit ball through a straw at anyone.

But I guess one man's standing on a street corner is another man''s "intimidation."And here in lies the rub....

Let's face it. Black men intimidate some white people even on their best days. I can be dressed to kill (excuse the pun) in a new suit and a shiny pair of Stacy Adams and I will still hear the electric car lock concerto as a walk through the parking lot at the grocery store.

Then again, I do live in a city where any black man not wearing a pink Polo shirt and polka dot golf shorts is considered a Blood or Crip.Also, there is the little constitutional matter of Freedom of Speech and the Right of Assembly.

Maybe in their infinite wisdom, members of the Justice Department didn't want to take a joy ride down that slippery slope.

Oh well, next time I go vote remind me to show up in my underwear waving a white flag singing "Everything is Beautiful" so there will be no misunderstanding.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919)451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com (Originally written 5/09)

WPTF Debate Over 4th of July

2010-07-02T16:25:00.000-07:00

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott on WPTF discussing his article "Fallacy of the Fourth: Should Black Folks Celebrate?"

http://billlumaye.blogspot.com/2010/07/paul-scott-puts-buzzkill-on-4th.html

The Fallacy of the Fourth

2010-06-27T16:36:00.000-07:00

The Fallacy of the Fourth:
Should Black Folks Celebrate?

Paul Scott

On July 5th 1852, the great orator and abolitionist, Frederick Douglas delivered an electrifying speech where he posed what was possibly the most significant question of his time; "What to the slave is the Fourth of July?" He received a thunderous round of applause.

A hundred and twenty some odd years later, July 4th 1976, as a nine year old junior militant, I stood defiantly on a picnic table, raised my sand shovel and posed a similar question. Why do black people celebrate Independence Day,anyway?"

The response I received?

"Shut up and eat your hot dog!"

The issue of whether African Americans should celebrate the 4th of July is one of those eternal questions that is often asked this time of year but never receives a valid answer. Why do black folks feel obligated to dress up in red, white and blue top hats and sing the Star Spangled Banner to commemorate a day when our ancestors were picking tobacco in the hot Carolina sun?

Historians trace the genesis of the problem back to slavery times when the enslaved Africans were not required to work on some holidays. So as one writer put it, even in 2010, for black folks, psychologically, we reenact Emancipation Day every weekend and holiday. However, we must never confuse a day off work with historical accuracy.

This may come as a shock for some but black folks weren't free in 1776. Matter of fact, it wasn't until four score and five years later that Abe Lincoln delivered the Emancipation Proclamation.

Also, it must be noted that black folks gained nothing from the America's victory over the British. Lerone Bennet writes in his book "Before the Mayflower" that a Lord Dunmore, former governor of colonial Virginia, issued a proclamation on November 5, 1775 promising freedom to all male slaves willing to fight for England. This was 86 years before Lincoln "freed" the slaves in states that were rebelling against the Union.

Not to mention that Britain abolished slavery in 1833 and it was not until 30 years later that slavery was abolished in America.

While some may argue that Independence Day is not about slavery but the higher ideals of Freedom, Justice and the Pursuit of Happiness that is another lie that has been repeated so much that people accept it as religious dogma.

In Eric Williams' book "Capitalism and Slavery" he states very clearly that the Revolutionary War was based on economics; American sovereignty versus British imperialism. According to Williams, the main source of the conflict was the control of the West Indian sugar and molasses trade. Dr. Ishakamusa Barashango in his work "Afrikan People and European Holidays: A Mental Genocide Vol II" writes that the American colonists needed the molasses to make rum that was used to exchange for slaves on the West African coast.

So, why in 2010, will even the most educated African Americans so vehemently defend their compulsions to celebrate a false holiday?

Part of the problem is the belief that in order to "make it" in American society, we have to "go along to get along." Unfortunately, many of us do not have the courage exhibited by the children in the Emperor's New Clothes fable to tell his royal highness that not only was he butt naked but a slave owner as well, figuratively speaking.

So every year, they put on writer Paul Lawrence Dunbar's "mask that grins and lies" and sit down at 4th of July picnic tables, gobbling down as many hot dogs as they can stomach.

What WEB DuBois referred to as a "double consciousness" having to be both African and American, psychologists would call schizophrenic behavior.

Historically, when we wanted to be part of the American Dream they wouldn't let us but when we rejected white America's ideology they called us "divisive" and "reverse racists." So the implied threat behind bumper stickers that read "America: Love it or Leave it" is enough to beat most black folks into psychological submission.

What is also disturbing is the hypocrisy that Independence Day revelers exhibit when addressing the Hip Hop generation.

I find it ironic that the same black folks who will berate the youth for their justification of using the dreaded "N" word by saying that they are "redefining the meaning to stand for something positive" have no problem redefining history so they can justify setting off firecrackers.

Also, although members of the older generation will criticize rappers for coming up with outlandish "hood tales" just to sell cds, they will rewrite history to give black folks Independence when they were still picking cotton.

The saddest part of the whole ordeal is the message that we are sending young black children when we encourage them to celebrate Independence Day. Instead of teaching our children to think critically, we are forcing them to accept a blatantly false version of history without examining the facts. How can we teach them to value education when the foundation of the United State's educational system is based on a 200 year old lie that had a holiday formed around it. To teach young black children to celebrate Independence Day is intellectually, criminal.

So, go ahead white America, enjoy your day in the sun. But as a descendant of enslaved Africans, I close with the immortal words that the Frederick Douglas:

"This Fourth of July is yours, not mine. You may rejoice, I must mourn."

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com.
He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Juneteenth Mental Emancipation Campaign

2010-06-15T01:15:00.000-07:00

On June 19th, African Americans across the country will observe Junteenth in recognition of the fact that the enslaved Africans in Texas did not become emancipated until June 19, 1965, even though Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation went into effect January 1st 1963.

