It’s kind of funny how the the words of older people make sense to you when you come of age. I have heard elders refer to the scripture that says what you do in darkness will come to light and say “what goes around comes around.”

It seems that the “Kramer incident” has aroused further curiosity and a video is making its way round the internet. It features Danny Hoch, an actor and playwright, who, in a performance, talks about his experience being cast as a guest star on Seinfeld. In it, he talks about how was replaced in the role for his refusal to play a role in a way that mocked Hispanic people. He also talks about how Jerry Seinfeld made a joke about working in “blackface” to mock Hoch for his unwillingness to play along with this disrespect.

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One of the defeats I saw in the past election was Michigan’s drastic reduction of affirmative action initiatives. This was led by the sellout, Ward Connerly (yes, I did call him a sellout) and received the official endorsement of the Ku Klux Klan (about whom Connerly said, “If the Ku Klux Klan thinks that equality is right, God bless them.”)

Well, in light of these developments, the need for educational access still remains.

So, how can people in Michigan make it happen? Well, an article from the Journal of Higher Education may offer some insight on how this can be accomplished.

In the wake of attacks on affirmative action, students may believe that they cannot attend college, when most colleges and universities offer tremendous access to a wide range of students. Colleges and universities will need to make sure that students have the correct information about college standards and admission requirements. Students need to understand that standardized tests are only part of the system, and that students with a wide range of test scores can be successful in postsecondary education.

Colleges and universities need to reach out to students to bring a message of hope — a college education is not out of reach, and that our colleges and universities remain committed to educating a diverse student population. Colleges and universities, if they work together, could use the assault on affirmative action as an opportunity to work together to better engage with the K-12 community. This work is difficult, long-term, labor intensive, frustrating and counter-cultural. Universities have traditionally had a “build it and they will come philosophy,” in which they build buildings, print application forms and expect a class of students to show up.

Higher education’s focus must change from admissions policies to outreach, with greater attention to college preparation. Programs such as Upward Bound and Gear Up (Gaining Early Awareness and Readiness for Undergraduate Programs) provide models for what can be done, but these need to be strengthened, energized, and made central to the mission of colleges and universities. Nothing in Proposition 2 prevents universities from targeting schools districts across the state that are not now sending their students to college, and working with those schools to improve their curriculums and their college-going rates. The schools that need this help range from urban districts like Detroit, Flint and Lansing, to many small struggling rural districts, to districts with large populations of Native Americans, Arab-Americans or Latinos, groups of students who have been ignored in the debate over Proposition 2.

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Well, it’s like I’ve said before in regards to the Bush Administration and their neo-con talking heads. They have no problem hanging their highly-touted blacks out to dry, with Colin Powell being the most egregious example though, there are others (Claude Allen, Alphonso Jackson, etc.)

But, by far, this has to take the cake.

I never thought I would see the day I would be defending Condoleeza Rice but, this day has come.

I saw a clip from a recent episode of CNN’s Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer, where he had what could only be described as a neo-con support group meeting. You have four people who, basically, are still trying to justify they positions on the Iraq war while simultaneously casting blame on everyone else, even though these folks were instrumental in the lead up to the war.

But, I caught something at the end that really shocked me. Michael Rubin of the American Enterprise Institute proceeds to blame Condoleeza Rice for the decision to occupy Iraq. Okay, let that sink in. When has Condoleeza been anything but a loyal footsoldier for these interests? Now, we have her being thrown under the bus and blamed for the quagmire we’re in in Iraq.

I guess we are not supposed to remember that the neocons have long had plans on Iraq. So, now, we are to believe that it’s not Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld or their conservative think tanks that wanted this occupation but, it was Condoleeza Rice, in her role as National Security Advisor, calling these plays?

You know, it’s funny, I thought personal responsibility was a core principle of Republicans.

 

 Necons Throw Condi Under The Bus: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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Yesterday, Michael Richards said he was sorry for his recent racist tirade after being heckled at an L.A. comedy club.

So, is he sorry for what he said, is he sorry that someone got in on video or is he sorry that he may have committed career suicide?

Well, I have my own opinions but, you can judge for yourself.

Popularity: 8% [?]

A few years back, I remember reading about Michael Pfleger, a white priest heading up a black parish in Chicago who accused the sports conference they were in of racism. Specifically, it seemed that, unlike other areas, teams that came to play in the parish would schedule their games there at 4pm in the afternoon, citing “safety concerns”. The teams in question were white and those in the black parish were most offended because they lived in a working class area in which people like police officers lived and sent their children to the schools there.

Well, I can’t say if this is the same conference in question but, the racial fires are again burning in the world of youth sports conferences there.

A suit has been settled over the realignment of a youth sport conference which saw the conference split and the formation of a suburban and predominately-white conference occur.

To avoid a suit, a “compromise” will occur:

The settlement announced this week averts a trial that would have pitted predominantly black schools against predominantly white ones. Under its terms, five of the predominantly black schools will join two conferences that formed after SICA broke up, said attorney Burt Odelson, who represents several of the defendants.

Maybe I am just being obstinate but, why does this remind me of school busing, where black kids are the ones going into the predominately-white environment but, never the other way around?

