According to news reports, the United States has officially boycotted the World Conference Against Racism (Durban Review Conference.)
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/04/18/U.S.racism.conference/
While members of the Jewish community are applauding the decision, the question that African Americans should be asking is:
Did President Obama sell us out?
I can't help but to think about the millions of African Americans who voted for Obama, last November.
Personally, I wish I could take my vote back.
This was the Prez's first real test to see if he would do the right thing by the black community.
Unfortunately, he failed with flying colors.
I predicted this would happen in a post written last February.
http://nowarningshotsfired.blogspot.com/2009/02/nwsf-bullet-rappin-about-reparations.html
Showing posts with label Zionism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Zionism. Show all posts
Saturday, April 18, 2009
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Facing Racism on Facebook
Facing Racism on Facebook:
Boycotting the US Boycott of WCAR
Paul Scott
"What we have here is failure to communicate."
Although this is a classic line from the movie "Cool Hand Luke," it could also be used to sum up the feelings of many Americans in regards to the boycott of the upcoming UN World Conference Against Racism by the United States and several other countries.
On April 20, nations will gather in Geneva Switzerland to discuss racism and its many degrees of ugliness. However, the US has announced that it will boycott the event because of the possibility that topics such as Zionism, reparations and the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade will be on the table.
Why would a nation that has just elected its first African American president do such a thing?
Perhaps the reason is that since we haven't had the courage to have an open and honest discussion of race within our own borders, we are hesitant about airing our dirty laundry before the world.
Philosophers have long posed the question whether or not man has the capacity for self condemnation. In the case of the Obama Adminstration the answer is, obviously, no.
Even though, Attorney General Eric Holder raised eyebrows a few months back when he chastised America for being a nation of cowards when it comes to facing race, it seems that the scope of his criticism was limited to home grown racism. Even when the issue of race is discussed domestically, the discussion is usually unbalanced. Either one practices racism or is the victim of the practice and the victims of racism have been people of color.
Historically, the US has never taken too kindly to the efforts of those who had the audacity to attempt to expand the struggle of black people beyond the borders of America.
One only has to look at the governmental persecution of such black leaders as Marcus Garvey and WEB Du Bois, who sought to place the plight of African Americans within a Pan Africanist context.
Also it is more than just a conspiracy theory that even though Dr. Martin Luther King's stance against the Vietnam War and Malcolm X's threat to bring the Civil Rights struggle before the United Nations may not have, directly, contributed to their early demises, the actions did result in increased federal surveillance of their activities.
The interconnectedness of America's Civil Rights movement and the global struggle for African Independence cannot be denied. The Civil Rights movement was effective, largely, because of the struggles of African nations against European colonialism. Also, the end of Apartheid was, at least, partially due to the efforts of college students who fought for the divestment of American interests from South Africa.
As African Americans, we have a right to sing our blues before the world about the problems that we still face in America such as disproportionate unemployment and police brutality without our voices being drowned out by government bureaucracy.
To have a country that is the home of millions of the decedents of the worst atrocity known to man (the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade) refuse to participate in a discussion about racism is not only an insult to the present generation but to our ancestors whose bones lie at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
We must boycott the US boycott of the World Conference Against Racism.
And how do we do this?
Our children have shown us the way.
Almost every American teenager is involved in some sort of Internet social networking via Facebook, Twitter, youtube etc, which gives them the ability to connect with other teens around the world, at will. We must use this new media to circumnavigate the blockade to global fellowship imposed by the US government.
While countries are meeting in Geneva April 20th -24, we must engage in a great global conversation using the tools that we have readily available; laptops, iPhones, etc to raise the issue of racism and its global impact on oppressed people. No Warning Shots Fired.com has already set up a social network group on Facebook called "Time to Face Race."
So, yes Mr. President, Americans will take part in the World Conference Against Racism; if only in cyberspace.
Paul Scott is a minister, activist and blogger who writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Boycotting the US Boycott of WCAR
Paul Scott
"What we have here is failure to communicate."
Although this is a classic line from the movie "Cool Hand Luke," it could also be used to sum up the feelings of many Americans in regards to the boycott of the upcoming UN World Conference Against Racism by the United States and several other countries.
