The Black Informant

The Black West by William Loren Katz

“The Black community of the gold rush California became one of the most culturally advanced and probably the richest black community in the country. Its wealth was placed at more than two million dollars in assets, with more than half of this located in San Francisco. This wealth acted as a precipitant of black demands for equal justice and was repeatedly used as a further argument in its favor.”

“General William Tecumseh Sherman liked to tell about his California friend, General Persifer F. Smith, who would ‘take off his cap and make a profound bow to every colored man who he met in San Francisco in 1849, because he said, they were the only gentlemen who kept their promises.’”

Excerpts taken from the book: The Black West by William Loren Katz

You have seen me mention this book several times throughout this site. This is an excellent book for those who want to know more about Black history in the west. In this book you will find out things like how Blacks built many of their own cities from the ground up. And guess what? They did not use any loans . You will also ready about how Black women in some parts of the west were more educated and business savvy than that of many of their white counterparts. The information in this book in my opinion is priceless. Much of what you read in this book you would not find in most school history books. Check it out!

NAACP: Civil Rights Movement No More

In a form the IRS attached with its letter, the agency explained its claim that Mr. Bond made statements opposing Mr. Bush for the presidency this way: “Specifically … Mr. Bond condemned the administration policies of George W. Bush on education, the economy, and the war in Iraq.”
Reacting to those claims, Mr. Mfume said, “We are non-partisan, but we’ve never been non-critical.”
Mr. Bond said: “Nor does any law require that we not be critical. We’ll fight this clearly partisan effort to still our voices. … We’re aware of the difference between criticism and partisanism and are confident we have not crossed the line.” (full article)

Yes Mr. Bond, you did cross that line a long time ago.

I will limit my rant on this issue to just two points: Courage and confidence. This issue has shown once again that this organization lacks both.

Courage: the law clearly instructs all non-profits that they are to steer clear of endorsing any canidate in an election. Statements such as “Their (Republicans) idea of equal rights is the American flag and the Confederate swastika flying side by side…” , or “… their (Republicans) idea of reparations is to give war criminal Jefferson Davis a pardon…”, or “(President Bush had reached into) “the Taliban wing of American politics” to fill some of the top positions in his administration” does not exactly reflect neutrality. For the people that took part in the all of the various civil rights protests during the 1950’s and 60’s, they were well aware of the law (regardless of how biased they were), and were willing to face the consequences of their actions (jail time, fireman hoses, etc.) . The NAACP has clearly broken the law and they ONCE AGAIN run to the white man for cover and protection (Kerry is calling for an investigation into the IRS’ allegations) instead of facing the music. RACISM HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH IT.

Confidence : by not facing the consequences of their actions, they have also demonstrated that they lack the confidence in the American people (in particular Black Americans). If the NAACP was to loose their non-profit status, they will be at the mercy of financial giving from ordinary Americans. How can an organization which claims to bring hope lack confidence in the people that they claim they help? This also shows that they lack confidence in the validity of their own organization.

The one thing that encourages me is the growing number of Blacks that are voicing similar sentiments regarding organizations such as the NAACP. Once again I stress the fact that historically this organization has done much good, but by actions such as adverting responsibility, what was once a blazing fire for truth and justice is nothing more than a flickering ember.

Thanks to Booker Rising regarding the Kerry response piece.

On Multiculturalism

This is the perversion of social virtue that gave us a multiculturalism that has nothing to do with culture. The goal of America’s highly politicized multiculturalism is to create an atavistic form of citizenship - a citizenship of preferential status in which race, ethnicity, and gender are linked to historic victimization to justify entitlements unavailable to other citizens. Culture is a pretext, a cover. The trick of this multiculturalism is to pass off atavisms as if they were culture. So people think they are being “tolerant” of “cultural diversity” when, in fact, they are supporting pure racial power.

…In fact multiculturalism actually suppresses America’s rich variety, because much of actual culture does not mesh with victimization. (from A Dream Deferred by Shelby Steele)

Are you Driven by Inalienable Rights or Civil Rights?

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with inherent and inalienable rights; that among these, are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness.” –Declaration of Independence as originally written by Thomas Jefferson

The short definition of the word Rights is “A just or legal claim or title”. Another way of defining this word is “a permission that is given that has a legal backing”. In this country we have two basic types of rights: Civil and Inalienable.

Civil rights are rights that are given to an individual based on the laws of a society. It is the governing body of that society that has authored and guaranteed the civil rights of its citizens. Civil rights can also be revoked at any time.

Inalienable rights, on the other hand, are rights that are (according to the Declaration of Independence) are given by the Creator (God). A governing body may hinder these rights, but does not have the legal authority to revoke these rights. Man cannot dictate or control what God has already given.