Oh, well, just something to think about.

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You might know him as the friendly, affable and quirky character of Kramer from the “Seinfeld” show but, to some in attendance at recent performance of his at Los Angeles’ Laugh Factory, he has another title…racist.

In response to some hecklers in the audience, Richards launched into an expletive-laced tirade against the group that included racial perjoratives and, according to an audience member there that night, a reference to lynching.

Allegedly, Richards said “F*** you, niggers!” to the group in question and told the group, “Fifty years ago we’d have you upside down with a f***ing fork up your ass.”

Below is the CNN video, reporting on this incident. Well, we see if there’s any public backlash for this.

Update: TMZ.com has the video of the incident. It’s worse than I thought.

Check out the video for yourself.

 

 Kramer Uses N-Word: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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How the mighty have fallen!

Mike Tyson has become the object lesson for sports stars (especially black sport stars) to show them what happens when you don’t mind your money and you live life like it doesn’t exist beyond age 40.

Tyson has recently found himself a sort of sideshow act where he has to do just about anything just to bring in some sort of income.

Now, his money woes have taken him to a new low. Mike Tyson will now be a prostitute. I mean this literally.

He will be working for former “Hollywood Madame” Heidi Fleiss on her soon-to-be-opened “Heidi’s Stud Farm”.

No jokes here. I’m too busy shaking my head.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I wrote a lot about the racial rhetoric being espoused in the lead up to the recent mid-term elections. I was heartened to see a lot of people calling things like they saw them and labeling this garbage as the race-baiting it was.

So, as a sort of wrap-up, I bring to you the words of Frank Chi, the former president of the Bowdoin College Democrats and the Advertising Director for the College Democrats of America.

I appreciate they way he laid this piece out. I encourage you to read it in its entirety.

In rural Tennessee, the Republican Party’s subtle political literature read “preserve your way of life,” a slogan made infamous by men in white cloaks. On the radio, a Republican ad slammed Ford’s “liberal record,” accompanied by the sound of jungle drums in the background. But it was on television where the sting of race-baiting resonated most. The Republican Party’s ad that portrayed a half-naked blue-eyed blonde saying, “Harold, call me” sought to strike the fear of miscegenation into select white voters frightened by the taboo of interracial sex.

What exposed such race-baiting was not just the ad’s innuendo, but its targeted audience. The Republican Party bought this television spot during the broadcast of family shows, perhaps praying that the vulnerable white father they wished to persuade was watching the ad with his daughter at his side. After Republicans aired the ad, Ford began to slip in the polls, losing whatever momentum he had on the real issues at stake while voters were suddenly reintroduced to their base instincts and reminded once again that Ford was black.

Even in Massachusetts, a blue state, voters were not spared television ads tinged with racism. The Republican candidate for governor, Kerry Healey, produced an ad portraying a suburban white woman walking in a dark garage. Suddenly, the face of Deval Patrick, her African-American opponent, appears while a voiceover suggests that Patrick is supportive of rapists.

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Blair Underwood as Jesus? Samuel L. Jackson as the voice of God?

We always knew that there were black figures in the Bible but, now, we get some black voices to help bring them to life. “Inspired By … The Bible Experience: New Testament” combines the New Testament with some of Hollywoods’ black heavyhitters.

In addition to the aformention Underwood and Jackson, the project also utilizes the talents of Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., Angela Bassett and Alfre Woodard.

How huge a hit is it? Well, the publishing company’s (Zondervan) top seller has been the “New International Version Audio Bible”, which sells an average of 60,000 units per year. In the roughly 2 months since it has been releases, “The Bible Experience” has sold over 70,000 units.

So, we learned 2 things today.

1. There is a huge market for religious material targeted at certain racial/ethnic groups.
2. Samuel Jackson can do a project without cursing.

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Wow, certain folks absolutely amaze me with their bold racism and xenophobia. It’s even more amazing that a network such as CNN would give him a platform to espouse it.

However, this is exactly what is happening on CNN with one of it’s hosts, Glenn Beck.

On Tuesday, Beck had the newly-elected Representative from Minnesota, Keith Ellison on his show. Ellison, as some may know, is the first Muslim ever elected to Congress. Well, Beck wasted no time in letting the hate fly.

First, he starts out with a statement that would sound easily like “some of my best friends are Muslim” and, then, proceeds to question the man’s patriotism because he’s a Muslim, a Democrat and, like others in his party, is calling for us to get out of Iraq. So, Beck offers the following:

BECK: OK. No offense, and I know Muslims. I like Muslims. I’ve been to mosques. I really don’t believe that Islam is a religion of evil. I — you know, I think it’s being hijacked, quite frankly.

With that being said, you are a Democrat. You are saying, “Let’s cut and run.” And I have to tell you, I have been nervous about this interview with you, because what I feel like saying is, “Sir, prove to me that you are not working with our enemies.”

And I know you’re not. I’m not accusing you of being an enemy, but that’s the way I feel, and I think a lot of Americans will feel that way.

Well, it looks like CNN picked a winner with this guy!

 

 Glenn Beck - Keith Ellison [2:00m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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