On April 20, nations will gather in Geneva Switzerland to discuss racism and its many degrees of ugliness. However, the US has announced that it will boycott the event because of the possibility that topics such as Zionism, reparations and the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade will be on the table.
Why would a nation that has just elected its first African American president do such a thing?
Perhaps the reason is that since we haven't had the courage to have an open and honest discussion of race within our own borders, we are hesitant about airing our dirty laundry before the world.
Philosophers have long posed the question whether or not man has the capacity for self condemnation. In the case of the Obama Adminstration the answer is, obviously, no.
Even though, Attorney General Eric Holder raised eyebrows a few months back when he chastised America for being a nation of cowards when it comes to facing race, it seems that the scope of his criticism was limited to home grown racism. Even when the issue of race is discussed domestically, the discussion is usually unbalanced. Either one practices racism or is the victim of the practice and the victims of racism have been people of color.
Historically, the US has never taken too kindly to the efforts of those who had the audacity to attempt to expand the struggle of black people beyond the borders of America.
One only has to look at the governmental persecution of such black leaders as Marcus Garvey and WEB Du Bois, who sought to place the plight of African Americans within a Pan Africanist context.
Also it is more than just a conspiracy theory that even though Dr. Martin Luther King's stance against the Vietnam War and Malcolm X's threat to bring the Civil Rights struggle before the United Nations may not have, directly, contributed to their early demises, the actions did result in increased federal surveillance of their activities.
The interconnectedness of America's Civil Rights movement and the global struggle for African Independence cannot be denied. The Civil Rights movement was effective, largely, because of the struggles of African nations against European colonialism. Also, the end of Apartheid was, at least, partially due to the efforts of college students who fought for the divestment of American interests from South Africa.
As African Americans, we have a right to sing our blues before the world about the problems that we still face in America such as disproportionate unemployment and police brutality without our voices being drowned out by government bureaucracy.
To have a country that is the home of millions of the decedents of the worst atrocity known to man (the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade) refuse to participate in a discussion about racism is not only an insult to the present generation but to our ancestors whose bones lie at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
We must boycott the US boycott of the World Conference Against Racism.
And how do we do this?
Our children have shown us the way.
Almost every American teenager is involved in some sort of Internet social networking via Facebook, Twitter, youtube etc, which gives them the ability to connect with other teens around the world, at will. We must use this new media to circumnavigate the blockade to global fellowship imposed by the US government.
While countries are meeting in Geneva April 20th -24, we must engage in a great global conversation using the tools that we have readily available; laptops, iPhones, etc to raise the issue of racism and its global impact on oppressed people. No Warning Shots Fired.com has already set up a social network group on Facebook called "Time to Face Race."
So, yes Mr. President, Americans will take part in the World Conference Against Racism; if only in cyberspace.
Paul Scott is a minister, activist and blogger who writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Appeal to Hip Hop Nation
Appeal to Hip Hop Nation:
Support World Conference Against Racism
Paul Scott
Ask any Hip Hop head about the genre's impact on the world and he will wax poetic for hours about how kids in Japan are break dancing and how children in Africa know the words to the latest lil Wayne song. But ask him about the role of Hip Hop in fighting for the rights of the globally oppressed and the silence is deafening.
With the far reaching impact of Hip Hop across the planet, one must ask why few have spoken out against the probable boycott of the upcoming World Conference Against Racism by the United States.
According to news reports, the US and several other countries will not attend the conference because of concern that issues such as Zionism, Reparations and the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade may be topics of discussion.
To have a country that is the home of millions of the decedents of the worst atrocity known to man refuse to participate in a discussion about racism is not only an insult to the present generation but to our ancestors whose bones lie at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
We have a right to sing our song before the world about the problems that we still face in America such as disproportionate unemployment and police brutality without our voices being drowned out by government bureaucracy.
You would think that a Hip Hop movement that has ,vehemently, opposed censorship would have their ambassadors on the front line demanding that the masses be heard. But no. There has been hardly a peep from the hardcore defenders of free speech.
Why?
Because contrary to popular belief and the anti-intellectual nature of some of their lyrics, rappers ain't stupid. They know who to mess wit'.
So why does a movement that has prided itself as being "neva scared" wet its collective pants at the thought of addressing global oppression ?