It does not matter if a person believes in God or not. The fact is, the Declaration of Independence, along with all the other legal documents that laid the foundation of this nation used the Bible as its source of inspiration. In order to understand the inalienable rights that have been given to us by God, one must refer to the Bible in order to find interpretation of the laws of this nation. The founding fathers did not use the Koran, or any other religious source book for inspiration. The laws of this nation allows for all men to worship freely; however, when it comes to interpreting US law, the Bible is our source book - weather if we believe in God or not. For a country like Iran, whose laws are influenced by the Koran, the Koran is their source book for interpreting the laws of their country.

Civil rights gives a person permission to have access; however, that person is not empowered to be their very best (i.e. go beyond the status quo). That is why for people who live their lives strictly under civil rights will always be frustrated with the government because in all men and women, there is a distinct drive to go beyond the boundaries that some MAN has set for you. It (the inner drive) just needs room to develop on its own.

If you look the former slaves in this country (who were denied just about every civil right) that migrated out west, what drove them there was not civil rights (because they faced even more bigotry out west), but their God given inalienable rights: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. All Lincoln could do was to grant us permission to be recognized as “equal” (”Okay ya’ll. Now we must treat these black folks as regular people” - a crude interpretation of the Gettysburg address). However, you know as well as I that deep seeded opinions cannot be changed by simply passing a law. Inalienable rights, on the other hand, have already been given to us by the Creator. If a soldier is captured by the enemy in battle, he has the inalienable right to get out of his predicament. He does not wait until his captors (who would rather see him dead) decide to pass a law that will set him free.

Biddy Mason was a slave who traveled with her owner to California:

Biddy Mason at thirty-two trudged from Mississippi to California behind three hundred wagons of her master’s caravan. Her job was to keep the cattle together during the long voyage of the prairie schooners. In 1865, her master decided to return home with his slaves. But Mrs. Mason had other ideas. She convinced the local sheriff to press her case and she and three daughters won their freedom. Through hard work and cleaver investments, Mrs. Mason acquired large parcels of land. These she donated for schools, churches and nursing homes. In addition she aided flood victims and bought food to the undernourished men in local jails. Many knew and few forgot the generosity of Biddy Mason. She died in 1891. (From “The Black West” by William Loren Katz)

If Mrs. Mason just went along with the little privileges that were allotted to her, she would have gone back to Mississippi and all the people she helped in her life would not have received the help that they needed. It was her inalienable right to live her life to the fullest in spite of what society allowed her to do that drove her to not only win her freedom, but to leave a lasting impression on American history. You see, Mrs. Mason was already free on the inside.

Today, Black America is filled with testimonies of people who were born into deep poverty, but yet found the inner-fortitude to push beyond what mere civil rights gave to them. It was the inalienable right to live life to its fullest that drove them to be the best at what they do. All affirmative action can do is to grant us opportunity. It doesn’t drive us to be the best.

A person that is driven by their inalienable rights will have no trouble abiding by civil rights; however, they will never limit themselves to just being status quo. The most dangerous thing that we can do as Black Americans is to interpret inalienable rights and civil rights as one in the same.

Democrats and Republicans in Their Own Words

Here is another document that I found online that has recorded both the Republican and Democratic party’s various positions on Civil Rights for the past 124 years.

Hey, I love to research. What can I say.

Here is the link.

One of the Reasons Why the Islamic World Hates the USA

Gradually, Young Sean’s sincerity convinces Anna he is speaking the truth. They kiss once and, on another occasion, talk in the bath. These scenes have, inevitably, earned the movie notoriety. It was booed at its Venice Film Festival premiere last month and is proving difficult to market before Friday’s release. (full article)

This excerpt describes a wonderful on-screen love relationship between Anna (played by Nicole Kidman) and Sean (played by Cameron Bright) in the brand new movie enitiled “Birth”. Sounds like a run-of-the-mill part, right? Well, it isn’t! Sean is a 10-YEAR OLD BOY! Hollywood has again slipped further into the gutter. Countries under Islamic rule see this kind of trash as something that justifies death in most cases (one of the reasons why terrorist are targeting the US). I am down with free speech, but man, can someone get our moral compass out of the sewer?

