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The SF Weekly takes a shot at cool hipsters and the city of Oakland by highlighting this video which tell s you why ‘The Town’ is the new vacation spot.. Take alook, laugh, cringe, and lemme know what you think..
http://blogs.sfweekly.com/shookdown/2009/06/hey_hipsters_oaklands_the_new.php
Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner
By: Roberto Lovato
Alex Sanchez is one of the most respected gang intervention leaders in the country. LA Police Chief Richard Bratton has been jealous and been targeting Sanchez for years.
Today’s FBI arrest of Alex Sanchez, one of the most respected gang intervention leaders in the country, has raised major concerns in Los Angeles and around the country. As his wife and children watched, Sanchez, who leads Homies Unidos, a violence prevention and gang intervention organization with offices in Los Angeles and El Salvador, was arrested and taken away by FBI agents this morning at his home in Bellflower. The federal charges- being a “shotcaller (someone who manages narcotics operations) for Mara Salvatrucha (MS) and conspiring to kill Walter Lacinos, an MS member shot and killed in El Salvador in 2006- have raised fears and great concerns among the many who’ve known and worked with Sanchez over the years, including myself.
First and foremost among the concerns in the community are concerns for Alex’s immediate safety. As a former gang member who works to help others leave gang life, Alex faces great danger in whatever LA County facility he’s held in-even if he’s put under Protective Custody (PC). Law enforcement authorities have an axe of historic proportions (see Rampart scandal) to grind against Alex and some have demonstrated a lethal propensity towards retribution. Known as “Pecetas”, those held under PC are considered by many gang members to be informants and, therefore, legitimate targets for direct retribution from gang members -and direct and indirect retribution from police.
For more reasons than I have time to enumerate here, I for one do not believe the charges. Rather, I think that these recent accusations are but the most recent in the long, rotten chain of attempts by law enforcement officials to frame Alex, who was regularly beaten, framed, falsely arrested, deported and harassed by the Los Angeles Police Department since founding Homies Unidos in 1998. First and foremost, I spent the evening calling those who know and have worked most closely with him, and they ALL share that sense that, as one of his best friends told me, “He really is a good person.” I’ve known him for years and will be sending a strongly worded support letter like the many I’ve sent over the course of the many years and many frame-ups law enforcement has ravenously pursued. Those close to Homies and Alex know and are again feeling that cloud of anger and concern that comes with being harassed by authorities abusing the power delegated to them.
Also, Alex is alleged to have conspired to kill Walter Lacinos, who sources in the Salvadoran and gang communities tell me had, in the words of one gang expert interviewed, “many, many enemies in the U.S.-and El Salvador.” While most of charges levelled against most of the the 24 other plaintiffs point to physical acts and evidence, the one and most serious indictment (see full indictment here) naming Alex alleges that he participated in “a series of phone conversations” in which the possibility of killing Lacinos is discussed. No proof is offered to corroborate the charges relating to managing narcotics operations for MS.
Lastly, the sensationalistic judgements of many media and some law enforcement officials raises serious concerns, as well. Close scrutiny of the media coverage reveals an definite disposition to judge and convict Alex even before his trial begins. For example, almost all of the coverage follows uncritically the logic laid out in the indictment. No attempt is made to notice that, for example, Alex is not named in most of the 66-page indicment. Other plaintiff’s names appear throughout. Those reading reporting in the LA Times and other outlets might come away believing that Alex might be involved in the murder of seven people or in conspiring to kill another 8. Consider this note from today’s LA Times:
The arrests cap a three-year investigation into the gang and its cliques, which operated in the Lafayette Park area, west of downtown. Among the most serious allegations contained in a 16-count federal indictment unsealed today was the claim gang members conspired to murder veteran LAPD gang officer Frank Flores.
Those named in the indictment include Alex Sanchez, a nationally recognized anti-gang leader and executive director of Homies Unidos.
Notice how there’s zero attempt to clarify or give greater context to Alex’s story, even though he headlines most of these stories. Even worse is the way that law enforcement authorities like L.A. Police Chief Bill Bratton, who the Times tells us has a big “I told you so” for the city, use Alex’s case to build the case for punitive-and failed-anti-gang policies,
LAPD Chief William J. Bratton said the Sanchez case reinforces the thinking behind the city’s efforts to consolidate and more strongly regulate anti-gang funding.
Bratton is no stranger to racially charged policing policies in New York or in Los Angeles (ie; Bratton was roundly repudiated when he first tried to apply the “terrorist” frame to L.A. gangs). Neither he nor any other L.A. official has accepted responsibility for helping create Mara Salvatrucha in L.A. and El Salvador, a country with no previous history of gangs before LAPD collaborated with immigration authorities to deport Mara members. Adding fuel to the fire burning to replace the anti-gang work of Homies Unidos with more punitive, law enforcement-centered approaches favored by Bratton and his, boss, L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, are reports like this one which have begun a non-profit and politico witch hunt even before Alex has seen a single day in court. Rather than look more deeply into the charges, media, political and police personalities appear bent on assuming Alex’s guilt and then waving this alleged guilt as if it’s a flag at the front of the contemporary equivalent of a witch hunt.
Although the story of Alex Sanchex touches upon people and issues-immigrants, gangs, Salvadorans- that are explained-and dealt with- simplistically, dangerously, the leadership of Los Angeles must speak out in defense not just of Alex, but of a fundamental principal of a just society: that you are innocent until proven otherwise.
