Don't Miss The Point

An article from back in April, with my thoughts and boldings throughout:

Passing the Buck and Missing the Point:

Don Imus, White Denial and Racism in America

By Tim Wise

April 15, 2007

Let us dispense with the easy stuff, shall we?

First, Don Imus's free speech rights have not been even remotely violated as a result of his firing, either by MSNBC or CBS Radio. The First Amendment protects us against state oppression or legal sanction for our words. It does not entitle everyone with an opinion to a talk show, let alone on a particular network. To believe or to demand otherwise would be to say that Imus's free speech rights outweigh the rights of his employers to determine what messages they will send out on their dime.

Secondly, those who are telling black folks to "get over it," when it comes to racial slurs, such as those offered up by Imus, are missing an important point: namely, the slurs are not the real issue. The issue is that these slurs (be they of the "nappy-headed ho" variety, or the semi-psychotic string of vitriol spewed by Michael Richards a few months back) take place against a backdrop of systemic and institutional racism. And that backdrop--of housing and job discrimination, racial profiling, unequal health care access, and a media that regularly presents blacks in the worst possible light (think the persistent and inaccurate reports of murder and rape by African Americans in New Orleans during the Katrina tragedy)--makes verbal slights, even if relatively minor, take on a magnitude well beyond the moment of their issuance.

Those who so easily let slip dismissive cliches, such as, "sticks and stones," have rarely themselves been the ones for whom slurs signaled a pending or extant campaign of oppression. So, for those whites who seek to change the subject to slurs used occasionally against us--like honky or cracker--please note: it is precisely the lack of any potent, institutional force to back up those words, which makes them so much easier to shrug off. But people of color are well aware that the slurs used against them, particularly when verbalized by whites, are often the tip of a much larger and more destructive iceberg, beneath which tip lies an edifice capable of shattering opportunities, of damaging and even destroying lives. In truth, even the words themselves can injure, especially the young, for whom an insistence on the development of thick skin seems especially heartless.

Exactly. I know that I can't think of one time in history that whites as a whole have been systemically and even socially discriminated against. And that is a huge point, indeed.

Third, and please make note of it, this is not the first time Imus had done something like this. In the past he's referred to black journalist Gwen Ifill as "the cleaning lady," a Jewish reporter as, a "boner-nosed, beanie-wearing Jewboy," and Arabs as "ragheads." Furthermore, he handpicked a sidekick who called Palestinians "animals" on the air, and suggested that Venus and Serena Williams would make fine centerfold models for National Geographic. Imus is a serial offender, and his contrition now, while perhaps genuine, has been long overdue.

So, a quick review: Imus is a racist, words can wound, and his employers had both the right and responsibility to fire him. But such is hardly the stuff of which meaningful commentary is made. So now, let us consider a few other matters as they relate to the Imus affair: matters that have been largely under-explored amidst the coverage of this story in recent weeks.

White Hypocrisy, Personal Responsibility, and Shifting the Blame to Black Folks (whaaa? More??)

One thing has been made clear by the Imus incident: namely, white folks are incapable of blaming other whites for white racism and racist behavior. Despite all the demands by whites that blacks take "personal responsibility" for their lives, their behaviors, and the problems that often beset their communities--and especially that they stop blaming whites for their station in life--the fact is, we can't wait to blame someone else when we, or one of ours, screws up. So please note, from virtually every corner of the white media (and from black conservatives who are quick to let whites off the hook no matter what we do), the conversation has shifted from Imus's racism to a full-scale assault on rap music and hip-hop. In other words, it's those black people's fault when one of ours calls them a name. After all, they do it themselves, and Imus can't be expected not to say "ho" if Ice Cube has done it. At this point, I'm halfway expecting to hear Bill O'Reilly say that white folks wouldn't have even heard words like nigger if it weren't for 50 Cent. (LOL... oh he's funny!)

But this kind of argument is not only absurd on the face of it, even more to the point, it's a complete affront to the concept of "personal responsibility." It ranks right up there with telling your mom that "Billy did it too," back when you were ten, and playing ball outside, and broke your neighbor's window. As I recall, mom didn't really give a rat's ass, and responded by saying something about Billy, a bridge, and whether his desire to jump off like a damned fool would inspire similar stupidity on your part.

How do you say.... personal responsibility? What a concept.

By seeking to shift blame for Imus's comments, or those of Michael Richards, or whomever, onto black folks, white America has shown our duplicity to be something over which we have no shame. Of course, we've been doing it a long time. Witness the way that whites are quick to point out--whenever the issue of slavery is raised--that "blacks in Africa sold other blacks into bondage," as if that would make blacks every bit as culpable as the folks whose wealth was built by the slave system; as if Europeans had only come to Africa for the weather, and had been coerced into the transatlantic slave trade. Or consider the way that whites blame indigenous people for the mass death they experienced after the invasion of the Americas, by saying, with no sense of misgiving, "Well, it wasn't our fault, I mean, they mostly died of disease," as if native folk would have contracted these diseases short of the desire by whites to conquer the planet for our own aggrandizement. Or consider the way that whites seek to rationalize racial profiling, by arguing that since blacks have higher crime rates, individual and perfectly innocent blacks really can't complain when cops target them, and should instead blame their own for the way blacks get viewed, and treated; same thing with Arabs and terrorism. It's their fault, in other words, personal responsibility be damned.

Hey! I just said that!

Rap has been an especially useful scapegoat, such that whenever whites act out in a racist way we seem quick to blame rap. In fact, sometimes, when whites commit violence we blame rap too, as with the two school shooters in Jonesboro, Arkansas in the late 90s, who were reported to love rap music, as if that would explain their decision to ambush their classmates. When whites throw "ghetto" parties on college campuses, which denigrate the humanity of persons living in this nation's poorest and most marginalized communities, they routinely claim to be merely mimicking what they've seen on MTV. Snoop Dogg made 'em do it, see? Or perhaps it was Jay-Z, or Biggie, or 'Pac. Odd how the Sopranos never get blamed when white folks kill someone, nor the Saw movie trilogy, or, for that matter (since we're on the subject of music), Johnny Cash, who sang about shooting a man in Reno "just to watch him die." Hell, Johnny even sang that song in a prison to a bunch of inmates, with no apparent concern for inciting violence on their part.

And speaking of Cash, the rush to blame rap is especially intriguing given the history of violent themes in country music--a genre that is never blamed whenever some white, NASCAR lover commits murder. Consider country legend Porter Wagoner, whose song "Cold Hard Facts of Life," tells of a man who kills his wife for cheating on him. Or better still, "The First Mrs. Jones," in which Wagoner's protagonist, speaking to his new wife--who has just left him--tells her how he stalked and murdered his former betrothed, after which killing he buried her body parts in the woods. In other words, unless the "second Mrs. Jones" comes back to him, she's going to join the first one, pushing up daisies in the forest. If Young Buck dropped a song like this, white America would be screaming about how he was encouraging violence against women. But for Wagoner, a revered member of the Country Music Hall of Fame, no such concern attaches. He's just "telling a story."

Then there's Johnny Paycheck's classic, "Pardon Me, I've Got Someone to Kill," or Jimmy Rodgers who sang, "If you don't want to smell my smoke, don't monkey with my gun," or several of the violent ditties recorded by Spade Cooley in the 1950s: a man who didn't just sing of violence, but also practiced what he preached, by beating his wife to death in front of their teenage daughter in 1961. That rap is viewed so much more negatively than any other genre of music--so many of which have had their fair share of disturbing, violent and sexist imagery--attests to the racialized way in which danger has come to be understood. Only a fool could think race wasn't the primary reason for the double standard. In fact, research has found that when lyrics with violent themes are presented to whites in a focus group, as being rap lyrics, the participants respond far more negatively than when the same lyrics are presented as the lyrics they actually are: from a folk song, sung by whites.

But blaming rap is not only conveniently opportunistic, and intellectually dishonest, given all the pandering about personal responsibility. It also ignores the reasons why rap music sometimes--though not as uniformly as some seem to believe--peddles images of violence, or lyrics that are sexist. After all, if eighty percent of all rap music purchases are made by whites (and that is the conventional wisdom), then white consumers must be responding, via their purchases, to an already held impression of black people. Without such a pre-existing mental schema firmly in place, the images of blacks as gangstas, pimps, dealers and "hos" wouldn't resonate nearly so much as to make possible billions of dollars of sales annually. In other words, perhaps whites need to consider the possibility that the thug image has been marketable, and thus created a financial incentive for black artists to play to that trope because these images comport with the negative things that much of white America believes about blacks in the first place. Things which they believed, it should be noted, long before Cool Herc threw his first house party in the Bronx.

