The Knockout Game: A Media Made Myth

Attention: Do you like being taken advantage of, or, played for a fool? 

No? Ok, cool. Guess what... the "KNOCKOUT GAME" is a phony media-made story! 

It's not a phenomenon. It's not an epidemic. It's f*cking sensationalist journalism built on fear-mongering and racism. 

Look at the video (which I will not post a link to) that's gone viral. Most all the footage is random and not attributed to any specifically defined crimes by law enforcement. 

It's supposed to all take place in Jersey (in that video) but its a random assortment of other cities. One of the incidents is apparently in another country. 

The videos creator also only interviews black teens about the "game" and proceeds to blur out all of their faces. Why are the faces blurred? The local news doesn't blur out the faces of high school kids when they interview them. So, is this normal? No, they are blurred to make it more insidious and insinuate something criminal. As if they have been blurred because they are all somehow complicit.

Moreover, why do these "news" sources keep calling it a "GAME"? Should we also use language such as: "the rape game" or the "touching children game" or "the murder game"?

Hey, we have the "Hunger games" right!?

Now of course with all of this phony sensationalist media hype we will no doubt see some young people mimic what they've been seeing or hearing because its getting so much attention. Just like the crazed men who go on murderous shooting sprees, because they know they will finally get the attention they've been lacking. 

Its all Bullshit. 

We do indeed have real epidemics in this country though. 

• Black youth in inner cities are killing each other every day and nobody outside of the community cares. 

• We have overzealous police forces brutalizing the poor and disadvantaged.

• We have an out of control 'War on Drugs' that's affecting us all but disproportionately black and brown people. 

• We have out of control gun violence when compared to any other first world nation. 

• We've also got a corporate-corrupted political process from the way we are forced to choose our elected officials, to how we receive our mainstream news, and how we obtain our over priced health care. 

If you want to do your fellow Americans a favor, don't fall for fear-mongering and yellow journalism upon first glance. Before you click "share" on something or have some super-energized opinion, think about it from all angles. Don't get played for a fool and feed into these kind of pathetic scare tactics that only seek to sell ad-space, bolster spineless politicians, propagate the prison industrial complex, and further divide us as a nation. 

Be smarter than the Internet.

The Trayvon Martin "Blackface" Halloween Costume

If you have not yet seen the photos I'm sure you will very soon and so I'm not even going to re-post them. I will however comment on the most infamous post by a young female adult living in Florida by the name of "KT Cimeno" (Caitlin Cimeno) who's originally from Oak Bluffs, MA (Martha's Vineyard). She posted a "nice" and happy photo of two young white men dressed up in costume this past weekend mocking the killing of Trayvon Martin. The one white person portraying Trayvon was sporting very dark shoe polish styled "Blackface" with a hoodie on and a blood stain on his chest. The other man (who turned out to be her brother) was dressed as George Zimmerman with a "neighborhood watch" tee, gleefully pointing his finger like a gun at "Trayvon's" head with the caption by Cimeno reading "Happy Halloween from Trayvon and Zimmerman."

(side note: turns out the guy dressed as Trayvon is 25 yrs old and was arrested previously for auto theft)

This sort of ignorance and stupidity, although temporarily shocking, should come as no surprise to us. The idea that we live in a Post-Racial society is one of the bigger lies in current existence in America and that hard truth once again becomes crystal clear at moments like this.

But, this was not even Ms. Cimeno's most ignorant and hateful Facebook post. She had previously in August posted a photo of a young black girl wearing a "Black Girls Rock" tee and attacked the little girl saying "your mommy lied to you." I have posted that photo because I think it is more important than the Trayvon Halloween image in that it shows what sort of person(s) we are dealing with. This is not your average accidental racist or a person with some basic ignorant prejudices. This is a full-fledged, very hateful, very racist, and very ignorant young woman.

While the first reaction to such hatred might be to fire back with verbal attacks and put-downs, that's certainly not the most effective way to deal with this sort of thing. I have heard that the girl was fired from her job due to the negative publicity and complaints from people all around the country (much of this being exposed on Twitter -primarily via #BlackTwitter and #KTCimeno). She should of course face the consequences of her actions but ultimately what will be learned by any of this? She herself may never learn, and may simply become more isolated, more hateful, and more dangerously racist, which sadly is a missed opportunity if that's what ends up happening.

More importantly though, this is a time for ourselves to learn a lesson or at least briefly remind ourselves of who we are and what we stand for. I'm sure many of us, regardless of skin color, just recently enjoyed the company or entertainment of American's of all races over this past weekend. Whether it was through the diversity of a Halloween party, enjoying the musical talents responsible for creating our favorite songs, or the athletic exploits of our favorite sports teams... We are a melting pot of diversity in America whether we choose to embrace that fact or not. You might be the "whitest white person" or the "blackest black person," but most likely you are somewhere in between. Either way we are all citizens, neighbors, and human beings, and I think its important that we collectively face this sort of vile hatred and stupidity head on, and recognize it for its blatant ignorance, and check with ourselves to make sure that we do not in any way support or perpetuate such behavior.

