2012 Daily News | Hip-Hop and Politics

Thoughts on the Newtown School Shootings pt1 The Culture of Violence is All Around Us

December 17, 2012 By mrDaveyd

On Friday December 14th 2012, Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Ct was the site of what many are describing as the second deadliest school shooting in US history. The dust is still settling and people are trying to come to terms with why 27 people were slaughtered. 20 of them kids between the ages of 6-7. We are now discovering that some were shot as much 11 times as they hid in corners of their classrooms covered up. This was gruesome. All told, 12 little girls and 8 little boys were murdered.. The other 6 killed, were all women. They were teachers and school administrators who tried to save these children from unthinkable horror.

Understandably many of us are looking for answers… We’re all looking for a nicely packaged, sound explanation as to why this happened. Many are quick to point out that the killer Adam Lanza had mental illness. The popular narrative is a sick man got a hold of some guns and shot up a school..End of story, good night.. And to be honest its true Adam Lanza was sick, but in order to really get to the root of what took place and why, and more importantly how to prevent this from happening again, we are deluding ourselves and doing a disservice to simply place Lanza’s sickness in isolation.

Please read that again and reflect on it…. Lanza is not alone in that sickness…

A Year and a Weekend Filled With Violence Beyond Sandy Hook

Many of us are sick in our denial about the pervasive, far-reaching impact of America’s culture of violence. There are some who just read what I wrote who will get defensive and dismissive and emphatically claim that what I wrote is not true.. But it is.. It really is. We are addicted to violence and turmoil and we’re sick in our collective dishonesty. The sickness is all around us.. The culture of violence is all around us..Here’s a small sampling of what has gone on around the country, since the horrors of Sandy Brook Elementary:

Von I Meyer

On Friday, same day as the Newton massacres, in Cedar Lake Indiana, an elderly man with 47 guns named Von I. Meyer was arrested after threatening to set his wife on fire and “kill as many people as he could” at a nearby Jane Ball Elementary School. You can read about that HERE.

In Tulsa, Oklahoma an 18-year-old student named Sammie Eaglebear Chavez was arrested on Friday as he attempted recruit fellow students at Bartlesville High School to lure them into a school auditorium where he planned to shoot them.. You can read about that HERE.

On Friday the same day as the Newton, Ct massacre in the SF Bay Area the second bomb scare in two days occurred. The one on Friday, went down at the region’s largest shopping center, the Great Mall in Milpitas. Hundreds of shoppers were evacuated. You can read about that HERE.

The day before at Monta Vista High School in nearby Cupertino, which is home to Apple Computers, the was a bomb scare accompanied with graffiti on the school wall threatening to kill a teacher. The school was shut down and evacuated. Students returned to school on Friday morning only to be confronted with news of the carnage going on Newtown. A 16-year-old student was arrested last night. You can read about that HERE.

On Friday night, hours after the Newton, Ct massacre in Las Vegas, a man ran into the Excalibur Hotel and shot a woman and then himself. This tragedy immediately took our thoughts to the situation involving Kansas City Chief football star Jovan Belcher & Kasandra Perkins from 2 weeks ago where the star NFL star killed his girlfriend and then himself leaving their 3 month old without parents..The Vegas murder suicide is something that seems to be happening far too often.. You can read about it HERE.

Marcos Gurrola

On Saturday in Newport Beach, California 42-year-old Marcos Gurrola was arrested for shooting 50 bullets outside of Fashion Island Mall. He was arrested and the mall never shut down, which I think many found disturbing, especially in light of the mall shooting in Portland, Oregon that left two dead, that occurred earlier this week. There the gun man had intended to kill more folks but his gun jammed. In the case of this Newport Beach shooting, police say the mall was reopened because the suspect shot the guns in the air and on the ground.. You can read about that HERE.

In Birmingham, Alabama on Saturday morning 38-year-old Jason Letts, rushed in St Vincent’s hospital and shot a police officer and two other people. The victims survived, Letts was killed by another officer.. This shooting was coming on the heels of a massacre the night before-same day as Newton, shooting where a woman and her two kids ages 4 and 5 were shot and killed. You can read about that HERE.

Early, Saturday morning in Oakland, California, just two hours before a gun buy back program a 37-year-old man shot into a car with 3 people including a woman. Someone from the car shot back.. all four were injured. You can read about that HERE.

On Friday, in Chicago, same day as the Newton massacre, 10 people were shot including 4 teens. By the weekend’s end over 15 were shot. Sadly many upon hearing about this along with the shootings in Oakland and in Birmingham, shrugged their shoulders and thought to themselves; ‘What else is new? This is business as usual‘.