Although, African Americans may have been emancipated physically, a NC minister and activist is calling for blacks to be emancipated, mentally.

"Because we do not know our history, many Africans Americans, especially the youth, are still psychologically, 'unemanacipated,' says Paul Scott of Durham, NC. "It is important that we not only embrace our culture during Juneteenth and Black History Month but we must live it 365 days a year."

This is especially critical at a time when many African Americans feel that they have "overcome" because of a black man in the White House and race is no longer an issue.

"It does one no good to be physically chillin' in the Promise Land but mentally still on the plantation, "says Scott

As part of his Mental Emancipation Campaign, Scott is calling for the African American community to become custodians of their culture at a time when there is a "Right Wing Conspiracy" to redefine racism, which he says as become an all purpose term that can falsely apply to any ethnic group.

"Groups like the Tea Party and other Right Wingers have so distorted the term "racism," that they have made the term obsolete when it comes to African Americans and Latinos," says Scott. "We must debunk the myth of 'multi-cultural racism' as the only form of racism is white supremacy and we must define it as such."

Scott, known as the "Hip Hop TRUTH Minista" is also calling on members of the Hip Hop community and black entertainers to stop letting white corporate America define "blackness."

"The black experience is not what you see on TV or hear on the radio, says Scott. "that is a corporate created image."

The activist is also appealing to African American leaders to stop referring to their constituents as "minorities" and "colored."

"As Bob Marley once sang we must emancipate ourselves from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds."

Paul Scott is author of the controversial blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com
He has appeared on many talk shows and lectured across the country about race, religion and rap music .
For more information contact No Warning Shots Fired Media at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

How the South Destroyed Rap

2010-06-11T17:50:00.000-07:00

How the South Destroyed Rap:
Time to Stop Hee Haw Hip Hop

Paul Scott

"All my brothas eatin' chicken and watermelon
Talk broken English and drug sellin'"

My Philosophy- Boogie Down Productions

Hip Hop is many things to many people depending on which side of the planet you rest your head. New York is honored for being the birth place of the genre. Cali is known as being the place that capitalized off of gangsta-ism (for better or worst.) And the South is known for what can best be described as "Hee Haw Hip Hop"; that throw back to the era when people lived in the land of cotton, old times there are not forgotten.

Welcome to Dixie Land.

While many Hip Hop headz will, vehemently, argue against criticizing any one region for the demise of the genre, it must be admitted that the worst form of Hip Hop for the last decade has originated below the Mason Dixon line. While other forms of Hip Hop have at least tried to convey some sort of message, Southern Hip Hop is as devoid of style as it is substance, that is, unless you consider dudes with gold teeth rappin' like they have a mouth full of snuff some sort of swagga chic.

The rappers of the South Coast seem to go out of their way to rep the stereotype of country folks having the intelligence level of a watermelon to the fullest. Every time, I hear a Gucci Mayne or Plies song on the radio, I think that my IQ drops a couple of levels.

It must be noted that this has not always been the case.

The history of southern Hip Hop can be traced back as far as the early 80's with an artist named Shy D and his Planet Rock type rhythms. He was followed by Luke "Skywalker" Campbell and the 2 Live Crew who gained world wide fame for their mixture of Hip Hop and hedonism and their attempts to push the 1st Amendment to the limit by claiming that they could be "as nasty as they wanna be."

Like NY Hip Hop, the South also had a brief conscious era ushered in by the Dungeon Family (Outkast, Goodie MOB) in the mid 90's. However, just as gangsta rap replaced East Coast conscious Hip Hop in the early 90's, "Crunk Music" replaced the socially conscious rap of the South by the late 90's.

Much of the credit for this can be attributed to the mastermind Steve Gottlieb, at the time, owner of TVT records, a company that started off selling TV show themes but found out that they could make a whole lot more money popularizing retarded rap (Ying Yang Twins) and making, otherwise, intelligent black men (Lil Jon, reportedly has a Masters Degree) sound mentally challenged.

The question we should ask ourselves is how can an area with more than its share of black institutions of higher learning (especially the ATL) now be famous for producing music only suitable to step and fetch to?

Historically, perhaps, it has something to do with the post Civil War Era as many black folks left the South to go North where getting an industrial job required a higher level of education than it took to pick tobacco.

Also, according to Dr. Noliwe Rooks in her book, "White Money, Black Power," "southern whites feared that education for blacks would provide African Americans with the means to, eventually, upset white supremacy."

Dr. Claude Anderson in his book "Black Labor, White Wealth" argues that after slavery, "cultural customs and laws forced the newly emancipated blacks to conform to the historical image of blacks as common labors."

So the plot was clear, keep black folks deaf, dumb and blind to preserve white socio-economic hegemony. We see the same method of operation today with "Operation Dumb Down," today. This is why most commercially successful southern rappers sound like they are just two feet off the plantation.

In an effort to preserve the status quo, the powers that be are determined to destroy Hip Hop and take the minds of black children down with it.

If the rationale for "Operation Dumb Down," is, indeed economic, then the counter solution must also be economically based.

As Jay Z said, "men lie, women lie, numbers don't."

Instead of buying music to put us to sleep, we must support artists that are trying to wake us up, whether it be internationally known Hip Hop pioneers like Rakim or up and coming MC's like Pittsburgh's Jasiri X. With the educational challenges that our young people face, we must also start buying more books and less video games. This makes a whole lot more sense in tough economic times than spending what's left of our hard earned cash on bamboozled bammas who happen to have hot beats.