Much more on this important issue in weeks and days to come.
written by Roberto Lovato | Of América | June 25, 2009
Added note here’s an excellent assesment of things.. it was in the comment section of LA Times
Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner
Due in large to the “Gang Peace” movement and activist like Alex Sanchez ( Sanchez using his influence to stop many, many killing and retaliation), Los Angeles is not even on the most violent city list after 20 years! Do you know how much the City allocate toward high risk Intervention program like Homies Unidoes annually? about $3.5 million…..and that’s for the entire City! (Check it for yourself). I bet you thought it was $24 million, the bogus number that you here in the media. Compare that to what “WE”, the tax payers paid in lawsuits for LAPD last year….. I say “we” because for some reason some of you who commented of this story speak as if you are the only one paying taxes! There is no comparison when you analyze $3.5 million to $60 million (these are lawsuit, im not mentioning the Billion dollar budget that LAPD has)! Rather you are Liberal or Conservative…..we are all being taken advantage of because we fail to do our research. So what’s the real issue? Over paying Law Enforcement for a job they cant do? or under-investing in PEOPLE in communities to resolve their own problems? you choose.
Im not trying to find someone to blame, im only laying out the facts. I, like Alex and many other Fathers in our community are seeking to find balance and alternative solutions to the conflicts that have raged out of control for decades in our neighborhoods. Yes, we take responsibility for the role we played in our own wounding. And Yes, we are equally prepared and skilled to provide the solutions to our own healing. Why is this not exceptable? who is more qualified to provide healing and solution to urban street gang wars then those who have healed from their childhood truama that had them gang banging in the streets? Oh, you think that gang violence is the problem? Sorry, Gang violence is only the symptom of the real problem which is rooted in the sexual, physical and psychological abuse we have ALL suffered, in many cases at HOME first. You think your different because you grew up on the “West Side” or Signal Hills? In South Central the Sexual, Physical and Psychological abuse expresses itself as HOMICIDE, in affluent communities SUICIDE. Just opposite sides of the same coin. WE ARE THE SAME! You know why, because sexual, physical and psychological abuse are all tools of COLONIZATION…..The U.S. was built on violence, starting with the Manifest Destiny (massacre of Natives, enslavement of people of Africa Descent and the spoon feeding of the lie of “supremecy” to people of European Descent) and still is the most violent country on the planet. Have we forgotten? I consider gang culture the “shadow” of our great nation:-)…..neither perpetration of violent acts are right, however to blame is to sustain the ignorance that duality has created.
We are still playing out the slave masters games on each other. Whether Alex is here illegally or not ( We are a country of immigrants!), he is a good man, a GREAT Father and a TAX PAYER! He deserves the right to have his day in court to prove himself innocent against these allegation. I admire him for the sacrifices he’s made in his community to stop the killing against all odds. and the message of peace he has taken back to his mother country(El Salvador) under death treats…For those who have something to say negative about this man and dont know him…Your feet would dangle in his shoes!
He is Innocent until proven guilty……That’s American!
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This whole situation involving Will Iam and gossip columnist Perez Hilton speaks to a larger issue at hand. It speaks to the oftentimes tumultuous relationship between entertainers and press (papparazi), that is now complicated by press either seeking to be or already as large and famous as the people they cover. Complicating this even more is that the writers are oftentimes famous because they’ve made careers out of clowning or dissing these entertainers. A lot of artists resent people getting famous by riding their coat tails.
Some people say well thats the price of fame. You have to take it and learn to deal with it. Increasingly more and more writers feel like this is their way in the door. They look for a newsworthy icon and then do the ‘unthinkable’ which is diss them. The more outrageous the dis the more attention paid to the blogger/writer. I can’t really say if its fair or unfair, but it puts people on a collision course where what happened to Hilton becomes the norm and not the aberration.
I recently had a conversation with a blogger who tried to explain to me that its important that he ‘critiques’ artists. He said there’s an art in critiquing and that its important that the public knows whether or not an album is wack or dope. It didn’t matter to this writer that wackness and dopeness are subjective and that a harsh critique sometimes impacts more than just an artist. This writer was pretty resolute. He was gonna be dissing artists if he felt they deserved to be dissed and that was that..
I ended the conversation by noting the irony of him being backstage wearing a laminate, eating food in an artists dressing room and for the most part being part of the entourage. I noted its not the same as if he went out, brought the album, paid the ticket price for the show, hung out with the audience and not backstage where he could really gage whether or not that artist connects with his fan..
Today the terrain is such that if you are in the spotlight, there is a multi-million dollar industry that will quickly attach itself to you and ride straight to the bank.. Perez going after the Black Eyed Peas is one of those people. Probably figured they were easy targets. Funny how not too long ago Hilton was publicly apologizing to NORE after he dissed him and got stepped to. Funny how you rarely see him go after someone like Suge or anyone else who clock him and keep it moving..
The way things are going its just a matter of time before someone gets killed around all this, especially when you take into account some of these paparrazi agencies now employ gang bangers to do their dirt digging..
-Davey D-
Gays,Hip Hop, Violence, Murder,Bloggers-WillI am & Eminiem
Will I am claims he came to Perez Hilton in respect and was called a faggot. Why would Perez use a slur that he personally finds demeaning and deragotory?