Kids in Pakistan express sympathy to Newtown, Ct victims

Fueled by class and racial bigotry, coupled with an overall climate of where many are mean-spirited, our collective societal sickness hasn’t allowed many of us to see 10 people shot in inner city Chicago connected to those shot in mass shootings in suburban schools, malls and mosques…Our collective sickness doesn’t allow many us to see the humanity in others outside ourselves and our circles of comfort..Seems like many in the hood scoff at the mass murders they hear about going down in the suburbs while man in the burbs are dismissive of the daily killings they hear about in the hood.. And all of us in our collective sickness could give a rats ass about the children killed and carnage caused by drone strikes in foreign lands done in our name.. Our sickness has moved us all in the direction where life is devalued.

Even as I’m penning this article on Sunday afternoon, word is coming out about death threats coming to one of the churches in Newton, Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church was evacuated during its noon mass on Sunday due to a someone calling up and threatening to “kill everyone.”

“My friend didn’t finish the job,” the caller said, according to a church official. You can read about that HERE.

Aurora Theater shooting

This year alone over 15 mass shootings taking place this country. That’s a wickedly high number. From Portland, Or to Aurora,Co to Oakland, Ca to Oakcreek, Wi, to Minneapolis, Mn to the Empire State building in New York City to name a few, no community has been spared. On top of the 15, we have an additional 12 more over the past 4-5 years. there’s been over 60 since the Columbine massacres of April 1999.

Same ole Song Same Ole Script Mass Shootings Are Big Business

One would think our conversations around these tragedies would’ve had advanced over the past 10-12 years. Sadly with each mass shooting incident, we have not moved to heal from the trauma and to take solid steps to make sure such incidents never occur again.. Instead, we’ve seen these mass shootings morph into grandiose television events.

They’ve become the ultimate, bizarre, morose reality TV show similar to the countless car chases we see in LA, where regular programming is interrupted so much so, that we now watch and don’t give a second thought about the crime committed or the victims of those crimes. We’re all caught up in the chase. In the case of Newtown, Ct as sad as it was, far too many of us were caught up in the drama and politics around it vs the very real need for healing. Very few of us recognize that even though this killing may have taken place far away from many of us, we were impacted. Something inside of us needs to heal. many of us are not as compassionate. Not as caring.. Not as concerned.

The way this story has been covered by our esteemed 4th estate, corporate media hasn’t helped in the healing. The day of the massacre, the usual script was followed and things became all too predictable. High priced, news anchors were dispatched to the scene of the tragedy where they stood in front of churches, trying their best to look solemn as they grilled first responders and friends of a friend of a friend who may have known a victim about…

Why did this happen? What do we tell the kids? How long will people grieve? Was the victim mentally ill? We’ve heard these questions asked before

The whole time they are doing these interviews you can literally see these anchors scoping out the terrain with one eye open, angling to one up the competition. Friday reached new lows as we saw reporter after reporter shoving microphones in the faces of 5 and 6 year old kids who were clearly traumatized, asking them how they feel and what they saw etc..In spite of massive complaints on Facebook and twitter, by late last night you still saw little kids trying to explain what its like to hear or see someone shot or walk by dead bodies.. It’s not about healing it’s about being first and getting ratings at all costs. After all as some in the media like to say.. All this coverage doesn’t come free.

Interspersed between these interviews are heartbreaking pictures from Newtown. It’s scenes from candlelight vigils, people praying and faces of people crying in sheer agony with the words Getty images splattered across them, reminding us that as tragic as things may be, some company owns the rights to it. The sights and sounds are all licensed, copy written and trademarked, underscoring the fact that these mass shootings are big business..

End of pt 1 continue by clicking http://hiphopandpolitics.wordpress.com/2012/12/17/thoughts-on-the-newtown-school-shootings-pt2-hard-questions-we-all-must-answer/

Thoughts on the Newtown School Shootings pt2 Hard Questions We All Must Answer

December 17, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Sandy Hook Massacre is not Isolated It’s Part of Something that’s Systemic

Part of the challenge before us is to move this of this national conversation away from seeing these acts of violence as isolated, out of the ordinary occurrences and see them as systemic. This is not comfortable for many to do. The reason being is that when you look at mass shootings from a systemic level it calls into question our actions or lack of actions. It calls into account our own complicity in furthering this culture of violence. It brings forth our own contradictions. This includes the types of conversations and steps we take to ensure peace vs cheering on and fantasizing about violent responses to complex problems. Far too many of us say we want peace and we want our children to live in peace , but our actions say otherwise. We applaud violence. We accept violence.. We enable violence in many aspects of our lives and on many levels. From the music we listen to, to what we watch on TV to what sort of laws we allow to pass on or not pass on our watch…

Its gotten to a point where talking about love is something seen a perverse, out of pocket and even unnatural. That in itself is crazy, because so many of us profess we are God fearing and church loving, but you wouldn’t know that in the ways we embrace this culture of violence.