If white folks were interested in buying CDs by rap artists who sang about radical social transformation and community uplift--and yes there are many, many such artists out there--then that's the music that would be churned out in larger numbers. But white consumers aren't, by and large, looking to buy songs about overthrowing the system from which we benefit. White boys in the stale and lifeless 'burbs would rather listen to songs about guns and drugs, and being a thug, through which music they can live a more exciting life, if only in their fantasies. So in the ultimate irony, it is white buyers who make that kind of rap profitable, but instead of asking for any responsibility from them, we blame the artists for doing what they're supposed to do in a capitalist system, which is respond to market demand, no matter the social consequences. Naturally, of course, it isn't capitalism that gets the blame--a thoroughly European creation that has brought misery to millions, as did state socialism (another issue from the womb of Europe)--but rather, the black folks who have taken the bait offered by the market system. Even better is to read Cal Thomas's column from this week, in which he blamed liberal values and permissiveness for the coarseness of rap music, rather than the values trumpeted by the right, like profit-making.

Sticking Our "Buts" in Where They Don't Belong

In addition to trying to shift the blame for white racism onto black folks, we whites seem to be congenitally incapable of simply condemning racism, and after such condemnation, ending the sentence with a period. No indeed, after each condemnation it appears as though we are compelled to offer a comma, followed by a semi-exculpatory clause, which minimizes or outright nullifies the force of the condemnation itself.

As in, "Yes, what Imus said was horrible, and mean-spirited" (and sometimes we'll even admit, racist, although several were unable to verbalize this word), "but he does wonderful charity work," or runs "a camp for kids with cancer."

As in, "Yes, what Michael Richards said was awful and racist, but he was heckled and just lost control" (actually, witnesses say he started in on black audience members before they had said anything to him, so this excuse is not only flimsy, in any event, it's also a lie).

As in, "Yes, Mel Gibson was wrong to say those things, but he'd been drinking."

As in, "Yes, those white officers who shot Amadou Diallo were wrong, but it's tough being a cop in a dangerous neighborhood."

As in, "Yes, the founding fathers mostly owned slaves and were racists, but they were just products of their time and can't be judged by the standards of today"--an argument that is thoroughly offensive, since, after all, admonitions against theft and murder (both of which were implicated in the slave system) have been around for thousands of years. Not to mention, the idea that "everyone felt that way back then" is false: the slaves certainly didn't, and neither did white abolitionists.

Or, my favorite, as regards the Imus matter: "Yeah, Imus was wrong to say what he said, but the people criticizing him, like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, are even worse." One has to wonder what white folks would do if Jackson and Sharpton weren't around; who would we have to divert attention from our own biases? Attacking these two is the default position of white America whenever one of ours does something wrong: "Well what about Jackson? What about Sharpton?" This is then followed by a reminder of the former's "Hymietown" statement, and the latter's involvement in the Tawana Brawley affair.

But even if one accepts the standard white critique of Jackson and Sharpton, the argument nonetheless amounts to a colossal failure to apply "personal responsibility" logic to oneself and one's community. It is yet another attempt by whites to change the subject. Not to mention, both men's past foibles exacted a price from them as well, from which it took several years to recover. It's not as if they received a free pass, and to be sure, had either man had a radio show at the time, there is no doubt that they too would have been canned by their employers for making racist, or anti-Semitic comments. Twenty-three years later, Jackson's comments about New York still haunt him, and no doubt had an impact on his political career, for example. As with Jackson and Sharpton, Imus should be able to redeem himself over time, to be sure. But as with both men, he shouldn't expect redemption to happen immediately, and without first paying a price.

And truthfully, to say that Sharpton and Jackson are more offensive than Imus is almost incomprehensible. On the one hand you have two men who have spent their entire adult lives in the struggle for equal rights. On the other, you have a talk show host whose career has been about offending people and pushing the boundaries of good taste. A man who told 60 minutes in 1998 that he hired his co-host, specifically to tell "nigger jokes." A man who calls tennis star Amelie Mauresmo a "big lesbo" on air. A man whose contribution to the world amounts to shocking people in morning drive time. Hardly comparable to registering voters, fighting for civil rights, running empowerment organizations that seek to build community unity, or any of the other endeavors in which Jackson and Sharpton have been involved.

But here's the bigger truth: if white folks are tired of seeing Jackson and Sharpton out front whenever white racism rears its ugly head, there's an easy way to solve that problem. Namely, all we have to do is do the work ourselves! If whites were willing to stand up and unapologetically, and without equivocation, condemn the racism in our community--following the lead of grass-roots folks of color with names far less known than the two men in question--perhaps Jackson and Sharpton wouldn't have to be the ones leading the rally. Maybe they could take a break. Maybe they could get a much-needed and earned vacation. But that's the problem: most whites do nothing in the face of racism. Most of us don't speak up, don't talk back, don't challenge family, friends, colleagues, or anyone else when they engage is racist actions or merely tell racist jokes. We sit back and remain largely silent, or condemn but only with caveats included. No wonder black leaders like Jackson and Sharpton end up being the visible faces of resistance: we aren't showing up at all, so what are they supposed to do?

At the end of the day, it is white silence and collaboration that has always made racism--whether of the personal or institutional type--possible. If whites had, in larger numbers, joined with folks of color to challenge white supremacy, there is no way that such a system could have been maintained. There is no way that racist persons would be able to spew their venom without fear of reprisal, in most cases. They would know that such verbiage, or racist actions would be met forcefully, and that those engaging in such things would be ostracized. But white silence and inaction has given strength to the racists, whether on radio or in corporate offices, or government positions, or police uniforms; it has emboldened them to act out, since they have long had little reason to believe anything would happen. Slaveowners would have been powerless had the whites who didn't own slaves stood up to them and challenged their evil; so too with segregationists, those who lynched thousands of blacks from the late 1800s to the early 60s, and those who engage in discrimination today. The silent and passive collaborators with injustice are just as bad as those who do the deed, and have always been such. And too often, those folks have been us.

So deeply rooted this denial goes. The longer it's ignored, the longer we stay silent, the deeper it roots.

Only when whites decide to connect with the alternative tradition of resistance, as opposed to collaboration, will things change. Only when we choose to take our place in the line--however much longer it should be--of antiracist white allies, will we be in a position to lecture folks of color on how they come at the issue. And even then, we'll have far more to learn than to teach in that regard. But until that time, and for however long white folks decide to remain on the sidelines in this struggle, our entitlement to say much of anything sideways to the Jacksons or Sharptons of the world will remain virtually non-existent. Pay some dues, and then maybe you can talk. Until then, shut it down.

And Yet, the Bigger Issue: Missing the Systemic Forest for the Individual Trees

But perhaps the biggest problem with the coverage of this one man's racism, is the way in which the media rushes to cover individual acts of bigotry, a la Imus or Michael Richards, while largely ignoring the larger issue, and evidence of widespread systemic racism in health care, criminal justice, education or employment.

So by now, pretty much everyone knows what Imus said, which is fine, so far as it goes. But why has there been no news coverage of the recent report that complaints of housing discrimination, including race-based complaints, are at an all-time high, and where is the outrage?

Why no coverage of the new report from the United Church of Christ, indicating persons of color are far more likely to live in neighborhoods where hazardous waste sites are placed, and that the typical host neighborhood for such sites has twice as many people of color as the typical neighborhood without such a site? And where is the outrage over this kind of environmental racism?

Where is the coverage of the recent study, which found that less access to high quality health care is the primary reason for higher prostate cancer death rates for black men, relative to white men? And how many have heard that according to research published in the American Journal of Public Health, nearly 900,000 blacks died from 1991 to 2000, who wouldn't have died had they had access to health care that was equal to that received by whites: roughly 90,000 African Americans each year? And where is the outrage over racial disparity in health care?

Where is the media fanfare about the recently updated research from Melvin Oliver and Thomas Shapiro, to the effect that the racial wealth gap between whites and blacks has remained huge, even as income gaps have fallen? Oliver and Shapiro report that even among college-educated black couples with middle class incomes, their wealth disadvantage relative to similar whites remains massive: on average, these African American couples have less than one-fourth the net worth of their white counterparts. In large measure, the wealth gap can be traced to policies that historically restricted black asset accumulation and gave whites significant head starts in the same area, yet their findings have been reported in virtually no white-owned media outlets.

Or what about the research from Vanderbilt University, which finds that light-skinned immigrants to the U.S. have incomes that are significantly higher than those of immigrants who are otherwise similar--in terms of experience, education and skill levels--but who have darker skin. According to the research, which adds to a long line of data suggesting the role of colorism in the playing out of white supremacy, being one shade lighter than another immigrant is as beneficial to a person's income as an entire additional year of schooling. But where has the coverage been on this issue, and where is the outrage?

In other words, perhaps the biggest problem with the Imus coverage is the way that even liberal commentary on the subject has tended to reinforce the notion that racism is a one-on-one kind of thing, an interpersonal problem, or a character flaw, for which the easy solution is banishment from the airwaves, or perhaps several sessions of counseling.