Democrats In Their Own Words Regarding WMD’s

“We urge you, after consulting with Congress, and consistent with the U.S. Constitution and laws, to take necessary actions (including, if appropriate, air and missile strikes on suspect Iraqi sites) to respond effectively to the threat posed by Iraq’s refusal to end its weapons of mass destruction programs.” — From a letter signed by Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Barbara A. Milulski, Tom Daschle, & John Kerry among others on October 9, 1998

“This December will mark three years since United Nations inspectors last visited Iraq. There is no doubt that since that time, Saddam Hussein has reinvigorated his weapons programs. Reports indicate that biological, chemical and nuclear programs continue apace and may be back to pre-Gulf War status. In addition, Saddam continues to refine delivery systems and is doubtless using the cover of a licit missile program to develop longer- range missiles that will threaten the United States and our allies.” – From a December 6, 2001 letter signed by Bob Graham, Joe Lieberman, Harold Ford, & Tom Lantos among others

“Saddam’s goal … is to achieve the lifting of U.N. sanctions while retaining and enhancing Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction programs. We cannot, we must not and we will not let him succeed.” — Madeline Albright, 1998

“Iraq made commitments after the Gulf War to completely dismantle all weapons of mass destruction, and unfortunately, Iraq has not lived up to its agreement.” — Barbara Boxer, November 8, 2002

“The last UN weapons inspectors left Iraq in October of 1998. We are confident that Saddam Hussein retained some stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, and that he has since embarked on a crash course to build up his chemical and biological warfare capability. Intelligence reports also indicate that he is seeking nuclear weapons, but has not yet achieved nuclear capability.” – Robert Byrd, October 2002

“What is at stake is how to answer the potential threat Iraq represents with the risk of proliferation of WMD. Baghdad’s regime did use such weapons in the past. Today, a number of evidences may lead to think that, over the past four years, in the absence of international inspectors, this country has continued armament programs.” – Jacques Chirac, October 16, 2002

“The community of nations may see more and more of the very kind of threat Iraq poses now: a rogue state with weapons of mass destruction, ready to use them or provide them to terrorists. If we fail to respond today, Saddam and all those who would follow in his footsteps will be emboldened tomorrow.” – Bill Clinton in 1998

“In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including Al Qaeda members, though there is apparently no evidence of his involvement in the terrible events of September 11, 2001. It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons. Should he succeed in that endeavor, he could alter the political and security landscape of the Middle East, which as we know all too well affects American security.” – Hillary Clinton, October 10, 2002

“I am absolutely convinced that there are weapons…I saw evidence back in 1998 when we would see the inspectors being barred from gaining entry into a warehouse for three hours with trucks rolling up and then moving those trucks out.” — Clinton’s Secretary of Defense William Cohen in April of 2003

“Iraq is not the only nation in the world to possess weapons of mass destruction, but it is the only nation with a leader who has used them against his own people.” – Tom Daschle in 1998

“Saddam Hussein’s regime represents a grave threat to America and our allies, including our vital ally, Israel. For more than two decades, Saddam Hussein has sought weapons of mass destruction through every available means. We know that he has chemical and biological weapons. He has already used them against his neighbors and his own people, and is trying to build more. We know that he is doing everything he can to build nuclear weapons, and we know that each day he gets closer to achieving that goal.” – John Edwards, Oct 10, 2002

“I share the administration’s goals in dealing with Iraq and its weapons of mass destruction.” – Dick Gephardt in September of 2002

“Iraq does pose a serious threat to the stability of the Persian Gulf and we should organize an international coalition to eliminate his access to weapons of mass destruction. Iraq’s search for weapons of mass destruction has proven impossible to completely deter and we should assume that it will continue for as long as Saddam is in power.” – Al Gore, 2002

“We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction.” — Bob Graham, December 2002

“We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction.” – Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002

“I will be voting to give the president of the United States the authority to use force - if necessary - to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security.” – John F. Kerry, Oct 2002

“We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them.” – Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002

“Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 - 1994, despite Iraq’s denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons. U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq’s claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction.” – Patty Murray, October 9, 2002

“As a member of the House Intelligence Committee, I am keenly aware that the proliferation of chemical and biological weapons is an issue of grave importance to all nations. Saddam Hussein has been engaged in the development of weapons of mass destruction technology which is a threat to countries in the region and he has made a mockery of the weapons inspection process.” – Nancy Pelosi, December 16, 1998

“Even today, Iraq is not nearly disarmed. Based on highly credible intelligence, UNSCOM (the U.N. weapons inspectors) suspects that Iraq still has biological agents like anthrax, botulinum toxin, and clostridium perfringens in sufficient quantity to fill several dozen bombs and ballistic missile warheads, as well as the means to continue manufacturing these deadly agents. Iraq probably retains several tons of the highly toxic VX substance, as well as sarin nerve gas and mustard gas. This agent is stored in artillery shells, bombs, and ballistic missile warheads. And Iraq retains significant dual-use industrial infrastructure that can be used to rapidly reconstitute large-scale chemical weapons production.” — Ex-Un Weapons Inspector Scott Ritter in 1998

“There is unmistakable evidence that Saddam Hussein is working aggressively to develop nuclear weapons and will likely have nuclear weapons within the next five years. And that may happen sooner if he can obtain access to enriched uranium from foreign sources – something that is not that difficult in the current world. We also should remember we have always underestimated the progress Saddam has made in development of weapons of mass destruction.” – John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