There's always going to be some extremely ignorant KT Cimeno's running around in this world but our job is to make sure that such behavior is not at all accepted or tolerated, and that we do not personally carry or endorse any similar prejudices, even if on a more minor level. Like, the "my friend is black, black joke, Haha thing" is generally not that cool either in most cases (but maybe you should talk about that with your friend first before making the comment next time!?). So yes, if there's a teachable moment that presents itself with such people, and you have that opportunity or ability to drop some knowledge, go for it. However the most important thing we can do is simply take a basic stand and let everyone around you know that you don't stand for stupid shit like this. That should be the American thing to do.

Capitol Hill Shooting Magnified By "Shutdown" Drama

As expected CNN is making this Capitol Hill incident into a REALLY BIG DEAL. 

They're interviewing DC staffers and congressmen who look hella shook over hearing gun shots. That tubby little clown Blake Farenthold (R, Texas) looked like he was going to shit his pants. Maybe he thought someone was mad at him and Ted Cruz (wonder why?) or maybe he just momentarily realized shit could get real. 

This shooting though sounds like basically a lady went crazy and the police shot her and her car. Luckily the child inside is okay. Maybe this had something to do with the shutdown, maybe not? There's probably been 10 shootings across the country since this story broke but "the networks" will be stuck on this one until some other relevant TV drama happens.


I bet "the networks" would secretly love some good old fashioned Republican vs Democrat violence to go down in DC right about now. I wonder if the GOP in DC are prepared for bringing about such violence? I does not look like they are ready for it judging from shitpants Representative Farenthold's interview. They talk a tough game but it's all about their bullshit spinster political reality of tug of war. They don't really realize they are playing with people's lives. It's just a game to them. On camera Mitch McConnell and Paul Rand pretend as if they are really in this for the greater good of the nation but off camera they whisper to each other like petty little girls ganging up on the new girl in school because "how dare she."


Meanwhile, the Tea Partiers that now seem to be dictating the wayward Republican agenda happily push things toward an explosive confrontation with the debt ceiling looming amidst the shutdown. You literally have misguided, misinformed, and moreover nut-jobs, from all over the place ready to hop in semi-trucks and pop-off shots at the White House because they think "Socialism" is taking over... yet none of them could actually define socialism and apply it accurately to our current reality which is conversely hyper capitalistic.


Seeing these people on CNN freak out just now over a few gun shots on Capitol Hill really shows me that these people are very out of touch with reality. The Republicans in DC are truly playing with fire like a punk kid that doesn't know what to do once he "accidentally" sets the entire hill behind his house on fire. 


America is totally unstable right now. People are getting shot every day in poor neighborhoods like its no thing. People are going crazy cuz they don't have proper mental health care. Since 2007 people have been losing homes, jobs, and their minds. And you have politicians and media busy ramping things up with phony "buzz words" adding legitimacy to illegitimate movements and illegitimate solutions. Instead of asking tough questions and working to fix this broken ass nation.


I have friends reaching out to me telling me that they are Conservative but they do not support what the GOP is doing. I have independent folks reaching out and talking about the fact that they can't stand to see our country being divided like this as if we are reverting backward to the days of the confederacy and civil war.


Personally, it's been hard for me to support Barack Obama when he continually sides with Wall Street, Big Business, and Insurance companies, and pushes hawkish foreign policy like the reincarnation of Ronald Reagan. But when I see these Tea Party phonies being controlled by greedy billionaires playing puppeteer and stoking the fires to divide the nation along racial lines and radical political ideology in attempts to either crash the economy and/or the Government for their own reckless gains its hard not to choose a side, even if it is once again the lesser of the two evils.


Maybe we should just not give a shit and let them destroy everything so we can rebuild? But I don't really think that sounds like a great plan at this point.


Ultimately, we all deserve better than this. We deserve much more than the Tea Party and these crooked toothed GOP electeds. But we also deserve more than what the Democrats have been able to give us which is promises of major change but ultimately they cannot deliver and are aligned with many of the same corporate interests as the other side. At the end of the day we are only able to discern one party from the other because the Republicans have been pushed so far right that the right is now the center, and the left mostly only exists if you now consider the radical Tea Party to be a normal example of conservative. It's totally ridiculous and not representative of our nation.


Unless we as a people realize that the phony "right vs left" drama is just divisive bullshit, and that they want us to fall for it so they can better manipulate our minds and our votes... Until we wake up and realize that big business is controlling both parties and that big business does not care about the middle class, or small business, or the poor, or children, or elderly, or schools, or police, or fire, or soldiers, or parks, or beaches, or music, or the future, or America... our nation will continue to spiral downward.