There has always been a certain amount of danger in black folks getting involved in international issues. One only has to look at the governmental persecution that black leaders such as Marcus Garvey and WEB Du Bois faced when, through Pan Africanism, they tried to expand the struggle of black folks beyond the shores of America. Also, it is more than just a conspiracy theory that Dr. Martin Luther King's campaign against the Vietnam War and Malcolm X's threat to bring the Civil Rights struggle before the United Nations hastened their early demises.
The fear of getting out of the Hip Hop sandbox and stompin' with the big dogs is not just limited to the Hip Hop movement but to Civil Rights organizations, as well.
So, it has been safer to confine ones concerns to the domestic not the foreign. In the case of the rapper, it is much safer to restrict your "beef" to another black man instead of the forces that oppress you both.
As much as many of the Hip Hop artists accuse the Civil Rights leaders of being soft, in reality, they both have the same end game strategy; total integration into the system. That is why the goals and objections of even the most "gangsta" rappers have not differed much from the status quo.
When criticized about their lyrics, some rappers are quick to claim that they are victims of society. Wouldn't the anti-racism conference be a perfect opportunity to expand Hip Hop's narrow definition of victim-hood to include the global victimization of African people? This would be a perfect opportunity to show the homies that the issues facing "tha hood" are microcosmic in relation to the issues facing black people, worldwide.
It is imperative that the Hip Hop community uses its collective resources to demand that the Obama Administration send representatives to the conference in Geneva beginning April 20th. It was not enough to register thousands of poor and oppressed black folks to vote in 2008. If, in 2009, the issues facing those people are still ignored the various voter registration drives were a waste of time and energy.
Hip Hop must truly become what it was initially meant to be, the voice of the oppressed.
Forget all the tough talk and street swagga. Until rappers can speak out against things like the boycott of the World Conference Against Racism, like James Brown said, they are just talkin' loud and sayin' nuthin...
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Support World Conference Against Racism
Paul Scott
Ask any Hip Hop head about the genre's impact on the world and he will wax poetic for hours about how kids in Japan are break dancing and how children in Africa know the words to the latest lil Wayne song. But ask him about the role of Hip Hop in fighting for the rights of the globally oppressed and the silence is deafening.
With the far reaching impact of Hip Hop across the planet, one must ask why few have spoken out against the probable boycott of the upcoming World Conference Against Racism by the United States.
According to news reports, the US and several other countries will not attend the conference because of concern that issues such as Zionism, Reparations and the Trans Atlantic Slave Trade may be topics of discussion.
To have a country that is the home of millions of the decedents of the worst atrocity known to man refuse to participate in a discussion about racism is not only an insult to the present generation but to our ancestors whose bones lie at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.
We have a right to sing our song before the world about the problems that we still face in America such as disproportionate unemployment and police brutality without our voices being drowned out by government bureaucracy.
You would think that a Hip Hop movement that has ,vehemently, opposed censorship would have their ambassadors on the front line demanding that the masses be heard. But no. There has been hardly a peep from the hardcore defenders of free speech.
Why?
Because contrary to popular belief and the anti-intellectual nature of some of their lyrics, rappers ain't stupid. They know who to mess wit'.
So why does a movement that has prided itself as being "neva scared" wet its collective pants at the thought of addressing global oppression ?
There has always been a certain amount of danger in black folks getting involved in international issues. One only has to look at the governmental persecution that black leaders such as Marcus Garvey and WEB Du Bois faced when, through Pan Africanism, they tried to expand the struggle of black folks beyond the shores of America. Also, it is more than just a conspiracy theory that Dr. Martin Luther King's campaign against the Vietnam War and Malcolm X's threat to bring the Civil Rights struggle before the United Nations hastened their early demises.
The fear of getting out of the Hip Hop sandbox and stompin' with the big dogs is not just limited to the Hip Hop movement but to Civil Rights organizations, as well.
So, it has been safer to confine ones concerns to the domestic not the foreign. In the case of the rapper, it is much safer to restrict your "beef" to another black man instead of the forces that oppress you both.
As much as many of the Hip Hop artists accuse the Civil Rights leaders of being soft, in reality, they both have the same end game strategy; total integration into the system. That is why the goals and objections of even the most "gangsta" rappers have not differed much from the status quo.
