black…MYstory

They New York Post issued a sort of an apology over a recent cartoon showing police shooting a monkey who, in the cartoon, was supposed to be the author of the recent stimulus bill. Given that President Barack Obama was the key figure touting this bill, many interpreted it as the racial imagery that, too often, compared black people to primates.

In its “apology”, the Post stated the following:

“…to those who were offended by the image, we apologize.”

I, for one, felt an apology was due, if no more than the fact that the cartoon left itself open to this sort of interpretation.  I understand that the paper said it was tying this to a recent shooting of a crazed monkey but, really, is that sensible?  Also, if you really think about it, if you’re joking about shooting the author of a bill, aren’t you really joking about killing a public official?

Just food for thought.  Perhaps the post cartoonist is in need of it before he/she publishes subsequent caroons.

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I saw something last week that really ticked me off.  Some of the People for the Ethical Treament of Animals (PETA) decided that the best way to protest the American Kennel Club (AKC) at the Westminster Dog Show was to dress up in Klan uniforms.

Their point — to liken the AKC to the KKK.

As a black person, I am tired PETA likening the struggles and treatment of black people to that of animals.  If my last sentence sounds like this is not the first time, there is a good reason — it’s not.

Back in 2005, the brilliant minds of PETA decided that, to drive home their concerns of animal cruelty, they should graphically compare it to the lynchings of black people.  Here’s what appeared on Tolerance. org in 2005:

The lifeless bodies of two noosed black men, dangling from trees as a mob of whites sheepishly surveys the scene.

The smoldering corpse of a black man, burned alive atop a pile of wood.

The terrified face of a slave, wearing only a piece of cloth about her waist as a man presses a hot branding iron to her back.

Alone, the images evoke the kind of gut-wrenching horror that makes people want to look away.

But place them alongside photos of slaughtered cows, burning chickens and branded pigs, and for many, they evoke a different emotion — pure outrage.

Such is the juxtaposition of a new PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) exhibit, “Are Animals the New Slaves?”

I’m starting to detect a pattern here.

However, an explanation of this latest campaign really caught my attention:

“Obviously it’s an uncomfortable comparison,” PETA spokesman Michael McGraw said.

But the AKC is trying to create a “master race,” he added. “It’s a very apt comparison.”

Actually, wasn’t it Hitler and the Nazis who were pushing for the creation of a master race?  Either PETA has no concept of history or they know the hell they’d have to pay if they where handing out leaflets on the street dressed in knee-high boots and swastika armbands.

So, I guess dressing as the Klan is a safer move because we, as black folks, don’t say much about this stuff.

However, PETA, you fail again.  You need to learn that, when you want to make your point, try to avoid using black folks to prove it.

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When I listen to President Bush speak, I don’t know who I believe to be less intelligent, him or the people that (s)elected him to the presidency, twice.  He speaks with a sort of detachment that co-mingles diminished mental capacity with depraved indifference.  Nothing illustrated this more than his final press conference yesterday.  I was nearly horrified to hear his answers regarding his and the government’s response to Katrina.  First, when asked what he should have done differently, his response was that he should have landed the plane he was one in a nearby city instead of doing his fly-over photo-op.  Then, I guess, he immediately absolves himself from that by saying that, if he had done so, it would have pulled police away from helping in New Orleans.  Next, he offers the following gem:

You know people say the federal response was slow—don’t tell me the federal response was slow when there was 30,000 people pulled off roofs right after the storm passed. I remember going to see those helicopter drivers, Coast Guard drivers, to thank them for their courageous efforts to rescue people off roofs—30,000 people were pulled off roofs right after the storm moved through. It’s a pretty quick response. Could things have been done better? Absolutely. Absolutely. But when I hear people say, ‘The federal response was slow’—what are they going to say to those chopper drivers, or the 30,000 that got pulled off the roofs?

Never mind that Bush stayed on vacation while people died in the streets of a major American city.  Never mind that some 25,000 had to stay in the deplorable conditions of the Superdome (Of course, after hearing what George Bush’s mother, Barbara, had to say about it, I can see where he inherited his depraved indifference).  Let’s not forget that, over 3 years later, New Orleans is still a mess.

Needless to say, listening to this man is a jaw-dropping experience.  I’m not a country music fan but, I think, on Tuesday, I’ll have to crank up some Roy Clark and sing “Thank God and Greyhound you’re gone!”

Rachel Maddow offered some brilliant insight on this very topic.  The video of this is below (thanks to RawStory.com).  Click on the video to play:

 

 Maddow - Bush's Response to Katrina Questions: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

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In Holland Township, Pennsylvania, the local ShopRite store refused to inscribe a 3-year-old’s name on a cake.  I agree with them.  Why?  Because the 3-year-old’s is named Adolf Hitler Campbell.

Adolf’s parents are flaming racists who named their other two children JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell.

Apparently, the family doesn’t understand why anyone would take exception to writing “Happy Birthday” with the name of the the person probably known as the greatest mass-murderer in the history of the world.

Sadly, this child could very well carry on the family tradition.

Let’s hope not.

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Whether it’s his color, his name, his family heritage or just his political affiliation, some people still can’t stand the fact that Barack Obama has been elected President of the United States and, even at this late date, are trying to block him from taking office.