Now we are aware that some folks are going to miss the point of this call to action and dismiss this as a case of "hatin' on Hip Hop" as that is what they have been programmed to do. Some will even argue that we are in control of the images of us that are projected around the world.

Dr. Bobby Wright put it best in his book, "The Psychopathic Racial Personality," where he discussed "behavior modification" by quoting psychologist Dr. BF Skinner who wrote "it is possible to delude people into believing that they have the essence of life-Freedom and dignity-and still control them."

So, as in the days of Harriet Tubman the condition of our people remains the same.

Some folks just don't want to be emancipated from mental slavery.

As the great heroine once said.

"I freed a thousand slaves..I could have freed a thousand more if only they knew they were slaves."

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Check Out these videos by Pittsburgh rapper Jasiri X discussing the issue of "minstrel" Hip Hop

Just a Minstrel

Jasiri X speaks onthe video controversy

Coon Huntin' With Conservatives

2010-05-26T19:19:00.000-07:00

Coon Huntin' With Conservatives:
WRDU's Pistol Packin' Mamas

Paul Scott

"Lay that pistol down, Babe. Lay that pistol down
Pistol packin' mama. Lay that pistol down."
Al Dexter

Back when I was a kid, Grandma used to tell me stories about coon hunting. No, I'm not talking about our furry little friends with the Zorro masks, I'm talking about the old derogatory term for black folks. See, in the South, a few generations back, when black folks got too uppity and started having delusions of grandeur about running for President or some other foolishness, the Good Ol' Boys would pack their rifles and do a little "coon hunting" to put them back in their places. I thought about Grandma's tales when I heard about Rush Radio's upcoming event.

On June 5th, Raleigh NC Clear Channel affiliate, WRDU's, Morning Rush Morning Show, will sponsor, "Girls With Guns" an event that, according to their website "will provide an overview of firearm safety and training in the basic operation of several different types of firearms." After the training the ladies will be able to perfect their "newly acquired skills at an open shoot." Don't worry, the hubbies aren't going to be left out as they are encouraged to grab their guns and participate in the "sniper shooting contest."

http://wrdu.com/cc-common/mainheadlines2.html?article=7126868

Now, it is not unusual for radio stations to do promotions. Urban stations often throw swim suit jammie jams with scantily clad women walking around in bikinis. However, conservative radio stations are different, they have target practice parties with Sarah Palin wanna-bes totin' semi-automatic weapons.

If you have listened to 106.1 FM's, Morning Rush you will know that every morning they have a list of folks whom they diss , ad nauseum; African Americans, Latinos and of course, the big man, himself, President Barack Obama.

Since, it's conversion to conservative talk, WRDU has been a haven for disgruntled white folks who feel that this country is being snatched from their clutches. Usually, the format is just Obama bashin' and folks blowin' off steam about illegal aliens and welfare cheats but when you throw guns into the picture, that's a whole 'nother story. Maybe the station owners never heard that racists and rifles don't mix.

Ever since the '08 election there have been those who believe that Blacks and Latinos are taking over America and any day now the Feds are gonna run in and start snatchin' guns, leaving the Good Ol' Boys with no way to defend themselves.

It has been reported that right after the election, gun sells rose, dramatically. Also, during that period, a Georgia store owner caused quite a stir when she held an "Obama Gun Sale."

Recently, Sarah Palin was quoted as saying, "Obama would ban guns if he could," further fueling the flames of Right Wing paranoia. This leads us to where we are now, conservative radio stations holding heavily armed group therapy sessions.

What would happen if the local Hip Hop radio station announced that they were going to sponsor a "Gangstaz with Gunz" party at a shooting range in the 'hood? You can bet that anti-violence activists would be holding prayer vigils from now till kingdom come, begging black folks to stop the violence and follow the teachings of Martin Luther King. However, when Right Wingers pick up rifles, there is no such outcry.

Fortunately for some, urban radio stations are more interested in "gun buy back programs," and trading weapons for Lil Wayne CDs than passing out ammo.

The fear of "Negroes With Guns," has always superseded the 2nd Amendment. It was not until events like Robert Williams arming his "Deacons for Defense" to protect the black folks in Monroe, NC back in the 50's or the Black Panther Party storming into the Sacramento State Capitol in 1967, that gun control even became an issue.

This double standard is a classic example of what writer, Tim Wise, refers to as white privilege. In his recent article, "Imagine if the Tea Party Were Black" he defines white privilege as " the ability to threaten others, to engage in violent and incendiary rhetoric without consequence, to be viewed as patriotic and normal no matter what you do, and never to be feared and despised as people of color would be."

Sure there are some that would argue that there is nothing sinister about a few friends getting together at a firing range to chew the fat over the issues of the day. That seems innocent enough. (And Hitler's Youth March was just a 5k run.)

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if they used a giant poster of the First Family for target practice.

Let's keep it real. Nobody buys a gun unless he prepares to use it. With the rhetoric being spewed daily on Rush Radio, I think that the intended targets are obvious.

The last thing this community needs is a bunch of paranoid, pistol packin' mamas and papas with itchy trigger fingers.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

The Promise of Hip Hop

2010-05-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

The Promise of Hip Hop

Paul Scott

In a Hip Hop world full of testosterone, it is rare to find a female rapper, especially one with her head on straight. One such artist is New York's Promise.

Originally born in the Sunshine State, Promise, who also goes by the stage name "Pretty Beast" (because when it comes to rhymin', she's a beast on the mic) moved to the Big Apple at the age of three. Like many youngsters, she fell in love with Hip Hop in junior high school. She names Queen Latifah, MC Lyte and Lauren Hill as her major influences.

"I started off with poetry but I love music, says Promise. "There was no other way to get my feelings out."