Chewy Gomez, KMEL, and the evil empire (Clear Channel)

My Thoughts on Chuy Gomez and KMEL

Gomez at the Fruitvale Station premiere

Rapper E-A-Ski once said in reference to KMEL... "I've had cats that just really want to say, 'If they ain't gon' support us, then why are we supporting them? Don't let them come out to the streets and the clubs." -HE SAID THIS IN 2003.* 


But, KMEL remains one of the most popular stations in the 4th largest market in the country. Despite the fact that they ceased being the "people's station" in the late 90's, and yet... "the people" keep listening. 


Recently, with the abrupt firing of Chuy Gomez, the Twitters, the street, the hood, are all collectively upset about the Bay Area icon being let go after 20 years on air, but simultaneously I promise you that there's also whispers of... "My boy Q gonna come up tho."  Or, "I'm gonna txt Sana right now and make sure she knows we still cool."


Bottom line is this: if you really care about the Bay Area community and hip-hop music, you would never support KMEL (Clear Channel). Since about 99, the station has systematically disenfranchised local artists, and helped to destroy the local music scene. Meanwhile, for a decade+ the average KMEL listener has been stuck with mostly tired, bland, homogenous playlists of the same 7 songs that they play nationwide on all their other "hip-hop and r&b" stations (thanks to ‪#‎payola‬ and politics).

RATM album cover

But (if you care to know), its actually much deeper than that. KMEL isn't just a crappy mainstream "urban" rap station. If we look into the complexity of it all, the station is actually owned by a group of right-wing evangelical conservatives from Texas  that were instrumental in supporting the Bush administrations quest for war in Iraq and Afghanistan. They even banned songs nationwide by artists such as Rage Against the Machine, Public Enemy, the Dixie Chicks, and even John Lennon's "Imagine" in the lead up to these wars on their now infamous "blacklist." (editorial note: Clear Channel is controlled by Bain capital, and its failing finances are putting a squeeze on CC & KMEL as described here by Davey-D)

Boots Riley and Davey-D

How is it possible to ban classic songs nationwide? Well, in 1996, Bill Clinton, enabled the Telecommunications Act to pass (one of his many big failures in office), with this passing Clear Channel was able to gobble up almost all of the mainstream radio stations nationwide, thus controlling all the markets. A complete monopoly of how Americans would be able to listen to the radio and get information. They then dumbed it all down in order to boost their bottom line for share holders. But, it didn't stop their of course with conservative agendas creeping into every nook and cranny. Even at good 'ol KMEL. See: the firing of Bay Area radio legend Dave 'Davey D' Cook from the station in 2001 after 9/11 when he had Rep. Barbara Lee and Boots Riley of the Coup on his show to talk about the Bush administrations aspirations for war in the middle east. 


When we look at the station supposedly representing the people here in the Bay, from a "hip-hop" perspective, a youth outlook, and from a black and brown vantage point, we begin to see what KMEL and Clear Channel is all about. We begin to see (and hear) that they do not truly support local music, and certainly do not support any progressive, or conscious rap music on the air. We can claim that the audience does not want more diverse playlists because they keep listening but this is misguided. 


As a youngster when I first listened to KMEL (or KYLD), I was able to get a variety of rap sounds that spoke to many national and local issues of social inequity and injustice (Ghetto Bastard), as well as fun party jams (OPP). Today, kids grow up on those same 7 songs that proclaim "I'm different," when really its just more of the same mindless, blackface rap music. We can indeed blame rappers for putting out this homogenous, often ignorant and shallow content (I am definitely all for calling them out), but its bigger than these mainstream fish. Who is ultimately controlling the dam and polluting the water? That is the major labels, that is Clear Channel. 


Luckily, with the way music is now hosted and shared on the internet, mainstream radio is much less relevant than it once was, but it is still highly influential. This is especially true with young people, and communities of color, where folks don't always have the ease of access to the internet that many of us take for granted. Unfortunately, not everyone takes public transit or Uber's to work, or can walk, like us lucky (spoiled, #blessed) people here in San Francisco, where most people don't really listen to the radio anymore. 

Rush Limbaugh

So, just as we should not assume that radio is no longer highly influential, we also should not underestimate their political power. Clear Channel not only dominates rap radio channels, they also control the news market on rightwing political talk radio that spreads bigoted hate on the air daily with the Rush Limbaugh types (although Limbaugh has cost Clear Channel millions of dollars in sponsorships lately with sponsors dropping like flies due to his consistently hateful speech against women, gays, and people of color). 


(Long F-ing story short) I guess what I'm trying to say is that while things have gotten better lately with the internet expanding our ability to gain access to music and information, we've still got a really long way to go when one company owns most all the stations and controls what we all hear on the radio nationwide. So, if you're pissed about Chuy getting fired, step it up and DON'T LISTEN TO THE STATION ANYMORE. I'd encourage you to go even further and write them and tell them that you are no longer going to listen and WHY. Let Clear Channel know how you feel. 


Contacts -- http://www.kmel.com/pages/CONTACTUS.html

KMEL program director
donparker@clearchannel.com
KMEL asst program director
kenardkarter@clearchannel.com

[note: at the end of the day as long as vulture corporations like Clear Channel, or even worse, Bain capital, continue to control our nations airwaves and finances, we are in deep, deep, trouble. If we want changes, it starts with awareness, behavior, and participation. If you are not happy about something, speak on it publicly. Talk to friends, family, etc. Write a letter to congress, get active, get involved, get organized.]

