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
Showing posts with label glenn beck. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glenn beck. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
9/11 and the Pimpin' of Patriotism
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
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
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Dissin' Glenn Beck's Restoring Honor Oxymoron
Classic example of an oxymoron Glenn Beck/Restoring Honor
Sunday, August 22, 2010
March Madness: Glenn Beck and the Death of Civil Rights
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
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
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Haters For Hire
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.
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.
Min. Paul Scott is founder of the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at (919) 972-8305 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
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.
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.
Min. Paul Scott is founder of the Messianic Afrikan Nation. He can be reached at (919) 972-8305 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Glenn "X" Beck
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
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
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Who Me..Racist?
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
"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
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Do Black Men Make You Nervous?
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)
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)
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Presidents Day 2010: Right Wing, Racism and Reconstruction
Presidents Day 2010:
Right Wing, Racism and Reconstruction
Paul Scott
In Tennessee, a group of disgruntled white folks held their first national conference with the aim of snatchin' back their country from the undesirables, whom were bringing it to ruin. The conference ended with a roar of applause as the keynote speaker made an impassioned call for a revolution. No, I'm not talking about The National Tea Party Convention of 2010, I'm referring to the first Ku Klux Klan Convention of 1867...
Although, the two events took place almost a century and a half apart, I am sure that the sentiments in the room must have been, pretty much the same; white supremacy must be preserved by any means necessary.
Last weekend, the Tea Party folks held their first national convention, the $100,000 show stopper being Sarah Palin's announcement that "America is ready for another revolution."
Although, most Conservatives would deny it to the bitter end, many of those who hate President Barack Obama's guts do so because (dare I say it ?) he's black! And a black man as head of the free world just doesn't sit well with some folks whose dealings with African Americans are limited to the kid at McDonald's asking them if they want cheese on their Big Macs.
While it may be a tad bit unfair to label everybody who attended the convention as bigots who ritually, relieve themselves on the grave of Thaddeus Stevens, to say that the Tea Party hoedown wasn't the choice vacation spot for racists last weekend is a little naive.
See, when these guys start talking about being "patriots" and "defending the Constitution" you have to understand the code words. They are talking about the original version of the Constitution that referred to a dude like me as only 3/5th of a man. And the "patriot" they talk about rallyin' isn't your friendly neighbor, Mrs. Robertson with the giant American flag hanging over her rose garden. Naw, they are after the dude with the Confederate baseball cap and the gun rack in the back of his pickup blastin' Lynard Skynard.
Although, the Convention got props from the Right Wing media, I wonder what their reaction would have been if a black leader called for the overthrow of the government at the all African American "Black Coffee, No Sugar, No Cream" Convention. You can bet that the talking heads on Fox News would be labeling him a terrorist and calling for a thorough investigation by the Justice Department.
Forgive me if I come off a little presumptuous but we, black folks, have seen this movie before.
Back in 1866, following the end of the Civil War, there was a dramatic surge in African American political power courtesy of a couple of handy amendments added to the Constitution. For the first time African Americans began to hold political offices, at what seemed for some to be an alarming rate.
Needless to say, just like after Obama's historic victory, November '08, some folks weren't exactly jerkin' for joy down Main Street.
Referring to Southern whites, historian Vincent Harding in his book "The Other American Revolution" writes, " by every possible legal and extralegal means they organized to oppose the new developments." Much of the extralegal activity was carried out by the KKK who, ironically, also held their first convention at a Nashville hotel.
Also, in his book "Before the Mayflower," Lerone Bennett wrote, " to justify the revolutionary methods by which these governments were overthrown, Southerners manufactured and perpetrated the twin myths of corruption and ignorance." Negro politicians, so the myths run ,were corrupt or ignorant."
Also, it must be noted that some historians have labeled the Civil Rights Era as the "second Reconstruction Era." The leaders of this era were also demonized; accused of trying to turn America into a Socialist (then the buzz word was "Communist") state.
Funny how the more things change...
While some will argue that it was the Democrats, not the angelic Republicans who were responsible for the end of Reconstruction. The truth is conservative bigotry is nonpartisan and changing a political party is as easy as changing socks. The Dixiecrats of yesterday are the Ultra Right Wing Republicans of today.
The Right Wing media have been riding Obama's back since day one. Ever since he took office he has been the nappy headed step child of American presidents.
The Rodney Dangerfield of DC...
The Charlie Brown of the....
Aw, you get the point.
The movers hadn't even finished unpacking Michelle Obama's shoes before the attacks started coming from the Conservatives.
To borrow from an old joke, if the reporters saw President Obama walking on water, the headlines the next morning would read, "Obama Can't Swim!"
Not only that, but the Right has continued an unrelenting, unmerciful attack on the whole Left Wing, branding them as an Obama inspired environmentalist cult waiting for the second coming of Karl Marx.
Now I'm not an Obama groupie but I, like many other folks, am tired of the Tea Party and the other Conservatives running around like the Broadstreet Bully jackin' nerdy Left wingers for their lunch money.
So, inspired by the success of the Tea Party, this Presidents Day, 2/15, I have decided to start my own political movement, "The Kick Rocks Coalition."
I am asking that those on the Left who don't wet their pants every time they hear the intro to Rush Limbaugh's radio show join me in telling the Right Wingers that we are sick and tired of their ruthless fear tactics.
It is past time to tell the Conservatives to get over it, Obama is the Prez and if you don't like it you can...
Well...kick rocks!
Paul Scott is a author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Right Wing, Racism and Reconstruction
Paul Scott
In Tennessee, a group of disgruntled white folks held their first national conference with the aim of snatchin' back their country from the undesirables, whom were bringing it to ruin. The conference ended with a roar of applause as the keynote speaker made an impassioned call for a revolution. No, I'm not talking about The National Tea Party Convention of 2010, I'm referring to the first Ku Klux Klan Convention of 1867...
Although, the two events took place almost a century and a half apart, I am sure that the sentiments in the room must have been, pretty much the same; white supremacy must be preserved by any means necessary.
Last weekend, the Tea Party folks held their first national convention, the $100,000 show stopper being Sarah Palin's announcement that "America is ready for another revolution."
Although, most Conservatives would deny it to the bitter end, many of those who hate President Barack Obama's guts do so because (dare I say it ?) he's black! And a black man as head of the free world just doesn't sit well with some folks whose dealings with African Americans are limited to the kid at McDonald's asking them if they want cheese on their Big Macs.
While it may be a tad bit unfair to label everybody who attended the convention as bigots who ritually, relieve themselves on the grave of Thaddeus Stevens, to say that the Tea Party hoedown wasn't the choice vacation spot for racists last weekend is a little naive.
See, when these guys start talking about being "patriots" and "defending the Constitution" you have to understand the code words. They are talking about the original version of the Constitution that referred to a dude like me as only 3/5th of a man. And the "patriot" they talk about rallyin' isn't your friendly neighbor, Mrs. Robertson with the giant American flag hanging over her rose garden. Naw, they are after the dude with the Confederate baseball cap and the gun rack in the back of his pickup blastin' Lynard Skynard.