Although, the artist would not go into detail about the feelings that she needed to express she says that she has been "through a lot of things" dealing with "abuse in some way."

One thing that she would open up about was the issue of the adoption of African American children. As an adopted child, herself, she weighed in on the current trend of white entertainers like Angelina Jolie, Madonna and now, Sandra Bullock adopting black babies.

"All people should be allowed to adopt black babies, " says Promise. "Love is love."

The "twenty something" emcee also spoke about the few female rappers that are currently receiving radio play. Although Hip Hop legends such as Queen Latifah, rapped about respect, the raunchy subject matter of artists such as Nicki Minaj is the polar opposite. However, Promise says that she's not gonna knock their hustle.

"Art is art and everyone has a different perspective, she says. "Personally, I wouldn't do it. I'm different."

Even socially conscious rapper, Erykah Badu, recently raised some eyebrows when she sang semi-nude in her latest video, "Window seat."

"I know what her vision was; expression of her self expression," says Promise. "But am I going to let my five year old cousin watch it?"

The artist's sense of social responsibility goes way beyond rap music, as she is also head of an organization called "Promise Makes a Difference Through Music."

Promise says that she formed the organization because of her experience working at a group home for six years.

The owner of a production company says that she teaches young women how to produce music and has taken her program from Long Island to other parts of New York. This is her way of teaching young girls to express themselves in a positive manner.

"Sometimes we don't take time to tune in to what young people want, feel and need," she says.

Promise personifies the classic line from Hip Hop group, Dead Prez, "It's bigger than Hip hop."

"Music is just a tool. Behind it is education."

To reach Promise, contact promiseworld@hotmail.com http://www.myspace.com/ladypromise or 877-352-4842 ext 125.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com

TRUTH Minista The Beats and Mics Interview

2010-05-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

Interview that I did a few months ago on the Beats and Mics Show.

http://www.beatsandmics.com/MINISTER-PAULSCOTT-12-09.html

The Great Race Debate: Time to Put Up or Shut Up!

2010-05-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

The Great Race Debate:
Time to Put Up or Shut Up!

Paul Scott

Back in the day, we used to settle arguments over who was the best rapper by engaging in something called "battles." Instead of yellin' "you suck" from the safety of the back of a dimly lit auditorium, rival rappers would grab a couple of mics, jump on stage and let the best lyricist win. However, with the coming of commercialization as well as the Internet, battles for rap supremacy have , largely, been reduced to nasty comments posted at the end of Youtube videos. As it is with Hip Hop, so it is with the fine art of public debate.

While debate has been a time honored tradition, nowadays the art seems to have gone the way of the dinosaur. No longer do we have ideological debates such as Abraham Lincoln vs Stephen Douglas or competing ideologies such as those of Booker T. Washington vs WEB Du Bois. Instead, public discourse has been reduced to cowardly catcalls and Tea Bagger talking points.

This is especially true in this country when it comes to addressing the taboo topics of race and class. Although Americans seem to love the "idea" of having a national conversation about race, in practice, as Attorney General Eric Holder put it, we are a nation of cowards.

Historically, the issue of racism is only put on the front burner after a "Martin Luther King" assassination or a "Rodney King" beating is caught on videotape. Otherwise, it is business as usual.

To be perfectly frank, "racial discussions" have only been used in this country as a type of sedative to calm black folks when they get riled up. At best, they are, simply, used as ventilation devices to let African Americans blow off steam in a controlled environment.

It is the same routine, every time. CNN does a "black outage" story, which is followed by a town hall meeting by some Human Relations Commission. The climax comes when a hand picked black leader issues a widely televised call for calm, reassuring white America that there will be no violence. End of story.

However, during this white male dominated, racially charged climate, I have heard no calls for calm nor media outlets seeking an anointed "white leader" to give a Martin Luther King quote urging non-violence. Matter of fact, the Right Wing incendiary rhetoric has been encouraged as being "patriotic." So the discussion on race in 2010, has been a one sided argument hogged by conservative radio commentators who overnight, have seemed to acquire Ph.D's in African American History, thus, feeling, uniquely, qualified to explain the black experience to their listeners.

The anonymity of social media has also added to the dilemma, as it has allowed mild mannered Jim Bob, the friendly auto mechanic ,by day to transform into "Granddragon666," defender of white supremacy and enemy of all things black, on the Internet, by night.

As columnist Leonard Pitts wrote, recently, "when people don't have to account for what they do, they will often say and do things that would shock their better selves."

Instead of having the guts to debate in a public forum , loud mouth cowards hide behind computer aliases and viciously attack well researched, competing ideologies with cheap one liner "trailer park tweets."

So the sanctity of public discourse has been reduced to something reminiscent of "Statler and Waldorf," the two old fogies from the Muppet Show, heckling Fozzie Bear from the safety of their balcony seats. (I remember, as a child ,wishing that just once, Kermit and the crew would bum rush the balcony and pimp slap the both of them.)

If Robert Williams challenged racism, militarily, Thurgood Marshal challenged it , legally and Martin Luther King Jr, challenged it, morally, it is our challenge to pick up the mantle of scholars such as the late Dr. John Henrik Clark and challenge it, intellectually.

So now is the time to put up or shut up !

To barbecue or mildew..

To (Censored)...Ok, I can't use that one but you get the point...

I am, personally, issuing a challenge to all the race "haters" to engage in a series of public debates dealing with the issues of race and class .

Don't get it twisted. This is not an attempt to issue an Afro-centric apologia or justify my existence to the pleasure of white America because as Du Bois once asked, "what on Earth is whiteness that one should desire of it?"

This is about the self identity of future generations of African American children. Black children need to know that even in the face of a vicious Right Wing rhetorical attack , not all black men and women are tremblin' in a corner mumblin' " ain't nobody here but us chickens, boss."