Looking Beyond The BART Strike: Questions For Bay Area People

BART question(s) for Bay Area people:

1). Would you pay more for "express" service? 

2). Would you be more likely to take BART during commuter hours if it was cheaper? Or, would you ride BART during commuter hours regardless, even if they raised fees (within reason)? 

3). Would you utilize BART, possibly at an increased fee, to be able to ride it between midnight and 6am (start with weekends to accommodate for track maintenance on weekdays), as a fully functional 24 hour transit system? -Thus greatly decreasing the possibility of Drunk Driving accidents and deaths, simultaneously stimulating nightlife/business/culture/community for the entire Bay.

Because looking at BART beyond the threat of strike, the system actually has the 3rd highest "FareBox Recovery" in the nation at above 60%. That means BART covers 60% of the costs of operations via its fares/fees we pay to ride BART. Most of the rest of the money is recovered thru taxes and subsidy (and I'm assuming a bit of advertisement). This relatively high national FBR is all occurring with limited service offerings, over a very widespread map. 

(crowded nyc subway)

Not surprisingly, NYC has the highest FBR in the country (over 70%), and this is of course due to a couple things we don't have here in the Bay Area. NYC's denser population, and close proximity of neighborhoods allows for a much greater efficiency (closer stops, less cars, more riders per capita) and so NYC subway is also able to also charge less. Win, win, win (Imagine if San Francisco had a subway system. No more parking tickets!). 

Well, we obviously can't shrink the Bay Area and make it more densely populated like NYC (perhaps if we got rid of the water but prob not a good idea), but couldn't we encourage more people to ride BART? Currently, only about 05% of the Bay Area's 7.2 million population rides BART on a daily basis, and during the weekend its about 2% (or less) of the overall population. Of course this includes areas that are not currently serviced by BART, however it seems to me that we've still got to be able to increase these numbers with some sensible adjustments and cutting-edge creativity. Although 375,000 people ride BART on average (mon-fri), the Bay, not entirely unlike LA remains very car centric. And while BART is fairly efficient it could be much more efficient, and much more enticing.

In regards to efficiency and enticement, BART could offer services that have different rates/pricing depending on the day/time. I'm not entirely certain how this would look but people are willing to pay more for convenience and necessity. For example, folks in SF pay "peak" prices for uber cabs. I'm not saying BART should spike prices during commutes (perhaps the opposite would make sense?), but maybe prices are raised slightly for express services, major sporting events and concerts, and services after midnight (at least on weekends) when people want to enter or leave major cities such as SF, Oakland, or San Jose. Wouldn't you pay a few more bucks to jump on express train? Or, avoid a DUI? 

(the Key System - before BART)

Moreover, how does BART not have "express" trains? BART claims they do not currently have the track space to accommodate express trains and maintain sufficient ridership for the non-commuters who need more frequent stops. However, during commute hours the large majority of people riding do not need frequent stops but rather access to main hubs. BART literally only started officially "looking into" the idea of express service in 2012 but yet has been around since 1972. (Note: Way back in the day, well before BART, the Bay Area was serviced by an amazingly cheap, clean, and efficient electronic transit rail called the Key system, which ultimately became a victim of the automobile industry and the nations obsession with cars)   

So, to me, the biggest problem with BART is not the employees salaries (avg. employee makes $80,000 with overtime, which mean many make much less than that. 80k is a very good wage but as you've probably noticed, the Bay is expensive!)… The bigger issue is the lack of leadership of the BART board over the years and it's inability to innovate and elevate the Bay Area in terms of transit when compared to other major metropolitan regions of the world. The fact that BART's Fare Box Recovery is the 3rd highest in the country is impressive at first glance but it's not so much the boards doing and much more to do with two basic factors. 

#1. Bart is kinda pricey and people are forced to pay these high fares that contribute to the FBR. 

#2. A healthy chunk of the people who live in the Bay are solely dependent upon BART for their commute, and many of us "Bay-Areans" in general are savvy enough to want to ride instead of drive.

(Tokyo transit agents pushing riders into train)

Indeed it's definitely not the worst system in the world but it could be much better, and smarter. Just because NYC and Paris metro (for example) have the advantage of denser/closer proximity, that doesn't mean BART should settle for the basics. While the Bay will never be like places such as Hong Kong or Tokyo, who have transit systems with over 100% FBR, we also don't desire to be so densely packed in like rats in a cage. That being said, I'd still like to be able to go to see a show at the FOX theater in Oakland or the New Parish and not have to scurry to catch the last BART before I'm stranded without a ride and forced to hail a $90 taxi. I'm sure a ton of folks living in the greater Bay Area would love to travel into the city at night if they didn't always have to drive, or find a place to stay. This would also make night ridership more safe, as more people that ride after 10pm would discourage criminal activity. BART would also be able to hire more transit police to work these later hours (hopefully the kind that are properly trained, and not quick on the trigger as we have tragically seen in the past). 