Although, the Convention got props from the Right Wing media, I wonder what their reaction would have been if a black leader called for the overthrow of the government at the all African American "Black Coffee, No Sugar, No Cream" Convention. You can bet that the talking heads on Fox News would be labeling him a terrorist and calling for a thorough investigation by the Justice Department.
Forgive me if I come off a little presumptuous but we, black folks, have seen this movie before.
Back in 1866, following the end of the Civil War, there was a dramatic surge in African American political power courtesy of a couple of handy amendments added to the Constitution. For the first time African Americans began to hold political offices, at what seemed for some to be an alarming rate.
Needless to say, just like after Obama's historic victory, November '08, some folks weren't exactly jerkin' for joy down Main Street.
Referring to Southern whites, historian Vincent Harding in his book "The Other American Revolution" writes, " by every possible legal and extralegal means they organized to oppose the new developments." Much of the extralegal activity was carried out by the KKK who, ironically, also held their first convention at a Nashville hotel.
Also, in his book "Before the Mayflower," Lerone Bennett wrote, " to justify the revolutionary methods by which these governments were overthrown, Southerners manufactured and perpetrated the twin myths of corruption and ignorance." Negro politicians, so the myths run ,were corrupt or ignorant."
Also, it must be noted that some historians have labeled the Civil Rights Era as the "second Reconstruction Era." The leaders of this era were also demonized; accused of trying to turn America into a Socialist (then the buzz word was "Communist") state.
Funny how the more things change...
While some will argue that it was the Democrats, not the angelic Republicans who were responsible for the end of Reconstruction. The truth is conservative bigotry is nonpartisan and changing a political party is as easy as changing socks. The Dixiecrats of yesterday are the Ultra Right Wing Republicans of today.
The Right Wing media have been riding Obama's back since day one. Ever since he took office he has been the nappy headed step child of American presidents.
The Rodney Dangerfield of DC...
The Charlie Brown of the....
Aw, you get the point.
The movers hadn't even finished unpacking Michelle Obama's shoes before the attacks started coming from the Conservatives.
To borrow from an old joke, if the reporters saw President Obama walking on water, the headlines the next morning would read, "Obama Can't Swim!"
Not only that, but the Right has continued an unrelenting, unmerciful attack on the whole Left Wing, branding them as an Obama inspired environmentalist cult waiting for the second coming of Karl Marx.
Now I'm not an Obama groupie but I, like many other folks, am tired of the Tea Party and the other Conservatives running around like the Broadstreet Bully jackin' nerdy Left wingers for their lunch money.
So, inspired by the success of the Tea Party, this Presidents Day, 2/15, I have decided to start my own political movement, "The Kick Rocks Coalition."
I am asking that those on the Left who don't wet their pants every time they hear the intro to Rush Limbaugh's radio show join me in telling the Right Wingers that we are sick and tired of their ruthless fear tactics.
It is past time to tell the Conservatives to get over it, Obama is the Prez and if you don't like it you can...
Well...kick rocks!
Paul Scott is a author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Go Back to Africa!
Go Back to Africa:
Hatin' on Black History
Paul Scott
"Go back to Africa!"
Back when I was in elementary school that statement would either lead to fist fights or tears, depending on the the temperament of the target of the diss. Although many black folks can recall, in vivid detail, the first time they were called the "N word," and how they eventually got over it, for me, "go back to Africa" has not been easy to shake.
See, for black kids like me, being told to take a trip back across the Atlantic was the ultimate insult as it meant being exiled to a place where cannibals with bones in their noses ran around with spears, just waiting to catch some unsuspecting, stiff slippin' so that he could be Sunday evening supper.
After all, this is the image of Africa that black kids were given courtesy of those old Looney Tune cartoons and Tarzan movies.
Unfortunately, the educational system back then did nothing to counter this negative depiction of Africa. The textbooks only reinforced the idea of "the Dark Continent" as a god forsaken place that made no contribution to civilization besides slave labor.
In the early texts , Africa was divided into "white" Africa (Northern Africa) and "black" Africa (Sub Saharan Africa) . So the achievements of the ancient Egyptians were credited to Greek invaders and the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai were written out of history, altogether.
Things have not changed much since I was young. An unbiased view of African world history is still sadly missing from most school systems to the detriment of thousands of black children every school year.
While it is widely accepted that Afrocentricity was a product of the Black Power Movement of the late 60's , it actually started more than a hundred years earlier.
According to Dr. Mia Bay in her book "The White Image in the Black Mind" as early as the 1830's scholars such as John Russwurm and David Walker were championing the idea of the African American connection to the great ancient civilizations of Egypt.
In his 1920 essay, "The Souls of White Folks," Dr. WEB Du Bois proudly proclaimed, "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."
In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Black History Week (later Black History Month). However, as he wrote in his book "The Miseducation of the Negro " in 1933, teaching African Americans that they had accomplished just as much as any other race would "upset the program of the oppressor in Africa and America." Therefore, there has been a concerted effort to confine all talk of black history to the period after the 18th century.
The modern concept of Afrocentricity can be attributed to professors such as Dr Molefi Asante, Dr. John Henrik Clark and Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, as their works created a series of arguments and counterarguments over the validity of Afrocentric scholarship in the mid 90's.
Although many bemoan the educational gap between African American children (especially males) and their peers, the suggestion of Afrocentric studies as a viable solution to the problem more times than not falls on deaf ears. Despite the fact that many members of my generation who developed a zeal for reading were inspired by a single book dealing with the African experience whether it be "Stolen Legacy" by Dr.George GM James or "Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization" by Dr. Anthony Browder, many do not believe that books dealing with the African experience could have the same effect on this so called Hip Hop generation.
There are several factors which have served as stumbling blocks to Afrocentricity being included in school curriculum, despite years of prodding by grassroots activists concerned about the welfare of black children.
First, it must be understood that while Afrocentricity is an academic construct, for many, the idea is politically charged. Any call for the affirmation of one's "blackness" is usually drowned out by cries of reverse racism and divisiveness
Secondly, Afrocentricity challenges the very foundation of western thought. Many will shudder at the mere fact of their adoration of Greek culture being challenged by pre 19th Dynasty Egypt.
Finally, the resistance that comes from school administrators and educators who have a vested professional interest in preserving the status quo is perhaps the main obstacle . Either they do not have sufficient knowledge of black history, themselves or do not have the courage to challenge the false doctrine of educational white supremacy. As James Lowen wrote in his book, "Lies my Teacher Told Me," "perhaps the most pervasive theme in our history is the domination of black America by white America."
So they are more comfortable allowing our children to become indoctrinated with Hip Hop lyrics and gang rituals instead of inspirational messages of self empowerment.
As we approach this year's Black History Month observation, parents, activists and concerned citizens must demand not only that the concept of black history be expanded to include the entire scope of the African experience but that it be incorporated year round into the curriculum.
One can only guess how much further along, socially, politically and economically my generation would have been if we had only been exposed to the greatness of African cultural history at an early age.
Sadly, 30 years after the fact , I am still angered by the "Go Back to Africa" comments not so much, now, by the ignorance of my white classmates but by my own ignorance that allowed me to take it as an insult in the first place.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Coming in February, the Intelligence Over Ignorance "Take Back Black History" lecture tour.
Hatin' on Black History
Paul Scott
"Go back to Africa!"