We, as black folks, must plant in the mind of each black child that you must be the guardian and custodian of your own history, first and foremost. Don't let anyone else tell your history, you must tell it yourself.

So the call goes out to any and all who are bold (or arrogant) enough to accept the challenge. From Right Wing radio hosts to Internet pseudo-intellectuals. We can debate on a street corner or in a college auditorium, it makes me no matter.

However, I feel obligated to warn you to borrow from the Hip Hop group EPMD, intellectually speaking

"If you think about battlin' you'd better come prepared, come with your shield and your armored gear."

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. Any organization, educational institution, etc that would like to facilitate a debate contact (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Rapper Draws Fire for Conservative "Shout Out"

2010-04-20T18:48:00.000-07:00

Rapper Draws Fire for Conservative "Shout Out"

Durham NC-- While Hip Hop artists have often faced criticism for lyrics that promote violence and misogyny, one rapper is taking heat for giving the Conservatives a "shout out."

Hip Hop star, T-Pain (Faheem Rasheem Najm) is facing criticism for a video posted on the web site of Fox News commentator, Sean Hannity ,where Hannity coaxes him to say "Conservative victory 2010" into the camera. www.hannity.com/pages/sean-and-tpain

That statement is not resonating well with members of the African American community and Hip Hop fans, including activist and blogger Paul Scott of Durham, North Carolina.

"The 'T' in T-Pain, now stands for 'Tom,' says Scott, referring to the disrespectful label, "Uncle Tom," which means someone who turns his back on the black community.

Although, some are arguing that the T-Pain/Sean Hannity video was just a nonpolitical photo op, Scott disagrees.

"I bet that neither T-Pain nor his handlers would have allowed his picture to be taken with Rev. Jeremiah Wright while holding a copy of 'Message to a Black Man," says Scott.

According to Scott, Conservatives such as Sean Hannity are hostile to policies that help poor and underprivileged communities ; communities that rappers claim to represent.

" It seems that artists that rep' the hood on the radio are actually closet Conservatives," says Scott. "It is time to pull the sheets off of those artists who are sleeping with the enemy."

This is not the first time that entertainers have come under fire in recent years for expressing political sentiments. Country music stars, the Dixie Chicks, suffered a viscous backlash in 2003, when lead singer, Natalie Maines, announced during a London concert that she was ashamed that the President of the United States was from Texas. The outburst led to boycotts by insulted country music fans and radio stations.

"If country music Conservatives can boycott the Dixie Chicks for dissin' the Right, Hip Hoppers should be able to shut down T-Pain for dissin' the Left," says Scott.

Scott, who is the author of the blog, "No Warning Shots Fired.com," is asking that the African American community and rap music fans withdraw their support of T-Pain until he denounces the Right Wing's attack on "the 'hood" and apologizes for being used as a "bamboozled Right Wing flunky."

"We must begin to hold rappers accountable not only for their lyrics of violence and misogyny but also for their political stances that run contrary to the needs of the children in poor and oppressed communities, says Scott.

Paul Scott, known as the "Hip Hop TRUTH Minista," recently launched the "Right Wing Rap Attack" a campaign to challenge Hip Hop artists to speak out against the Tea Party, Birthers and other Right Wing groups. For more information on the campaign contact info@nowarningshotsfired.com or visit www.nowarningshotsfired.com

Is T-Pain an Uncle Tom?

2010-04-17T20:20:00.000-07:00

Is T-Pain an Uncle Tom?:
The Coming Out of Closet Conservatives

Paul Scott

"But they use you for an example. They would rep' but our heroes got their hands full"

These are our Heroes-Nas

Sellout; Sambo; Uncle Tom. These are all terms to describe someone who turns his back on the black community to serve the interests of white supremacy. While these terms have usually been reserved for the likes of Conservatives such as Clarence Thomas or Michael Steele, today we have to add some Hip Hop artists to this dis-honor roll. One being Faheem Rasheed Najm, known to the world as T-Pain.

Recently, Right Wing hitman, Sean Hannity posted a video on his website featuring T-Pain big uppin' his Fox News television show. Not only that, but when Hannity asked him to say "Conservative victory in 2010" in pure "yessa boss" fashion, he gladly agreed.

http://www.hannity.com/pages/sean-and-tpain

This is just another part of the recent trend of the Right Wing to get a black co-signer to prove once and for all that they are not the bunch of racist bigots that we think they are. Recently, there was attempt by the folks at Fox News to use an old interview LL Cool J to promote Sarah Palin's new reality show.

Historically, black entertainers have shied away from taking overtly political stands. It must be remembered that even during the height of the Civil Rights movement, music giant Motown had its artists sitting on the sidelines while black folks were fighting in the streets for equal rights.

Entertainers have had, perhaps, just cause to be a little cautious. There is a long history of persecution of those who dared to use their popularity as a bully pulpit to speak truth to power.

It is rumored that Billie Holiday's 1939 anti-lynching anthem "Strange Fruit" was banned by radio stations. Paul Robeson was blacklisted for his open embrace of Communism and Eartha Kitt was persecuted for her statements against the Vietnam War.

During the late 80's and early 90's, Hip Hop artists such as Public Enemy, Ice Cube and Ice T all felt the wrath of the establishment for daring to rap about something other than gold chains and Air Jordans. The list goes on.

So most entertainers got the message and stuck to singin' and dancin'.

This fear of taking political stances is not just limited to musicians but athletes have also been cowards. During the early 90's, basketball legend Michael Jordon refused to donate any money to build a black cultural center at the University of North Carolina; avoiding the fate of former teammate, Craig Hodges, whose Afro-centric activism, allegedly, resulted in his being blackballed by the NBA for a time.