“Saddam’s existing biological and chemical weapons capabilities pose a very real threat to America, now. Saddam has used chemical weapons before, both against Iraq’s enemies and against his own people. He is working to develop delivery systems like missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles that could bring these deadly weapons against U.S. forces and U.S. facilities in the Middle East.” – John Rockefeller, Oct 10, 2002

“Whether one agrees or disagrees with the Administration’s policy towards Iraq, I don’t think there can be any question about Saddam’s conduct. He has systematically violated, over the course of the past 11 years, every significant UN resolution that has demanded that he disarm and destroy his chemical and biological weapons, and any nuclear capacity. This he has refused to do. He lies and cheats; he snubs the mandate and authority of international weapons inspectors; and he games the system to keep buying time against enforcement of the just and legitimate demands of the United Nations, the Security Council, the United States and our allies. Those are simply the facts.” – Henry Waxman, Oct 10, 2002

Click here to visit site where I found this article.

Should Blacks be Patriotic? (Commentary by Lana Hampton)

In this piece, Ms. Hampton addresses the whole issue of Blacks not wanting to identify themselves as Americans. Yes, it is true that America has not been the greatest (especially during the days of slavery). But when look at our past history versus the present, we have certainly come a very long way. This whole notion that we have to maintain the grudges of what happened 200 + years ago is phony. The one question that remains to be unanswered by most Black liberals that I come across is: “If America has been so bad to you, why don’t you just leave?” Trust me, I do not have a “tude” when I ask this question. I am asking it in all sincerity. Quick example: If I lived in a town of people that always treated me bad, stole from me, took advantage of me, and were just flat out racist, why would I still choose to live there?

I have more respect for people like Marcus Garvey who just did not complain about America. He put into practice what he preached. He was also known as the father of the “Back to Africa” movement. Although short lived, he started a trans-Atlantic shipping company called the “Black Star” line. This line shipped goods as well as Black Americans who wanted to go to Africa.

Anyway, I digress. Check out Lana’s commentary:

In my browsing on the Internet, the most disturbing anti-Americanism (from Americans)I came across was in Front Page magazine. Michael Tremoglic wrote an article titled “Comrade Toms”. In it he described listening to a black Philadelphia radio station where, following 9/11, callers were making statements such as,“America got what it deserved” and “I’m Black, I’m not an American.” (full article)

The Skeletons in Kerry’s Closet Come out Just in Time For Halloween

Man, I did the last series of posting as a spoof on the cBS controversy. Here is a story regarding Kerry and his trip to Paris back in 1971. WorldNetDaily is claiming that the documents have been verified. If this story is true, don’t hold your breath to see the major media outlets covering it. I think any controversy that is centered around documents are being avoided like the black plague.

One freshly unearthed document, captured by the U.S. from Vietnamese communists in 1971 and later translated, indicates the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese delegations to the Paris peace talks that year were used as the communications link to direct the activities of Kerry and other antiwar activists who attended.

Corsi says the documents show how the North Vietnamese, the Viet Cong, the People’s Coalition for Peace and Justice, the Communist Party of the USA and Kerry’s VVAW worked closely together to achieve the Vietnamese communists’ primary objective – the defeat of the U.S. in Vietnam.

In her meeting with Kerry in Paris, Madame Binh instructed him on how he and the VVAW could “serve as Hanoi’s surrogates in the United States,” Corsi and Swett say. This included advancement of her seven-point peace plan forcing President Nixon to set a date to end the war and withdraw troops. (rest of article)

A Little Bit of Democratic History

It is ironic that the African American Community largely follows the mantra of the Democrat Party. In the 2000 Presidential Election almost 90 percent of the African American votes went for the Democrat ticket. One has to wonder why?

Slavery, which was, and continues to be a major racial divide in this country was initiated by Democrats, maintained by Democrats, and the Civil War which was partially fought to end the practice of slavery was initiated by Democrats to maintain this practice.

By contrast, The 13th Constitutional Amendment to Abolish Slavery, which was signed by Abraham Lincoln, a Republican on Feb 1, 1965.

The Confederate Flag, which has been a major consternation of the African Community in many Southern States, was put in place and is maintained today by Democrats.

The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by Republicans in the House and Senate over the objection of Democrats and set in place such major support for the African American Community as:

• Voting Rights,
• Desegregation of public accommodation,
• Desegregation of public facilities,
• Desegregation of schools,
• Affirmative action,
• Financial support,
• Public housing,
• Civil Rights Commission

William Jefferson Clinton, who many in the African Community considered to be the 1st Black President, was Governor of Arkansas with a Confederate Flag flying over the State Capital. He often credits his political career to his mentor Orval Faubus who was one of the staunchest segregationists in his day.