All of this musing comes as BART employees are about to go on strike again, with their main grievances being that they want safer work environment (less naked-guy ninjas), as well as not having to pay into their pension, or increases in health care costs. It might sound sort of crazy that BART employees don't currently pay into their pension but again, this was negotiated previously by the illustrious BART board and employees would argue they made other concessions. I'd also offer that anyone who pays into a pension currently and says they wouldn't rather have a deal that allows them to not pay, is probably fibbing. There is definitely a happy "extra medium" that both sides can agree upon. 

Overall though I think if we have any major issues with BART, it should be with the boards lack of leadership, and the services less than optimal Metropolitan offerings. Furthermore, if we are going to get upset with income inequality in America, aiming at BART employees who average 80k per year in one of the most expensive places to live in the world, is probably not the best place to start. We might want to first take a look at money in politics beyond "corporate personhood,"  including the revolving door in DC, and the "too big to fail" giants on Wall Street. 

America's Favorite Pastime is Denial: A-Rod the latest MLB scapegoat

Looks like A-Rod may get a lifetime ban (or "settle" on the side with MLB). 

Ha! -RedSox fan


Either way, it looks like he's now the latest fall guy "villain" for MLB to scapegoat. Meanwhile though there's a much darker side to this picture as shadows have long ago uncovered that the entire league remains corrupted by PEDs from the top on down. But, of course that is not the narrative from ESPN or Bud Selig's legacy spinsters. 


I wonder, will the league push to put a convenient asterisk next to Rodriguez' incredible stats since his rookie season? Are they going to refund people's tickets in New York? Seattle? Texas? Will the league return all of the TV money they made from the regular season, playoff, and World Series games he played in? Will there be a cash exchange for his jersey?


Maybe the league is bluffing to get his settlement? An ultimate power play move in the grand ego contest. And yes, maybe he's a big dickhead like Barry Bonds but that doesn't make him any more guilty than the league itself. They knew about 'Roids and PEDs since at least the 90s and looked the other way. Plus, as I've said before, the pitchers are/were on these performance enhancers as well. So why should Bonds have an asterisk? Why should Sosa or the former league darling Mark McGwire? The league made mega money off all of this. Who do you think made up 'the ball is "juiced"' theory? Yeah, ok. But, let's be honest. The pitches were coming in faster and the balls were leaving the yard harder, further, more frequently. And no, PEDs don't help a normal person become a pro ball player but they clearly can make an average player good, a good player great, and they can make a great player into one of the best that ever lived.

So, are Yankees fans willing to give up their 2009 world series win? Would the Giants give up their world series win in 2012 in which Melky Cabrera led them for half the season? How do we know who else was clean or dirty on those teams or any other squads? Plus, why should those teams give anything up when every team they were playing had users also? It's just like good ol' Lance StrongArmer. Yeah, he was/is by most accounts, a self absorbed, mean spirited, lying piece of shit, who ruined lives, on top of using PEDs to win those races. But so did all of his top competition. I don't think A-Rod ever threatened to ruin anyones life, did he? But yet MLB can freely disgrace players at will. 


Until MLB steps up and implements a level of testing that is even stricter than the Olympics, it can't pretend like its doing all it can to eliminate PEDs but then single out certain offenders as if the league is so much more righteous. Even then you can't completely stop it as we've seen the science is always ahead of the testing. So what should they do, legalize it? Maybe. "A clean league and a juiced league." I wonder which will have better TV ratings?


As far as I'm concerned, at this point the entire league has an asterisk next to it. Especially the commissioners office and the team owners. Indeed everyone who plays Major League Baseball and NFL, we should just assume is on the juice or the dope. The guys that are clean, sucks for them. They may want to consider getting some good shit 'cuz they are cheating themselves playing against a bunch of guys who are on the beneficial end of the needle (or the cream) to the tune of Millions, not to mention wins.

But, a'las... This is America. And baseball is America's "favorite pastime." And both have some serious denial issues (First it was people of color, now its drugs. Coincidence?) Apparently here in the states, we don't racially profile black men, guns don't kill people, marijuana is evil (cigarettes and prescription meds are cool), and major league baseball players are clean (except for a few bad guys, that get caught). Oh, and we don't accept "spics" (from New York) to sing our national anthem at the All-Star game. As if we would tolerate immigrants in this country (unless they're on our favorite teams 40 man roster).

Jay Z's Great Misconception: "My Presence Is Charity"

"This is going to sound arrogant, but my presence is charity. Just who I am." - JAY Z  

Recently in an interview with Rap Radar, Jay Z offered that his simple presence on the planet Earth alone, as an incredibly successful black man, a mogul, was charity alone. He likened himself to President Obama, Shakespeare, and Jean-Michel Basquiat and dismissed assertions that he was not living up to a larger social responsibility. This was mostly in response to basic criticism he received from legendary activist, actor, musician, Harry Belafonte, in which Belafonte implied Jay Z could do a lot more with his star power.