In Toronto — Police have charged the tour manager of the Black Eyed Peas with assault after he allegedly punched celebrity blogger Perez Hilton outside a Toronto nightclub. Hilton said he got into an argument with band members Fergie and will.i.am at the Cobra nightclub early Monday morning and was punched outside by Polo Molina, the band’s tour manager. They were at the club following a Sunday night video awards show.
Molina turned himself in and has been charged with assaulting Hilton, Toronto Police Constable Tony Vella said. Molina is due in court Aug. 5.
Hilton, whose real name is Mario Lavandeira, complained about the incident on the microblogging site Twitter. He tweeted at 4 a.m.: “I am bleeding. Please, I need to file a police report. No joke.”
Hilton, who is openly gay, said in interview with The Associated Press that he called will.i.am a “faggot,” a gay slur, inside the club after the musician told the blogger not to write about his band on his Web site.
“He was like ‘You need to respect me.’ He was in my face. He was obviously trying to intimidate me and scare me,” Hilton said. “I was like ‘I don’t need to respect you. I don’t respect you and I did say this, and I knew that it would be the worst thing I could possibly say to him because he was acting the way he was. I said ‘You know what, I don’t respect you and you’re gay and stop being such a faggot.’”
Will.i.am said in a video posting on dipdive.com that he came to Hilton with respect and was called a “faggot.”
Hilton, who was at the club with Lady Gaga, said he then left the club and was punched from behind. The pop stars and the blogger were among celebrities in Toronto for the MuchMusic Video Awards on Sunday night.
A spokeswoman for the Black Eyed Peas declined comment.
Michael Miller Family
In other gay type rap new Eminiem – nah just kidding. We think
is the focal point of a disturbing story out of Arizona: a 29-year-old man has told police that he sang Eminem songs while fatally stabbing his wife and daughter, KSAZ-TV reports. His 4-year-old son survived the attack, despite being stabbed 11 times. According to police, the man, Michael Miller, said he was possessed and believed that his wife was a demon.
More chilling details:
Just before stabbing her at 4 a.m., he told police he started screaming lyrics from an Eminem song, saying, “Here comes Satan, I’m the anti-Christ, I’m going to kill you.”
Miller admitted to police that when the kids awoke to their mother’s screams, he stabbed them too. He said he stabbed his son Brian the most because he loved him the most.
Then he rolled a cigarette, said another prayer, and called 911, police say
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It’s good to see and hear Jim Brown is still on the case, pushing for athletes to step it up. He’s long reminded us that athletes are just hired gladiators and at the end of the day they have their community-hence its best they make moves to uplift it. Brown comes from an era when athletes knew they had to do alot more then just play ball. From the Muhammad Ali’s to the Hank Aarons , athletes knew they represented a larger body of people and hence made sure to not make the community look bad by coming up short.
Sadly many of today’s athletes are signed to mega rich agents who push our athletes in the opposite direction. They tell their clients if you speak out it’ll mean less endorsement, less money and less opportunity. Some agents won’t even work to get clients certain types of gigs if they speak out.. i.e. Try being an athlete who speaks out in favor of Palestine.
But Jim Brown is correct by noting that these athletes are smart enough to know how to speak out on certain issues and not hurt themselves. The question is are they willing.
-Davey D-
Cultural Icon and Football Hall of Famer Jim Brown blasts Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods for their lack of social activism in an interview that is to appear on HBO’s “Real Sports” Tuesday night.
Of Woods, Brown said, “This cat is a mamajama; he is a killer. He’ll run over you, he’ll kick your ass. But as an individual for social change or any of that kind of — , terrible. Terrible.”
Brown criticized Woods in January 2008 for not speaking out against the Golf Channel’s Kelly Tilghman after she used the word “lynch” in a joking reference to him.
Of Woods and Jordan, Brown said, “I know they both know better, OK? And I know they both can do better without hurting themselves.”
source: http://www.playahata.com/?p=6369
We recently sat down with pioneering Hip Hop photographer Ernie Paniccioli to get some insight into his long career which began years before the first rasps were being kicked in the Bronx. He broke down a lot of stuff for us. he also let us know about his new movie called ‘The Otherside of Hip Hop‘ which chronicles his life. The movie which has already been shown in festivals around the country to rave reviews and features Chuck D, MC Lyte and Afrika Bambaataa to name a few will be showing at the Tribeca Film Festival this weekend; Saturday November 17th, 2007 2pm Tribeca Cinemas NYC Laight and Canal St.
info and tickets available at www.bigapplefilmfestival.com
Davey D
Davey D: Lately there are a number of books and exhibits coming out highlighting the works of pioneering Hip Hop photographers.. What do you think is behind this resurgence? In what ways do these works add to or take away from the Hip Hop’s history?
Ernie Paniccioli:When a book is done from within the culture by someone like Joe Conzo (“Born In The Bronx”) or myself (“Who Shot Ya?”) or an exhibit shows the work of Harry Allen or a Martha Cooper “Hip Hop Files” it can only deepen the history and knowledge of Hip Hop Culture. When a “Culture Vulture” does a book or tries to lay claim to be “The Bible of Hip Hop Art and Politics” style magazine or a trick ass radio station claims to be “Where Hip Hop Lives” then things get ugly and commercially distorted.
Davey D:Contrasted with Rock-N-Roll and other genres what challenges are unique to the Hip Hop photographer? What has been your biggest accomplishment? What has been your biggest gripe?