The U.S. Supreme Court will be meeting to decide whether or not to take up a case challenging whether or not Barack Obama is a natural-born U.S. citizen.  President-elect Obama (I like saying that but, I’ll like PRESIDENT Obama more) was born in Hawaii, a fact that is backed up by Hawaiian officials.  Also, when this issue first popped up, FactCheck.org looked into it and verified that Obama was indeed born in Honolulu, Hawaii.

So, why do we keep rehashing this?  I go back to my opening sentence.  You have people from the unknown to the infamous pushing for this because they fear an Obama presidency.  The common thread appears to be thatthey seem to represent various right-wing interests.  I guess by bringing suit-after-suit, they want to create the “where there’s smoke, there’s fire” thought in the minds of people.  Excuse me but, aren’t those on the right always harping about the “frivolous” lawsuits flooding our country’s court dockets?  Not surprisingly, the Supreme Court Justice that put this forward for consideration was none other than Clarence Thomas.

Here’s to hoping the Court won’t shame itself by considering such a silly lawsuit.

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Honestly, Michael Steele and I are, politically speaking, likely to be polar opposites.  However, he is a Republican figure who is not likely to tread too often in wingnut territory.  Also, while conservative, he doesn’t come off as sounding like he doesn’t live in the real world.  Being a politician from Maryland, he would have likely not made it had he come across any other way.

It has been a week since we elected the first black man as United States President and, now, the GOP has the opportunity to make a black man a first in Republican ranks — the first black chairman of the Republican National Committee.  It appears that Steele will be throwing his hat in the ring to be considered for the post.  A few years back, the minority barrier for this post was broken when Mel Martinez, a Cuban-American senator from Florida served as co-chair.

Steele’s potential candidacy comes at a time when a spotlight has been shone on the GOP and it is being seen for what it truly is — a party that is overwhelmingly white and male.  If it is to survive, it better learn how to attract more than this demographic.  Steele feels that he would possess the qualifications the infuse new blood into the party.  Lord knows they need it!

Would Steele attract me?  Not likely.  But, perhaps if he can get in to help guide the party in a direction that broadens their appeal, more power to him because, to be real, when people are concerned with food, clothing and shelter, the whole “guns, God and gays” platform falls a little flat.

So, we’ll see if the GOP is willing to give a shot to one of its most loyal stalwarts.  If not, we’ll likely know that, once again, the Republican party is not looking to expand its reach.

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Okay, I think I’ve seen it all, now.  In giving a prayer at a McCain rally,  Rev. Arnold Conrad threatens God by telling God that “your reputation is involved in all that happens in November” because there are those around the world of other religions pulling for Obama (making sure not to forget those scary Muslims) and tells God that “you should guard your own reputation because they’re gonna think their God is bigger than you if it happens…”

So, in other words, saying “God, I am assuming that I know more than you about this world and the politics in it.”

Oh, but Reverend Wright’s the crazy one, huh?

But, don’t take my word for it…watch the video for yourself.

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In what was supposed to be a 9/11 tribute video show at the Republican National Convention and aired on the networks carrying it, instead of remembering the fallen, the Republicans instead played on fears and attempted to use the imagery of that day to score cheap political points.  Sadly, they find nothing sacred.

The video is below along with Keith Olbermann’s response to his audience for his network having aired this video.

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I guess Georgia Republican Representative Lynn Westmoreland must have caught a plantantation flashback.  In a interverview yesterday, he was comparing vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin to Michelle Obama (oddly enough, I didn’t realize Michelle Obama was running for vice president but, I digress) and offered the following:

“Just from what little I’ve seen of her and Mr. Obama, Sen. Obama, they’re a member of an elitist-class individual that thinks that they’re uppity.”

He was then asked to clarify that he said “uppity” and he stated:

“Uppity, yeah.”

Uppity is a word that has often been used to disparage black people who some white folks believed were too proud of themselves or, more often, were perceived to be not acting in “their place” on the racial hierarchy.  In other  words, an “uppity negro” was one who had the audacity to believe that he/she was equal to a white person.

So, to hear someone, particularly a Southern politician who would be well aware of the implications of such a word, using it to describe two black people, leads me to believe that he was using it in the racially-tinged way that it has come to signify.

So, Rep. Westmoreland, from this uppity negro, I present to you the “Middle Finger” award.

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Last month, I posted a story about Esmin Green, a woman who died in a hospital waiting room on June 19th of this year after being left there unattended for nearly 24 hours. She had come to King County Hospital in Brooklyn, New York due to a psychiatric emergency.  Video cameras show that she was ignored by hospital staff for nearly a full day before she was discovered collapsed on the floor. By the time someone had checked on her, she was already dead.

Now, in an eerily similar set of circumstance, we know  a North Carolina man previously suffered the same fate. This past April, 50-year-old Steven Sabock was taken to Cherry Hospital, about 50 miles Southeast of Raleigh.  Sabock had a history of mental issues.

For 22 hours, nurses left Sabock unattended.  He was not fed or taken to a restroom in all of that time.

He was allowed to sit there through four shifts of nurses without anyone checking on him, despite the fact that, just a few feet away, hospital staff watched TV and played cards.  Sabock apparently died after choking on medication.

In the wake of this incident, Cherry Hospital is was put under investigation and the hospital has until August 23rd to adequately detail what reforms have been made or risk losing federal funding.

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