So, does Jay Z have a valid point, or is he another out of touch super-star with a God complex? 

Personally, my presence is also charity, that is, if I am volunteering, or raising some money for a great cause (like Mural Music & Arts Project). Otherwise my presence is just a voice on the net (or on a rap beat). But, that's not charity. That's just speaking your conscience. Unfortunately, you can't write that off. However, I am no Jay Z. My presence alone doesn't influence millions of people. That being said, what kind of influence is Jigga emitting with his mere presence? And is "charity" alone enough when it comes to larger social responsibility?

Lots of people participate in acts of charity but a lot less engage in social movements for change. It is very popular to send money to Africa but at the same time many people don't wanna think about helping their neighbors down the street, or across the tracks, or the bridge. Folks will gladly give to cancer research but a homeless person with mental illness and drug addiction, "get them bums outta my city! No, you can't have any quarters."

Not that honest charity isn't a great thing, it's awesome. Especially when regular folks give money, or time, or items, even when they themselves don't have much. Even if its just a few bucks here and there, that's a great practice. But charity from a hundred millionaire or billionaire, that writes it off, and makes themselves feel grandiose in gesture, but remains disconnected from the people... to quote Shania Twain, "that don't impress me much." 

So, when one of these elite of the elite, says their mere presence alone is charity, well, just comes off as pathetically pompous. But, when that same "charitable" person happens to be the one and only JAY-Z, a black man in America that was once a crack dealer in the Marcy projects, and is now one of the most influential, most famous human beings on the planet, its more than pompous, its sad and to some it is infuriating and disrespectful. If Jay, took some time to reflect on those that came before him, who gave so much more than charity, he'd be better served personally but so would our poor communities of color, and the greater American conversation in general. 

Imagine Muhammad Ali, in 1966 standing up and saying, "my presence is charity" in a serious sense… right before he took no position on the Vietnam war. It may not seem like a big deal (that he did quite the opposite), as Ali's legend is now romanticized but back then it was a heroically bold and risky move, not just in solidarity with the peace movement, but more so with the plight of black America in the 1960's. The champ was subsequently labeled a fool, arrogant, treasonous, traitor, and as a famous sportswriter said, "he became a nigger again." He never ended up doing jail time, but he was sentenced to 5 years (which he appealed repeatedly and was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court), and he was then stripped of his heavyweight title in his prime, lost big sponsor dollars, and couldn't find work. He was the greatest boxer alive (arguably of all-time) and he wasn't allowed to fight because he opted to fight for a bigger cause. He was broke, written off by much of America, and essentially left for dead. He would ultimately overcome all of the hatred and opposition and return to greatness, knocking out the unmovable young George Foreman in Kinshasa, Zaire in the "Rumble of the Jungle" in 1974. Today, in a much different America he is considered one of the greatest Americans to ever live, and was honored as such in 1996 (only 30 years later) when he lit the Olympic flame in Atlanta. 

As Ali once said though, he was only accepted with open arms at a distance by white America as long as he was declaring to be "the greatest alive" and knocking people out inside the ring. As soon as he became Muslim, and voiced opposition to going to Vietnam because "no Vietcong ever called me nigger," he was suddenly demonized and hated. But that was the 1960's, and Ali didn't have hundreds of millions of dollars and a seat next to the President. He had so much more to risk than Sean Carter (Jay Z), yet Carter seems to feel no need to step out of bounds these days. He's quite comfortable representing "Tom Ford" and staying in his lane. To me, he is the exact opposite of the great Ali. He hoots and hollers that he's the greatest of all-time like Ali but he doesn't stand for much more than that bombastic bravado. He may indeed feel good about himself because he "drops a jewel" here and there and gives anonymously large sums of money but I think there's a larger responsibility. He's sort of the Malcolm X of our modern times. Except in 2013, Detroit Red rises to fame for his quick wit and sharp tongue and ultimately opts to hang with the elite bourgeoisie instead of calling out the injustices of the status quo and demanding more from everyone across the board. Indeed the man has a 5 Million dollar watch (his wife gave him), but doesn't seem to know the time. 

Just recently, in an interview with MSNBC's Chris Hayes, Belafonte moved to quash all the rhetoric between himself and Jay Z, and called upon Jay and his wife to a sit-down to clear the air and attempt to come together to use their collective star power for the greater good of Black America. Belafonte has also recently added his presence to the "Dream Defenders", a group of young people seeking social justice in Florida whom are currently occupying the state Capitol building, demanding that they will not leave until the state rethinks its "Stand Your Ground" laws. Since the George Zimmerman trial, these laws have been exposed as biased in favor of whites and to the violent detriment of blacks. In the interview, Belafonte stated that he was lending his voice, wisdom, and star power to the "Dream Defenders" cause and made light of the massive star power that black America currently holds but does not fully utilize. He referenced the difference between this usage of star power today and decades prior when there was a larger sense of social responsibility and unity within the black community. In regard to Jay Z, he swiftly stated that he wasn't going to comment on what Jay Z should do (in response to calls for him to boycott concerts in the state of Florida) but that he could only comment on things Jay Z is NOT doing. 