When talking about racism, broad strokes have to be used. You can't look at one problem and solution as the thing to finally end racism. It doesn't make any sense in the slightest. Obviously, it doesn't seem to be solving the problem either.

So long as the bigger problem of institutional injustice remains off the radar screens of the media however, even victories against personal bias will remain largely irrelevant. And this is so because it is that larger racial inequity that so often contributes to personal bias in the first place, by giving the impression to weak-minded individuals that those on the bottom of the social and economic structure must have something wrong with them, or else they'd be doing better. That is what our society encourages us to believe, after all. Until we get a handle on racism as a social phenomenon, we'll be unlikely to make lasting progress on ending it as a personal one, whether for Imus, or anyone else.

All I can say is, exactly. To refute what is said here, really just seems to be more denial. I had someone go so far as to tell me that systemic racism is a conspiracy theory, and was just shocked. How deeply rooted can denial be for someone to claim conspiracy before looking at the problem? And, conspiracy against whom? Whites? I mean, honestly....

An Email From Color of Change

Dear Dani,

A few weeks ago, we launched a campaign to bring visibility to the case of the Jena 6--six young black men in Jena, LA set to face more than 20 years in prison for their alleged role in a schoolyard fight. We're already making a difference, but we could still really use your help.

Last Tuesday, over 300 people from across the country descended on Jena: we rallied in front of the courthouse, marched through downtown Jena, and cut through a line of sheriffs to hand-deliver petitions from more than 43,000 ColorOfChange.org members to the District Attorney's office.

It was quite a moment. The families were beaming because they knew that we had their backs. And, from the looks on their faces, it was clear that the authorities hadn't anticipated such a growing and powerful force. We've also gotten the attention of Governor Blanco, who finally started sending responses to the over 50,000 emails ColorOfChange.org members sent to her office. And, together, we've raised more than $55,000 for the legal defense of the Jena 6.

But we've got a ways to go. At this point it's key to keep pressure on the Governor by continuing the emails, and we're planning a bigger event in mid-to-late September. You can add your voice (and find out more ways you can help) by clicking below:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2069-181848

Here's the rest of the story, as we told it a few weeks back:

Last fall in Jena, Louisiana, the day after two Black high school students sat beneath the "white tree" on their campus, nooses were hung from the tree. When the superintendent dismissed the nooses as a "prank," more Black students sat under the tree in protest. The District Attorney then came to the school accompanied by the town's police and demanded that the students end their protest, telling them, "I can be your best friend or your worst enemy... I can take away your lives with a stroke of my pen."¹

A series of white-on-black incidents of violence followed, and the DA did nothing. But when a white student was beaten up in a schoolyard fight, the DA responded by charging six black students with attempted murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

It's a story that reads like one from the Jim Crow era, when judges, lawyers and all-white juries used the justice system to keep blacks in "their place"--but it's happening today. The families of these young men are fighting back, but the odds are stacked against them. Together, we can make sure their story is told, that this becomes an issue for the Governor of Louisiana, and that justice is provided for the Jena 6. It starts now. Please add your voice:

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2069-181848

The noose-hanging incident and the DA's visit to the school set the stage for everything that followed. Racial tension escalated over the next couple of months, and on November 30, the main academic building of Jena High School was burned down in an unsolved fire. Later the same weekend, a black student was beaten up by white students at a party. The next day, black students at a convenience store were threatened by a young white man with a shotgun. They wrestled the gun from him and ran away. While no charges were filed against the white man, the students were arrested for the theft of the gun.²

That Monday at school, a white student, who had been a vocal supporter of the students who hung the nooses, taunted the black student who was beaten up at the off-campus party and allegedly called several black students "nigger." After lunch, he was knocked down, punched and kicked by black students. He was taken to the hospital but was released and was well enough to go to a social event that evening.³

Six Black Jena High students, Robert Bailey (17), Theo Shaw (17), Carwin Jones (18), Bryant Purvis (17), Mychal Bell (16) and an unidentified minor, were expelled from school, arrested and charged with second-degree attempted murder. Bail was set so high -- between $70,000 and $138,000 -- that the boys were left in prison for months as families went deep into debt to release them.⁴

The first trial ended last month, and Mychal Bell, who has been in prison since December, was convicted of aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit aggravated battery (both felonies) by an all-white jury in a trial where his public defender called no witnesses. During his trial, Mychal's parents were ordered not to speak to the media and the court prohibited protests from taking place near the courtroom or where the judge could see them.

Mychal is scheduled to be sentenced on September 20th, and could go to jail for 22 years.⁵

The Jena Six are lucky to have parents and loved ones who are fighting tooth and nail to free them. They have been threatened but they are standing strong. We know that if the families have to go it alone, their sons will be a long time coming home. They will lose precious years to Jena's outrageous attempt to maintain a racist status quo. But if we act now, we can make a difference.

Please add your voice to the voices of these families in Jena, and help bring Mychal, Theo, Robert, Carwin, and Bryant home. By clicking below, you can demand that Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco get involved to make sure that justice is served for Mychal Bell, and that DA Reed Walters drop the charges against the 5 boys who have not yet gone to trial.

http://www.colorofchange.org/jena/?id=2069-181848

Thank You and Peace,

-- James, Van, Gabriel, Clarissa, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
August 8th, 2007

References:

1. "Injustice in Jena as Nooses Hang From the ‘White Tree,'" truthout, July 3, 2007
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/070307B.shtml

2. "Racial demons rear heads," Chicago Tribune, May 20, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/yvh7t5

3. See reference #1.

4. See reference #1.

5. "'Jena Six' defendant convicted," Town Talk, June 29, 2007
http://tinyurl.com/ysxtgg

Other resources:

NPR: Searching for Justice in Jena 6 Case (streaming audio)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11756302

Democracy Now! - The case of the Jena Six ...
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=07/07/10/1413220

Too Sense: Free The Jena Six Now
http://halfricanrevolution.blogspot.com/2007/07/free-jena-six-now.html

While Seated: Jena Six
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/003244.shtml

Nooses, attacks and jail for black students in Jena Louisiana
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/6/28/144445/384

Justice In Jena, by Jordan Flaherty
http://www.zmag.org/content/print_article.cfm?itemID=12783&sectionID=30

The Perpetrator becomes the Prosecutor (and other related entries)
http://friendsofjustice.wordpress.com/blog/

'Stealth racism' stalks deep South
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/this_world/6685441.stm

The side of MLK people don't like to talk about

The Martin Luther King You Don't See on TV
By Norman Solomon and Jeff Cohen, AlterNet
Posted on April 4, 2007, Printed on April 4, 2007
http://www.alternet.org/story/50151/

It's become a TV ritual: Every year on April 4, as Americans commemorate Martin Luther King's death, we get perfunctory network news reports about "the slain civil rights leader."

The remarkable thing about these reviews of King's life is that several years -- his last years -- are totally missing, as if flushed down a memory hole.

What TV viewers see is a closed loop of familiar file footage: King battling desegregation in Birmingham (1963); reciting his dream of racial harmony at the rally in Washington (1963); marching for voting rights in Selma, Alabama (1965); and finally, lying dead on the motel balcony in Memphis (1968).

An alert viewer might notice that the chronology jumps from 1965 to 1968. Yet King didn't take a sabbatical near the end of his life. In fact, he was speaking and organizing as diligently as ever.

Almost all of those speeches were filmed or taped. But they're not shown today on TV.

Why?

It's because national news media have never come to terms with what Martin Luther King Jr. stood for during his final years.

In the early 1960s, when King focused his challenge on legalized racial discrimination in the South, most major media were his allies. Network TV and national publications graphically showed the police dogs and bullwhips and cattle prods used against Southern blacks who sought the right to vote or to eat at a public lunch counter.

But after passage of civil rights acts in 1964 and 1965, King began challenging the nation's fundamental priorities. He maintained that civil rights laws were empty without "human rights" -- including economic rights. For people too poor to eat at a restaurant or afford a decent home, King said, anti-discrimination laws were hollow.

Noting that a majority of Americans below the poverty line were white, King developed a class perspective. He decried the huge income gaps between rich and poor, and called for "radical changes in the structure of our society" to redistribute wealth and power.

"True compassion," King declared, "is more than flinging a coin to a beggar; it comes to see that an edifice which produces beggars needs restructuring."

By 1967, King had also become the country's most prominent opponent of the Vietnam War, and a staunch critic of overall U.S. foreign policy, which he deemed militaristic. In his "Beyond Vietnam" speech delivered at New York's Riverside Church on April 4, 1967 -- a year to the day before he was murdered -- King called the United States "the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today."

From Vietnam to South Africa to Latin America, King said, the U.S. was "on the wrong side of a world revolution." King questioned "our alliance with the landed gentry of Latin America," and asked why the U.S. was suppressing revolutions "of the shirtless and barefoot people" in the Third World, instead of supporting them.