Ernie Paniccioli:Rock and Roll is bought by, financed by and nurtured by White America and is simply Rock Music. Hip Hop is from the streets, ghettos, inner-cities and is comprised of 5 Elements. A Rock Photographer only has to shoot rockers and is usually paid by a record company or big money magazine.
A Hip Hop Photographer has to capture the DJ, Hip Hop Dance, Graf, Emcee, and be aware of and respond to the Cultural aspects of Hip Hop. If all they do is shoot Rappers then they are at best a Rap Photographer. In it’s 33 year His-Story there have only been a handful of photographers that can be called “Hip Hop Photographers”. My legacy is secure because I have been called that by Afrika Bambaataa, Chuck D and KRS1 as well as Nas and Rakim.
My greatest accomplishment has been staying true to the culture decade after decade and my biggest gripe is seeing this amazing art form, that gave us a global voice, being used instead of addressing survival issues, selling sneakers, rims, cars, burgers and really crappy clothes.
Davey D:What sort of equipment did you start off using? What are you using now? Does new technology make things easier? Is their something loss with all the photo-shopping and digitizing of photos?
Ernie Paniccioli:I started out with a Canon AE1 and a 50MM lens. I now use Leica and Nikon 35 MM Digital and Mamiya Medium Format. I personally love PhotoShop for cleaning up and restoring old photographs. If you suck or have no soul, Photoshop will not help you, if you are dope all of these photo aids will only make your work more profound.
Davey D:You served in the Vietnam and there you took lots of photos and made collages capturing the social and political climate of the time.. How did your experiences in Nam help you when you started doing Hip Hop photography?
Ernie Paniccioli:Having the experience of life and death and discipline, training for war and being responsible for the safety of others gave me a sense of responsibility which I came to understand meant a response to the best of your ability. It also prepared me to go anywhere to shoot my subjects, either in a dark club full of drunk or stoned and often violent rap fans or in a project hallway or gang banger territory.
Davey D:Talk about the importance of archiving history through photography and other means.With you being a Native American brother what lessons can the Hip Hop generation learn from the trials and tribulations experienced by Native people?
Ernie Paniccioli:Edward Curtis is my greatest influence. He shot the tribes across the continent under almost impossible odds but always with pride, intelligence and dignity. Without him the visual legacy of native Americans would be greatly diminished. I have always tried to do the same by infusing my work with dignity, pride and a sense of honor and one of the ways is to keep in mind that we are all spiritual being with a soul and an inner power and beauty.
Forgive me for getting too deep but just as Native People were considered “savages” and not worthy of land or protection of law (look up the writings of the amazing Professor Robert A. Williams of The University of Arizona) after nearly a decade of dehumanizing music videos, CD’s and movies portraying Black Southeners as subhuman, sexually deviant, drug addled and shiftless drug dealers and pimps along comes Katrina and the non reaction of FEMA and America tolerates the sight of swollen Black bodies floating like debris in the water.
Davey D:Creating photo collages shows you have an artistic side, are there any other areas that you have talents and skillz especially as it relates to Hip Hop? i.e. Did you rap, b-boy or dj?
Ernie Paniccioli:I was a painter, and drew thousands of pictures before I even picked up a camera, art , museums, and creativity always was part of my flow decades before I even held my first gallery show. I was never B-Boy or DJ, but have rocked hundreds of mics lecturing on Human Rights, Native Rights and Survival.
Davey D:Who was the first person you photographed within Hip Hop? What do you feel is your most important photo? What is your most haunting photo?
Ernie Paniccioli:My first Hip Hop images were of Graffiti masterpieces and they were what drew me in to Hip Hop. My most important photo has not been shot yet. My two most haunting photos are both of BIG. One is of him going up a flight of stairs with angels in the background and the other is him sitting next to me in his Jeep holding his fingers in the form of a gun.
Davey D:The other side of Hip Hop is a movie based on your life. What are 2 or 3 keys aspects you want people to come away with after seeing this movie?
How to make something out of nothing and survival based upon your love of your environment. Back when I started it was hard to make a living as a photographer so I single handedly created the job title of Hip Hop Photographer
Davey D:
In your book Who Shot Ya? you wrote a powerful essay about the Hip Hop being colonized. First what did you mean by that? Do you still feel like that is happening even with artists like Jay-Z, 50 and Diddy having so much money? Is this a concept you focus on in your new movie?
Ernie Paniccioli:In “Who Shot Ya?” When I warned of the coming (it was written in 2001) colonization of Hip Hop I was referring to the consolidation of broadcast media and how we went from independent media outlets to the complete control of all forms of media by three or four superpowers including Clear Channel, Viacom, BMI, Rupert Murdoch, Vivendi etc.
Also colonization means the selling of a culture, where once you were judged cool or hip by your visual individuality now you are considered cool if you wear pre-packaged-New Era style, Vibe endorsed over priced corny crap.
The money that Russell Simmons, Jay Z and Diddy/Puffy/Puff/ Puff Daddy have means nothing to the culture itself and realistically is only pennies in the total income of those who pimp Hip Hop in the name of corporate interests.
The film “The Other Side of Hip Hop” deals with individual freedom, collective responsibility and the unique set of circumstances that connected me to the birth of Hip Hop.
Davey D:Also in your book you stated that the most groundbreaking group in Hip Hop was Arrested Development. You said they were important because their name reflected the current state of Hip Hop. Can you elaborate on that?
