The Lavender Times

Courage

2011-05-16T02:19:00.001-07:00

	“What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, and he but naked, though locked up in steel, whose conscience with injustice is corrupted.” William Shakespeare

	More quotes by: William Shakespeare More quotes about: Stronger, Thrice

The arrogance of being President while being Black. America 2011

2011-05-10T22:05:00.001-07:00

I don't think anyone was under some real illusion that the election of Barack Obama actually means the end of racism in America . I'm pretty sure that the president-elect knew it better than anyone. After all, he saw it every day, from the moment he announced his candidacy. To some degree, he saw it within his own party during the primaries. And he saw it in all ugliness during the general election. For half of this country, he was "That One". No matter how big and clear his victory was. No matter how smart he is. No matter how decent he is. No matter what a true patriot he is. No matter how optimistic and positive his vision for America was. All that didn't matter. Because at the end of the day, he was still black.

I'm quite old. I remember, vaguely, where my parents were on November 22, 1963. I've seen so many presidents. Some were feared, some were hated, some were adored, some popular and some not. But all of them, without exception, were treated with the highest respect deserving the office of the president of the United States .

That is until a black man won the right to occupy this office. It's been 13 months now, and in the eyes of so many, Barack Obama is still that one. He is being disrespected and at the same time being held to the highest standard of any president I've ever seen – and not just by the Republican side! He has to perform three times better than any president in history, and even that may not be enough.

For the media, he is many more times just "Obama" than "President Obama". They create scandals out of nothing issues. It took them at least 6 years to start giving Bush a small part of the shit he deserved. It took them 6 months to begin crap all over Obama because he's yet to fix the catastrophe that was left for him.

They use condescending tones when they talk about him, and only mildly less condescending when they talk TO him. With anyone else, CNN wouldn't dare go to commercials every time the president speaks, like they did during that summit on Thursday. They wouldn't dare be counting how many minutes George Bush or Bill Clinton were talking. Chris Mathews wouldn't dare make an issue out of Ronald Regan calling members of congress by their first name, like he is not actually the president. They fully cooperate with the Right-Wing smear machine when it comes to president Obama's national security performance – even if almost every independent and military expert actually thinks that he's a terrific Commander-in-Chief. You'll never see them on TV, and virtually no one from the Left, in congress and outside, defend the president on this matter.

I don't care about the Far-Right. They're just crazy ignorant Neanderthals. It's the way the beltway and the mainstream treats this president that is shocking. On Thursday, almost every Republican had no trouble interrupting him in the middle of a sentence. They looked like they're going to vomit every time they had to say "Mr. president". They all had this Eric-Cantor-Smirk whenever he spoke. Then they went out and started to spit their stupid talking points, to the delight of the media. Sarah Palin, a woman who can hardly read, thinks that he was "arrogant" towards John McCain, and somehow this is an important news. Because you see, "Obama's Arrogance" is the talking point of the day.

Oh, those talking points. He is arrogant (because he knows the facts better than all of them combined). He is an elitist (because he uses big words that they don't understand). He is weak on national security (because he actually thinks about the consequences). He divides the country (well, he did that the day he had the audacity to win the election). Worst of all, he actually thinks that he's the president. He even dared to say so on Thursday. How arrogant of him. You'd think that previous presidents didn't have any ego. Somehow it turned out that the one president who treats even his biggest opponents with the utmost respect – is the arrogant one. I wonder why?

I expected that his winning the Presidency would bring out some ugliness, but it's been far worse than I imagined. The racism coming from the Right is obviously clear and shameless, but there's also some hidden and maybe subconscious and disturbing underline tone behind some of the things that I read here and throughout the Left blogosphere, even before the end of Obama's first year - 'He's weak, he's spineless, he's got no balls, primary him in 2012'. It'll be dishonest to deny that.

The fact is that for millions in America, Barack Obama is this uppity black man (Not even a "real" black), who received good education only due to affirmative action, and has no right to litter the sacred Oval Office with his skin color. They just can't accept the fact that the president is a black man, who unlike his predecessor, was actually legally elected. But what's really sad is that it's not just the fringe, its deep deep in mainstream America .

Barack Obama's ability to remain above all this slob, to keep his optimism and his strange and mostly unjustified faith in people, while continuing to gracefully deal with an endless shitstorm – is one of the most inspiring displays of human quality I have ever seen. And I can only hope that the Cosmos is on his side because God is and He never makes a mistake.