In foreign policy, King also offered an economic critique, complaining about "capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries."

You haven't heard the "Beyond Vietnam" speech on network news retrospectives, but national media heard it loud and clear back in 1967 -- and loudly denounced it. Time magazine called it "demagogic slander that sounded like a script for Radio Hanoi." The Washington Post patronized that "King has diminished his usefulness to his cause, his country, his people."

In his last months, King was organizing the most militant project of his life: the Poor People's Campaign. He crisscrossed the country to assemble "a multiracial army of the poor" that would descend on Washington -- engaging in nonviolent civil disobedience at the Capitol, if need be -- until Congress enacted a poor people's bill of rights. Reader's Digest warned of an "insurrection."

King's economic bill of rights called for massive government jobs programs to rebuild America's cities. He saw a crying need to confront a Congress that had demonstrated its "hostility to the poor" -- appropriating "military funds with alacrity and generosity," but providing "poverty funds with miserliness."

How familiar that sounds today, nearly 40 years after King's efforts on behalf of the poor people's mobilization were cut short by an assassin's bullet.

In 2007, in this nation of immense wealth, the White House and most in Congress continue to accept the perpetuation of poverty. They fund foreign wars with "alacrity and generosity," while being miserly in dispensing funds for education and healthcare and environmental cleanup.

And those priorities are largely unquestioned by mainstream media. No surprise that they tell us so little about the last years of Martin Luther King's life.

Norman Solomon is the author of the new book, "War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death." Jeff Cohen is the author of "Cable News Confidential: My Misadventures in Corporate Media."

More things in thread on TS message board.

History of Black/White Relations

Reality is unpleasant- some quotes

It is part of the moral tragedy with which we are dealing that words like "democracy," "freedom," "rights," "justice," which have so often inspired heroism and have led men to give their lives for things which make life worthwhile, can also become a trap, the means of destroying the very things men desire to uphold. Sir Norman Angell (1874 - 1967), 1956.

No one is more dangerous than one who imagines himself pure in heart; for his purity. by definition is unassailable: James Baldwin (1924 - 1987) Notes of a native son, 1955

When faced with a choice between confronting an unpleasant reality and defending a set of comforting and socially accepted beliefs, most people choose the later course. W. Lance Bennett.

I am a privileged white girl

Something I wrote back in April, after reading an amazing book:

I've had many mini-ephiphanies over the past couple of months for me on the subject of race relations. I was introduced to author and anti-racism activist Tim Wise through a member of the TS message board, and friend, Bruce. I recently read Wise's book, "White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son", and was completely blown away. It was not an easy book to read, not in the slightest. Reading his story, and having experienced the same sorts of opposition to my viewpoints, it felt good to know that I'm not the lone white person in the world who is starting to get a better understanding of racism in the United States .

Probably the biggest lesson I had to learn is that I don't know shit. Sure, I had discovered a new awareness of the blatant racism that is still so prevalent in this country. I found I had done nothing more than scratch the surface, not even drawing blood. It wasn't even about racism, really. I was-am- learning about the realities of white privilege. This is not an easy thing for anyone to come to terms with, but what I worked out when I think about my own past and path, is that 99%, if not 100%, of the reason I am where I am today, is because I'm a privileged white person.

I didn't have the best of upbringings. Abused as a child, whole family broken apart, ending up a ward of the state, in foster care. Sure, it was hard, emotionally. Wouldn't wish what happened to me on anyone, and I'm real lucky I have come out of it not having turned into a freaking loon. I've always had an open mind though, and open to pretty much whatever comes my way. I took to therapy well. I was in a shelter for all of three months, before moving in with my foster parents.

Three months. My time in the shelter was quite, well, privileged. A lot of security measures were bent for me. I was still able to attend the same high school, and take the public bus to school each day. They were not worried about me running away. When we needed to attend the Boys and Girls Club for summer camp, I became a volunteer counselor instead of just an attendee. I would like to think that this is because I displayed a more level head than the other kids in the shelter, and was the oldest (17) child there, but now I'm not so sure that was the only reason.

Three months. Then I moved into a foster home, where the family was licensed just for me. Just. For. Me. I was all ready spending weekends with them before I officially moved too. The whole situation was very lax. Even the final inspection was a breeze, just a formality really. I know without a doubt now that it's because of my skin color. I mean, come on! 17 year old white girl. Doesn't smoke, doesn't drink (then, not now!), doesn't use drugs. Doesn't run away from places, always followed the rules. Moving into a foster home where there are two PhD holders, and two children heading off to major Universities. In my new view, and the beauty of hindsight, I know without a doubt, things would have been a whole lot worse if I had been a person of color.

Now, you might think I have some "white guilt" thing happening now. Really, it's not a matter of feeling guilt. It is what it is. The key here is the awareness of the dynamics of the situation. Obviously, I can't do anything about my skin color. It would be pretty stupid to feel guilty about my skin color. After all it's not like I had a choice in the assembly line. I do feel a sort of shame towards my fellow white folk, when I see the ignorance that still reigns in this country. Ignorance that, quite frankly, I think is purposeful. They want to remain ignorant, in order to not have to face the problem at hand. Ignorance is bliss, indeed.

Tim Wise led me to a whole new set of people who speak on the subject. Speak loudly, I might add. This is one of the amazing things about the internet, and blogging. In a sense, it breaks down barriers. Other than Wise, three other blogs that have made my blogroll so I can track them are The Angry Black Woman (LOVE her tag line!), The Field Negro, and The Free Slave.

Even more than Tim Wise, even more than any white person, these people have the right to tell it as it is, and they do. Free Slave all ready gave me good thoughts about whether I should vote for Barack Obama because he's black. There is another entry he did recently that really made me think and consider everything about who I am (GOD I love thinking!!):

Who are you?

What are you?

What is your primary identity?

What ethnic, racial, nation-state do you identify with?

Or do you identify with none at all?

Who am I? Well, that's easy. Danielle Regina Piwinski Cutler. What am I, my primary identity? I go back and forth on that. Is my primary identity more woman, than white? I really don't know. As for an ethnic identity, I know I am Polish. 100%. However, do I identify with my ethnicity? No. I practice nothing that pertains to the Polish heritage. I couldn't even tell you a Polish holiday, or a Polish ritual. I know next to nothing about my heritage, other than I know that I am 4th generation Polish-American. My great-grandparents were the first immigrants who came over from Poland . Other than knowing a few words in Polish, and having a weakness for Perrogies and Kabasa, telling people I'm Polish is nothing more than a word in terms of meaning.

Do you ever ask yourself who and what you are, who and what you are supposed to be and whether you are being your truest self?

I don't. This is the very first time I really ever thought about it for any significant amount of time. And by significant, I do not mean just in this entry, tonight. This has been mulling around for a few months now, and what I'm learning is that as someone who has no clue about her own heritage, I have no right to assume I know anything about the heritage or the struggles of others.

But I want to learn. I want to understand. What studying race relations in the US and white privilege has done for me, is made me more sensitive to things I do not understand. Leveled the arrogance I had simply by being white. Arrogance I didn't even know was there.

Perhaps by learning more about the history of things, and how they connect to the present, we can all be more sensitive to these issues. Whether we understand them or not.

About that "N" word

And when should you say it?

International Blog Against Racism Week

Yeah, I feel like the last to know- and I'm a day late! This is the second year for IBARW, and I'm going to start off my posting with a list of excellent resources to learn more. (Click the subject line for more information.)

I'm also going to re-post some things I've blogged about in the past about racism, along with a few personal views on the topic. Things I've come to understand about my place based on my skin color. Some things I obviously can't change, but raising my awareness, as well as the awareness of those who might listen and read. It is one of the most important things I think I can do to contribute to society.

Anyway, take some time if you can. Now, what I read:

The Angry Black Woman
Black Agenda Report
The Field Negro
The Free Slave
Tim Wise
Too Sense
Why Am I Not Surprised?

All of these places also have some excellent link lists, should you wish to go further.

So, let's get started!

TS34: Continuing to Cover Up The Truth

A cover-up that continues to be un-covered, the death (murder?) of Pat Tillman. Consider this a continuation of episode 26. But first, plenty of headlines, feedback, and trip-happy music for you.

-JC Hutchins likes Geek-chicka Commies.
-Podcast Pickle Reviews for Riches Contest
-Hey I'm number 19 in the Pickle 100! That's insane!
-One week left!
-Headlines from Democracy Now
-Background music: "Midnight Blue Odyssey"
-Barely wants his money back
-He also thinks I shouldn't give Congress so much credit. (and he's right!)
-This poll tells you why
-Only 20%, Steve?
-How can you be both pessimistic and optimistic? Is that considered 'flip-flopping'?
-An Australian finds the show by accident
-TS33 Thread on Podcast Pickle proved mildly entertaining- mildly.
-Taking a break with "7th Son Project: Alpha"
-The Pat Tillman cover-up continues
- Editor and Publisher article
-AZ Republic Article 1
-AZ Republic Article 2
-One more hit from TWiG: "Blackened"
(all music this episode brought to you by TWiG- thank you!)

