black…MYstory

As the saying goes, “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.”

That’s why I call the war policy in Iraq insanity. Right now, we have fought longer in Iraq than we did in Europe in World War II. Right now, there is no near end in sight, no clear idea of what “winning” this war really means and no confidence on the part of Americans that our current President and Congress have any idea what they are doing.

So, what do you do when these realities are in play? If you are George W. Bush and the war planners, you ignore reality and dig a deeper hole. So, instead of withdrawing troops from Iraq, you send even more into this mess.

President George Bush has told senior advisers that the US and its allies must make “a last big push” to win the war in Iraq and that instead of beginning a troop withdrawal next year, he may increase US forces by up to 20,000 soldiers, according to sources familiar with the administration’s internal deliberations.

Mr Bush’s refusal to give ground, coming in the teeth of growing calls in the US and Britain for a radical rethink or a swift exit, is having a decisive impact on the policy review being conducted by the Iraq Study Group chaired by Bush family loyalist James Baker, the sources said.

Although the panel’s work is not complete, its recommendations are expected to be built around a four-point “victory strategy” developed by Pentagon officials advising the group. The strategy, along with other related proposals, is being circulated in draft form and has been discussed in separate closed sessions with Mr Baker and the vice-president Dick Cheney, an Iraq war hawk.

Point one of the strategy calls for an increase rather than a decrease in overall US force levels inside Iraq, possibly by as many as 20,000 soldiers. This figure is far fewer than that called for by the Republican presidential hopeful, John McCain. But by raising troop levels, Mr Bush will draw a line in the sand and defy Democratic pressure for a swift drawdown.

We, as a country, have finally realized our worst fears — the inmates are running the asylum and they have the keys. January come quick! These fools are in desperate need of checks and balances. Now, I only hope that the new Congress won’t be as stupid and spineless on this issue as the current one has been.

Popularity: 3% [?]

I have to give it up to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton. In recent testimony in front of the U.S. Sentencing Commission stated that he felt that the disparities between sentences for crack cocaine vs. powder cocaine where ‘”unconscionable” and contributed to the perception in minority communities that courts are unfair.’

If you are not aware of the sentencing guidelines for the two forms of cocaine, the disparity between them is 100-to-1 — a person would get a mandatory sentence of 5 years federal time for selling 5 grams of crack (.011 lbs). However, a person would have to get caught selling 500 grams of cocaine (1.1 lbs) to get the same sentence.

Those in favor of the sentencing say that there is more violence associated with the sale of crack cocaine vs. powdered cocaine. However, critics say that this law unfairly targets the poor and minorities by setting them up for harsher sentences for, basically, the same crimes.

Of course, the Bush administration is against reducing the crack sentencing but, “welcomed a discussion about the sentencing disparity”.

Believe me, I am not against locking up drug dealers. I say, however, that when it comes to crack vs. cocaine sentencing, make them both equal.

Popularity: 4% [?]

You know, sometimes people let a knee-jerk reaction or a visceral response determine their whole outlook on an issue. We all do it. But, sometimes, we just have to step back and look at reality in order to get a clearer perspective on what we’re seeing.

I would call the response to what’s going on in Omaha, Nebraska one of these knee-jerk reactions. Longtime state senator Ernie Chambers, the body’s only black member, has succeeded in pushing through a measure that will divided the Omaha school system into three separate districts. Because of the makeup of these areas, they will result in districts where one is predominately white, another one predominately black and the third, heavily Hispanic. However, the districts are divided based on high school attendance, not race.

Here’s where the whole common sense thing begins to kick in for me. Critics decry this measure as state sanctioned segregation. But, if you ask, you might find out that students are attending “segregated” schools, right now. You see, there is no busing done to integrate schools. In fact, students are required to attend their neighborhood schools. Therefore, you end up with schools that are predominately white, predominately black and heavily Hispanic based on people of similar racial/ethnic groups living in close proximity to one another.