Sometimes, they make me feel ashamed to be a white man!!!
Author unknown

HarpWeek | Elections | 1868 Medium Cartoons

2011-04-28T02:35:00.000-07:00

HarpWeek Elections 1868 Medium Cartoons

What began in 1868 still exists in different forms. Too many believe there is no power in voting.

HarpWeek | Elections | 1868 Medium Cartoons

2011-04-28T02:08:00.000-07:00

HarpWeek Elections 1868 Medium Cartoons

The real political parties of our time.

From Change To Wave

2010-11-04T00:35:00.001-07:00

The midterm elections are over. Many pundits, analysts, and talk show hosts have concluded that the Republican wins and Democrat loss means only one thing; did President Obama get it?

The "it" these right or conservative based folks are referring to is the ideal that voters who chose Republicans and Tea Party Republicans over Democrats were sending a message to President Obama that he was "out of touch" with mainstream America. That he should admit his agenda was crap as Tim Pawlenty from Minnesota stated in a Fox interview. That all President Obama's policies were the agenda he'd always planned to inflict on the American people and not the result of the financial mess he inherited in 2008.

This constant memory loss of Republican supporters is how we arrived in our current situation of almost 10% unemployment. These same complainers conveniently forget NAFTA, Enron, subprime mortgages, Iraq, Afghanistan, and a $700 billion dollar bailout approved by Bush before leaving office. When President Obama made the statement Wednesday morning during his White House press conference that the policies of the past two years was an agenda for emergency action and not his planned agenda many right-wingers dismissed his explanation as an insult.

"He must think the American people are stupid," said Hannity on his usual rant of speaking for the so-called great Americans. I don't know if President Obama thinks these fickle voters are stupid but I know many of them appear to be brain dead.

Early Wednesday morning from CNN to Fox the only conversation was the Republican wave and how it sent a message to the president, only.

The Republican gains in the House were somehow a mandate and not a message to both parties about working together; the same party voters tossed out in 2008. Republican analysts all agree apparently that this midterm election is somehow more telling than what voters did 2 years prior. We are now to believe that the frustration of 10% unemployment and health care reform for those who have jobs means Republican and Tea Party candidates are now what the people really want.

These same critics spent the entire day repeating the same refrain, "he just doesn't get it" "he never admitted these losses for Democrats were all his fault" "he never humbled himself" "he won't admit his policies are not what the American people want."

How convenient to forget the millions of Americans who didn't support Republicans or Tea Party Republicans. Now that's what I call that stupid.

Can't Have the Keys Back

2010-10-18T20:34:00.000-07:00

Support Black Talk Radio Call a FM Program Director

2010-04-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Angelique invited you to "Support Black Talk Radio Call a FM Program Director" on Thursday, March 25 until June 25.
Event: Support Black Talk Radio Call a FM Program Director
What: Protest
Start Time: Thursday, March 25 at 12:40am
End Time: Friday, June 25 at 3:40am
To see more details and RSVP, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=1108844401&k=Z5ETQZS6U6TF6BD1QJ24VSYZ23IB42WF3UEVG&oid=345873057741

Quotation from Malcolm X

2010-03-04T16:45:00.000-08:00

You're not to be so blind with patriotism that you can't face reality. Wrong is wrong, no matter who does it or says it.
--Malcolm X

COMMUNITY REINVESTMENT

2009-08-26T07:24:00.001-07:00

Since 1968 we have been struggling to find a direction and a vision that will reunite our community. We learned from Martin and Malcolm that we are capable of great things when we come together. After the deaths of these two black men we were so confused about our next step that we basically sat still for almost forty plus years. Our schools held no vision for our children and our communities produced few jobs and very little commercial development. Why?

Because we were more renters than owners, because we did not play the financial market, and because we just didn't know how to compete and overcome our personal financial shortcomings.

But in the last five years we have grown more savvy about Wall Street, mortgages, and most importantly, we have learned the importance of equity building.

So on September 04, 2009 lets move forward with what we have learned from the civil rights movement. This is the next tier, economic development will lead to a stronger independence for African Americans here and across Haiti and Africa.
Join us.

Go to thetruthfighters.com or prlog.org for more information.

BLACK FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 4, 2009 . A day of trust.

2009-08-02T19:28:00.001-07:00

On September 4 millions of black Americans are vowing to make a change in their communities commitment to changing the economic shadow cast during this major gangster move on black owned real estate and how banks have corrupted the people’s trust.

In 1987, after the closing of 98% of the savings and loans community, mom and pop businesses were forced to rebuild financial relationships in a loosely regulated banking community. Housing for black America, however, was still redlined and difficult to acquire because the larger banks had new rules that were even more restrictive and still racist.