Ernie Paniccioli:I saw that name as a vibrant metaphor for what Chuck D calls “being stuck on stupid” I did not mean they were in and of themselves groundbreaking, even though they did feature women, men and an elder as part of a rhythmic collective.
And yes the current state of Hip Hop is pitiful as least the Rap component that shows 30 or 40 something year old men acting like overeager, horny teenagers and the women portrayed as less than dignified, classy, smart or even interesting for anything more than their cup size.
Davey D:You are obviously older then Hip Hop which just celebrated its 33rd anniversary. As an elder did you see the handwriting on the wall that would lead to Hip Hop being birthed? In other words did you see this coming or was it a sudden explosion that caught everyone off guard?
Ernie Paniccioli:First, I have to go against the prevailing dogma and state that even though all of the elements were there they were not known collectively as “HIP HOP”. Bambaataa and Kool Herc created the consciousness of the disparate elements as essential parts of a whole.
Back then everyone knew something was happening, Disco was dying, Punk was a little too White and a little to over the edge, Rhythm and Blues had run their course and the kids were restless and conditions in our cities were simply too horrible for them to believe in anything not reflecting or created by them. As Dylan said “You know something is happening, but you don’t know what it is, do you Mr. Jones?”
Davey D: You now have movie out? Was it difficult to get this up and running? What are you next steps?
Ernie Paniccioli:The movie “The Other Side of Hip Hop” is going to be shown in film festivals, then used to teach in the college and high school lecture circuits and even as a fund raiser for worthy causes. Dion Ashman created it and he simply had to follow his vision and respect what I have tried to stand for in my life. Dion is an Alpha and had to measure up to the standards of his organization.
Koe Rodriquez wants to finish a film called 1Love which deals with the creative forces of myself, Joe Conzo and Jamal Shabazz. And I am trying to get a five volume set of books published covering the first ever 30 year retrospective of my photography but have so far not met up with the right set of circumstances. The five volume set is already completed and has essays by most of the creative forces in Hip Hop. Perhaps Jay, Diddy or Russell would like to invest in something culturally powerful and make me an honest offer.
Davey D: any last words or food for thought..
Ernie Paniccioli:As KRS1 said so clearly……….”When you walk, walk with authority……..tell the negative people don’t bother me”
Peace, Bro. Ernie Paniccioli
The Otherside of Hip Hop is now available on demand for more informationcheck out the website http://hiphopotherside.com/welcome-to-hip-hop.php
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Is Iran’s Ayatollah under threat? |
| By Farzad Agah |
Is Ayatollah Ali Khamenei rule under threat?
Since Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared runaway winner of the presidential election last week, Iran has seen a daily wave of opposition demonstrations, police crackdowns and violence.
Not since the 1979 Islamic Revolution when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini overthrew the shah has Iranian society been so rattled and divided.
According to the Iranian constitution, the Guardians of the Constitution are supposed to monitor and sign off on election results.
After the votes have been counted and the winner announced by the interior ministry, the Guardians have the responsibility to endorse the result within 10 days if there are no complaints from the defeated candidates.
The president-elect is then confirmed and later sworn in by Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
But last week’s election did not follow these procedures.
What's the real influence of Moosavi?
Despite complaints by Mir Hossein Mousavi, Mehdi Karroubi and Mohsen Rezaei, the opposition candidates, Ayatollah Khamaenei congratulated Ahmadinejad in a public speech and pointed out that he had got 14 million votes more than the first time he was elected president four years ago.
Opposition anger
he pronouncement, together with a self-congratulatory victory rally in which Ahmadinejad branded the supporters of the defeated candidates as “floating bushes”, infuriated opposition supporters and they took to the streets in Tehran and other major cities.
The establishment backed by militias and special forces beat demonstrators and arrested scores of prominent opposition figures, journalists, students and lawyers.
Khamenei maintained his silence for two days before urging the opposing sides not to anger each other by making explosive comments at a private meeting of the candidates’ representatives.
He asked the opposition candidates to lodge their complaints to the Guardians of the Constitution for consideration – an indirect admission that the correct procedure had not been followed following the election.
The Guardians of the Constitution later announced they would consider the complaints and admitted a partial recount of the election results may be necessary.
Observers believe the moves by the conservative Guardians of the Constitution, who are known to support Ahmadinejad, were just to calm down anti-government supporters.
Still, they have promised to meet all the defeated presidential candidates on June 20 and take all their complaints into consideration.
Many moderate clerics, some of whom are believed to be members of the powerful Assembly of Experts, have questioned the wisdom of Khamenei in hastily endorsing Ahmadinejad’s “victory”.
The Assembly, which selects the country’s supreme leader, is chaired by Ayatollah Hashemi Rafsanjani who is considered by many as one of the pillars of the Islamic Revolution.
He was the man behind the election of Khamenei as supreme leader soon after the death of Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeni in 1989.
In theory at least, the Assembly has the constitutional right to question and even replace the supreme leader.
‘Not impartial’
Some influential moderate clerics privately admit that Khamenei has not done “justice” to the presidential candidates and has not treated them with impartiality.
This behaviour, they believe, could jeopardise his position as leader since one of the main qualities required of the supreme leader is “justice”.
Rafsanjani is also the chairman of the Expediency Council which is a body charged with the power to resolve differences or conflicts between parliament and the Guardians of the Constitution, but its true power lies more in its power to oversee the supreme leader.