Supporters of this bill (myself included) say that this will actually empower these districts by giving each district control over how it will be run and provide each district with adequate funding (the model is not based on property taxes) so that children get a quality education regardless of their current financial situation.

Honestly, the only thing that I see this measure changing is who’s in control. With or without this measure, I would think that you will still end up with schools being predominated by particular racial/ethnic groups based on residence. But, what would happen is that each particular area is empowered in seeking out quality educators and having the resources it needs to do its job effectively. Honestly, I think the idea of black and Latino folks in charge of a school board is more than some there can handle.

But, I’m not mad at ya, Ernie. It’s about time somebody starting cutting through the B.S.

Popularity: 21% [?]

As the world looks the other way, the genocide in the Darfur region of the Sudan is now spilling over and affecting its neighbors in Chad.

Janjaweed militiamen, who are back by the Sudanese government, apparently crossed the border into Chad last week and killed as many as 200 people in three regions in that country.

This has cause Chad to declare a state of emergency.

The Janjaweed, in their mindless hatred and government loyalty, are hunting down Darfurians, 200,000 of which fled over the border to Chad. As a result, the people of Chad have become targets in this conflict, as well.

I wonder how many more will have to die before the West realizes that these are real human lives being snuffed out.

Popularity: 9% [?]

I guess I am not the only one who feels that the Republican overtures to black people lack any real substance or sincerity. Washington Post Columnist Eugene Robinson breaks it down on the Republican use of black folks as political cannon fodder in its attempts to court the black vote without putting forth any honest efforts to do so.

So, again, what is it that should make me want to vote Republican?

IT DIDN’T work. The Republican Party put up three high-profile black candidates to try to weaken the bond between the Democratic Party and African Americans, and all three got slammed by the voters, big time. After a week of reflection, maybe Ken Blackwell, Lynn Swann and Michael Steele have come to understand that they never were intended to be viable candidates. From the start, they were more like cannon fodder.

There is no reason why Republicans can’t someday win a big share of the African-American vote. All the GOP has to do is adopt policies that most black Americans believe will work to their advantage, rather than leave them behind. Oh, and Republicans also need to drop all those coded appeals to white racists, like the infamous “Playboy party” ad that helped defeat Democrat Harold Ford Jr. in Tennessee.

Instead of making a legitimate play for the black vote, Republicans convinced themselves that tokenism would be enough. Judging from last Tuesday’s returns, they didn’t convince anybody else.

Popularity: 4% [?]

To understand where I’m going with this, check out my post “God bless the child that’s got his own”. In a nutshell, I referred to how how Black Republicans knock those of us who aren’t Republican as being, somehow, of lesser intelligence for our choice. In it, I contend that, despite a few token gestures, their party is taking advantage of them, too.

I say all that to say this, it is a lock that Michael Steele WILL NOT be the the next head of the Republican National Committee after current chair Ken Mehlman steps down in January. Instead, the job goes to Mel Martinez, the Senator from Florida. Martinez will remain a senator while serving as RNC chair.

Steele was heavily-touted as a favorite and virtual shoe-in for the position. Honestly, I actually like Michael Steele. He strike me as a person with a brain who, while standing with his party on issues with which I disagree, was able to articulate his reasons for support that didn’t involve the typical talking points. On top of that, he might have been able to help the GOP gain some real inroads with black voters because, unlike the Alan Keyeses of the world, he was able to actually speak to black folks in a way that did not seek to insult their intelligence. Finally, by coming from a heavily Democratic state, he would have some insight on what it would take to woo voters away from the other side.

Instead, Steele now finds himself on the back of the bus line and, like the Lynn Swanns of the Republican party, possibly relegated to obscurity. Well, Republicans seem to have a “big tent”, too. But, it appears that the job of the black folks under it is to clean up behind the elephants.

Popularity: 4% [?]

Well, America, what took you so long? At long last, there will be a monument on the National Mall honoring an African American.