Yet despite all of this history, Blacks still love the Democratic party.

Full article here.

mypollingsite.com

I recently got this link via e-mail.

http://www.mypollingsite.com/

Check out the following site if you want a heads up on who to vote for in your district. This site comes complete with a sample ballot for your district.

Click here to go to the site.

Political Correctness: Does it Actually Help Black/White Relations?

I think everyone can laugh at the following scenario: You are a Black person and you are in a conversation with a white person. The white person is telling you a story about something that may have happened a few weeks ago and he/she gets to the part of the story when they have to identify the race of the person involved in this story. If you are black, you automatically know that the race of the person is Black by the hesitancy the white person is having describing the person (”He was a…you know…a bl…African-American”). Usually what follows next is that they look to you as to see if you were offended in anyway. Once they see that you did not flip out, they continue with their story.

One day, I decided to have a little fun with this scenario as I was listening to this dear white person tell me this story. When she got to the part of the story where she had to identify the race of the person, she must have named every shade of black as she herself was blushing in embarrassment. When she finally said “black”, I proceeded to “go off” as if she struck some kind of internal nerve. I then told her that I am going to have to call Jesse and Al on her for not getting it right. At this point, she looked as though she needed some medical attention. After I was finished, I just laughed and told her that I was just kidding. We both laughed at the incident.

As I walked away, I began to realize just how political correctness (PC) has done nothing to improve Black/White relations. Here you had this nice person who probably did not have a racist bone in her body, feel a brush with total fear simply because she had to refer to someone by their race. As I thought about it some more, I then realized how we have allowed PC to change how we reference ourselves many times. We have gone from colored, black, Afro-American, to African-American — all within a few decades. It is no wonder white people are confused what to call us. We really do not know what to call ourselves. Even in my own writing, I use the term African-American at times partially out of habit. The truth is, most blacks that may prefer to be called African-American have never set foot on the continent and will probably never will. Unless you are related to Alex Haley, most blacks cannot trace their roots back to Africa. Most blacks today (whether they want to admit it or not are not even 100% black). Take me for example, my skin completion is dark brown, but I am made up of at least 2 races that I know of: African and American Indian (My last name Brayboy actually comes from the Lumbee tribe located in the southern region of the east coast. Brayboy actually came from the word Braveboy. Prior to that, it was just Brave). I also have quite a few relatives that have very distinct Indian features. Of course I ended up with the nappy hair (that part is straight outta Africa). The PC term African-American is not exactly true in my case. I am sure many of you have similar backgrounds.

I do not experience a brief burst of memories of walking in the lush jungles of Africa, or the wonderful times being in the village with my kin folk as we watch the giraffes and elephants roam in the vast grassy fields when someone refers to me as an African-American. To me, someone calling me black is no different then someone calling me an African-American.

I was talking with someone a while ago about the importance of having good teachers that really care for their students, and don’t just see them as “little projects”. I also mentioned that when a teacher really cares for a student, in the end that student is not going to care about the color of the teacher. All they see is that someone cares for them. Later, a white woman approached me and was telling me that she could hear what I was saying. She said that she was a teacher in an inner-city school and how she really enjoyed it. As this woman was talking to me, she was almost at the point of tears because of the love that she had for her students (who were mostly black). She also expressed to me how she felt kinda awkward being a white woman that loved her students the way she did. I am convinced that it was PC and not skin color that made this woman feel as though she was in some sort of quandary.

You know, it is almost a common thing for me to see these days a white family with adopted Asian children. Many of these Asian kids come from countries in which they are either under heavy persecution, or were birthed to a family in a country like China, where there is a limit on the amount of children a family can have. In any event, these precious kids need families that will love and take care of them. Many of our precious black children are almost in the same boat. Many of them have to grow up not knowing what it is like to have a father in the home, or a mom that is always around because maybe she is working 2 + jobs. Sure, this is not the scenario in all black homes, but we certainly lead the nation in these situations. I believe that PC has scared off many would-be good parents that just happen to be white for our dear children. Maybe that is why most white families opt for adopting Asian children over black. As I mentioned earlier, when a child sees real love, they do not care about the color of the person. Do you think that when a black child is being held by a white woman, that child is saying “get this white face away from me?” PC has always said that black belongs with black, white with white, etc.; however, PC comes up short in the event of a crisis. The amount of children that we have in our community that do not have fathers in the home is a crisis that requires all hands on deck.

The biggest fear that most blacks have about what I am talking about is that our children will inevitably turn white. In other words, they will loose their sense of black culture. A good parent will never allow that to happen. I have seen parents of adopted children literally bend over backward to see to it that their children are exposed to their roots.