This legacy of political apathy and persecution is what makes T-Pain's photo op with Hannity so alarming. There are many worthy black empowerment organizations that could have used his endorsement to help their causes. Instead he chose to give fuel to a racist Right Wing machine that has been running rampant since the '08 election.

While there are some who will argue that T-Pain's actions are just an example of a politically naive hood dude being bamboozled by the media savvy Slick Sean Hannity, I doubt that this is the case. I am sure that neither T-Pain nor his handlers would have allowed his picture to be taken with Rev. Jeremiah Wright or posing with a copy of "Message to the Black Man."

I didn't buy the late gangsta rapper Eazy E's flimsy excuse for attending a George Bush Sr luncheon nor do I buy the idea that T-Pain's Conservative endorsement was just a gag. As we approach the mid -term election season, the stakes are too high to play sophomoric games with the lives of poor folks.

It is a widely accepted myth that Hip Hop artists share the same socio-political ideology as their constituents in the hood. Perhaps the sad fact is that the multi-millionaire rappers have more in common with the wealthy, Right Wing Conservatives than they do with the strugglin' people in the 'hood whom they are supposed to represent. Maybe, the video with Sean Hannity and T-Pain was, merely, about two rich guys having a chuckle over the gullibility of their fans.

It has ,also, been assumed by Hip Hop conspiracy theorists that rappers and Conservatives are in cahoot's, just using the classic "every hero needs a villain" scam. Despite the faux Fox morality of commentator's like Bill O'Reilly, the Right Wingers, actually need rappers to use as poster children to justify their accusations of the "failure of big government," in order to advocate for the elimination of social programs to help the less fortunate.

Hip Hop fans must handle T-Pain with the same passion that hardcore country music fans used to deal with the Dixie Chicks after they criticized George "G-Dub" Bush. If Jay Z can criticize T-Pain for the over use of the auto-tune, Hip Hop headz should be able to criticize him for being used as a flunky for the Right Wing.

We must begin to hold rappers accountable not only for their lyrics of violence and misogyny but also for their political stances that run contrary to the needs of the children in poor and oppressed communities.

Until he denounces the Right Wing's attack on the 'hood, the "T" in T-Pain will henceforth and forever more stand for "Tom."

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

Join the Right Wing Rap Attack http://www.facebook.com/rightwingrapattack

Clip of My WPTF Interview

2010-04-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Bill Lumaye interview on WPTF (Raleigh NC) from 4/15 regarding the Tea Party.

http://billlumaye.blogspot.com/2010/04/right-wing-rap-attack.html

Is Hip Hop Scared of the Tea Party?

2010-04-15T06:22:00.000-07:00

Open Challenge to Hip Hop regarding the lack of attention to the Tea Party

Listen to the Critical Times Interview

2010-04-14T18:41:00.000-07:00

To listen to my Critical Times interview from Tampa Florida regarding the Right Wing Rap Attack click on the link below and enter show date 4/11/2010.

http://www.wmnf.org/programs/367

Official Tea Party Diss Song

2010-04-11T00:58:00.000-07:00

Right Wing Rap Attack

TRUTH Minista Paul Scott featuring Marcus Cox
Courtesy of Rude.Boys

Why Hip Hop Won't Tangle With the Tea Party

2010-04-09T17:52:00.000-07:00

Why Hip Hop Won't Tangle With the Tea Party:
Call for a Militant Mind Militia

Paul Scott

Whatcha do get your head ready. Instead of gettin' physically sweaty"

Welcome to the Terror-dome-Public Enemy

In breaking news, two of Hip Hop's most popular artists died today. In what was the culmination of a year long beef, an altercation in the middle of 52nd street has left both men dead. No, they didn't shoot each other. As they stood arguing in the middle of the street, they were run over by a Tea Party Express bus that was running late for a rally...

Beef. That is one word with which the Hip Hop community has become very familiar over the last decade and a half. The term has resulted in many tragedies in the black community ranging from neighborhood feuds to deaths on street corners. Black people taking it to other Black people is an everyday occurrence in 'hoods across the country. This is what makes the Hip Hop community's (and the black community, in general) lack of response to the current climate of hate fueled by the Tea Party, Birthers and other agents of White Supremacy especially disturbing.

For the last year, anti-Afrikan behavior has escalated from anti -Black propaganda being promoted on radio stations to black Congressmen being called racial slurs and spat upon. All over the country Right Wing racists are rallying thousands of people, while black folks are pretending not to notice.

Since Hip Hop has always prided itself as being the true voice of the black community, you would think that rap artists would be on the front line fighting against these disses to black folks.

Not so.

So far, there have been, relatively, few Hip Hoppers calling out the Right Wingers. This is not to say that "no" rap artists are speaking out on issues as there are Hip Hop Freedom Fighters in communities across the country but most have heard about the attacks that came upon such political artists such as Professor Griff and Sister Souljah in the 80's/90's and don't want the same thing to happen to them. Many of them feel that even if they did take a stand, an unorganized, apathetic black community would just leave them hanging.

I don't know if you noticed it or not but radio stations have even stopped playing "violent" music over the last few months. Instead, radio has dumped violence for misogyny. While we must not condone black on black violence in any form, the rationale for the sudden change in radio rotation must be examined.

The industry knows that one of the by products of Hip Hop has been black male rebelliousness. This is why those in power were quick to blame incidents of racial unrest such as the Virginia Beach and LA rebellions (riots) of the late 80's/early 90's on the music of groups like Public Enemy. Immediately, they went to work to replace revolutionary Hip Hop with gangsta tales of black on black homicide and chemical genocide (crack sales). During the following decade, since "racism" became less overt, the black male aggressiveness generated by Hip Hop was used on other black males.

