Saturday, August 12, 2006
Actually Old News or Old Observations
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Thursday, July 06, 2006
My Nightmare
The possibility of American society falling under the ideological control of right wing politicians and thinkers, entrenched in a pseudo fascist political nightmare in our life time is a frightening concept that keeps me awake at night. What concerns me most is that the middle class black community is not only following along in this insane madness but in many instances, seems to be leading the charge head long into this reactionary nightmare. The lack of any meaningful effective progressive black leadership really does not bother me as much as the lack of any sort of progressive black institutions in America. It i’s not a failure of leadership per say as it is more a failure or a lack or nation building. The lack of any type of institutional base of support is so damaging to the black community. The lack of effective and timely analysis of current situations and/or trends in Black American Society, as well as the larger American Society, leads too confused and ineffectual action by different black groups and organizations. This is a waste of valuable resources and time by groups and organizations that can ill afford to engage in such strategic blunders. It also leaves the black community vulnerable to a strong element of anti intellectual thought and analysis.
Some people make the point that the black churches were more progressive and activistic in the fifties and sixties than today. I don't know if that is true, remember King'’s "A“ Letter from a Birmingham Jail"” was actually his critique against black ministers trying to discourage their members from participating in the civil rights struggles going on in Alabama at the time.
What black folks were questioning about black churches in the sixties, why can't black church'’s build and maintain daycare centers, why want they build and or support black credit unions and other financial institutions, why not gather more support for black colleges and universities, etc. are the same issues and questions that black people ask about their churches today and will, more than likely, be the same questions being asked twenty to thirty years from now. Although to be sure there are some black churchs engage in these activities but not enough churchs and by extension not enough church members.
In terms of what is going on for many of Americans, including Black Americans, what has happened is that 9/11 scared the hell out of everyone. This attack generated a level of fear that was so great that for many Americans, both black and white, the choice between greater security at the cost of a loss of personal freedoms is not really a choice.
The problem is that these new security measures really have not made us any safer and the true breakdowns that got in the way to the detection of the 9/11 plot have never been addressed in any meaningful or systematic way. For further research on this topic, if you donÂ’t really feel like going through the entire 9/11 report just insert "“Colleen Rowley" or “Agent Colleen Rowley" into any search engine. She was the Minnesota FBI agent who wrote a 13-page memo to the head of the FBI that showed how the bureaucracy of the FBI stopped or hindered investigations into the terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui which could have led to direct links to the 9/11 hijackers. Reading her memo is interesting reading and is also a little scary. The steps taken since the commission'’s conclusion, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, have accomplished little except to make a confusing situation even more chaotic and unwieldily. Witness the federal response to the flooding in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.
Let me digress unto a side issue just for a moment. Listening to black talk radio and engaging in conversations with my black brothers and sisters, I am amazed at the level of conspiracy theory that seems to be festering throughout the black middle class community. From Bush knew that the attack was going to happen to the government blew up the levees in New Orleans to Masons/Illuminate/Trilateral commission run/control everything and other such nonsense is such a gross misreading or understanding of reality or life as to be almost psychotic. Black people in this country, I believe, are most in contact and most understanding about the realities of the world and understanding how society operates on an almost unconscious level. We are victims of institutionalized racism and oppression but at least we were able to perceive and, to a degree, understand how it operated but now it’s like all that knowledge has been replaced by sheer and utter madness. The trouble with a belief in conspiracy theories about problems and issues in society is that it always leads to the conclusion that there is no possible course of action to take to improve situations. Secret organizations control everything so then the only thing left to do is to run and hide. Maybe go underground, like the protagonist in Ellison’s “The Invisible Man,” just live secretly off the grid and somehow think you are getting over on the man. But you know what maybe that's be the point. When you don’t want to do anything, when you’re not about social or political change or action you need to have justification for your lack of movement. Conspiracy theories are just the thing. Hell you can pretend that you’re smarter than anyone else while burying your head in the sand. After all nothing can be done, right?