Back when I was in elementary school that statement would either lead to fist fights or tears, depending on the the temperament of the target of the diss. Although many black folks can recall, in vivid detail, the first time they were called the "N word," and how they eventually got over it, for me, "go back to Africa" has not been easy to shake.
See, for black kids like me, being told to take a trip back across the Atlantic was the ultimate insult as it meant being exiled to a place where cannibals with bones in their noses ran around with spears, just waiting to catch some unsuspecting, stiff slippin' so that he could be Sunday evening supper.
After all, this is the image of Africa that black kids were given courtesy of those old Looney Tune cartoons and Tarzan movies.
Unfortunately, the educational system back then did nothing to counter this negative depiction of Africa. The textbooks only reinforced the idea of "the Dark Continent" as a god forsaken place that made no contribution to civilization besides slave labor.
In the early texts , Africa was divided into "white" Africa (Northern Africa) and "black" Africa (Sub Saharan Africa) . So the achievements of the ancient Egyptians were credited to Greek invaders and the empires of Ghana, Mali and Songhai were written out of history, altogether.
Things have not changed much since I was young. An unbiased view of African world history is still sadly missing from most school systems to the detriment of thousands of black children every school year.
While it is widely accepted that Afrocentricity was a product of the Black Power Movement of the late 60's , it actually started more than a hundred years earlier.
According to Dr. Mia Bay in her book "The White Image in the Black Mind" as early as the 1830's scholars such as John Russwurm and David Walker were championing the idea of the African American connection to the great ancient civilizations of Egypt.
In his 1920 essay, "The Souls of White Folks," Dr. WEB Du Bois proudly proclaimed, "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."
In 1926, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded Black History Week (later Black History Month). However, as he wrote in his book "The Miseducation of the Negro " in 1933, teaching African Americans that they had accomplished just as much as any other race would "upset the program of the oppressor in Africa and America." Therefore, there has been a concerted effort to confine all talk of black history to the period after the 18th century.
The modern concept of Afrocentricity can be attributed to professors such as Dr Molefi Asante, Dr. John Henrik Clark and Dr. Yosef ben-Jochannan, as their works created a series of arguments and counterarguments over the validity of Afrocentric scholarship in the mid 90's.
Although many bemoan the educational gap between African American children (especially males) and their peers, the suggestion of Afrocentric studies as a viable solution to the problem more times than not falls on deaf ears. Despite the fact that many members of my generation who developed a zeal for reading were inspired by a single book dealing with the African experience whether it be "Stolen Legacy" by Dr.George GM James or "Nile Valley Contributions to Civilization" by Dr. Anthony Browder, many do not believe that books dealing with the African experience could have the same effect on this so called Hip Hop generation.
There are several factors which have served as stumbling blocks to Afrocentricity being included in school curriculum, despite years of prodding by grassroots activists concerned about the welfare of black children.
First, it must be understood that while Afrocentricity is an academic construct, for many, the idea is politically charged. Any call for the affirmation of one's "blackness" is usually drowned out by cries of reverse racism and divisiveness
Secondly, Afrocentricity challenges the very foundation of western thought. Many will shudder at the mere fact of their adoration of Greek culture being challenged by pre 19th Dynasty Egypt.
Finally, the resistance that comes from school administrators and educators who have a vested professional interest in preserving the status quo is perhaps the main obstacle . Either they do not have sufficient knowledge of black history, themselves or do not have the courage to challenge the false doctrine of educational white supremacy. As James Lowen wrote in his book, "Lies my Teacher Told Me," "perhaps the most pervasive theme in our history is the domination of black America by white America."
So they are more comfortable allowing our children to become indoctrinated with Hip Hop lyrics and gang rituals instead of inspirational messages of self empowerment.
As we approach this year's Black History Month observation, parents, activists and concerned citizens must demand not only that the concept of black history be expanded to include the entire scope of the African experience but that it be incorporated year round into the curriculum.
One can only guess how much further along, socially, politically and economically my generation would have been if we had only been exposed to the greatness of African cultural history at an early age.
Sadly, 30 years after the fact , I am still angered by the "Go Back to Africa" comments not so much, now, by the ignorance of my white classmates but by my own ignorance that allowed me to take it as an insult in the first place.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Coming in February, the Intelligence Over Ignorance "Take Back Black History" lecture tour.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Time to Flush Rush: Rebellin' Against Right Wing Radio
Time to Flush Rush:
Rebelling Against Right Wing Radio
Paul Scott
Like many folks over 30, I barely listen to the radio anymore. Hearing Jay Z and Lady Ga Ga in heavy rotation gives me a migraine. Unfortunately, courtesy of of a busted cd player, I, recently, found myself channel surfing for the first time in months. Last week, I came across the usual hate filled Republican paranoid ramblings about how the evil Obama must be stopped, the vast Left Wing conspiracy to to turn us all into Commie zombies and how illegal aliens and welfare cheats are going to bring this country to ruin. Even the tragedy in Haiti couldn't stop the self-righteous Right from getting in a few partisan cheap shots under the guise of concern over misappropriation of funds.
Welcome to the wacky world of Rush Radio.
Raleigh NC's 106.1 FM has once again undergone a metamorphosis, this time transforming itself into a conservative talk station known as "Rush Radio" because of the acquisition of its star player, Rush Limbaugh and his homies, Sean Hannity and Glen Beck. This is not limited to the Tarheel state but seems to be a trend sweeping the nation as radio mega corporations such as Clear Channel have found a bigger market in catering to Obama haters rather than Kenny Rogers music lovers.
Talk about overkill. The residents in my neck woods, the Raleigh-Durham area, are already surrounded by wall to wall Right Wing sound 24 hours a day. The area has the extremely popular WPTF 680 AM as well as, WZTK Talk 101FM beaming in Mike Savage a few counties over , courtesy of a 100,000 watt high powered system.
Anyone with a basic understanding of military science knows the strategic advantage of controlling the airwaves. The first thing that you do when conquering a country is to take over the radio stations. Since the Right Wingers see themselves as being engaged in a life or death struggle against the Obama Administration and all things left, it makes perfect sense that they are planning to convert your local country music station into a Conservative central command center .
Now the Conservatives will argue that there is a disproportionate number of liberal media folks.
Cow chips!
Name me one Left Wing commentator that can mach the amount of venom spewed by the Right's treacherous trio of "Hear all Evil, See All Evil" and Speak All Evil." (Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh.) For every Alan Colmes there are 100 Bill O'Reilly wannabes in cities across the country.
In NC, I wonder which "liberal" station will be able to hold back the red tide of Republican racism?
NPR's affiliate, WUNC?
Don't be ridiculous.
I can't listen to NPR more than five minutes without developing a severe case of narcolepsy. I have this reoccurring nightmare that after listening to Morning Edition on my morning commute, I run off Interstate 40 and wake up in the ER serenading the nurses with a morphine induced rendition of "Imagine."
This is a really tough spot for black dudes like me. While the Right is busy turning morning radio shows into Conservative chat war rooms, we are busy boppin' to Lil Wayne lyrics and hearing DJ's joke about the celebrity gossip they saw on the Wendy Williams Show the previous night.