Listen directly HERE

Links are a podcasters friend

Recently a podcast I used to take such pride in being a part of, wrote about how "dull" links are. I was instantly tweaked, for a couple of reasons. One, on the personal level. To see a show I gave so much to pretty much slam my hard work by calling what I was doing "dull"- well, grrr. But I gave it up to the age and experience (as she is still learning this podcasting etiquette thing, as well as being on the younger 'all about me' side). The show has become pretty much more about the hosts than the actual content now, I'm very saddened to say. But I digress...

The other thing that bothered me was, how do you know where to find more information about things discussed on shows without good notes and linkage? I will give her that she did say all necessary links are on their show notes page. However, I've watched the show notes page of this particular show slip downhill since I stopped producing it, and just look thrown together and rushed (I realize this sounds very arrogant of me, but just looking at it makes me cringe. Just this past week they didn't even put in the correct links! They also never link to the promo's they play. It's just sloppy and lazy.)

So, in an effort to justify my arrogance (hee-hee), I went to the best source I know- and pulled out my Podcasting for Dummies book. Sure enough- Chapter 8. Posting show notes!

In an internet world where everything is now tagged and cross-posted, linking is of the utmost importance, in my opinion. I thought at first it might just be me, and with my show content needing to link to my information, but the book backs up my view. Not only for finding more information about things discussed, but simply because cross-linking and tagging gets more exposure for your show in searches, which could end up bringing more traffic to you.

My personal preference is giving a general overview of what the episode is about, then adding my links to short sentences about the particulars. Podcasting for Dummies (OMFG every podcaster or potential podcast should have this book!!) gives three basic tips for show note etiquette:

1. Intriguing and informative titles. The title is the pitch for your show. You just don't know if someone is a regular listener, or hitting your site for the very first time. You need to cover both with one title.

2. Include links to all the locations mentioned in the podcast. Good linking can only bring "good karma" as they say. Especially if you're playing a promo for a show. Why wouldn't you link to the show you're helping promote? When you think about the very high percentage of people who still listen to podcasts off their computer, it's even more important for those (like myself) who want to just click over while listening and get more information about something they heard on your show.

Again you need to keep in mind that someone might be hitting say, your Myspace page for the very first time, and not know a thing about your main show site. The point is making it as easy as possible for a potential new listener to get where they need to be. If they need to make several clicks to get around, they could get bored and just move on.

3. Be concise. (I love this) Remember, these are show notes, and not show transcripts. You tell everyone every detail of your show, well then, there's no need to listen!


This is some great advice, I think. If you really don't feel like cross-posting everywhere you talk about your show, at the very least, leave a link to get to the show notes easily. I mean, you don't have to be very detailed, and it really doesn't take that much time. But showing a little effort, and being correct in your links as well, can make you look like you have a show worth listening to.

How you put your notes together, is a reflection of how you put your actual podcast together. At least that's what I think. Take pride in your podcast from every angle. Show notes are a part of your podcast. Check your links, and put the effort into it, even if it takes a little more time than you want to spend. It's totally worth it, and I know your show is worth it too!

Issues!

Passing on the meme from a friend, who got it from here.

~I can share a utensil with anyone (you know, like 'take a bite of mine' sort of thing), even people I hardly know, but I can't share one with my husband. Same with straws.

~Any sort of change, even minor, throws off my entire day. Adjustment is a slow process with me.

~I'm claustrophobic, but it only kicks in when in crowds. I have big space issues.

~I feel guilt about pretty much everything I do. Or don't do.

~I'd rather talk to someone online than on the phone or face-to-face.

~Most of the time I feel overwhelmed, and I don't really have anything I'm doing.

~every time I fly, I go through the whole flight thinking I'm going to die.

~If a podcast doesn't have good show notes, with good links, then I automatically assume your show isn't very good. I can't even bring myself to listen.

~the only reason I really travel to the Podcast Expo is to get a weekend away from home. The networking is just a side thing for me.

Rebirth

Yes, if you are coming over from the Myspace blog, you know I'm dusting off the blog here to use again.

For those just stopping in, well, it was time. And Blogger had some good upgrades that made it worth my while. :-)

Have a million things to talk about, but will do that tomorrow. Erm, later today.

Also want to test the link feature, so check that out!

Be back soon... and in full swing.

Too many blogs

Well, seems I've got too much bloggage. It was bound to happen, but I've found that I really love the format of the blog over on Myspace. So, that is where I will forward you to, in case the two people who read still would like to keep tabs on me.

http://blog.myspace.com/theaudioaddicts


Consolidation. It's a good thing. :-)

Thoughts about Dad Part 2

Monday, January 22, was a more difficult night than the night Dad actually passed. My brother had called saying that he had taken a down turn, and that if there was anything we wanted to say, we should say it now. I called my husband in an emotional frenzy and choked out the message to him. He cleared his schedule for the remainder of the week and came home.

All four of us talked to him, including my youngest daughter, who previously had not wanted to talk to him. Understandable, she is only 6 and cannot fully grasp the emotion of the situation. Not that any of us can, really, but something so permanent has to be a big thing for such a mind to wrap around at that age. Her words to Dad were epic. "I'm sorry you're going to die Grandpa, and I love you so much." Same with my older daughter. By the time the phone got to me I wasn't sure I could speak. He's only been my Dad for 17 years, but that is a lifetime for me. I thanked him for choosing to be my dad. He couldn't speak, his breathing was so labored at this point he could only listen. Then my husband, who finally let out what he had been holding back. My turn to support him.

My older daughter and I had originally planned on going out that weekend to see Dad and help Mom. I realized that I needed to get out there sooner. Everyone juggled their schedules and I left Wednesday, the 24th, with Bret and Allison leaving Thursday, and Sam staying home with Nanas.

It was the longest day. The entire flight I had a sick feeling in my stomach. My stop over in Detroit was (naturally) delayed, and instead of getting in at 7 I got in just before 9. Andy picked me up. I could see the stress on his face, and he was clearly distracted. He had been in Maryland since Dad's retirement party the previous Thursday, and decided to stay rather than go home. I'm so grateful he was there with Mom.

We got to the house, and I went upstairs to see him. Katie was all ready there too, down from Boston. We had both changed our flights. Mom moved so I could sit next to him. I took his hand. It was so limp and cold! I wasn't sure if he knew I was there, but I rubbed his hand and told him I was here, and that it didn't take an 18 hour layover like last time. Told him that Bret and Allison would be there the next day, just made small talk. I didn't know if he could hear me or not, until he managed to give my hand a little squeeze. It was weak, but he did it. He knew I was there. I went back downstairs to call Bret and tell him I had made it. Then we three kids were downstairs talking and flipping through the scrapbook I had made. It wasn't even a half hour later when Mom came down and told us he was gone. 9:42pm. We all went back upstairs.

You know, I'm currently reading a book about energy and the spirit. I've always believed that everything around us is energy, including our own energy. I know for a fact it is true now, because all that remained was a body that belonged to my Dad. I could feel, in just that short amount of time from when I first arrived, he had left. The body that was him remained, but I just knew it wasn't him any longer. Mom, Katie, Andy and I sat up there waiting for the nurse to return our call, talking and crying in waves. We were happy it went peacefully and painlessly. And honestly, quickly.

We all agreed on one thing- Dad waited for me to get there. Whether he was waiting for me specifically, or waiting so we could all be together, or be there for Mom- he had waited. I'll be forever thankful to you Dad for that, for that one extra moment I never expected to have.

Need to stop now, I will continue later.
(Thoughts About Dad Part 1)

The unexpected layover

When I was in my early 20's, younger and definitely kinda stupid, as so many people in their 20's are, (no offense to the 20 year olds- you'll understand in about 10 years) a group of us always used to go and hang out at the airport. Yes, the airport. Remember those pre 9/11 days when you could go to the airport, go through security whether you had a flight or not, and head right to the gate? Well, we'd do this for fun. 3am and we'd hang at the airport. Steal a wheelchair and take rides down the parking garage ramp.

God immaturity was bliss... the only thing I want back from my 20's is my body.

Friday I was thinking about how we used to do that while I was stuck in Chicago's airport for eighteen hours. Yes, that is a 1-8. I am currently in Boston, visiting Dad for a quick weekend. I took a red-eye that left at midnight Thursday/Friday, because I figured I'd get more time that way.

Ha. We landed, and I saw the snow flurries. My first thought was, "I'm going to get delayed." Yep. My flight was supposed to leave at 7. It was moved to 8am. No problem, I found a corner and recorded some audio for my next podcast. Do you know they played dance music on the plane when everyone was boarding at midnight, then when we were getting off at 4am? It was so funny- a plane full of tired people and there is dance music playing while we get off the plane.

