Cut the Bull: Politicians Bling Blingin' More than Rappers

Cut the Bull:Politicians "Bling Blingin'" More than than Rappers

Call me politically naive, but I just can't see politicians raising all this money for their campaigns when you have all of these poor, hungry families in Durham. The local media are reporting today, that Councilman Thomas Stith has raised a whoppin' $107,885 for his campaign . Now I know that I have never been the caviar eatin', champaign sippin' fund raiser type and I still drink my kool aid out of a mayonnaise jar but am I the only one who sees something wrong with this picture?

With all the money that the politicians are raising, couldn't this go towards actually solving the poverty problems in Durham?

Personally, I am not accepting any campaign donations.

Here's a novel idea, instead of giving money to my campaign, why not take that money and buy a homeless person something to eat?

So, I guess my campaign motto should be, "Ask not what Durham can do for you but what you can do for Durham.

"Cut the Bull" Mayoral Campaign

OK, as the local folks already know, your's truly has thrown his baseball cap in the ring for the race for mayor of Durham, the Bull City as a write in candidate. So, I will be starting an official "Cut the Bull" (CTB) section on this blog discussing local issues.

Durham has the usual hot button topics poppin' off this election season.

The first, of course, is what to do about these "murderous gangs that are plaguing our city, hiding behind every bush just waiting to dive on some unsuspecting citizen out for a nightly stroll..."

Yeah right...Cut the Bull !

You can read about my feelings about this "get tough on crime stuff" on my entry from weeks back "Mayberry Goes Gangsta"
http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2007/07/when-mayberry-goes-gangsta.html

But I will say that you all need to stop depending on "Eyewitness News" and go out and get some "I witness views" about what's really going on in Durham.

Maybe if we stopped trying to fight "gangs" which are legal and fight "crime" which is illegal that may make a difference...

Ya think?

Next, the " illegal alien" issue...

Don't know about you but illegal aliens from South of the Border no more effect my livelihood than "illegal aliens" from outer space...

For most poor folks we "ain't never" had it so they can't take it.

Unemployment was a problem for poor folks long before the brown brotha's came and if they were all shipped back today, unemployment would still be a problem. The problem in this country is not too many illegal alliens but too many greedy rich people hoggin' all the resources and too few people who are willing to say it.

But if it makes you sleep better at night to think that the only thing standing between you and that six figure salaried job out in RTP is Julio Rodriguez, What can I say?

Lastly, a couple of points on the Herald Sun stories...

So, the paper called me "Smith" in the paper last Saturday and retracted it on Sunday.

No biggie, it was probably an honest mistake (wink, wink) I'm sure they will call me worst names between now and Election Day.

Not sure how Mike Ashe from the Durham Election Board was "misquoted" as saying in Saturday's paper that a write- in candidate did not have to file papers with the board unless he/she was going to spend more than three grand and then have it flipped the next day to say if a candidate spends "any money" he/she must file? I thought that you were free to write any name on the ballot in a Democracy. (That's why they leave a blank space.)

No worries, Mike. I ain't gonna spend a dime. I got my own printer for fliers and my own burner for my election song CD's.

I never understood how spending 15 grand on those annoying signs ever helped anybody get elected anyway.

"Let's see, I've never seen this guy in my 'hood, don't know what he stands for but he's got some real pretty signs, so he gets my vote!"

Are people really that shallow? So, no donations please. You wanna do something, give the money you were gonna give me to the next homeless person you see. It's about to get cold and they need it more than I do...Or download my "campaign theme" from the website, burn it and blast it in your ride.
http://www.hiphopstrikesback.com/

Lastly, that last quote in Sunday's paper about my homie "J-Dub" (Jackie Wagstaff) was not supposed to be a diss about our campaigns being different because I am in touch with the street.

It was kinda taken out of context. I was referring to my role as primarily a Hip Hop activist...

I have nothing but respect for Ms. Wagstaff...

Well, I'm signing off for now...

So just chill, 'till the next episode...

Min. Paul Scott
The Hip Hop Howard Beale
"Mad as heck and not takin' it anymore"

NWSF Bullet: Ludacris Dissed in Durham?

When Herald Sun columnist John McCann dropped the 411, last Wednesday that Durham Mayor Bill Bell would possibly give the key to the city to rapper, Ludacris, who is scheduled to be in the Bull City this weekend for a Car and Bike Show, I bet that the phones at City Hall didn't stop ringing.

"You're going to give the key to our beloved city to WHO!!!????..."

But according to today's News and Observer, it was a false alarm.

According to reporter Matt Dees, Mayor Bell said:

"I didn't appreciate the process, to put out a press release saying I was going to do something when I hadn't made up my mind,"

That didn't mean that he wasn't going to do it before it hit the paper, does it?

According to the article, he went on to say that the decision was not politically motivated.

Yeah, right...

Thomas Stith, the dude who's running against Bell in the next election said that he wouldn't give Luda the key to the city from the jump according to both the Herald Sun and News and Observer.

Now, I've got some problems with Luda. The "Pimpin' All Over the World Thing" at about the same time that MTV was expanding into Africa didn't sit right with me.

Although he wore a Marcus Garvey T-Shirt and bragged that the most "beautiful women are in Africa," if you're "pimpin'" over there, that still makes them "ho's" doesn't it?

But I'm also not a big fan of "Sister Souljah" moments either, when politicians play to the conservative crowd by quickly dismissing Hip Hop, altogether.

This would have been a good moment for dialogue.

Maybe, they could have done a disclaimer and said that the key was in recognition for the Ludacris Foundation and the song "Run Away Love" that spoke to the issue of troubled teenage girls and not for the song "Move B***** Get Out tha Way."

Hip Hop is out of control because the older generation did not take it seriously a generation ago and did not engage rappers in serious, critical dialogue.

When it comes to Hip Hop, like the old dude said in "Cool Hand Luke"

"What we have here is a failure to communicate."