It is a well-known fact that there is a lot of bad blood between Ahmadinejad and Rafsanjani whom the president accuses of corruption and aristocratic behaviour.
Ahmadinejad angered Rafsanjani when in his presidential television debate with Mousavi, he alleged that all the three opposition candidates had been put forward by Rafsanjani to defeat him.
He further accused Rafsanjani of unlawfully accumulating massive wealth over many years and putting his cronies in the way of the president.
The allegations prompted Rafsanjani to write a highly critical open letter to Khamenei, which the supreme leader ignored.
Public rift
The result has been serious public rift within the establishment and many observers believe Rafsanjani may be encouraging the ferment among supporters of the opposition presidential candidates.
Mohammed Khatami, the former Iranian reformist president, has also been serving in the ranks of the “green movement” of Mousavi, who together with fellow candidate Karroubi, have been calling for the annulment of the election which they believe was rigged by Ahmadinejad supporters.
All this leaves Khamenei in a very difficult situation.
He is unlikely to either accuse the opposition supporters of being mercenaries of “foreign powers” as Ahmadinejad supporters have done.
Nor is he likely to agree to their demand that the election result be cancelled or to have an impartial election fact-finding body set up.
Instead, Khamenei, who is to give a sermon after Friday prayers at Tehran University, is likely to invite both sides to unite and accept the results of the votes or risk jeopardising the Islamic revolution and state.
But Mousavi and his supporters are just as unlikely to stop their protests until they have achieved their goal.
The deep frustration and disillusionment of the mainly urban supporters of Mousavi, together with the establishment rifts now out in the open, are posing a serious threat to Khamenei’s authority.
That may benefit Rafsanjani, who aspires to become the next supreme leader, and rumours abound that he is trying to muster support among some influential clerical members of the Assembly of Experts to take Khamenei to task.
This may prove difficult, however, considering that there is still the well-armed and powerful Iranian Revolutionary Guard – that some say are the country’s de facto rulers – to contend with.
Farzad Agah is an Iranian journalist and analyst living in London. The views expressed by the author are not necessarily those of Al Jazeera.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2009/06/200961923416905779.html
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Today we salute those men who have stepped up to the plate and held it down by doing the right thing-Taking care of their kids.. These videos should remind folks exactly what they should be doing.. Be a Father to your child. Below is the classic EDOG and the Bulldogs– Be a Father to Your Child’
Here is the new NY Oil ‘Be a Father’
How can we forget Shaquille O’Neil’s ‘Biological Didn’t Bother
Below is probably one of the most heartfelt exchanges between father and son I have ever witnessed. It was during a book signing for our book BAF (Be A Father) and it took place between Rhymefest and his 10 year old Solomon
Here’s the excerpt
Rhymefest showed and proved how a father should be building with his son.. The exchange below will fill you up..
Last night (June 2 2008) at the book release party in Brooklyn for ‘Be A Father’, Rhymefest who is one of the co-authors was scheduled to Freestyle. He was initially viewed as the person who could help lighten up the mood a bit and give us some breathing space since the night was filled with heartfelt testamonies and heavy readings on a topic we rarely address openly. Being a father, Father son relationships, manhood and healing from the abandonment of our dads were a few of the topics many of our distinguished people had dwelled upon.
The mood was serious when Rhymefest took the floor. He told the capacity crowd that rappers always freestyle and that they need to do more. He said it was important to strive to be great and not successful. So instead of freestyling he said he wanted to take his time and show the type of conversation a father should have with his son.
He said before coming to the floor he had asked his 10 year old son named Solomon to write down 5 questions that he would like answered that he had never asked before. Rhymefest would do the same and together they proceeded to open up and have a heartfelt, deeply personal conversation in front of us all.
By the time the two were done there wasn’t a dry eye in the place. To say the least it was groundbreaking and the audio doesn’t do this justice. The spirit in the room was moving as evidence by grown men being touched so much that they broke down and I’m sure many made a decision to strengthen the bond between them and their own children. Peep the audio, reflect and step foward…
Click the link below to listen to the father-Son exchange w/ Rhymefest
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A Message to Hip Hop-We Need to Do More than Just Wear Green
by Davey D
Here’s a message to the Iranian Youth…Hip Hop is with you. We understand that what is going on in Iran is not about what America wants. We understand that this is not about the dictates of those who have a particular foreign policy agenda to push that at the end of the day may be calling for Iran to be destabilized.
Hip Hop is with you above and beyond a rap song, a dope video or meaningless swagger. Hip Hop is with you beyond a slogan or a shout out. Hip Hop is with you beyond the ignorance of some of our artists who wanna brag about having ‘Arab Money’. Hip Hop is with you by honoring the 5th Element-Knowledge. Hip Hop is with you in solidarity and hoping to uplift our collective humanity.
We understand that what we’re seeing in Iran is a student movement, a women’s movement and other reform movements that have been simmering in Iran for some time. We can trace some of this back to 1999 when we here in the US were watching our own Presidential elections between George Bush and Al Gore which was tossed into dissarray while students in Tehran University were out in the streets of Iran getting killed and student organizers were being snatched off the streets never to be seen again. A few years ago I met students who had been jailed and beaten up by the Iranian government for protesting. They had a lot of heart. They were at a conference on censorship in Beirut in spite of knowing that their speaking out could get them serious trouble again.