Then as we were waiting, the snow still coming down quite steadily, I noticed the departure board. Everything was cancelled- EXCEPT my flight. Wow. They held on as long as possible, then after moving it to 9am, realized it just wasn't fair to tease us any longer, and they cancelled it.

Well ok then. I got it changed to a 7:30 flight that evening. Nothing was going out any earlier. I played with the idea of leaving and actually seeing a little more of Chicago than the airport, but I decided to try and sleep a bit. Well that didn't work either. Every 10 minutes or so I woke up. So I gave up, found a place to eat, and listened to some podcasts. I had no idea I'd have so much time to listen! Thank you ROFLcast, and Wingin It!, for helping me get through my day. I had 6 episodes of one and 4 of the other to catch up on.

By 4pm I was feeling it- I was wandering through the airport in a daze. I had to find a place to recharge my iPod. Wow- those are highly sought after things in airports. It's like finding a parking space at the mall during Christmas season. Two people see the same outlet and the gloves come off.
And could you please tell me why you're so goddammed important that you have to dress up to fly in an airplane? Yeesh, I'll take comfort over a nice sweater and high-heels any day. I am not curling my hair and wearing make up fora plane ride- who the fuck cares? You are NOT all that.

So my flight for 7:30 gets delayed again, and now I'm starting to feel more bitchy about it. That was mostly because the lady next to me was complaining about how she wouldn't have left home so soon for this flight if she knew it was going to be delayed 90 minutes. I fought off the urge to deck her. Husband said if it was delayed one more time, that I should probably just fly home, because I'd be no good visiting with my dad. He was right, but we finally took off and I was on my way...

... into another storm. Boston had wind gusts and thunderstorms, so it was NOT a fun flight. Had to change our runway at the last moment, so that was delightful. Everyone was rather unnerved. But obviously we touched down, and I got to my sister's at about 1:30am. Immediately crashed, which is quite telling considering I NEVER crash so quickly.

In the end, it was worth it, because I hada great visit with Dad today. He looks great! Tomorrow I'll see him for breakfast, then whoosh back home again. We all will be back in a few weeks for Christmas. My girls can't wait to see their grandpa, as well as the husband. It will be a good Christmas this year I think. Funny how facing the mortality of a loved one makes everyone suddenly bond and focus on the good things. If only the planet lived this way all the time, I think we'd see a much different world.

Everyone keep your fingers crossed that I actually get home on time!

Finally, the feeling hit.

I felt it for the first time today. Everyone was getting a little worried about me. Well, my husband was anyhow. For so many years the season began right at Thanksgiving. Friday was ALWAYS when, as my sister-in-law coined it many years ago, Christmas throws up in my home. Instead we were SO busy with other things, I didn't even kick him up into the attic until Saturday.

Then company didn't leave until Monday. Now, I LOVE having them, I really do. It just gets a little long at the end. You know, you just want your house and your life back. I feel for my sister when we go and visit, because it's the same thing. You can be the most hands-off houseguest on the planet, but the fact is you are -still- there. It's an energy thing.

Throw into the fact that being a woman sucks at least one time every month, and you sum up the beginning of the week for me. Monday I accomplished nothing. Tuesday I did a little better, but still just didn't feel it. I didn't even feel like editing, and I love to edit!

Today though, I caught up a bit. Halfway through my editing, and made another promo for the radio station. Then when the kids came home, I dusted off the boxes of ornaments in the garage and dragged them inside. Turned on the Christmas music, and - wow.

It just happened. That warm, fuzzy feeling watching the girls happily discover their ornaments and find places to put them on the tree, while I went through another couple of boxes and added holiday foliage throughout the house (I love wreaths, as wel as the greenery and the flowers of the season). It suddenly became colder here today as well, a wind with a bit of a nip in the air. I paused to watch my dear daughters actually getting along decorating the tree, and just smiled. We sang carols together, and naturally I took a couple photos.

I hung the mistletoe too... ;-)

NOW it's looking a lot more like Christmas.

VOTE Tomorrow!

Then tune in tomorrow night at 8pm MST to KQCX 99.1FM for election result coverage up until midnight! A lot of it will be AZ results, but if you'd like to shout out about your voting experience, or anything at all, give me a ring at (602)386-2828.

Also, check out this, and this : great information- so we can keep the election as on the level as possible!

Thoughts about Dad

This year I turned 17. I'm one of the lucky ones who got to do this twice. When I turned 17 the first time, I was not even 24 hours in a foster-care shelter. My future was uncertain, but somehow I knew I would land on my feet.

That was exactly half my life ago.

This year as I turned 17 again, my foster father- no, I can't even call him my foster father, my Dad- sits in a hospital room awaiting a second round of chemotherapy for Adult Acute Myeloid Leukemia. They had hoped it was only going to be one round, a month in the hospital, done deal. No such luck there. Second round, as well as a stem cell transplant. Instead of one month, now it will be three months more. He will be hospitalized for all of the holidays.

His future is uncertain, and I try to be as positive as possible that he will land on his feet.

I try not to be stressed, to play it off stoically, but inside I keep thinking, this is a man who made me believe that all fathers weren't assholes. He gave me away at my wedding, not three years after becoming my father. He introduced me to broccoli ice cream... ;-)

Really, he is the man who saved my life.

How can I save his?

Any man can be a father. It takes someone special to be a dad. ~Author Unknown

I love my father as the stars - he's a a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Adabella Radici

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. ~Gloria Naylor

Blessed is the influence of one true, loving human soul on another. ~George Eliot

Local News Segments

I was just thinking, you locals on the AZ blog roll, here is a LINK to the radio segments that I put in the podcast feed. I cover alot of local news, and give my opinions every now and then too. So you may enjoy it- you may not. :-)

A Tillman Speaks

I had this over on my podcast site, because I referred to it in one of my radio segments that I put in the feed. I realize I haven't been over here in quite some time. Alot of personal stuff with the family has been going on, and the radio thing is really sucking my time, so I just haven't had the energy to keep things up here.
I'll try to catch up soon. My husband wants to know what's going on in my life... ;-)

Until then, pass this on, it's almost two weeks old, but still worth passing.

After Pat's Birthday

Posted on Oct 19, 2006
Pat and Kevin Tillman
Courtesy the Tillman Family

By Kevin Tillman


It is Pat's birthday on November 6, and elections are the day after. It gets me thinking about a conversation I had with Pat before we joined the military. He spoke about the risks with signing the papers. How once we committed, we were at the mercy of the American leadership and the American people. How we could be thrown in a direction not of our volition. How fighting as a soldier would leave us without a voice� until we get out.

Much has happened since we handed over our voice:

Somehow we were sent to invade a nation because it was a direct threat to the American people, or to the world, or harbored terrorists, or was involved in the September 11 attacks, or received weapons-grade uranium from Niger, or had mobile weapons labs, or WMD, or had a need to be liberated, or we needed to establish a democracy, or stop an insurgency, or stop a civil war we created that can't be called a civil war even though it is. Something like that.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow our elected leaders were subverting international law and humanity by setting up secret prisons around the world, secretly kidnapping people, secretly holding them indefinitely, secretly not charging them with anything, secretly torturing them. Somehow that overt policy of torture became the fault of a few bad apples in the military.

Somehow back at home, support for the soldiers meant having a five-year-old kindergartener scribble a picture with crayons and send it overseas, or slapping stickers on cars, or lobbying Congress for an extra pad in a helmet. It's interesting that a soldier on his third or fourth tour should care about a drawing from a five-year-old; or a faded sticker on a car as his friends die around him; or an extra pad in a helmet, as if it will protect him when an IED throws his vehicle 50 feet into the air as his body comes apart and his skin melts to the seat.

Somehow the more soldiers that die, the more legitimate the illegal invasion becomes.

Somehow American leadership, whose only credit is lying to its people and illegally invading a nation, has been allowed to steal the courage, virtue and honor of its soldiers on the ground.

Somehow those afraid to fight an illegal invasion decades ago are allowed to send soldiers to die for an illegal invasion they started.

Somehow faking character, virtue and strength is tolerated.

Somehow profiting from tragedy and horror is tolerated.

Somehow the death of tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of people is tolerated.

Somehow subversion of the Bill of Rights and The Constitution is tolerated.

Somehow suspension of Habeas Corpus is supposed to keep this country safe.

Somehow torture is tolerated.

Somehow lying is tolerated.

Somehow reason is being discarded for faith, dogma, and nonsense.

Somehow American leadership managed to create a more dangerous world.

Somehow a narrative is more important than reality.

Somehow America has become a country that projects everything that it is not and condemns everything that it is.

Somehow the most reasonable, trusted and respected country in the world has become one of the most irrational, belligerent, feared, and distrusted countries in the world.