Ironically, in the very same Rap Radar interview in which Jay exclaimed his presence is charity, he also oddly commented on the verdict of the Zimmerman trial. He appeared to be very surprised by the ruling and strangely remarked that he knew there was still "a bit of racism" in America but was shocked by the outcome. It is very telling that a man who once sold crack cocaine in the Marcy projects because he saw no other way out, and would later rap about being racially profiled by police in "99 Problems" would somehow in 2013 be suddenly surprised by the Zimmerman verdict. Not to mention the fact that he actually used the language that America still has "a bit of racism." This disconnect with his own past, let alone his neglect and disrespect of the greats who came before him truly exposes Jay Z as an out of touch super-star with a very shallow vision, emptied it seems by the pitfalls of success and his love affair with capitalism. How else do you explain such naivete? Because one would think that a man as street smart, business savvy, and lyrically adroit as Jay Z could be enlightened enough to connect the dots between the profiling and murder of Trayvon Martin, the systems bias treatment of the case, the subsequent not guilty verdict, and the necessity for someone as influential as himself to give a little more than merely his grand presence. 

#MyPresenceIsCharity

White Hispanics, Black Irish, White Trash, and the evolution of Race in America

Interesting read this morning about "white Hispanics" by CNN contributor Roland Martin. 

I think it's also important to note that race in America has always evolved and changed, especially in regards to "whiteness." 

"Black Irish" was a term used for some Irish immigrants (not in a nice way) and Italian immigrants were once Lynched by white Americans and the KKK. 



Also, in the early days of the state of Texas, after it was taken from Mexico and became a slave state, there developed an environment where even whites were not white. That is, extremely poor share-cropping whites were labeled "trash" and "off white" and even persecuted by the authorities and the Klan. Instead of joining forces with Mexicans and Blacks however they chose to go it alone. Many of these lesser than whites saw those races as their enemy because of job scarcity. This benefitted the white ruling class in Texas to retain control and thousands of these "off what" "trash" Americans would end up leaving Texas to seek work & life elsewhere.

Race has never been that simple in America. Although if you were white, or could "pass" as white, it has steadily evolved in your favor. The largest disconnect still remains between the poor white working class and poor people of color. If these groups could ever find common ground in their struggle, the elite at the top of the heap would shake in their designer shoes.

I believe Johnny Cash sang about a "white trash" heaven where we are all equal under God. What we need to do is work on that whole equality and unity thing here on Earth, while we are still breathing.

The Acquittal of George Zimmerman: A Bigger Picture of America

For those of you who'd simply like to chalk up the Zimmerman trial as the result of "Florida law" or a basic case of "self defense", you are quite welcome to your opinions. I would definitely agree that the state's prosecution was ineffective to say the least. 

But for millions of Americans, its much bigger than all of that. 

It is much more about the value that is placed on a White Life in this country, versus a Black Life. It should not be that way, but it is, and there is no denying it. All we have to do is look at conviction rates (and disparate sentencing) nationwide of blacks vs whites, for the same crimes. For example, us white people love our drugs just as much or more than brown or black folks, yet we do not often receive the same life altering punishments for drug crimes at the hefty rate that black and brown people experience. 

Still though, even bigger than the two separate systems of justice in this country are the entirely separate inalienable rights to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." Looking at the #1 cause of death among young Black males in America, we see that it is homicide, gun murders. If you leave your house each morning and being shot to death is the most likely thing that is going to prevent you from coming home at the end of the day, what does that do to your outlook on the present tense, let alone the future? This is partly why much of this violence comes at the hands of "black on black" crime, a direct result of systemic poverty, massive inequity, and an American life filled with daily violence that looks much more like Afghanistan than the United States. 

But, above all of the inequities within our nations justice system, and our unequal distribution of "inalienable rights," it is the pervasive levels of injustice with regard to the stigma of skin color. Forevermore in this country there has been deeply insidious levels of prejudice, hatred, and violence perpetrated against Black people simply based upon genetic pigmentation. It's totally outrageous! It began before the founding of our nation and is a false theory known as "Scientific Racism." The majority of esteemed white "Thinkers" back in the day perpetrated these accepted beliefs that Black people were not capable of equivalent IQ's to Whites --and among other made up shit-- that they had an entirely different kind of blood, like an alien. There were then laws created like the "One Drop" rule that stated if it could proved that a given person had "one drop" of Black blood, that they were not to be considered white, nor equal. Over time this definition of "whiteness" would be altered and would evolve to the benefit of many whom were once considered non-whites. Such as the Irish, the Italians, and Armenians. All of this racist and ignorant "scientific" hoopla has had devastating psychological affects that carryover today. 