Even in an area where there are many historically black colleges and financially well off black folks, black talk radio is limited to a low watt AM station and a few hours on the local urban station on Sunday morning while most folks are headed to church.
Although there are a few African American anchors on the tube, for the most part ,they play the roles of objective journalists and not the fire breathing demagogues on Fox News.
As much as we enjoyed seeing Roland Martin On CNN last summer, to middle America, he will simply be remembered as the black fill -in who taught his rather stiff co-anchors how to get down, get funky and get loose while delivering the news.
The print media are no different, as the black columnists are either Conservatives or have found a niche airing black folks' dirty laundry in public, ala Bill Cosby.
So, the local newspaper is more likely to hire the suit and tie wearin' , clean cut dude who, politely, enters the morning staff meeting with a cup of decaf and a doughnut than the dude sportin' shades and military fatigues who swaggers in with a can of Red Bull and a fist full of rage.
See, the liberal media run away from controversy. For the Right, controversy sells.
The liberal media outlets are scared of losing the Francine's Flower Shop account if they get too radical but the more racist the Conservative talking heads get, the more advertising dollars they receive from "Big Bubba's Bullets and Beer."
Somebody has to put a stop to the Right Wing plague that is infecting the radio.
I suggest that this Martin Luther King Day we start a rebellion against Rush Radio aka Flush Rush and use our Facebooks and Twitters to combat the poison propaganda of the Ultra Right menace.
Seems like the Left is in dire need of a shot of testosterone or, as they say in the Hip Hop vernacular, some thug motivation.
Now, I don't consider myself a Lefty but what ever Limbaugh is for I'm against and whatever Beck is against, I'm for. So, excuse me if I don't speak proper Liberal-ese but:
"Get out there and win one for the Gipper...um"
"Fight for your right to party...urr"
"Open the window and yell "I'm mad as..."
Aw, you get the point.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
To join the campaign to get No Warning Shots Fired in your local paper, contact the editor, today! Coming in February, the "Take Back Black History" lecture tour.
Rebelling Against Right Wing Radio
Paul Scott
Like many folks over 30, I barely listen to the radio anymore. Hearing Jay Z and Lady Ga Ga in heavy rotation gives me a migraine. Unfortunately, courtesy of of a busted cd player, I, recently, found myself channel surfing for the first time in months. Last week, I came across the usual hate filled Republican paranoid ramblings about how the evil Obama must be stopped, the vast Left Wing conspiracy to to turn us all into Commie zombies and how illegal aliens and welfare cheats are going to bring this country to ruin. Even the tragedy in Haiti couldn't stop the self-righteous Right from getting in a few partisan cheap shots under the guise of concern over misappropriation of funds.
Welcome to the wacky world of Rush Radio.
Raleigh NC's 106.1 FM has once again undergone a metamorphosis, this time transforming itself into a conservative talk station known as "Rush Radio" because of the acquisition of its star player, Rush Limbaugh and his homies, Sean Hannity and Glen Beck. This is not limited to the Tarheel state but seems to be a trend sweeping the nation as radio mega corporations such as Clear Channel have found a bigger market in catering to Obama haters rather than Kenny Rogers music lovers.
Talk about overkill. The residents in my neck woods, the Raleigh-Durham area, are already surrounded by wall to wall Right Wing sound 24 hours a day. The area has the extremely popular WPTF 680 AM as well as, WZTK Talk 101FM beaming in Mike Savage a few counties over , courtesy of a 100,000 watt high powered system.
Anyone with a basic understanding of military science knows the strategic advantage of controlling the airwaves. The first thing that you do when conquering a country is to take over the radio stations. Since the Right Wingers see themselves as being engaged in a life or death struggle against the Obama Administration and all things left, it makes perfect sense that they are planning to convert your local country music station into a Conservative central command center .
Now the Conservatives will argue that there is a disproportionate number of liberal media folks.
Cow chips!
Name me one Left Wing commentator that can mach the amount of venom spewed by the Right's treacherous trio of "Hear all Evil, See All Evil" and Speak All Evil." (Beck, Hannity and Limbaugh.) For every Alan Colmes there are 100 Bill O'Reilly wannabes in cities across the country.
In NC, I wonder which "liberal" station will be able to hold back the red tide of Republican racism?
NPR's affiliate, WUNC?
Don't be ridiculous.
I can't listen to NPR more than five minutes without developing a severe case of narcolepsy. I have this reoccurring nightmare that after listening to Morning Edition on my morning commute, I run off Interstate 40 and wake up in the ER serenading the nurses with a morphine induced rendition of "Imagine."
This is a really tough spot for black dudes like me. While the Right is busy turning morning radio shows into Conservative chat war rooms, we are busy boppin' to Lil Wayne lyrics and hearing DJ's joke about the celebrity gossip they saw on the Wendy Williams Show the previous night.
Even in an area where there are many historically black colleges and financially well off black folks, black talk radio is limited to a low watt AM station and a few hours on the local urban station on Sunday morning while most folks are headed to church.
Although there are a few African American anchors on the tube, for the most part ,they play the roles of objective journalists and not the fire breathing demagogues on Fox News.
As much as we enjoyed seeing Roland Martin On CNN last summer, to middle America, he will simply be remembered as the black fill -in who taught his rather stiff co-anchors how to get down, get funky and get loose while delivering the news.
The print media are no different, as the black columnists are either Conservatives or have found a niche airing black folks' dirty laundry in public, ala Bill Cosby.
So, the local newspaper is more likely to hire the suit and tie wearin' , clean cut dude who, politely, enters the morning staff meeting with a cup of decaf and a doughnut than the dude sportin' shades and military fatigues who swaggers in with a can of Red Bull and a fist full of rage.
See, the liberal media run away from controversy. For the Right, controversy sells.
The liberal media outlets are scared of losing the Francine's Flower Shop account if they get too radical but the more racist the Conservative talking heads get, the more advertising dollars they receive from "Big Bubba's Bullets and Beer."
Somebody has to put a stop to the Right Wing plague that is infecting the radio.
I suggest that this Martin Luther King Day we start a rebellion against Rush Radio aka Flush Rush and use our Facebooks and Twitters to combat the poison propaganda of the Ultra Right menace.
Seems like the Left is in dire need of a shot of testosterone or, as they say in the Hip Hop vernacular, some thug motivation.
Now, I don't consider myself a Lefty but what ever Limbaugh is for I'm against and whatever Beck is against, I'm for. So, excuse me if I don't speak proper Liberal-ese but:
"Get out there and win one for the Gipper...um"
"Fight for your right to party...urr"
"Open the window and yell "I'm mad as..."
Aw, you get the point.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
To join the campaign to get No Warning Shots Fired in your local paper, contact the editor, today! Coming in February, the "Take Back Black History" lecture tour.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Rush, Rams and Reverse Racism
Rush, Rams and Reverse Racism:
The Right's Search for a Black Racist
Paul Scott
With the announcement of Rush Limbaugh's failure to purchase part of the St Louis Rams football franchise, the Right went on a safari to track down the ever elusive, black racist. As usual, the race hunters came up empty. The best specimen that they could capture was Fox News Channel's token black commentator, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill with a picture of former Black Liberation Army member, Assata Shakur on his website. Hardly, evidence of a violent plot to take over America by spear wielding black militants.