What were seeing our people who feel that there should be more personal freedoms, where women don’t have to cover up, be searched and beaten on the streets. What we’re seeing are folks who want to have more then just state run press. Part of the fights that students were dealing with in ’99 was the shutting down of a newspaper. Most of us don’t even blink an eye when our own newspapers and radio stations are hijacked. What we’re seeing don’t want to adhere to long standing traditions and they’re challenging long standing traditions which has been inspired by the Western education and understanding that many have received outside the country and from understanding the world is much smaller place.
Before CNN started talking about Iran, many of us ignored or didn't even know about the student & woman's movements in Iran. We spent more time focused on the drama between 50 Cent & Rick Ross.From this day forward we've got to do better...
Sadly most of us never pay attention to foreign affairs unless it shows up on CNN. Hence when there were no lights cameras and action and Iranians were demanding certain changes most of us were concerning ourselves with 50 Cent vs. Rick Ross. Most of us were talking about Chris Brown vs. Rihanna. Do folks know any of the movement leaders? Do we know the name of any of the student organizations? Do any of know about the jail time that many have endured to speak out? Is this really about them backing the opposition candidate Mir Hussein Moussavi or is about stepping to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei? How many of us know the role the president plays in relationship between the Supreme leader?
Let’s use this opportunity to embrace Hip Hop’s 5th element and do the knowledge. Part of that knowledge means for us to start listening closely and resist framing the story so it fits our own limited parameters. When we say things like most of the people marching are middle-class what exactly does that mean? Is it the same thing as middle class here in the US? Are the people marching Muslim or Christian? Are they westernized or traditional? Is Iran a modernized country or does it fall into a stereotype where it’s underdeveloped with folks riding camels through a desert? Folks better think again and note that in many regards we here in the US may actually be behind.
I said this in my last essay-Are the Protests in Iran Real or a CIA backed Exercise? this is much bigger than the two leaders. They happen to be stepping stones and stops along the way to something much larger and much more deeply felt. How about this folks… if we’re gonna wear Green in solidarity with the Iranian people and their struggle, how about stepping our personal game up? If we’re gonna wear Green and say we want change how about committing ourselves to stay up on foreign news long after CNN stops covering this? How about making Iran, Darfur, Congo and Haiti which just experienced a horrific blood bath two days ago between funeral marchers and UN Peacekeepers, be a topics we tweet about and comment on via Facebook? Can we make a promise amongst ourselves to educate ourselves each day on a variety of foreign issues?
If we can’t do this at the very least take down our Green avatars and stop bullshitting ourselves and disrespecting the people who are out on those streets not just in Iran but all over the world really risking getting their heads cracked. There’s no excuse for Iranian people to know more about President Obama’s policies then we do and they live in Iran. If we’re gonna wear Green, let’s not do this part time. Let’s not be casual trendy observers. This struggle in Iran is not going to be over and neatly wrap up at a particular time and date like a television show. It’s gonna be on going.
If we're gonna wear Green to show solidarity, how about taking it a step further & educating ourselves on US Foreign policy-For example, what's the real motivation behind Senator John McCain and the GOP in condemning Iranian leaders? Is it really to support the student & women's movement or to merely use them?
If we want change in Iran let that change be right here at home. If we want to wear Green lets take a closer look at the rhetoric being pushed by our Republican minority in the Senate and in Congress. President Obama is taking a measured tone saying let’s not become the topic at hand be seen as meddlers while Senator John McCain and others are basically saying ‘Fuck that.. We gonna jump right on in there and start smashing because they have an agenda that they’re trying to push that has very little to do with the student movements’. The GOP will use those movements and temporary align themselves, but it’s not about making sure students a free from any oppression. Are they helping, hurting or leading us in another direction?
If we’re wearing Green, we need to be asking ourselves what’s’ up with our own government and its foreign policy-not just in Iran but throughout the entire Middle East. Maybe if more of us wearing Green committed ourselves to do the knowledge, Iran wouldn’t be in this predicament because we would be electing leaders who have a deeper, more holistic approach toward the Middle East -starting with us not green lighting everything Israel does. Yes, folks at the end of the day let’s deal with the 800 pound gorilla in the room much of what we are seeing is connected to US/ Israeli foreign policy…
That’s a few things to ponder…
-Davey D-
It's cool to wear Green in solidarity but ideally we should show solidarity by being as bold as those students on the streets by fearlessly challenging and asking our own government some hard questions especially around the issue of foreign policy
PS..As I’m writing this I’m watching TV and noting that the big networks are claiming they can’t cover the events in Tehran because of a news media blackout imposed by the Iranian government…Its kind of funny hearing this, because we seem to always have our own media blackout here in the US. Of course those blackouts are imposed by the news directors and owners of these big networks-but let’s not digress. My question is what happened to all those expensive spy satellites that are supposed to be able to see the head of pin from thousands of miles away? What’s up with Google Earth? There’s no excuse for us not to be able to see whats going on? Why aren’t we using all this technology we brag about having?
Below is a video that my homie Paradise of X-Clan tunred me onto it’s by Weapons X
by Paul Scott
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Back in 1865, two years and some change after Abe Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation, the slaves in Texas finally got the memo that chattel slavery had been abolished. Better late than never I suppose. However, if the right wing talking heads had their way, black folks would still be picking cotton in 2009.
Next week , marks the beginning of Juneteenth week (June 15-19th) a time when African Americans celebrate the end of the last vestiges of that peculiar institution. It is a time to celebrate the freedoms of this country that were so long denied African Americans.