When a young black boy walks down the street (be they Emmett Till or Trayvon Martin) there is an instant reaction that takes place in the brain of whites (whether we like it or not) due to generations of racist stereotyping and fear-mongering by the mainstream. This is above all the biggest and most impactful injustice that circulates daily throughout our world regardless of whether or not we want to admit it, acknowledge it, or accept it. Sadly though, it is because so many of us are either unaware or in denial of this overtly damaging force, that it continues to do so much harm to us all. So, while one may make the seemingly sound argument in simplistic legal terms for the acquittal of George Zimmerman, I would argue that we really need to step back much further and look at the bigger picture if we care to actually move forward as a people. Doing so is much more scary, and much more ugly, but it is the hard truth and it is not going away anytime soon. 

Know justice, know peace. 

Edward Snowden & Booz Allen: The National Security of the United States is Drunk

So, this Edward Snowden "I.T.-spy" dude worked for a private company named BOOZ ALLEN (whom I shall refer to from here on out as "Booze" Allen). 

Booze Allen is a 7bn private company that receives millions/billions in US tax payer money for "defense" intelligence. IE: "mining" our data (PRISM/TrailBlazer). *Pause* Perhaps, they could be one of the many companies the CIA is paying right now to read this post on my Facebook? *hi guys!* This situation though with Snowden and Booze is not out of the ordinary. Some experts estimate that 60 to 70% of US Intelligence "gathering" is now outsourced to private companies like Booze. Our govt even admits its upwards of 50%.

Problem #1. 

For-profit private companies (with no real oversight) are controlling our National Security. This should probably trouble you. Why? Well, for one kinda BIG REASON, these companies are not bound by the 4th Amendement of the constitution like the NSA or CIA are supposedly. You know that whole "unreasonable search & seizure" stuff, as well as, "life, liberty, the pursuit." *Cue: Kid Cudi (Steve Aoki remix)*

Problem #2. 

Who are these drunkards? Who is Boozer Allen & associates?

Everyone of these corny TV pundits that we like to watch on MSNBC, FOX, and CNN, were quick to discount Ed Snowden as merely a narcissistic high school dropout, instead of looking at the bigger picture, which is, what he exposed. Some of our congressmen and senators actually appeared as sane voices in the wilderness by asking the important question: how could a guy with 'security guard experience' get a high level spy gig from the NSA, one that paid him close to 200k? *Good question! Nice ties.*

Good question, because Snowden would likely have never gotten the same access had he been working for US intelligence within a government position. That is if he could have even gotten passed the first round of interviews and background checks.

But at Booze Allen it's, "c'mon on in kid! Here's a desk and a computer and an all-access pass to mine data of everyone in 'Merica!"

So, who's calling shots at Booze Allen? Who's the boss? Why are they getting our billions? Are their Boozy programs any good?

Well, for perspective: our nations current Director of National Intelligence appointed by Obama, James Clapper, whom recently condemned the leaks and Snowden, is, wait for it... a former Booze Allen executive!!! Before that he was high level in the Bush administration.

James Woolsey, former head of our CIA, is also, wait for it... YOU GUESSED IT... former VP of Booze Allen.

Indeed, the current senior VP of Booze Allen (Mike McConnell) ... RIGHT AGAIN... the former Director of the NSA!!!!

#Winning

What have we won?

A bunch of bullshit, that's what.

So, when the current head of the NSA (Alexander) sits up there in front of some committee and tells us that these private data-mining programs (that cost us billions) are extremely valuable to our nations defense and says they have helped thwart "dozens" of terror attacks but he cannot sight one example due to "national security" I think we have to ponder... "this m_therfucker" is just lookin' out for his buddies, and waiting his turn to cash in on a cushy executive job or a high paid "consulting" gig once his US intelligence stint has run its course.

This is what Snowden has exposed.

He is not a traitor, nor a hero, as he himself has stated. He may indeed be a narcissist but that's not really relevant. And, who isn't a narcissist these days? *Selfie*

The bottom line is "follow the money."

Corporations and elite wealthy people own our government, our freedom, and our safety.

They bribe (lobby) our politicians to legislate in their favor and we quietly accept it.

Look at Obama, he has spent about half of the past 500 days flying around to fancy dinners to raise millions from rich people to fund the machine for 2014. Its almost as if he's not allowed to not do this. When does he have time to be president?

Look at Romney, who's as shady as they come. Besides his personal belief that we are all worthless bottom feeders, he was at the "quick flip" firm Bain Capital milking the crooked system for billions before his presidential attempt. The same Bain of course that has done extensive business with my favorite shadowy firm, the Carlyle Group. Carlyle, if you don't know is an ultra-connected investment group that started in "Defense" and branched out to coffee & tea, to go along with their missels and bombs, and is now worth like a 175bn. Carlyle, was first spotlighted back in 2001 after 9/11 when it was revealed they were doing business with the Bin Laden family and the Bush's.

But here's the best part. Carlyle, whom does lots of biz with Bain, and of course the US government, is also is the proud majority owner of... wait for it... wait for it...

BOOZe ALLEN.

'nuff said