So as you can see, PC has done nothing but further divide the relationship between blacks and whites. Blacks must get over the fear of being referred to as an American first. Whites must get over their fear of being misunderstood for caring for what happens in the black community. Until this happens, we will never see true unity in this nation.

Bishop A. Gore Preaches Da Word…his word.

“If any of you felt frustrated or angry about what was done four years ago involving 27,000 votes here,” the former U.S. vice-president said, “I want to encourage you — not to ignore those feelings — but don’t turn them into angry acts or angry words.

“But turn all of that energy and all of those feelings into a non-stop effort between now and 7 p.m. Nov. 2 in making certain everyone you know who is qualified to vote gets out to the polls and votes early starting today.”

If that anger can be channelled, it will be a powerful force harnessed by Democrat John Kerry in the battle for Florida’s 27 electoral votes.

Rev. Tom Diamond, the pastor here, made it clear that the anger is still palpable.

“The Republican party threw out 27,000 of our votes,” he told his congregation.

“The Republican party tried to disenfranchise us, the Republican party is spitting on the graves of our ancestors … spitting on their graves by taking away rights we have fought for and died for.

“And by all rights, Brother Al Gore is the president-elect.”

The crowd responded with cries of “that’s right,” and “you tell them.”

“You do know he is the president-elect? Yes he is. He got elected, but they didn’t give it to him, Amen?

“Amen” the congregation responded.

Rev. Eric Carter, who helped officiate yesterday, made the same point later.

“I want to call him President Gore, I really do.” (full article)

Whew! Y’all, I do not know where to begin with this one.

I do not know who is worse; Al Gore or these gullible church folk who were Amen’ n Gore off of the stage.

Stories like this make me too tired to indulge myself any further. Instead I will provide you with the actual procedure of the electoral college in the event of a tie:

What would happen if two candidates tied in a state’s popular vote, or there was a dispute as to the winner?

A tie is a statistically remote possibility even in smaller states. But if a state’s popular vote were to come out as a tie between candidates, state law would govern as to what procedure would be followed in breaking the tie. The results of a tie would not be known until late November or early December, after a recount and after the state’s secretary of state had certified the election results. Federal law would allow a state to hold a run-off election.

A very close finish could also result in a run-off election or legal action to decide the winner. Under federal law (3 U.S.C. section 5), state law governs on this issue, and would be conclusive in determining the selection of electors. The law provides that if states have laws to determine controversies or contests as to the selection of electors, those determinations must be completed six days prior to the day the electors meet. (click here to visit site)(emphasis are mine)

Do you want to know Florida’s state law in deciding who wins a tie? This CNN article explains:

A Florida law offers a decidedly low-tech way out of the dilemma: The winner is determined by drawing lots, or objects of varying sizes.

Statute 100.181 says in part: “In case two or more persons receive an equal and highest number of votes for the same office, such persons shall draw lots to determine who shall be elected to the office.”

In terms of all the bizarre twists, I would call this the most bizarre,” said Johnny Burris, who teaches election law and the Florida Constitution at Nova Southeastern University’s law school.

He said some local elections have been decided by drawing lots under the statute, passed in 1941, but never a statewide election and certainly not a presidential election in Florida.

Notice that the law “doesn’t specify how they draw the lots,” Burris said. “It could be balls in a hat, you could draw straws.” (full article)

So it appears that Bush did not steal the election. Big Fat Lie In Church #1

If you did not catch a point that Gore mentioned earlier, here it is again:

“If any of you felt frustrated or angry about what was done four years ago involving 27,000 votes here,” the former U.S. vice-president said, “I want to encourage you — not to ignore those feelings — but don’t turn them into angry acts or angry words.

Gore and company have been deceiving black people with this line since the last election. It is true that there were votes that were lost during the last election. However a report entitled “Voting: What Is and What Could Be,” compiled by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the California Institute of Technology gives us the whole picture:

• Between 4 million and 6 million votes for the presidency were discarded following the last Election Day, Nov. 7, 2000

• 1.5 million to 2 million of those were discarded because of faulty, aged equipment or poorly designed ballots

• 1.5 million to 3 million votes were lost because of registration foul-ups

• 500,000 to 1.2 million were lost because of confusion at polling places on Election Day

• An unknown amount were discarded because of problems with absentee voting

• Florida was just one of many states with problems – others included Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, South Carolina and Wyoming

• More votes were lost or spoiled in New York City and Chicago than in Florida (full article)

Nothing mentioned about tricks targeted towards blacks.

Since loosing the last election, Gore has demonstrated himself to be a very sore looser. He needs to learn to tell the truth and stay out of the church!

Update to Nig-gate

It has come to TBI’s attention that them memo involved in this major scandal is being questioned for its authenticity. Our sources have confirmed that that not only this memo is authentic, but it was taken from Mr. Clinton’s typewriter. We have provided the actual copy of the original as further proof that this memo does exist. Please click on the image to read the larger version of this document.