Oh wait a minute now I understand. Black talk radio makes perfect sense. It’s for those people who didn't plan to do anything in the first place. Nothing can be done because we can’t fight the all-encompassing conspiracy. So these listeners don’t have to waste time trying to change things, because they know the secrets and since they know they’re not going to waste their time attempting to change things for the better. Now I understand.
Some people make the point that the black churches were more progressive and activistic in the fifties and sixties than today. I don't know if that is true, remember King'’s "A“ Letter from a Birmingham Jail"” was actually his critique against black ministers trying to discourage their members from participating in the civil rights struggles going on in Alabama at the time.
What black folks were questioning about black churches in the sixties, why can't black church'’s build and maintain daycare centers, why want they build and or support black credit unions and other financial institutions, why not gather more support for black colleges and universities, etc. are the same issues and questions that black people ask about their churches today and will, more than likely, be the same questions being asked twenty to thirty years from now. Although to be sure there are some black churchs engage in these activities but not enough churchs and by extension not enough church members.
In terms of what is going on for many of Americans, including Black Americans, what has happened is that 9/11 scared the hell out of everyone. This attack generated a level of fear that was so great that for many Americans, both black and white, the choice between greater security at the cost of a loss of personal freedoms is not really a choice.
The problem is that these new security measures really have not made us any safer and the true breakdowns that got in the way to the detection of the 9/11 plot have never been addressed in any meaningful or systematic way. For further research on this topic, if you donÂ’t really feel like going through the entire 9/11 report just insert "“Colleen Rowley" or “Agent Colleen Rowley" into any search engine. She was the Minnesota FBI agent who wrote a 13-page memo to the head of the FBI that showed how the bureaucracy of the FBI stopped or hindered investigations into the terrorism defendant Zacarias Moussaoui which could have led to direct links to the 9/11 hijackers. Reading her memo is interesting reading and is also a little scary. The steps taken since the commission'’s conclusion, including the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, have accomplished little except to make a confusing situation even more chaotic and unwieldily. Witness the federal response to the flooding in New Orleans from Hurricane Katrina.
Let me digress unto a side issue just for a moment. Listening to black talk radio and engaging in conversations with my black brothers and sisters, I am amazed at the level of conspiracy theory that seems to be festering throughout the black middle class community. From Bush knew that the attack was going to happen to the government blew up the levees in New Orleans to Masons/Illuminate/Trilateral commission run/control everything and other such nonsense is such a gross misreading or understanding of reality or life as to be almost psychotic. Black people in this country, I believe, are most in contact and most understanding about the realities of the world and understanding how society operates on an almost unconscious level. We are victims of institutionalized racism and oppression but at least we were able to perceive and, to a degree, understand how it operated but now it’s like all that knowledge has been replaced by sheer and utter madness. The trouble with a belief in conspiracy theories about problems and issues in society is that it always leads to the conclusion that there is no possible course of action to take to improve situations. Secret organizations control everything so then the only thing left to do is to run and hide. Maybe go underground, like the protagonist in Ellison’s “The Invisible Man,” just live secretly off the grid and somehow think you are getting over on the man. But you know what maybe that's be the point. When you don’t want to do anything, when you’re not about social or political change or action you need to have justification for your lack of movement. Conspiracy theories are just the thing. Hell you can pretend that you’re smarter than anyone else while burying your head in the sand. After all nothing can be done, right?
Oh wait a minute now I understand. Black talk radio makes perfect sense. It’s for those people who didn't plan to do anything in the first place. Nothing can be done because we can’t fight the all-encompassing conspiracy. So these listeners don’t have to waste time trying to change things, because they know the secrets and since they know they’re not going to waste their time attempting to change things for the better. Now I understand.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Michael's Ramblings
Night Thoughts
A person asked me once “how do you honor God?” I assume that I had a puzzled look on my face because he went on to clarify.