However, with racism/White Supremacy becoming more "in your face" over the last year, the "powers that be" don't want to risk the fratricidal message of gangsta rap to be misinterpreted as a call to "fight the power." They know that with a change of a couple of words a 50 Cent song becomes a Dead Prez-like call to "bang on the system." So now, what you you hear on the radio is "stripper music" dealing with girls instead of guns.

The agents of white supremacy have studied our history well. They know the success that Bunchy Carter, Fred Hampton and others had in transforming gang bangers into revolutionaries during the Black Power Era. They know that a Blood or Crip esposed to a strong dose of political education has the potential to become Black Panther or Deacon for Defense.

They also know that even the most hardcore thug will become outraged if while flippin' the channel between Hip Hop stations, he hear's a Right Wing radio host call him a "no good bum who will never amount to anything" and his mother a "lazy welfare queen."

And with the escalation of anti-black rhetoric from Right Wing radio hosts this scenario is possible if not probable.

In every city the Right Wingers are organizing their troops via Conservative radio stations, as media giants such as Clear Channel have begun converting their country music stations into virtual 100,000 watt Ku Klux Klan headquarters. In, North Carolina they recently turned 106.1 FM into "Rush Radio, named after their star player, the infamous Rush Limbaugh. Clear Channel realizes that all politics is local so , although they broadcast the likes of Sean Hannity, Glen Beck and Rush Limbaugh, throughout the day , during the morning drive time, their programming becomes early morning strategy sessions. So while the nationally syndicated bigots like Limbaugh lay out the national strategy, the local hosts and their listeners politic on how to implement it locally. All the while black folks are busy lip syncing, "How Low Can You Go" on their way to work, totally oblivious to the plans being devised on the talk radio station on the end of the dial.

In NC, the WRDU "Morning Show" insults black folks every morning with the same Right Wing racist garbage without being challenged. They have even set up a chat room where their racist listeners hold strategy sessions every morning from 5:30AM to 9AM EST because they know that most black folks are too busy laughing at J. Anthony Brown jokes on the Tom Joyner Morning Show tro pay them any attention.

Twenty years ago, we would have never stood still for this disrespect without challenging it. However, nowadays we are too busy getting into Internet "beefs" on YouTube with other Afrikans that we don't seem to have time to challenge those who espouse the tenets of white global domination and the oppression of Afrikan people.

That is why it is important that we form "Militant Mind Militias" in 'hoods across the country to counter the lies and attacks on black culture from the Right wing. We have to start calling in to these Right Wing racist talk shows and challenging their racist rhetoric.

Don't get it twisted, this has nothing to do with whether one agrees with the politics of Barack Obama. This is about the anti-Afrikan white supremacist ideology being spewed by the Tea Party and the rest of their crew.

It is time that we dust off our Neely Fuller and Amos Wilson books and put the principals into action. Some of us have read hundreds of books on African History but only use the information to prove that they are intellectually superior to our black brothers and sisters; never once challenging the Ph.D carrying members of white supremacist think tanks.

It is time that we start using Youtube, Facebook and Twitter for something more than booty calls and coonery.

It is time that we start using our Afrikan minds to challenge white supremacy ideology.

We have nothing to lose but our mental chains.

I know that some of you are going to cop out and give 100 reasons why we should not get into ideological debates with white folks. You really only need one reason to do so; our people need to see black intelligence in action. Isn't that what inspired us to follow the teachings of Malcolm X, Dr. Khallid Muhammad and Dr. John Henrik Clark , that they were not afraid to challenge the best white scholars in open debate?

The ancestors are crying for us to engage the oppressor in a battle of the minds with the Right Wing.

Unfortunately, so far, Hip Hop and most black folks have been missing in action.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com

For examples of the racism being spewed every morning by 106.1 FM in North Carolina visit
http://wrdu.com/pages/morningrush.html

TRUTH Minista on in Tampa Florida 4/11

2010-04-09T17:43:00.000-07:00

I am scheduled to be on Critical Times with Mabili Ogun Sunday 4/11 at 8AM EST discussing the "Right Wing Rap Attack."

http://www.wmnf.org/programs/367

TRUTH Minista on in Boston 4/11

2010-04-09T17:40:00.000-07:00

I am scheduled to be on Drumbeat with Adika Faluke in Boston this Sunday 4/11 at 10:30 ESTdiscussing the "Right Wing Rap Attack."

http://www.wrbbradio.org/index.php?n=listen

Washington, Wake County and Wal-Mart

2010-03-21T16:09:00.000-07:00

Washington, Wake County, and Wal-Mart:
Slavery is Back in Effect

Paul Scott

"Racism was here but they didn't take it seriously and they said that I was crazy."

Final Solution:Slavery is Back in Effect- Sister Souljah

It was a typical Spring afternoon at the local Wake County "Up Against the Wall" Mart and African American budget hunters were busy trying to catch a deal on the latest Jay Z cd or the recent Tyler Perry dvd release when, suddenly, it happened. A voice came blaring over the store intercom announcing that "slavery was back in effect." On cue, store security began to herd the shocked black customers to the paddy wagons waiting outside the store aided by a bunch of good ol' boys, who just happened to be in the sports section rifle hunting at the time...

Last week, the Associated Press circulated a story about some goober who got on the intercom at a New Jersey Wal-mart and told all the black customers to leave the store. While this was ,obviously, the act of some bored trickster, the fact that the story made national headlines is alarming. While the above sci-fi type, futuristic scenario was based on a 1992 video, "Final Solution:Slavery is Back in Effect" by Hip Hop raptavist, Sister Souljah, the present climate of racial hate and hostility makes such an actual warning possible if not probable.