Please continue to follow this story as it is quickly developing…

Nig-Gate

The Black Informant was able to secretly obtain copies of the former president Bill Clinton’s upcoming series of speeches geared towards African-Americans. It seems that it is a rough draft. Again, this is a Black Informant world exclusive.

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I say to you my black niggas brothers and sisters, the big white house is at stake this election season. That Yank G.W. Bush is no friend to our plantation cause. Just as you have blindly supported me, I ask that you will do the same for your new Massa President, John Kerry. Sure, he doesn’t play the saxaphone, or live in the hood like the rest of us black folk, but He will do good by you. He has given me his word that he will keep you in your place hope alive, because like me, he realizes that you are too ignorant to do it for yourselves freedom is to be enjoyed by all people. That is why he has asked me to join him on this quest, because it seems that some of you are getting confused who to vote for just need a little encouragement. After I gave him the 411 on the black mind explained to him the importance of addressing the needs of African-Americans, he then had a better understanding of the task at hand. I asked for some insight from the NAACP on what to do. They told us that the the fear of Jim Crow works every time we needed to reassure you that the DNC will not take your vote for granted. In other words, scare the niggas to vote for you.

So please make sure you vote for Massa your future President, John Kerry. He will make sure that the plantation America is safe. And remember, he has a plan whip.

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The above was clearly meant to be funny. The DNC’s assertion that Blacks are too confused and need some assurance from a white man ( I’m sorry, the first Black president) that it is ok to vote for Kerry is not funny at all. I can appreciate the fact that, like any competition you want to pull out all of your big guns. But the truth of the matter is, Blacks that are changing their minds about voting Democratic are doing so after giving it much thought. Clinton is no Saviour of Black people (even though to some, he is). Blacks also realize that regardless of what Clinton may say, he is not the one that is running for president.

The build up of Clinton’s return.

Voices from the Past

“… God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion. The people cannot be all, and always, well informed. The part which is wrong will be discontented, in proportion to the importance of the facts they misconceive. If they remain quiet under such misconceptions, it is lethargy, the forerunner of death to the public liberty. … And what country can preserve its liberties, if it’s rulers are not warned from time to time, that this people preserve the spirit of resistance? Let them take arms. The remedy is to set them right as to the facts, pardon and pacify them. What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time, with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure.” — Thomas Jefferson

Hypocrites Unite!

Soros Criticizes Michael Moore for Unethical Tactics

(CNSNews.com) - Billionaire George Soros blasted filmmaker Michael Moore for using unethical and misleading tactics in his film “Fahrenheit 9/11.” Soros was questioned by members of the Soros Truth Squad, which is sponsored by the National Legal and Policy Center, following a speaking engagement in Harrisburg, Pa., on Tuesday. In response to a reporter’s question, Soros criticized Moore, saying Moore tried “to mislead the American people” by resorting to inaccuracies. “I am not a fan of Michael Moore,” Soros added.

Soros is trying to buy the White House with all of his 527’s…which is better? Both men are forcing both their money and influence on the general populace while “We the people” are being silenced. Not to mention the fact that Soros has funded numerous commercials based on lies and propaganda. Thanks guys!!

Black’ s Worst Enemy (commentary by Ken Hughes)

Along with civil rights came the Great Society. Liberal Americas answer to reparations for past grievances. Mothers and children were moved into public housing husbands and fathers were moved out. Family structure went out the door to be replaced with free rent, food stamps, and free medical care, subsistence payments were based on the number of illegitimist children a woman could produce. After a generation words like husband and father were replaced with words like “My Man and My Baby Daddy”. The family authoritarians became Grandmothers and Aunties. The neighborhoods were taken over by Rappers, drug dealers pimps and ho’s,. How is it possible to raise families with dignity in this environment? It isn’t, who’s to blame liberalism. There’s no such thing as mandated Affirmative Pride.

(full article)

Critical Reasoning, Reading, and Church

The church in the Black community has historically played a key role in encouraging Blacks to read. There was one church in the Ohio/Illinois area (I will furnish the specifics of this church in a later update) that not only taught the people how to read, but also taught them how to debate what they read (in other words, they were trained to be critical thinkers). The church has also played a major role in the lives of many of our early Black American leaders because of its commitment to reading and critical reasoning.

The church in the black community has come quite a long way since those times. This institution has evolved from the days in which the people were just struggling to read to the Bible to the present where pastors, missionaries, evangelists, etc. are witting books on a regular basis. People like T.D. Jakes, Creflo Dollar, and others have written many books that are widely read throughout their congregations and beyond. It is not an uncommon thing to find Black churchgoers that have read several books within a 12 month period (well above the national reading average of the black community).