Somehow being politically informed, diligent, and skeptical has been replaced by apathy through active ignorance.

Somehow the same incompetent, narcissistic, virtueless, vacuous, malicious criminals are still in charge of this country.

Somehow this is tolerated.

Somehow nobody is accountable for this.

In a democracy, the policy of the leaders is the policy of the people. So don't be shocked when our grandkids bury much of this generation as traitors to the nation, to the world and to humanity. Most likely, they will come to know that somehow was nurtured by fear, insecurity and indifference, leaving the country vulnerable to unchecked, unchallenged parasites.

Luckily this country is still a democracy. People still have a voice. People still can take action. It can start after Pat's birthday.

Brother and Friend of Pat Tillman,

Kevin Tillman

*Truthdig.org

Jake Plummer speaks about Pat Tillman

Thank you Crooks and Liars for picking this up!


Jake Plummer is outraged over the treatment of Pat Tillman: They knew it was friendly fire then–it makes you sick

By: John Amato on Friday, September 15th, 2006 at 4:15 PM - PDT

On HBO’s Inside the NFL, Peter King interviewed Denver QB Jake Plummer about the horrific treatment the Tillman family have received over Pat’s death. There have been four investigations into what really happened to him and now a fifth one is getting close to being completed. How reprehensible has this been for the Tillman family? Pat is killed and they were repeatedly lied to. The family is not speaking out, but Plummer is. Good for him. Somebody has to.

Video-WMP Video-QT (rough transcript)

King: When you first heard that they hid these irregularities, were you outraged?

Plummer: It just made you feel kinda sick that they’d cover up something like that to–for whatever reason. We were all led to believe he died in leading his troops up the hill and then they come tell us it wasn’t–it was friendly fire. What can you do– you’re at their mercy and..you just feel for the family…

Thinking about my sistah

She's having surgery today. I love her.

Having a sister is like having a best friend you can't get rid of. You know whatever you do, they'll still be there. ~Amy Li

Is solace anywhere more comforting than in the arms of a sister. ~Alice Walker

You can kid the world. But not your sister. ~Charlotte Gray

In thee my soul shall own combined the sister and the friend. ~Catherine Killigrew

More than Santa Claus, your sister knows when you've been bad and good. ~Linda Sunshine

You keep your past by having sisters. As you get older, they're the only ones who don't get bored if you talk about your memories. ~Deborah Moggach

She is your mirror, shining back at you with a world of possibilities. She is your witness, who sees you at your worst and best, and loves you anyway. She is your partner in crime, your midnight companion, someone who knows when you are smiling, even in the dark. She is your teacher, your defense attorney, your personal press agent, even your shrink. ~Barbara Alpert

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

Listen Up Friends!

No, seriously, listen up! Like, in the evenings Monday through Friday... :-D

Tell CNN You Won't Watch 9-11 Footage!

I read a mind-blowing article the other day:

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/083006J.shtml

Basically it talks about two things. One, CNN is going to run all of it's footage from 9/11/2001 ALL DAY MONDAY. Two, the Docudrama airing on ABC beginning Sunday night about how Clinton is uh, really the one to blame for the attacks.

OK. I have once again entered a parallel universe. So, I decided it was time for another podcast.
Here's the link, and some of the script from my "rant":

http://audioaddict.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=127318

I want to post the text of my mini rant in this episode, I know some of you don't have access to audio, and I want my words to be passed on if possible, and if you feel they should be... :-)

---
Well, it seems that I’m getting irked a lot more lately. Could this have anything to do with an election coming up, or with anniversaries to remind me about our incompetent government? Last week it was Katrina. That was short lived in the media, because lo and behold, it’s the 5th anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the United States.

Now please don’t get me wrong here, because both events were devastating, and both deeply moved me and broke my heart in different ways. But- Whew! Boy, our government sure gets off easy, doesn’t it? No need to shuffle uncomfortably while race and class issues are brought up, not to mention the horrible response time, or how one year later so much still needs to be done to get New Orleans on it’s feet again. Because September 11th is here! And it’s even a significant year- 5! Like a child’s 5th birthday, let’s play it up as much as we can!

And how are they playing this up? Well, the Oliver Stone movie World Trade Center came out a few weeks ago. But wait- there is so much more commemorative fear mongering goodness still yet to be had! CNN is REBROADCASTING all of its 9-11 footage starting at 8:30 am, and going until midnight. And hey- if you don’t have CNN, go on over and catch it on their website. In your face New Orleans! Obviously all the coverage Anderson Cooper did for CNN after Katrina doesn’t mean shit- where is the fear in that? That will just make you angry.. and at the wrong people.
If anyone sees how wrong doing something like this is- the way I see how wrong it is, please send CNN an email telling them so, and that you’re not going to watch it, and that you’re going to tell everyone you know to not watch it. I’ll have a link to how to contact CNN in the show notes.

http://www.cnn.com/feedback/cnntv/

So, if re-playing reality isn’t enough to bring that deep-rooted fear of a different skin color and way of life to the surface, how about a two day event? ABC is running a miniseries starting September 10 called, “the Path to 9-11”. And to whom does it push all of the responsibility for what happened on September 11th, 2001 on? That’s right! The natural and most obvious choice!

President Clinton! Why of COURSE. Because Clinton should have acted on that memo written in summer 2001 advising Condolezza Rice that terrorists could very well fly planes into buildings. He should have gotten on the horn and pulled President Bush right off the golf course that summer. God dammit Billy! What the hell- we’re you off getting another blow job or something? Presidential duties apparently are not supposed to end after your presidency- I mean geez didn’t you get THAT memo???

Sure, the world trade center was bombed in 1993. It was a very scary moment and people were hurt. Same with the bombing of the USS Cole in what was it? 2000? But does anyone ever stop and think WHY there wasn’t the same outcry of anger and fear from the people? Why the media, while yes they did focus and devote attention to this news, they still did not hype it up the way the 9-11 has been? Does anyone think about WHY terrorism hasn’t been high priority problem UNTIL after Bush became president?

Well I’ll tell you. Because Clinton was a president without an agenda. So please, don’t buy into the fear hype. It’s just not worth it, and when you think about it, you’re just giving more power and control to the more immediate threats to the United States right now. And they reside in Washington DC.

I’d like to read you a definition.

the principle that individuals, organizations and the community are responsible for their actions and may be required to explain them to others.

being obliged to answer for one's actions, to an authority that may impose a penalty for failure.

is the capacity to account for one's actions; or as a representative of one's organization, to account for either your actions or the actions of your organization.

refers to the pyramid of responsibility beginning with the individual and building to top management.

the notion that an individual must answer completely for his or her own actions, regardless of circumstances.

Yeah, I know I don’t have to tell you what the word is, even if part of it had not been used in the definition.

Accountability.

I hope if you listen you will stick around for the rest of the cast, it's a good show. ;-)
And everyone EMAIL CNN!

Shamelessly Swiped Quiz Goodness

From a new friend's blog! See- there is a point to these things!

Dani took the free ColorQuiz.com personality test!
http://www.colorquiz.com/

Existing Situation
Works well in cooperation with others but is disinclined to take the leading role. Needs a personal life of mutual understanding and freedom from discord.

Stress Sources
Wishes to be independent, unhampered, and free from any limitation or restriction, other than those which she imposes of herself or by her own choice and decision.

Restrained Characteristics
Willing to become emotionally involved and able to achieve satisfaction through sexual activity.
Feels that she is burdened with more than her fair share of problems. However, she sticks to her goals and tries to overcome her difficulties by being flexible and accommodating.

Desired Objective
Longs for a tender and sympathetic bond and for a situation of idealized harmony. Has an imperative need for tenderness and affection. Susceptible to anything esthetic.

Actual Problem
Seeks to avoid criticism and to prevent restriction of her freedom to act, and to decide for herself by the exercise of great personal charm in her dealings with others.


Heh, some of these were quite interesting, and worth contemplation.

Home Alone

Well now, seems I have a quiet house this weekend. Rest of the family going off to the mountains, and I elected to stay behind. Allie and Bret leave in the morning to go and open up the cabin. She is very excited because they are taking the tent. She really wants to camp outside. We are skeptical she will make it all the way through the night, as she still sleeps with a night light, but at least there is the cabin as a back up. I'm feeling a little Mommy-guilt, but also this will be good time for Bret and the girls. He gets such little time with them, this will be good. And I get p-l-e-n-t-y.

Tomorrow night (oh dear that is actually tonight isn't it?) also happens to be open house at the school. So they are driving back down for it, then will leave with Samantha in tow to drive back up after that. Normally I wouldn't care about open house, but it's new classrooms for both of them. They have both just spent three years with the same teachers, so it's a big deal, the two of them moving on.

And I come home to a quiet house. A quiet house that OMG I really want to clean this weekend.