But some things are still in bondage; the airwaves.
While this country prides itself as being a diverse melting pot of ideals and a plethora of differing opinions, the airwaves have long been dominated by a right wing conspiracy to control all conversations concerning race, class and all things political.
There is not a city in America where you can’t hear the melodramatic, melodious voice of Rush Limbaugh taking shots at the Left or Sean Hannity’s arrogant whine espousing the doctrine of Conservative white world domination.
What is rarely discussed is the amount of political power that comes with the privilege of having unlimited access to the airwaves.
So when Rush Limbaugh says that he hopes President Obama fails, he ain’t just whistlin’ Dixie. He has the ability to galvanize millions of Rush-o-holics to do his evil biddings and make his anti-Obama dream turn into reality.
Despite the Right’s wolf crying of victimization since the last election, make no mistake about it, the hand that controls the golden microphone rules the world.
It is past time that we seize control of the airwaves and I cannot think of a better time to do it than Juneteenth (the Black Independence Day.)
Although the Conservatives have had their panties in a bunch over the possible reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine (or similar legislation) that will allow folks like me to verbally pimp slap the smirk off of Bill O’Reilly’s face every time he disses Hip Hop, this has not been a major topic in the African American community.
Also, many African Americans are totally in the dark when it comes to understanding the possible impact of a FCC Diversity Advisory Committee that could have Shaka Zulu’s “Black Power Hour” going head to head with Mike Savage’s “Savage Nation.”
While this lack of information may be dismissed by the Right Wing as evidence that black folks would rather listen to Lil Wayne songs instead of the news, in reality, the ultra Conservative media have abused their powers to control the dissemination of information.
But no more!
Black folks need some Affirmative Action airtime.
We have to teach members of the Right a lesson that they should have learned back in kindergarten. Sometimes you have to share your toys.
This Juneteenth , the black community will start an underground railroad to get the information out about the various initiatives to insure African American access to the airwaves. The word will spread from city to city that there are new initiatives available under the Obama administration that could level the media playing field.
It is imperative that members of the African American community use the week of June 15th to contact their Congress folks and demand that the Fairness Doctrine be re-energized and make phone calls and send letters and emails to the FCC throwing our total support behind the Diversity Advisory Committee.
While more access to the media may not guarantee our making it to the Promised Land it will ,at least, supply us with the GPS navigation system to help us get there.
Paul Scott writes for No Warning Shots Fired.com. He can be reached at (919) 451-8283 or info@nowarningshotsfired.com
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Black Radio Speaks with Fork Tongue
by Paul Porter of Industryears.com
Paul Porter is a 30 year industry vet and former music programmer for Radio One & BET
It is time that broadcasters start telling the truth. The recent flood of one sided information by radio on the pending “HR 848 – Performance Rights Act” is uncovering a much larger problem. The First Amendment calls for “Freedom of Speech”, but unfortunately broadcasters continue to feed misinformation to millions of Americans, without a murmur of opposing opinion.
Radio One, Founder Cathy Hughes has rediscovered her microphone after a ten year hiatus. While shaping the Performance Rights Act as an end to Black Radio, Hughes and her staff have done a great job of concealing the facts.
In a series of PSA annoucements, Hughes has framed HR 848 as the end of Black radio. Broadcasters, in this difficult economy have not allowed advertising dollars to be spent by denying air time to supporters of this Bill.
In Detroit, on Tuesday, Congressman John Conyers held a hearing on HR 848 at Wayne State University. While Joyner, Baisden and Hughes have continued to deliver blatant lies on air, the forum was the perfect situation to finally hear both sides.
Although invitations were extended to the entire broadcast community, only one representative stepped up to the mic. Rev. Al Sharpton, who’s syndicated Radio One show airs nationwide, presented his side and left without listening to the audience that pays his check.
Sharpton, on his show later that day only mentioned the forum as “one-sided” and failed to mention any of the stories shared by a short list of living legends, Dionne Warwick, Mary Wilson of the Supremes, Sam Moore, Duke Fakir, George Clinton and writer performer Rhymefest informed those in attendance of the simple facts on why performers should be paid for radio airplay.
Maybe if Sharpton, Baisden, Hughes or Joyner stop talking they might take the time to listen to some alarming facts.
*Performers are paid in over 30 countries, for radio airplay. Only the U.S., China, Iran and North Korea do not pay performers for radio airplay.
*Performers are paid for television, satellite radio, cable stations and Internet radio but not paid for terrestial (AM & FM) radio airplay.
*An additional $70 to $100 million will be paid to American artists for airplay from foreign countries.
What Black Radio is not telling you:
*Urban radio continues to be the most syndicated music format. While limiting voices and local issues, Black adults are 25 times more likely to hear syndication than Whites. Eliminating the messengers, by limiting the voices.
*Radio One, the nation’s largest African American broadcaster, has cut staff and 401k benefits for staffers, while awarding CEO Alfred Liggins a 10 million dollar bonus.
*Radio consistently makes millions from the recording industry, requiring Free promotions, Free product and Free performances that get charged back to the artist bottom line.
No matter what the color of radio ownership — serving local audiences with better music, information and content is the key to thriving business model. American radio must finally catch up with the rest of the free world and pay performers their just do.
It is time that radio broadcasters allow audiences to hear both sides of this important issue.
Paul Porter