With all of this reading going on in many of the mainstream Black churches, one must still ask the question if this trend is contributing to the pool of critical thinkers in our communities.

If one were to scan many of the Christian books that are on the market today, you will find that most of these books obviously deal with Christian/spiritual themes. However, when it comes to discussing the everyday issues (the economy, government, law) that affect the common man (non-church goers), many of these books come up short. What you end up with is a group of people that are well versed in church culture, but find it very difficult to bridge that culture with the general culture around them (with the exception of issues such as abortion, gay marriage, school prayer and related issues). This is contrary to the earlier mission of the church as I discussed in the first paragraph of this posting. Even though there are churches that are actively taking part in the everyday health of their community (job creation, benevolence, etc.), this is not a common practice in today’s church. What the typical non-churchgoer wants to know is how does church practically help them in their everyday life. Another question may be “What does God have to say regarding the war in Iraq?” This is where the critical thinker can be helpful to the church. Simply telling someone that “God will take care of it” may not be a satisfying answer that this person is looking for.

Part of being a critical thinker is having the ability to debate various issues with someone who does not agree with your point of view. In much of church culture today, there are hardly any forums provided for people who may disagree with an issue that church leadership may have discussed. Parishioners go to church under the assumption that what the pastor is telling them is always correct. This is why it is easy to assume in the black community that if you are a pastor, or you have a Rev. in front of your name, you are community leader (or spoke person of the people). If the truth be told, many Black church-goers know that if they were in any way critical of their church leadership, their membership would be short-lived. This kind of environment is not conducive for a critical thinker.

As I stated earlier in this posting, the church has played a major role in molding many of our earlier Black leaders by not only teaching others how to read, but how to debate the issues their books discussed. Today’s church must return to this mission of raising up God-fearing critical thinkers if it is to still be considered truly effective in our community.

“My People are destroyed for the Lack of Knowledge”

***Please Note: The next part of this posting will be up sometime during the day on Thursday, so I will not add any other posting until then. I want this posting to carry over to tomorrow because this is one of those subjects of great importance and I want to make sure that everyone has a chance to read and comment before I post the next part of this discussion. As always, please add your comments below. Thanks!
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If you are familiar with the Old Testament, you will read about the never-ending cycle of the Israelites making a covenant with God, and years later forgetting that a covenant even existed. The big reason behind this was because the parents did not teach the young about the wonders of the Lord. Today, the African-American community has been making the same mistake for the past few generations.

Ask the typical Black student in one of our public schools anything about Black history beyond Martin Luther King Jr., and all you will get in most cases is just a black stare. We live in a time now that unless Hollywood produces a film on a significant Black person in history, our children will never know about that person as well as the impact they made on history. The days of slavery is the mental picture that most blacks have of their history past the 1950’s. Isn’t it something that if you look at most films that feature Blacks in a historical setting, they all center around the days of slavery? Further proof that the textbook of today’s black youth is the theater screen.

Some time ago, I mentioned the recent study on reading conducted by the National Endowment for the Arts entitled “Reading at Risk: A Survey of Literary Reading in America“. Here are the conclusions of that study:

Reading at Risk presents a distressing but objective overview of national trends. The accelerating declines in literary reading among all demographic groups of American adults indicate an imminent cultural crisis. The trends among younger adults warrant special concern, suggesting that – unless some effective solution is found – literary culture, and literacy in general, will continue to worsen. Indeed, at the current rate of loss, literary reading as a leisure activity will virtually disappear in half a century.

And of course, Black folk came out near the bottom again. Below, I have included some graphics of this study:

This first chart reveals that out of all the Blacks included in this study, only 37.1% have actually taken the time for a literary reading within a 12-month period. Twelve (12) months! This chart also shows a significant decline between the years of 1982, 1992, and 2002.

This chart breaks down the 37.1% in further detail for us. Here you can see that out of that 37.1%, only 29.8% of Black males did any kind of significant reading within the same 12-month period. If our kings are not reading, then how in the world can they lead?

In black barbershops and beauty shops across America, you will not see books in the reading rack. Instead you will see mostly pop culture magazines that are filled with mostly pictures. I think it is safe to say that most people are drawn to magazines because of the pictures and not the words behind them.

During this election, when the candidates wanted to appeal to the Black community, they always had to go to the Black leaders. This was due to the fact that we are known as a people that are still in search of a spokesman (someone that is supposedly familiar with the facts). People that have a habit of reading and finding out the facts for themselves do not need a spokesman. When was the last time you heard the American press use the phrase “Grecian leaders”, “Japanese leaders”, or “Italian leaders”?

The church (in the Black community), on the other hand, historically encourages its parishioners to read. However, does this help the situation in any way? I will talk about that tomorrow.