“If you believe in God or a higher level of being or beings that created and have command of everything and yet has allowed people to have free will or choice what do you do to honor him/her/it/whatever? Assuming you don’t possess all of the answers yourself or not certain of all the operating instructions what do you do to indicate that you are appreciative of the existence that has been provided for you. Say you haven’t been raised to believe in any particular religion or better yet there is no church or temple in the town in which you live. Yet you believe in something, something that you believe you should praise. Something that you feel wants you to live or conduct yourself in a particular way. On a basic almost instinctual way what do you do to honor or to live in accordance with your belief in this entity?”
That was the question he posed to me. At the time I did not have a particular answer. Later that night I though long and hard about the question. I realized that what was asked was really two questions. What did I believe in and how did that make me act or how did my belief guide my actions? I smiled because it reminded me of the old Steve Martin routine, “What I Believe.”
So what do I believe? In no particular order here are some of the things I believe.
Belief in God. That the entity exists is real and all that stuff.
People are basically good. I know, I know that really puts me at odds with many of the organized religions in the world. Believe me I have been lectured to a great extent about the illogic of that belief. If I truly believed I would understand that humanity is fundamentally flawed and that the only salvation, redemption is to except the one true, savior, Lord, prophet, messenger etc. into your heart mind soul and through your new found faith only then will you become the truly good person that you wish to be. I heard it before, and truth be told emotionally as well as intellectually I just can’t buy it. I end up feeling bad for those who are trying to lead me to faith because I hate for them to feel as if they have failed with me. Usually I end of telling them that it’s not them or any lack of their discussion its just more along the lines of I’m not capable of letting the truth into my heart as of yet. One day, hopefully, I will be able to give me will, heart, emotions, love whatever to the deity. Then and only then will I be able to accept the truth into my entire being.
I will continue this discussion a little later as something has come up that I think may have quite a bit more relevance at this particular place and time.
The Center for Constitutional Rights has published a book entitled
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
AGAINST GEORGE W. BUSH
ISBN 1-933633-08-5
$9.95 paperback original (144 pages)
The authors of this book have investigated and gather evidence to present four articles of impeachment against the current President George W. Bush. The case is presented so well the charges and claims are so clearly defined and presented that on one hand you would think that no rational person could argue against what is being proposed. Yet I get the feeling that many people on the left don’t understand that many people who support Bush and his actions don’t really care that he’s broken the law or that he has violated the Constitution of the United States. As far as they are concerned the only thing that matters is that he, Bush, is a strong decisive president and that he is protecting us from the international terrorist conspiracy. Despite the fact that the Bush policies are bankrupting the economy and actually endangering the lives of millions of Americans many people support him on, pretty much, whatever he decides to do. So if the researchers and writers of the book are waiting for Congress to take the bait and step up and be adults, well don’t hold your breath waiting.
And for God’s sake don’t wait on the mainstream media to take the lead on much of anything.
I’m sleepy now. Let’s continue this later on this weekend.
A person asked me once “how do you honor God?” I assume that I had a puzzled look on my face because he went on to clarify.
“If you believe in God or a higher level of being or beings that created and have command of everything and yet has allowed people to have free will or choice what do you do to honor him/her/it/whatever? Assuming you don’t possess all of the answers yourself or not certain of all the operating instructions what do you do to indicate that you are appreciative of the existence that has been provided for you. Say you haven’t been raised to believe in any particular religion or better yet there is no church or temple in the town in which you live. Yet you believe in something, something that you believe you should praise. Something that you feel wants you to live or conduct yourself in a particular way. On a basic almost instinctual way what do you do to honor or to live in accordance with your belief in this entity?”
That was the question he posed to me. At the time I did not have a particular answer. Later that night I though long and hard about the question. I realized that what was asked was really two questions. What did I believe in and how did that make me act or how did my belief guide my actions? I smiled because it reminded me of the old Steve Martin routine, “What I Believe.”
So what do I believe? In no particular order here are some of the things I believe.
Belief in God. That the entity exists is real and all that stuff.