We have to take stock in what are we modeling for the kids we say we care about? What seeds are we planting? How are we helping them as well as ourselves to heal? We tell them they have to be ruthless in business. We tell them negativity sells and that by taking the high road you are weak sauce. We scoff at compassion? As we bury 20 kids this week, in what ways will we change our thinking?

Let our prayers go beyond Newtown and touch every place ravaged by senseless violence

Our contradictions include politicians who deliberately avoid important conversations about gun safety, assault weapon bans and mental health checks for those who wish to own guns, for fear of angering the NRA gun lobby. Frankly put there’s been lack of leadership. Right now many elected officials are talking a good game. They’re gonna show up at the funerals. they’re gonna hold press conferences and express extreme sorrow. They’re gonna do like they’ve always done after a tragedy like this.. but once the dust settles and the cameras are gone and lobbying money rolls in, gun control and gun safety discussions are buried. It’s the height of hypocrisy. When will that change? When and how will we make them change?

Our contradictions include mainstream media oversimplifying complex issues, manufacturing outrage and pushing fear buttons by scapegoating and pitting groups of people against one another. Following such paths may be politically comfortable and expedient and make for good TV, but its counterproductive to the steps we need to take to turn things around. When will we recognize the type of damage they are waging on folks? When will we say enough is enough to fear mongering?

Mental health beyond Adam Lanza

Ideally we should all be talking about mental health. We need to know what was a Adam Lanza suffering from? Was it depression, bi-polar disorder, panic attacks, extreme anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder (PSDT)? Was it psychological or physical? Did he have a chemical imbalance? Was help available? Affordable? Accessible? How widespread is his condition? Do the people involved in the incidents listed earlier also suffer from similar health challenges? What sort of investments have we made to help people get well? If we’re willing help Adam Lanza in the suburbs of Newtown and understand he was a troubled man are we willing help Ray Ray in the inner city of Chicago who may also be suffering?

Adding to these difficult questions around mental health is the issue of suicide. Long time educator, poet and scholar Mark Gonzales spoke to this issue the other night at a Pecha Kucha gathering in Oakland. He reminded us that we can not see the frequencies of mass shootings separate from the high rates of suicide that are taking place in this country every year, especially when you take into account that in many of these incidents the perpetrators killed themselves or acted in such a way that they would be killed. Gonzales noted that every year in the US 1.2 million people attempt suicide. In our military, more people have committed suicide than died in combat. What is that about? How does that relate to those who act with reckless abandon and are quick to pull the trigger at the slightest provocation? Whats the mental challenges afflicting those who can’t imagine themselves living a long life?

Bold thinking and compassion will heal broken hearts..

Bold and compassion thinking will help heal broken hearts..

These are hard questions. When we look at what took place at Sandy Hook elementary, our grief, anger and collective disbelief makes it easy for us to sum everything up and conclude Lanza and others who do these mass murders are just ‘evil’ and simply need to be locked away and removed from society. To a degree that may be true, but the frequencies of killings both on en mass like in Sandy Hook or what occurs daily in our inner city streets, suggests that sooner or later we are gonna have to cross that bridge and honestly deal with mental health. There’s no getting around it. We can only hide from reality for so long.

In having this conversation about mental health we have to be honest and note that our discussion has to move beyond Adam Lanza and why he snapped. It’s also gotta also be about his mother Nancy Lanza and the millions of people who live in this country like her who felt a need to buy all those weapons in the first place. Was she really a ‘gun enthusiast’ as described in the news by her friends? Why did she have so many guns in her house where her son lived knowing he was troubled? Was she someone who was fearful or angry who felt the only way to feel safe was to stockpile weapons? If so, what was driving those emotions? Was she fearful of the government? If so what brought about that distrust?

Did she like so many others believe the government is going to collapse like in all those end-of-days, doomsday prepper reality shows. Did she think martial law and total government take over is imminent?

Was she fearful of crime? What was she afraid of in Newtown a place that was depicted as one where crime hardly occurred? Did something bad happened to her to stoke her fears? Was she ever healed from it? Was she fearful of a certain type of person rooted in media stereotypes? The angry crack dealing ‘Willie Horton type Black guy? The ‘illegal’ border jumping Brown guy? The ‘American hating’ Middle Eastern Muslim terrorist?

And while such scenarios and characteristics may not have applied specifically to Adam Lanza’s mom, they sure as hell do to many who went out and increased gun sales by a whooping 20% since the re-election of President Barack Obama. That’s on top of the massive increase that occurred when he was first elected. Eventually we’re gonna not only have to have a conversation about race, class, economic inequality and uncertainty, distrust and all those messy, uneasy topics that have been avoided, but we’re also going to have to take some hard decisive steps to resolve these long-standing issues. Like I said earlier, up til now, playing to people’s fears and anxieties has been profitable for a whole lot of folks.. That’s gotta stop or we’re gonna see more of the same. The Massacre at Sandy Brook is not in isolation.