The reason why the Right Wingers have never been able to successfully cage a black racist is simple. They don't exist.
Now this may be a hard pill to swallow for those who, wholeheartedly, believe in a warped version of the law of opposites.
If there is white racism, surely there must be black racism. If whites have ,historically, enslaved and oppressed blacks, there has to be some remote island out in the Atlantic where Bobby Whitman is being forced to pick cotton and sing Barry Manilow songs while Tyrone Jackson stands over him with a whip and a tall glass of Country Time Lemonade.
However, this Bizarro World of black supremacy only exists in the minds of Ultra Right talking heads and those who set their watches by the Glenn Beck Show.
For years, the Right has used the charge of "reverse racism" to hide their collective fears that they are losing control of America. Oddly enough, many people who scream racism don't have the foggiest idea what the word means. While the definition of "racism" may be a doctrine of racial superiority, the functional definition is the power of a group to exercise this doctrine over others. Therefore, as author Nelly Fuller wrote "the only form of functional racism that exists among the people of the known universe is white supremacy."
The doctrine of white supremacy is so entrenched in this society that even an African American president of the United States is not exempt.
So, sorry folks, by this definition, African Americans cannot be racist. We can be a lot of things; prejudiced, bigots, etc but the one thing that we cannot be, for social and economic reasons, is racist.
It must be noted that in order to find a black racist apologists for white supremacy have had to reach back centuries.
In his book, "The Ice Man Inheritance: Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression," Canadian author, Michael Bradley traces the foundation of the myth of black racism back centuries when the Bantu-speaking people conquered the Khoikhoi and the Saan. Because anthropologist CS Coon divided the Africans into two separate races, some have used this as evidence of "black supremacy." However, Bradley also quotes anthropologist Ashley Montague as saying, " The modern conception of race owes its widespread diffusion to the white man. Wherever he has gone he has carried it with him."
America's search for black racists carried into the Civil Rights Era when Mike Wallace introduced America to Malcolm X via the documentary "The Hate that Hate Produced," which, like future programs ,confused reactionary racial rhetoric and calls for black self empowerment with black socio-economic supremacy.
This was also evident in the late 60's and early 70's, when those attempting to label the Black Panther Party as "racists" ignored the fact that Panther ideology was based on Marxism which downplayed race in order to organize the oppressed working class and also the fact that the party had many white supporters including celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Marlon Brando.
This frantic search for black supremacy continued into the 80's and 90's when black leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Rev. Al Sharpton were labeled racists as well as entertainers such as the rap group, Public Enemy.
We see the same trend continuing over the last year as Conservatives tried to link black racism to the Obama administration by their attacks on the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Even the Latino community was not spared as Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor was portrayed by the conservative media as a brown racist.
So, it is not black racism that is the problem, it is conservative talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity, Mike Savage and Rush Limbaugh who spew their hate filled venom across the planet via their satellite powered pulpits, 24 hours a day.
If Limbaugh and his ilk want to see a real racist, they need to look no further than their own bathroom mirrors.
Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
The Right's Search for a Black Racist
Paul Scott
With the announcement of Rush Limbaugh's failure to purchase part of the St Louis Rams football franchise, the Right went on a safari to track down the ever elusive, black racist. As usual, the race hunters came up empty. The best specimen that they could capture was Fox News Channel's token black commentator, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill with a picture of former Black Liberation Army member, Assata Shakur on his website. Hardly, evidence of a violent plot to take over America by spear wielding black militants.
The reason why the Right Wingers have never been able to successfully cage a black racist is simple. They don't exist.
Now this may be a hard pill to swallow for those who, wholeheartedly, believe in a warped version of the law of opposites.
If there is white racism, surely there must be black racism. If whites have ,historically, enslaved and oppressed blacks, there has to be some remote island out in the Atlantic where Bobby Whitman is being forced to pick cotton and sing Barry Manilow songs while Tyrone Jackson stands over him with a whip and a tall glass of Country Time Lemonade.
However, this Bizarro World of black supremacy only exists in the minds of Ultra Right talking heads and those who set their watches by the Glenn Beck Show.
For years, the Right has used the charge of "reverse racism" to hide their collective fears that they are losing control of America. Oddly enough, many people who scream racism don't have the foggiest idea what the word means. While the definition of "racism" may be a doctrine of racial superiority, the functional definition is the power of a group to exercise this doctrine over others. Therefore, as author Nelly Fuller wrote "the only form of functional racism that exists among the people of the known universe is white supremacy."
The doctrine of white supremacy is so entrenched in this society that even an African American president of the United States is not exempt.
So, sorry folks, by this definition, African Americans cannot be racist. We can be a lot of things; prejudiced, bigots, etc but the one thing that we cannot be, for social and economic reasons, is racist.
It must be noted that in order to find a black racist apologists for white supremacy have had to reach back centuries.
In his book, "The Ice Man Inheritance: Prehistoric Sources of Western Man's Racism, Sexism and Aggression," Canadian author, Michael Bradley traces the foundation of the myth of black racism back centuries when the Bantu-speaking people conquered the Khoikhoi and the Saan. Because anthropologist CS Coon divided the Africans into two separate races, some have used this as evidence of "black supremacy." However, Bradley also quotes anthropologist Ashley Montague as saying, " The modern conception of race owes its widespread diffusion to the white man. Wherever he has gone he has carried it with him."
America's search for black racists carried into the Civil Rights Era when Mike Wallace introduced America to Malcolm X via the documentary "The Hate that Hate Produced," which, like future programs ,confused reactionary racial rhetoric and calls for black self empowerment with black socio-economic supremacy.
This was also evident in the late 60's and early 70's, when those attempting to label the Black Panther Party as "racists" ignored the fact that Panther ideology was based on Marxism which downplayed race in order to organize the oppressed working class and also the fact that the party had many white supporters including celebrities such as Jane Fonda and Marlon Brando.
This frantic search for black supremacy continued into the 80's and 90's when black leaders such as Rev. Jesse Jackson, Minister Louis Farrakhan and Rev. Al Sharpton were labeled racists as well as entertainers such as the rap group, Public Enemy.
We see the same trend continuing over the last year as Conservatives tried to link black racism to the Obama administration by their attacks on the Reverend Jeremiah Wright. Even the Latino community was not spared as Supreme Court Judge Sonia Sotomayor was portrayed by the conservative media as a brown racist.
So, it is not black racism that is the problem, it is conservative talk show hosts such as Sean Hannity, Mike Savage and Rush Limbaugh who spew their hate filled venom across the planet via their satellite powered pulpits, 24 hours a day.
If Limbaugh and his ilk want to see a real racist, they need to look no further than their own bathroom mirrors.
Paul Scott is a self-syndicated columnist and author of the blog, No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Fear of an Intelligent Black Man
Fear of an Intelligent Black Man
Paul Scott
"If I'm not who you say I am then you are not who you think you are."