The best example could be the Tea Party protest, supposedly ,over the health care bill in Washington DC, last Saturday, where some members of the angry pseudo lynch mob of thousands of mostly white people, allegedly, hocked loogies at African American congressmen and yelled out "the N word."

Locally, one has to look no further than Wake County NC and the raging controversy over plans to end the school system's diversity program, hence, re-segregating the public schools. The head of the school board was caught on tape, allegedly, referring to the desegregation protesters as "animals."

While some would, naively, write these incidents off as "Democracy in action" in actuality, they are blatant cases of, at best, vigilante voter vengeance or ,at worst, militant mob rule. Although most folks on the Right would ,vehemently, deny it, there has been a steady push in this country, especially since the Obama presidential win, to "turn back the hands of time" in American history to when Negroes knew their place."

America stands on the verge of a racist, Right Wing revolution and issues such as health care reform and anti-busing legislation are merely part of a smoke screen to hide their true intention; to reduce African Americans to second class citizenship.

We have to call these recent events what they are; temper tantrums and attempts at disenfranchisement. I don' think that the Tea Party people in DC are concerned about my terminally sick neighbour or the Wake County segregationists are any more concerned about the black kids in the 'hood than the teenager in NJ who, allegedly, pulled that prank at Wal-Mart.

These are power moves. Disgruntled people flexing their collective muscles and preparing to roll over anyone who gets in their way.

The main strategy of the Tea Party and the rest of the Conservatives has not changed since Reconstruction. As Dr. Lerone Bennett wrote in his book, "Before the Mayflower," concentrate on local leaders." He also recorded "one by one local leaders were killed, driven out of state or compromised."

This is why the March 23 Wake County School Board vote will have major implications not only in North Carolina but across the country.

At the National Tea Party Convention, last Black History Month, a top NC Conservative bragged on C-Span how, in Wake County , the Republicans were able to "take back the school board " and now they are going to get rid of "diversity and busing"

Talk about birds of a feather flocking together.

There is an old saying that if you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to ask for a cup of milk. If the Conservatives in Wake County are successful, Tuesday, they are going to try to take the whole dairy!

Unfortunately while the Right Wing soccer moms were busy holding weekend war room strategy sessions with their hubbies in preparation for the upcoming Wake County diversity vote, black women were getting their hair and nails done for the "All Star Celebrity Women's Empowerment After Party."

Sometimes our priorities are just jacked up.

Maybe we don't believe that disenfranchisement can creep up like a thief in the night. Perhaps, we don't believe that there are a lot of folks in this country who believe that African Americans are only good for pickin' cotton and shinin' shoes. Maybe we think life is easier if we don't believe...

That is until the morning you turn on conservative WRDU Rush Radio and hear the hosts send out the clandestine, cryptic message that "it's coon hunting season again, Yeee Hawww!"

As Malcolm X warned back in 1965, "You're in a society that is just as capable of building gas ovens for black people as Hitler's society was."

Back during the 1800's, our ancestors used to sing songs like "Wade in the Water" or "Hush, Somebody's Callin' My Name," to alert runaway slaves that the slave catchers were a-comin'.

However, since this is the Hip Hop Era, the moment that you hear your favorite Beyonce song preempted by Public Enemy's "Fight the Power," know that it's on!

So the solution for black people?

As Sister Souljah, already told ya, the "brain is the weapon."

Put down your ghetto street romance novel and pick up a black history book. Log off of Facebook and log on to No Warning Shots Fired.com. Turn off BET and turn on CNN.

And for Heaven's sake, pull your darn pants up 'cause you are either gonna have to fight or flee when the slave catcher's hounds are bitin' at your heels.

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
"No Warning Shots Fired.com, going where other columnists fear to tread."

Did Tavis Smiley Get "Conference Blocked?"

2010-03-20T06:19:00.000-07:00

Did Tavis Smiley Get "Conference Blocked ?"

Paul Scott

Rapper 50 Cent was once notorious for being able to push a rival's CD release date back. If Cam'ron or some other Hip Hop star planned to release a CD in March. 50 could make sure that their fans would not be bobbin' their heads to the latest beat until Labor Day.

I thought about this when I searched, unsuccessfully, for Tavis Smiley's "We Count: Need for a Black Agenda" Conference that was supposed to air on C-Span today and remind the Prez that a whole bunch of black votes voted for him, many of whom feel rejected.

I went to Smiley's website, "Tavis Talks," and saw a message that announced that because of the Health Care debate, the C-Span will tape the event and play it back on March 29th.

A couple of things wrong with that rationale.

First, the Health Care debate is tomorrow. I doubt if the conference would have interrupted coverage too much.

Secondly, C-Span has three channels. You would think that they could bump some shows on C-Span 2 to show the event live. Also, what about the other networks, CNN, MSNBC , BET and even Fox News, which I would think would jump at the chance to hear black folks bashing Obama.

Lastly, it's not like C-Span was bumping a Hip Hop awards show. It would have been good to show America that collective black thought is not monolithic.

Back during the Booker T Washington age in the late 19th-early 20th century, Washington was known to manipulate the media to silence his critics like WEB DuBois. I am not suggesting that somebody from Rev. Al Sharpton's (Smiley's chief rival for black leadership supremacy) camp pulled a Booker T but history points to the fact that tactics like this have been used to silence opposing voices.

More likely, since this is perhaps the most important weekend during the Obama administration, the producers at C-Span didn't think black political idealism was important at this stage in American history. Or maybe they did not want to upset the hegemony of dominant white thought.

Perhaps they feel that black people can only discuss basketball and Hip Hop?

Who knows?

Funny, I don't hear about anyone trying to push back the NCAA basketball tournament...

Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com