If the strength of a nation is in its cities (and we know from history this statement is true), why hasn’t Congress written legislature to affect this imbalance and create a tax base in all our communities? After 23 years of community development grants and empowerment zones and now with subprime ruin, black owned real estate is reducing dramatically.

Like Wall Street, the black community must build a financial base that will once and for all resurrect our tax base, help build and fund public and charter schools, and make it possible with our own board of directors, to create affordable mortgages.

Black Friday is the first baby step to rebuilding that kind of economic strength. Laws and negative business attitudes have affected black Americans disproportionately in building equity, politically and financially. Knowing this, we are no longer seeking fairness or legislation giving something unneeded. Instead, the solution is to build our own.

This is a new action for this generation of integrated folk who are absent the lessons from the civil rights era. There are many who may claim we should keep trying to work it out with the current system. They simply refuse to see facts, in America, the message has been very clear black man and woman the obstacles to your financial emancipation are still not in your hands.

Our financial power must be controlled for us by us. Support Black Friday and tell your children why it is important.

We need an economic buildup/blackout

2009-07-22T22:25:00.001-07:00

As President Obama fights for universal health care in the nation’s capital many citizens are blind to the conversation. Why is a request for health care for all such a terrible financial venture? Is a severe lack of preventive medical care considering what we know about our food production a death sentence or subliminal eugenics. Consider the number of female related products now promoted and aimed at a mandatory inoculation. One pharmaceutical company even suggests to young woman there is no medical reason to have more than four menstrual cycles a year. NO MEDICAL REASON. And another suggest we can protect our young ten year old virgins by presuming they will contract cancer and inoculate them now. None of the drugs have been tested enough to make these claims, but that information is in the very fine print.

In a country where a former secretary of state served as the CEO for a pharmaceutical company the outcome can only be death. Death to the thousands of little girls who will be the guinea pigs for companies like Baxter International and Merck. When men like these are creating germ warfare and accidentally losing or shipping samples, who believes theses outcomes are not intentional.

Under Bush we all were political guinea pigs, stripped of basic liberties out of fear, lied to by government, and editors across the country refusing to print the news. Our government conspired (yeah I wrote it) to kill us slowly thru our food supply, steal our economic wealth through an unregulated Wall Street, and leave us depressed, overweight, psychotic, and basically unhealthy.

The situation, however, bleak is a major challenge and the spirit loves a challenge.

So beginning here and now we take hold of our destiny. We rebuild our trust in one another. It will take baby steps but many of us are ready to just start steppin’. Do you remember the time when we had fathers and mothers one the block and in the house and at church, families that spread across the country all wanting to help the other progress along. We conducted business with one another and we showed and received respect.

While it will take some time to discover and build this new financial relationship there is no doubt of its necessity. Think Katrina and you will understand. Think Countywide, Enron, and sub-prime and you will remember how you were regarded.

Black America has talked about many solutions to our numerous issues from black talk radio to news specials and documentaries. But this new idea, a economic buildup/blackout is about testing and strengthening our financial picture in this fast approaching new world order. An economic buildup/blackout is used by all successful cultures to buy and build their communities. It serves all the needs of the community from housing to the hospital. Something we did once upon a time.

The blueprint for this new development, Black Friday, encourages one day of conscious spending with community based black businesses or not spending at all and saving a specific amount each Friday in a black owned bank. We have realized for some time now that a bank that serves the interest and develop of its communities is how you repair education and disparities in housing availability.

We need a major move to make better use of our economic power and equity to get this change going. We need black people who are not afraid and distrustful of one another. Are you game?

Increasing your political education.

2009-07-05T13:24:00.000-07:00

Increasing your political education. In today's political atmosphere black men and women are not newcomers to the struggle but their political power has no direction. The fractions of grassroots leaders from the Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have kept hope alive by keeping it real, but its not enough. Organizations like Acorn keep registration going but it too is not enough.

Since the late 60's civil rights murders of community leaders and economic power plays had black families working two jobs to keep their children graduating and progressing. The ideal always being that an education was irreversible.

College graduates and business owners in the black community can attest to the fact that our educations exposed us to specific fields of industry but it also opened our eyes on how to set an agenda or a plan for progress. A very important and necessary skill for success. We must now do the same politically.

Right now we have all the tools in place. A Congress that claims liberal minded politics. A president we helped elect in larger numbers than any other community. And an educated and creative community seeking a change to the staus quo.

It is time for the black community to become its own lobbyist without the large check. A corporation carries one vote. A community thousands.

Stay tuned for more information in your community on increasing your political education.