James Baldwin
I want to extend my sincerest apology to the Right Wing Republicans; the Tea Party people , the Birthers, etc. For the last year, I have been calling you "narrow minded bigots who are just hatin' on the president because he's black!" However, based on the events of the last few weeks between the hecklers, the protesters, and the media lynching of former Obama green czar, Van Jones, I stand corrected. You guys don't hate him because he's black. You hate him because he's smart...and black.
Back in the early 90's there was a short lived fashion trend when black youth like the ones wearing Scarface T shirts, today, were proudly sportin' shirts with slogans such as "Knowledge is Power," "The Blacker the College the Sweeter the Knowledge" and my all time favorite, "Warning: Educated Black Man."
The latter was the expression of a sentiment that has existed in this country for centuries. White America is scared to death of a black man who can read and articulate a position.
On the plantation "Simple Jim" and "Big Buck" were never threats to the status quo . Nor are Krazy K and T-Bone who walk around with guns in their waste bands shouting obscenities at anyone who passes by. However, "uppity Negro" Frederick who would hide behind the barn and read a book and Marcus who walks around with "48 Laws of Power" instead of a 40 oz of Old English have always been public enemy #1.
Historically, it must be noted that up until the later part of the 19th century, black people were not ,legally, allowed to read as the plantation owner didn't want the people on whom he counted to pick his cotton to have delusions of grandeur that they could one day be running the joint and make his little rotten kids pick the cotton, themselves.
During the period following slavery it was necessary to give the newly emancipated slaves just enough training to make them productive parts of an economic system that was changing from agricultural to industrial. The idea was never to give the masses of black folks enough education to achieve equality with white Americans.
While an education indeed, was hard to obtain during the 1800's,some were able to break the color barrier. In 1826, John B. Russwurm became the first black college graduate. It must be noted that many of these early intellectuals used their education to write and speak out against slavery and later, with the coming of the WEB Dubois' and the William Trotters', speak out against racial inequality.
The continuing education of the masses of black folks has always been a controversial issue.
According to Harold Cruse in his book, "Plural but Equal," during the 1880's there was an 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." This was followed by the investment of white philanthropists in the movement of Booker T. Washington that favored an industrial education for black folks instead of the challenging white folks intellectually and politically as advocated by Du Bois.
During the mid 1900's, many African Americans thought that public school desegregation (Brown vs the Board of Education, 1954) was going to be the key to social and economic equity that we have yet to achieve.
In regards to the Black Power Era of the 60's, while white washed history paints the protesters as "angry black militant thugs," it must be noted that the most vocal members of the leadership were intelligent and college educated such as Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) and H. Rap Brown. And while the powers that be may have feared Black Panther, Huey P. Newton's gun, they were more afraid of the bullets that came out of his mouth.
It must also be noted that while Malcolm X went to prison as a street cat he came out of prison as one of the greatest debaters this country has ever known, often debating his philosophies on the campuses of major white universities.
During the "conscious" Hip Hop era (1988-92) it must be noted that those rappers who promoted intellectualism and academic development were demonized by those in power but the rappers who glorified gangsta-ism are still making CD's, endorsing products and even making kiddie movies twenty years after the fact.
I am sure that many of the parents who yanked their kids out of school, last week ,so they would not hear Obama's "stay in school" speech, have no problem with their children listening to Lil Wayne.
So, the problem of white intimidation by black male intelligence still exists to this day. Just ask any black student who was directed to the gym or the wood shop class by his advisor while his white counterpart was guided to the chemistry lab or advanced physics. Or the black man with a Master's degree who gets passed over for a promotion that is given to Jim Bob, who barely has a GED.
Maybe the attacks on black men like Van Jones and Barack Obama will serve a greater purpose.
We must use these intances as "teachable moments" to tell our young people that racists don't hate strong black men because of the color of their skin but they fear the genius that lies within.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283
For more information on the "Intelligence Over Ignorance" Campaign go to http://www.ioimovement.com/
Paul Scott
"If I'm not who you say I am then you are not who you think you are."
James Baldwin
I want to extend my sincerest apology to the Right Wing Republicans; the Tea Party people , the Birthers, etc. For the last year, I have been calling you "narrow minded bigots who are just hatin' on the president because he's black!" However, based on the events of the last few weeks between the hecklers, the protesters, and the media lynching of former Obama green czar, Van Jones, I stand corrected. You guys don't hate him because he's black. You hate him because he's smart...and black.
Back in the early 90's there was a short lived fashion trend when black youth like the ones wearing Scarface T shirts, today, were proudly sportin' shirts with slogans such as "Knowledge is Power," "The Blacker the College the Sweeter the Knowledge" and my all time favorite, "Warning: Educated Black Man."
The latter was the expression of a sentiment that has existed in this country for centuries. White America is scared to death of a black man who can read and articulate a position.
On the plantation "Simple Jim" and "Big Buck" were never threats to the status quo . Nor are Krazy K and T-Bone who walk around with guns in their waste bands shouting obscenities at anyone who passes by. However, "uppity Negro" Frederick who would hide behind the barn and read a book and Marcus who walks around with "48 Laws of Power" instead of a 40 oz of Old English have always been public enemy #1.
Historically, it must be noted that up until the later part of the 19th century, black people were not ,legally, allowed to read as the plantation owner didn't want the people on whom he counted to pick his cotton to have delusions of grandeur that they could one day be running the joint and make his little rotten kids pick the cotton, themselves.
During the period following slavery it was necessary to give the newly emancipated slaves just enough training to make them productive parts of an economic system that was changing from agricultural to industrial. The idea was never to give the masses of black folks enough education to achieve equality with white Americans.
While an education indeed, was hard to obtain during the 1800's,some were able to break the color barrier. In 1826, John B. Russwurm became the first black college graduate. It must be noted that many of these early intellectuals used their education to write and speak out against slavery and later, with the coming of the WEB Dubois' and the William Trotters', speak out against racial inequality.
The continuing education of the masses of black folks has always been a controversial issue.
According to Harold Cruse in his book, "Plural but Equal," during the 1880's there was an 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." This was followed by the investment of white philanthropists in the movement of Booker T. Washington that favored an industrial education for black folks instead of the challenging white folks intellectually and politically as advocated by Du Bois.
During the mid 1900's, many African Americans thought that public school desegregation (Brown vs the Board of Education, 1954) was going to be the key to social and economic equity that we have yet to achieve.
In regards to the Black Power Era of the 60's, while white washed history paints the protesters as "angry black militant thugs," it must be noted that the most vocal members of the leadership were intelligent and college educated such as Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) and H. Rap Brown. And while the powers that be may have feared Black Panther, Huey P. Newton's gun, they were more afraid of the bullets that came out of his mouth.
It must also be noted that while Malcolm X went to prison as a street cat he came out of prison as one of the greatest debaters this country has ever known, often debating his philosophies on the campuses of major white universities.
During the "conscious" Hip Hop era (1988-92) it must be noted that those rappers who promoted intellectualism and academic development were demonized by those in power but the rappers who glorified gangsta-ism are still making CD's, endorsing products and even making kiddie movies twenty years after the fact.
I am sure that many of the parents who yanked their kids out of school, last week ,so they would not hear Obama's "stay in school" speech, have no problem with their children listening to Lil Wayne.