When criticized about their lyrics, some rappers are quick to claim that they are victims of society. Wouldn't the anti-racism conference be a perfect opportunity to expand Hip Hop's narrow definition of victim-hood to include the global victimization of African people? This would be a perfect opportunity to show the homies that the issues facing "tha hood" are microcosmic in relation to the issues facing black people, worldwide.
It is imperative that the Hip Hop community uses its collective resources to demand that the Obama Administration send representatives to the conference in Geneva beginning April 20th. It was not enough to register thousands of poor and oppressed black folks to vote in 2008. If, in 2009, the issues facing those people are still ignored the various voter registration drives were a waste of time and energy.
Hip Hop must truly become what it was initially meant to be, the voice of the oppressed.
Forget all the tough talk and street swagga. Until rappers can speak out against things like the boycott of the World Conference Against Racism, like James Brown said, they are just talkin' loud and sayin' nuthin...
TRUTH Minista Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/ He can be reached at (919) 451-8283
info@nowarningshotsfired.com
Friday, February 27, 2009
NWSF Bullet: Rappin' About Reparations
You can talk about some things in America when it comes to race; dead Civil Rights leaders, desegregation etc but when it comes to talkin' about the dreaded "R" word, all bets are off!
According to news reports, the United States will not participate in the upcoming UN World Conference Against Racism unless some changes are made to the conference's final document including, according to the Associated Press, "language on reparations for slavery."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-NABlEjaGSsDBh_qdpdNmX7V6VwD96K620G0
What tha....?
This is not the first time that the US has pulled out of the World Conference on Racism, remember they got ta steppin back in 2001.
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/racism/index.html
You mean to tell me that even with a black president in the White House, the issue of Reparations is still taboo?
There have been many African Americans who have dedicated their lives fighting to have the United States pay the victims of the African Holocaust something for their pain and suffering and to have the US take a chill pill on a meeting to discuss the issue is a diss to everyone with black skin.
Also, this announcement coming during Black History Month is another slap in the face.
Why don't you just call me the "N" word and slap me with a piece of fried chicken?
And you mean to tell me that President Obama is OK with this?
I mean, it's cool to give fist bumps and chill at basketball games but come on...
I'm just saying, someone is dangerously close to gettin' his Brotha's card snatched.
I can't put all the blame on the Prez, though. The real tragedy is the failure of African Americans to stand up for issues like Reparations.
We can get outraged because of a cartoon with a monkey but when it comes to dealin' with something with some substance, we bury our heads in the sand.
Just as millions of black folks organized to get people to vote for a black man, we must now organize to insure that issues such as Reparations are no longer ignored.
We owe it not only to ourselves but the millions of our ancestors whose bones rest at the bottom of the Atlantic.
According to news reports, the United States will not participate in the upcoming UN World Conference Against Racism unless some changes are made to the conference's final document including, according to the Associated Press, "language on reparations for slavery."
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5h-NABlEjaGSsDBh_qdpdNmX7V6VwD96K620G0
What tha....?
This is not the first time that the US has pulled out of the World Conference on Racism, remember they got ta steppin back in 2001.
http://www.npr.org/programs/specials/racism/index.html
You mean to tell me that even with a black president in the White House, the issue of Reparations is still taboo?
There have been many African Americans who have dedicated their lives fighting to have the United States pay the victims of the African Holocaust something for their pain and suffering and to have the US take a chill pill on a meeting to discuss the issue is a diss to everyone with black skin.
Also, this announcement coming during Black History Month is another slap in the face.
Why don't you just call me the "N" word and slap me with a piece of fried chicken?
And you mean to tell me that President Obama is OK with this?
I mean, it's cool to give fist bumps and chill at basketball games but come on...
I'm just saying, someone is dangerously close to gettin' his Brotha's card snatched.
I can't put all the blame on the Prez, though. The real tragedy is the failure of African Americans to stand up for issues like Reparations.
We can get outraged because of a cartoon with a monkey but when it comes to dealin' with something with some substance, we bury our heads in the sand.
Just as millions of black folks organized to get people to vote for a black man, we must now organize to insure that issues such as Reparations are no longer ignored.
We owe it not only to ourselves but the millions of our ancestors whose bones rest at the bottom of the Atlantic.
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