Today, the groundbreaking occurred for a monument in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The monument will reside near where he gave his historic 1963 “I Have A Dream” speech. When it’s completed in 2008, it will mark the culmination of a 10-year struggle to bring this to fruition.

Well, it looks like a road trip for me and my family to D.C. in 2008.

Popularity: 35% [?]

I remember my wife going natural in the mid-90’s. We were both in college and she just got fed up with wasting time and money, that could have been used on much more important pursuits, on hairdressers and hair care products to make her hair go against its natural state. My wife get’s compliments on her hair but, many of these same women also say “…but, I don’t think I could do that.”

So, when I read about how more black women are going natural, I was greatly intrigued:

KHOU-TV anchor Debra Duncan knows what a bad hair day can be. In 1988, while working as a reporter in Austin, she covered an outdoor event when it began raining. “The producer whispered in my earpiece that my hair was shrinking and growing at the same time!” she recalled.

Duncan is now wearing her hair naturally curly on air. She hasn’t chemically permed her hair since 1985, but she would spend more than an hour flatironing it each morning. One particularly rainy and humid day, she was too tired to fuss with her daily ritual.

“I’m free of those things that can tie you down (like hair). Wearing my hair natural makes me feel funkier, and freer.

“It was a moment of confidence. I just wanted to get up and go,” Duncan said. “I think I got 140 e-mails the first day. There were people who loved my hair and others who didn’t. With women, people start off with whether they like your appearance and your hair, not your performance. If my job is to give the news, why is the most important thing my hair?”

The change saves her 25 hours a month, Duncan said, time she can spend with her 2-year-old son and her husband.

Duncan’s decision to go “natural” is not unlike the statements about freedom blacks made during the 1960s by wearing Afros. Today, however, the freedom is a personal - not political - one.

“In the 1950s and ’60s, there was definitely a conforming pressure for black women to straighten their hair,” Russell said. ” We got the message that something was wrong with our hair in its natural state. Our moms and grandmothers believed if you had straightened hair things would be easier, and who doesn’t want things easier for their children?

“Now there’s a celebration of being different.” We’re focused on the individual where people are looking to be happy. Going natural speaks to that personal freedom.”

Well said, indeed!

Popularity: 5% [?]

If there one thing that I consider intolerable is any adult who attempts to harm a child. I believe that, when a person does such a thing, they should get, at least, the same act committed against them by someone more powerful than they.

This brings me to Rebe Cobbins. She is a 21-year-old “mother” (I use the term loosely) from Cincinnati, Ohio. During an argument with her child’s father outside their apartment at 4:30am Saturday morning (who has a child outside at 4:30 in the morning?), Cobbins threw her 2-year-old son out into traffic.

Fortunately, the child was unharmed but, what the hell?!! What about the motherly instinct to protect your child?

Cobbins was charged with one count of domestic violence and released on $5,000 bond. Personally, I hope that the child’s father handles his business and does the job of raising the child because it’s obvious that child is not safe with the mother.

Popularity: 5% [?]

In the town of Butler, GA, a display commemorating the town’s WWII veterans resides in the courthouse. There are two lists of names. Is one for the living who returned home vs. those who died on the battlefield? Of course not. One would just need to look at the top of each list to know how they are categorized. One reads “White”, the other reads “Colored”.

Now, granted, this was put up in 1944 and we realize that this was a different time in our country. But, come on, isn’t it time to make some changes? The county commission has created a second, integrated list that for all those same service members and some they missed but, they also plan on keeping this up. They offer the following rationales for doing so:

“If we erase everything we find offensive or don’t like, then it may happen again,” said Sybil Willingham, chairwoman of the county’s Historic Preservation Commission.

“The two existing lists are not to be taken down because it’s against the law and it’s historic,” she said, citing a law that makes it unlawful for people to “mutilate, deface, defile, or abuse” public monuments honoring servicemembers.

Now, you may not be able to “mutilate, deface, defile, or abuse” such monuments but, I don’t see “remove” on this list so, why not just take it down?

Popularity: 31% [?]