So, the problem of white intimidation by black male intelligence still exists to this day. Just ask any black student who was directed to the gym or the wood shop class by his advisor while his white counterpart was guided to the chemistry lab or advanced physics. Or the black man with a Master's degree who gets passed over for a promotion that is given to Jim Bob, who barely has a GED.
Maybe the attacks on black men like Van Jones and Barack Obama will serve a greater purpose.
We must use these intances as "teachable moments" to tell our young people that racists don't hate strong black men because of the color of their skin but they fear the genius that lies within.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at info@nowarningshotsfired.com or (919) 451-8283
For more information on the "Intelligence Over Ignorance" Campaign go to http://www.ioimovement.com/
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Lynching of Van Jones
Back in the day, the lynch mobs used to come like thieves in the night to hang black men from trees. Seems like the Right Wingers are carrying on the tradition.
It's 3AM Sunday EST and my good night's sleep was interrupted by my usual nightmare that Mike Savage and the Savage Nation had overthrown the government and were reinstituting slavery. So, I frantically, went to Yahoo news to make sure that I didn't have to grab my meager belongings and head to Canada via the nearest swamp when I saw the latest headline that green jobs czar, Van Jones, had just resigned.
Who is forced to resign at 1AM on a holiday weekend?
I guess the Conservatives felt that most black folks would be too distracted by family reunions, BBQ and old Marvin Gaye records to raise too much of a fuss during Labor Day Weekend.
What did he do so bad, anyway, record a gangsta rap version of "It's Not Easy Bein' Green?"
Now I knew earlier today when Fox News launched an "unofficial" poll that 97% of their viewers thought that Jones should be fired that this was gonna be a rough ride.
After all, they are still featuring Rev. Jeremiah Wright speeches as breaking news every time they need a black bogeyman.
They also played clips of Jones' alleged "extremist views." One clip had Jones saying that you have never seen black kids doing a "Columbine."
Well....?
It's funny how they attack extremist views but don't explain how the views are extreme.
What happened to "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it..."
Guess that saying had as much merit when applied to black folks as "all men are created equal" did during slavery.
Oh well. I guess the only thing worst than being thrown under the bus is throwin' yourself under the Greyhound.
I wish that Jones had stuck to his guns. As the old saying goes, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
It's sad, they used to lynch black men with ropes now they lynch us with lies.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
It's 3AM Sunday EST and my good night's sleep was interrupted by my usual nightmare that Mike Savage and the Savage Nation had overthrown the government and were reinstituting slavery. So, I frantically, went to Yahoo news to make sure that I didn't have to grab my meager belongings and head to Canada via the nearest swamp when I saw the latest headline that green jobs czar, Van Jones, had just resigned.
Who is forced to resign at 1AM on a holiday weekend?
I guess the Conservatives felt that most black folks would be too distracted by family reunions, BBQ and old Marvin Gaye records to raise too much of a fuss during Labor Day Weekend.
What did he do so bad, anyway, record a gangsta rap version of "It's Not Easy Bein' Green?"
Now I knew earlier today when Fox News launched an "unofficial" poll that 97% of their viewers thought that Jones should be fired that this was gonna be a rough ride.
After all, they are still featuring Rev. Jeremiah Wright speeches as breaking news every time they need a black bogeyman.
They also played clips of Jones' alleged "extremist views." One clip had Jones saying that you have never seen black kids doing a "Columbine."
Well....?
It's funny how they attack extremist views but don't explain how the views are extreme.
What happened to "I may not agree with what you say but I will defend your right to say it..."
Guess that saying had as much merit when applied to black folks as "all men are created equal" did during slavery.
Oh well. I guess the only thing worst than being thrown under the bus is throwin' yourself under the Greyhound.
I wish that Jones had stuck to his guns. As the old saying goes, "if you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."
It's sad, they used to lynch black men with ropes now they lynch us with lies.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Monday, August 17, 2009
NWSF Advice to "Wishy Washy in Washington"
Today, No Warning Shots Fired is proud to present a new advice column. The first letter comes from Washington DC:
Dear No Warning Shots Fired,
I am having problems with the new job that I started, last January. Seems like I'm having a hard time trying to please everybody.
If I move to the right, my Left Wing friends get upset.
If I move to the left, my Right Wing friends get angry. And when they get angry, they get very, very angry.
It seems like the whole country is losing respect for me.
What should I do?
Signed,
Wishy Washy in Washington
Dear Wishy Washy in Washington,
I would give you some Dr Phil type advice but you need some tough love, homie. So, I'm gonna quote the words of the late, great philosopher, Tupac Shakur:
"People diss us on the street, man! We run from Bill O'Reilly. We run from Sean Hannity. We even run from Glenn Beck! All we do is run, like we're on a track team!
If you want respect you gotta earn respect! You gotta be willin' to grab some suckas by their collars and throwdown!
You gotta get the ground beneath your feet, partna and the wind behind your back and be willing to go out in a blaze of glory like Blizzard did!!!"
Hope this helps,
NWSF
Dear No Warning Shots Fired,
I am having problems with the new job that I started, last January. Seems like I'm having a hard time trying to please everybody.
If I move to the right, my Left Wing friends get upset.
If I move to the left, my Right Wing friends get angry. And when they get angry, they get very, very angry.
It seems like the whole country is losing respect for me.
What should I do?
Signed,
Wishy Washy in Washington
Dear Wishy Washy in Washington,
I would give you some Dr Phil type advice but you need some tough love, homie. So, I'm gonna quote the words of the late, great philosopher, Tupac Shakur:
"People diss us on the street, man! We run from Bill O'Reilly. We run from Sean Hannity. We even run from Glenn Beck! All we do is run, like we're on a track team!
If you want respect you gotta earn respect! You gotta be willin' to grab some suckas by their collars and throwdown!
You gotta get the ground beneath your feet, partna and the wind behind your back and be willing to go out in a blaze of glory like Blizzard did!!!"
Hope this helps,
NWSF
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Right Wingers Riot in Stamford!
With the creation of the Birthers Movement and the Healthcare Reform Town Hall Riots, is the Grand Ole Party becoming the Gangsta Ole Party?
Do the White Thing: Rise of Conservative Militants
Do the White Thing:
The Rise of Militant Conservatives
Paul Scott
Newsflash!
There was a riot in Stamford Connecticut, yesterday. The trouble started on the Crestwood Golf Course when corporate executive Howard "Howie" Thurston III got a call on his cell that his Viagra would no longer be covered under his health insurance policy. Enraged, Thurston slung his golf club, accidentally knocking Charles "Chuckster" Winchester off of his golf cart. This started a melee that quickly spilled into the streets of Stamford as a crowd of mostly white middle class rioters began smashing windows at Saks, grabbing Prada pumps, Gucci handbags and everything else they could get their hands on as African Americans and Latinos sat by their televisions shaking their heads in amazement.
Back in 1989, African American film director Spike Lee did a movie called "Do the Right Thing." The film, featuring Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" on the soundtrack, captured the black rage in America following such events as the Tawana Brawley incident and the Howard Beach racial unrest. The climax of the movie came when a mini riot developed in front of Sal's Italian Pizzeria after black activist, "Radio Raheem" died as a result of police brutality. Though this was the breaking point in race relations, Raheem's death was just the spark that set off the explosion as racial issues had been bubbling under the surface for months, not the least being the fact that an Italian restaurant in the 'hood didn't have any pictures of "brothers" on the wall.