People are basically good. I know, I know that really puts me at odds with many of the organized religions in the world. Believe me I have been lectured to a great extent about the illogic of that belief. If I truly believed I would understand that humanity is fundamentally flawed and that the only salvation, redemption is to except the one true, savior, Lord, prophet, messenger etc. into your heart mind soul and through your new found faith only then will you become the truly good person that you wish to be. I heard it before, and truth be told emotionally as well as intellectually I just can’t buy it. I end up feeling bad for those who are trying to lead me to faith because I hate for them to feel as if they have failed with me. Usually I end of telling them that it’s not them or any lack of their discussion its just more along the lines of I’m not capable of letting the truth into my heart as of yet. One day, hopefully, I will be able to give me will, heart, emotions, love whatever to the deity. Then and only then will I be able to accept the truth into my entire being.
I will continue this discussion a little later as something has come up that I think may have quite a bit more relevance at this particular place and time.
The Center for Constitutional Rights has published a book entitled
ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT
AGAINST GEORGE W. BUSH
ISBN 1-933633-08-5
$9.95 paperback original (144 pages)
The authors of this book have investigated and gather evidence to present four articles of impeachment against the current President George W. Bush. The case is presented so well the charges and claims are so clearly defined and presented that on one hand you would think that no rational person could argue against what is being proposed. Yet I get the feeling that many people on the left don’t understand that many people who support Bush and his actions don’t really care that he’s broken the law or that he has violated the Constitution of the United States. As far as they are concerned the only thing that matters is that he, Bush, is a strong decisive president and that he is protecting us from the international terrorist conspiracy. Despite the fact that the Bush policies are bankrupting the economy and actually endangering the lives of millions of Americans many people support him on, pretty much, whatever he decides to do. So if the researchers and writers of the book are waiting for Congress to take the bait and step up and be adults, well don’t hold your breath waiting.
And for God’s sake don’t wait on the mainstream media to take the lead on much of anything.
I’m sleepy now. Let’s continue this later on this weekend.
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Michael's Ramblings
Michael's Ramblings
Last night I learned of the passing of Octavia Butler this past weekend. My breath was taken away as I have been a fan of hers for many years. As fate would have it I was at a little coffee shop writing when I took a break and logged unto the internet to check out one or two of my favorite web sites.
Ms. Butler’s works speak for themselves and anything I might add will just be stating the obvious in that she was a brilliant writer. Being a black female science fiction was a rarity in and of itself. Yet she was such a brilliant observer of society and could weave her observations into wonderful, moving thrilling slices of literary greatness. I dare anyone to read her, to me, her two best novels, “Parable of the Sower” and “The Kindred” and not be moved both emotionally and intellectually. Read her short story “Speech Sounds” and fight to keep the tears inside.
She had been ill for the past few years which cut down on her writing productivity yet the work that she left us is, upon several rereading, still fresh and exciting as ever.
When current and future generations speak of her, and they will, what they will say is
“Octavia Butler was a great writer, and we are all the better for her talent blessing us.”
Peace and eternal joy to you dear lady.
Last night I learned of the passing of Octavia Butler this past weekend. My breath was taken away as I have been a fan of hers for many years. As fate would have it I was at a little coffee shop writing when I took a break and logged unto the internet to check out one or two of my favorite web sites.
Ms. Butler’s works speak for themselves and anything I might add will just be stating the obvious in that she was a brilliant writer. Being a black female science fiction was a rarity in and of itself. Yet she was such a brilliant observer of society and could weave her observations into wonderful, moving thrilling slices of literary greatness. I dare anyone to read her, to me, her two best novels, “Parable of the Sower” and “The Kindred” and not be moved both emotionally and intellectually. Read her short story “Speech Sounds” and fight to keep the tears inside.
She had been ill for the past few years which cut down on her writing productivity yet the work that she left us is, upon several rereading, still fresh and exciting as ever.
When current and future generations speak of her, and they will, what they will say is
“Octavia Butler was a great writer, and we are all the better for her talent blessing us.”
Peace and eternal joy to you dear lady.
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