Of course, really wanting to do something and actually doing it are two entirely different things.

Bret asked if I would call Christine and finally see something gory and gross at the movies, since he doesn't like horror movies. Oh it's tempting.

But you know? I think I want the alone time. I might see if Inconvenient Truth is still playing. I definitely want to take a bath. A nice, long, bath that smells like vanilla and gardenia, and for once not be interrupted until the water runs cool. Heh, knowing me I will listen to podcasts.

I want to record another podcast too. I worked really hard this week on Sonic Society's podcast, to get their Firefly premiere up and out. I really didn't have any idea they would even be podcasting it until I got back from our SD trip and they called me. I thought they would strictly be running it through their other site. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. It was fun editing the interview, and I think I did really well making it sound like we did talk for 15 minutes instead of 30. Then putting it all together, well, I always love that part. Making it flow.

So I didn't mind putting aside my own podcast things for the week, because I knew I would have this weekend.

Movies! I want to watch movies! Memento. I know someone who would be shocked I have not seen it yet. So I want to rent that. Henry and June. Oh that is a beautiful, sexy movie.

But maybe I'll just sleep all weekend. Mmmmm.... sleep all weekend. GOD that would really piss me off if I did that. Afterwards, anyhow. During, I certainly wouldn't care.

I let you know what I do. ;-)

A day at the San Diego zoo... in photos

We start with Monkeys... and end with a pretty flower I noticed along the way. I'm glad the dew showed up- because the only flowers we see here are wilted and brown and dead.

It was nice having the mist in the air while walking around, I didn't really feel like spending another day in the sun. The universe was looking out for me. We drove home after that, and made it home about 7ish. I really am amazed at what an easy trek it is! Sandi was of course happy to see us, but Chris (our neighbor) took good care of her while we were gone.

The next day I was thrown right back into the fray with a podcast meeting with two of my favorite Canadians. I do enjoy talking with them both, and am always humbled and honored that they have so much faith in me and what I do for them. Honestly, I am just enjoying myself, and learning as I go along. But I must be doing something right, as they are professionals and if I weren't I bet they would have axed me long ago! I just hope they don't forget me when they are rich and famous. Honestly though, I just enjoy, and have enjoyed watching from behind the scenes as their company has grown in just a year's time. I hope they are as proud of it as I am of them! Then we set up a time to do an interview the following day for a new production they are releasing. (Hint: If you're a Firefly fan, oh you are SO gonna love this!)

Saturday, everything sort of hit me from the trip. I did the interview, and was not happy with my end of it. I was just OUT of it. They even noticed, which is bad. But I think I perked up enough to fake it well enough. Then the rest of the day I did a little posting on my TS network, and layed around. I mean, I was barely off the couch the whole day, I was so drained. I guess the days of walking around and not sleeping in my own bed finally caught up with me.

Anyway, this is the last week of summer vacation!! WooHOO! You know what that means....

SHOPPING!!!
Yippeeeeeeee!!

Beach Bums

I will miss the smell in the air. That salty, ocean smell. Rob says he doesn't really notice it any more, but I just love it. I am probably just happy that for a few blessed days I wasn't breathing dust.

Today hands down was my favorite day of the trip, and we haven't even gotten to tomorrow yet. Rob took us to Coronado Beach for the day. Well, really it turned out to be about 4 hours. Now I've spent time on the beach before. But this was the girls' first time. Bret almost ruined their experience by telling them that if they went too far they would get sucked out to sea. Samantha immediately said she wasn't going in at all. Oy. But when we got there I showed them how all the other kids were playing and how far THEY were in the water, and they jumped right in and had a grand time.

Luckily, Rob had one of those mini pop-up tents, so that helped us stay longer than we might have originally. Rob and I worshipped the sun while Bret sat in the tent. Allison made a sand castle while Sam watched. As I watched them I noticed Sam looked a little tired, so I went over and asked her if she wanted to sit in the tent with her dad. She ended up falling asleep for a half hour or so.

Later, I walked along with Sam to help her find shells. Then Bret went with both girls. I did get a little podcast listening in. A couple episodes of Poddog, but mostly I liked listening to the ocean. A more perfect afternoon could not be had.

(The best way to see me in a swimsuit- from a distance!)

The girls also got their first experience with sand in uncomfortable places. When asked if they wanted ice cram first, or to go back to the hotel and shower, they both answered without thinking, "HOTEL!" Heeheee... my Arizona wimps!


So we showered, went to dinner, stopped in Balboa Park for a spell, THEN got ice cream. I swear, I will have to eat nothing but salad for a week, I've consumed so much meat these past few days. I just feel heavy, and I know I probably didn't gain much, but you know, it just sits there and you feel blah.

So now I'm sitting here scribbling while trying to get my two over-exhausted and over-sugared kids to settle. Tomorrow Rob was going to take them to the zoo and give Bret and I some time, but Bret really wants to go with them. I was hoping for some time here alone. Oh well, at least we get a little this weekend when Rob is back in Phoenix visiting his parents. I also get a short weekend when Bret takes the kids to the cabin the following weekend, so that will be wonderful. I do like going up, but I really don't have the same connection to the place that Bret does. It's easy for me to choose not to go. I've had TONS of quality time with the girls this summer, it will be good for Daddy and the girls to go. AND they get to spend time there with Nana's too!

So after the zoo tomorrow we head home. Will probably get in around 8 or 9. It was a very pleasant mini-vacation. I got alot of my thoughts centered again, which is always good. I think I just need to spend less time on the computer for the most part. It always seems to make me sort of sad now. I'm usually happier when I'm away. Then I'm not looking for people that will not be there anyway.

OK, they are finally settling, I think I will try and rest now, and get some more podcasts in. This writing thing is hard on the hand!

How many legos does it take to build the world?

Have I mentioned I wish Bret had brought his laptop? At least I could blog this stuff directly then. Seriously, my handwriting it total crap. Who knows WHAT this will say when I transcribe it over. That's how awful it is. Doctors have better handwriting than I do.

I certainly understand why he wouldn't bring it along. With a new round of layoffs coming this week, he'd be checking his email for sure. And if there is bad news, why ruin your vacation? Poor man, he's under so much stress. I'm doing my best to keep the family end non-stressful, but we all know how lousy at that I am. :-(

Anyway, so here I sit, with the kids watching "Ice Age" and trying to settle for the night. Don't you love how kids get more hyper when they are tired? You just want to hit them over the head with a mallet, I swear.

So today was Legoland. Uh, woohoo. The best way to describe legoland is Disneyland on Prozac. And that is exactly what I liked about it. Basically it is set up for the toddler-13 or 14-year-old crowd. Slower rides. No freaking happy music blaring subliminal messages into your head making you want to buy things. It was actually a relaxing theme park experience. I didn't even go on many rides, because they are set up for kids to go on alone for the most part.





A serene day at a theme park? Whodathunkit. We did get a bit singed though. It was overcast for much of the morning, but the sun came out later in the day. We of course forgot sunscreen. You'd think people from Arizona would know better!

We met up with Jenn and Omar for dinner. TJ is still out in Ohio with his Dad for the summer, unfortunately they got hit by the flooding going on there. The girls very much enjoyed seeing their Aunt, even briefly. I hope they get to know Omar better. Heck I want to get to know Omar better! He's a wonderful man. Just so quiet!

We also got to see our friend Tasha, who I've known for like- EVER. Ever since youth symphony in Jr. High School. Damn. That's like 20 years! I was pregnant with Allison at her wedding. Very, VERY pregnant. Honestly, I wore this yellow dress, and looked like a huge, fat pineapple thing. But, I digress...

So the last time I saw Tasha was her baby shower, when Katie and I left the kids with our respective Bret(t)s and met up there. Tonight, we got to meet her now 20-month-old twin boys, Axel and Karl. (Can you tell there is a strong Norwegian line in the family?) Oh were they CUTE. Cute, well-behaved boys in a restaurant. Hope they stay that way. :-)


We got back to the hotel, and took a dip in the pool for a bit. Well, I stuck to the hot tub. The kids don't care about a cold pool, but BRRR! I'm spoiled by bath-water temp pools... none of this 70 degree crap!

All in all a nice day. Started catching up on my podcasts too. Finished the last three chapters of 7th Son. God what a great book. He's an amazing writer, as well as an amazing promoter. One thing I need to do when I get home is finally make a promo for my Truth Seekers podcast. I made one for 7th son, and that's kind of what I want, but not custom made for a single podcast. A general one. (btw, it's played in chapter 25 if anyone's interested. ;-) ) I also listened to my buddy (and now friend) Ajay's All Axis Radio. I love love LOVE his podcast. He's another one I'm using to try and improve on mine. So, I want to promote like JC Hutchins and mix a podcast like Ajay. OMG- I do use men! LMAO!

I should be able to listen to more things tomorrow I hope- cause it's beach day! Yay!