So, it is with the recent mobilization of white Conservatives against the Obama presidency.
All across the US of A, there are groups of Right Wing Conservatives protesting everything from health care reform to whether the President should be deported to Africa.
While talk of "takin' it to the streets because the man is holdin' us down" is traditionally reserved for gangsta rap gurus, the sentiment is now being echoed by Right Wingers , some of whom are now threatening to bust a cap in anybody who gets in their way.
Seems like the GOP is morphing from the Grand Ole Party to the Gangsta Ole Party.
Even the most hardcore rappers are kicking back watching Fox News with note pads getting ideas for lyrics.
"Let's see...rollin' with the homies 'bout to crash the town hall; any sucka in my face is 'bout to fall..."
This is not to say that there are not people ,genuinely, PO'd by Obama's policies but some of the Right Wing militants are just ticked off that a black man is in the White House and fear that their country is undergoing a hostile take over by blacks and Latinos. The town hall rebellions and the birther movement are just convenient excuses for Joe the Mechanic to blow off some steam with other members of his clan.
Now, some of the protesters will place their right hands on the Bible swearing that they have at least one black or Latino friend and declare that their attacks on Obama have nothing (and I mean nothing) to do with race.
It never does.
Remember Emmett Till was not murdered because of racism but because he virtually raped a white woman by whistling at her and Martin Luther King was not attacked by bigots for standing up for black people but for being a "Commie sympathizer."
See, nothing racist about that at all.
The good thing about America is that you can have racism without having a racist.
Therefore, racism exists merely as a philosophical concept and not a socio-political reality made manifest by small minded paranoid people with talk shows.
Finding a racist is like capturing Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Although there are people who have documented proof that they exist, to find one and put him on display is a different story.
So, the town hall militias see themselves as merely upholding that oft overlooked part of the Constitution that gives them the right to overthrow the government.
It must be noted that there is a double standard when it comes to the public expression of white rage as opposed to black rage. I just can't imagine a couple of hundred black "militants" banging on the door at the next city council meeting without the city's finest coming out in full riot gear, bustin' heads and giving them some electric shock therapy courtesy of a taser.
Should African Americans be alarmed that there are "lynch mobs" of angry white folks organizing in the backrooms of country clubs across America, plotting, as we speak, diabolical ways to take back their country.
Ya darn tootin'.
In the South, where I reside, we still translate the traditional Southern call of "Yee Hawww!" to mean, "find a long rope and a tall tree."
So yes, there is cause for concern.
I can even see the chronically naive, GOP head, Michael Steele forgetting his wallet and showing up, unexpectedly, one night at GOP headquarters.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here so late and what's with the white bed sheets and kerosene? Somebody throwin' a toga party?"
This looks like it's gonna be a long hot Indian summer.
I'm just waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio to do a movie called "Do the White Thing" with Ted Nugent performing a country western rap, "Fight for White Power" on the soundtrack.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/
He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
The Rise of Militant Conservatives
Paul Scott
Newsflash!
There was a riot in Stamford Connecticut, yesterday. The trouble started on the Crestwood Golf Course when corporate executive Howard "Howie" Thurston III got a call on his cell that his Viagra would no longer be covered under his health insurance policy. Enraged, Thurston slung his golf club, accidentally knocking Charles "Chuckster" Winchester off of his golf cart. This started a melee that quickly spilled into the streets of Stamford as a crowd of mostly white middle class rioters began smashing windows at Saks, grabbing Prada pumps, Gucci handbags and everything else they could get their hands on as African Americans and Latinos sat by their televisions shaking their heads in amazement.
Back in 1989, African American film director Spike Lee did a movie called "Do the Right Thing." The film, featuring Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" on the soundtrack, captured the black rage in America following such events as the Tawana Brawley incident and the Howard Beach racial unrest. The climax of the movie came when a mini riot developed in front of Sal's Italian Pizzeria after black activist, "Radio Raheem" died as a result of police brutality. Though this was the breaking point in race relations, Raheem's death was just the spark that set off the explosion as racial issues had been bubbling under the surface for months, not the least being the fact that an Italian restaurant in the 'hood didn't have any pictures of "brothers" on the wall.
So, it is with the recent mobilization of white Conservatives against the Obama presidency.
All across the US of A, there are groups of Right Wing Conservatives protesting everything from health care reform to whether the President should be deported to Africa.
While talk of "takin' it to the streets because the man is holdin' us down" is traditionally reserved for gangsta rap gurus, the sentiment is now being echoed by Right Wingers , some of whom are now threatening to bust a cap in anybody who gets in their way.
Seems like the GOP is morphing from the Grand Ole Party to the Gangsta Ole Party.
Even the most hardcore rappers are kicking back watching Fox News with note pads getting ideas for lyrics.
"Let's see...rollin' with the homies 'bout to crash the town hall; any sucka in my face is 'bout to fall..."
This is not to say that there are not people ,genuinely, PO'd by Obama's policies but some of the Right Wing militants are just ticked off that a black man is in the White House and fear that their country is undergoing a hostile take over by blacks and Latinos. The town hall rebellions and the birther movement are just convenient excuses for Joe the Mechanic to blow off some steam with other members of his clan.
Now, some of the protesters will place their right hands on the Bible swearing that they have at least one black or Latino friend and declare that their attacks on Obama have nothing (and I mean nothing) to do with race.
It never does.
Remember Emmett Till was not murdered because of racism but because he virtually raped a white woman by whistling at her and Martin Luther King was not attacked by bigots for standing up for black people but for being a "Commie sympathizer."
See, nothing racist about that at all.
The good thing about America is that you can have racism without having a racist.
Therefore, racism exists merely as a philosophical concept and not a socio-political reality made manifest by small minded paranoid people with talk shows.
Finding a racist is like capturing Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster. Although there are people who have documented proof that they exist, to find one and put him on display is a different story.
So, the town hall militias see themselves as merely upholding that oft overlooked part of the Constitution that gives them the right to overthrow the government.
It must be noted that there is a double standard when it comes to the public expression of white rage as opposed to black rage. I just can't imagine a couple of hundred black "militants" banging on the door at the next city council meeting without the city's finest coming out in full riot gear, bustin' heads and giving them some electric shock therapy courtesy of a taser.
Should African Americans be alarmed that there are "lynch mobs" of angry white folks organizing in the backrooms of country clubs across America, plotting, as we speak, diabolical ways to take back their country.
Ya darn tootin'.
In the South, where I reside, we still translate the traditional Southern call of "Yee Hawww!" to mean, "find a long rope and a tall tree."
So yes, there is cause for concern.
I can even see the chronically naive, GOP head, Michael Steele forgetting his wallet and showing up, unexpectedly, one night at GOP headquarters.
"Hey guys, what are you doing here so late and what's with the white bed sheets and kerosene? Somebody throwin' a toga party?"
This looks like it's gonna be a long hot Indian summer.
I'm just waiting for Leonardo DiCaprio to do a movie called "Do the White Thing" with Ted Nugent performing a country western rap, "Fight for White Power" on the soundtrack.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/
He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
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