Conclusion

In honoring the 27 people killed last Friday in Newtown, Ct, we’re gonna have to take some bold steps and move away from our comfort zones. We talk about how courageous the teachers were who protected the kids and gave their lives. We’re heaping praise on Dawn Hocksprung, Rachel Davino, Anne Marie Murphy, Lauren Russeau, Mary Sherlach and Victoria Soto for making the ultimate sacrifice, but how many of us are willing to make sacrifices in our social, political and economic outlook to bring about better tomorrows? We can’t have more of the same. We reached a fork in the road..Love or Violence..Ignorance or Consciousness.. Fear or Enlightenment… The choice is ours..RIP to all the children killed this weekend at Sandy Brook..Charlotte, Daniel, Olivia, Josephine, Ana, Madline, Dylan, Catherine, Chase, Jesse, James, Grace, Emilie, Jack, Noah, Caroline, Jessica, Avielle, Benjamin, Allison..RIP to all the children killed around this country to senseless violence ..RIP to all the children killed to senseless drone strikes and other acts of war and exploitation

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Adam Lanza, Barack obama, Mark Gonzales, Mental health, Newtown Connecticut, Newtown massacre, Pecha Kucha

DatzHott Exclusives: Big Boy — “I Am Still in Awe Of What I Do”

December 16, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Big Boy and Michael Jackson In this portion of an exclusive interview series by DatzHott.com, nationally syndicated radio show host Big Boy of “Big Boy’s Neighborhood” talks about the greatest wow factors of his career and the time he met the late King of Pop, Michael Jackson.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=EOUGXkusJUg

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Big Boy, Broadcast syndication, Datzhott, king of Pop, Michael Jackson, Programs, Talk Radio

Thoughts on Robert Griffin III (RG3) being called a ‘Cornball Brother’ by ESPN’s Rob Parker

December 14, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Robert Griffin III

An interesting conversation went down on ESPN’s ‘First Take‘ the other day around Robert Griffin III (RG3) and how he identifies with race and him being Black. Sports writer and panelist Rob Parker raised the question whether or not RG3 was a brother or a ‘cornball brother‘.

Parker took issue with the way RG3 answered some questions about race in a recent USA Today interview.

‘For me, you don’t ever want to be defined by the color of your skin’.. ‘You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That’s what I’ve tried to go out and do….I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don’t have to be defined by that.’

In response to those quotes Parker asserted; “Well, he’s black, he kind of does his thing. But he’s not really down with the cause, he’s not one of us….He’s kind of black. But he’s not really the guy you’d really want to hang out with because he’s off to do something else.”

When questioned as to what he meant by saying RG3 is not one of us, Parker noted that because the rookie quarterback has a white fiance and that there were rumors he might be a Republican his Blackness needed to be called into question.

When asked about his braided hair style, which often times has led to Black people being denied employment, Parker responded; ‘That’s different…wearing braids, you’re a brother’. But he didn’t move off his initial point that RG3 might be a cornball brother

Needless to say this conversation caused a lot of outrage especially among those who read RG3’s USA Today remarks and concluded that it was admirable he appeared to be trying to rise above the minefields that often occur when it comes to discussions about race. Parker’s cohorts Stephen A Smith and Skip Bayless attempted to rein him in and ESPN issued a statement saying Parker’s remarks were inappropriate.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2G5GwnQMmE

Now on the surface all this can be seen as some BS with Parker arguably making controversial remarks as a way to get attention and boost ratings. After all, this is the same Parker who once wrote that baseball Hall of Famer Hank Aaron was a coward for not showing up to see Barry Bonds break his home run record.

Michael Jordan

With all that’s going on in the world why should we be concerned about such discussions? On the other hand, there’s a lot to consider especially when it comes to the types of demands we have long put on athletes to be better role models and to speak out. It wasn’t too long ago that many of us decried athletes like Michael Jordan for playing it safe by remaining silent or taking apolitical stances on important issues that seemed to downplayed his Blackness.

Many got upset with Jordan when he refused to speak out about all the Black inner city youth killing each other over his high-priced basketball shoes. He was famously quoted as saying ‘Republicans buy sneakers too usually at full retail’, when asked to address the issue.

Jordan further enraged people when he refused to weigh in on two racially charged elections in which former Charlotte Mayor Harvey Gantt, an African-American, challenged long time far right conservative Senator Jesse Helms for his US Senate seat. A lot of attention was on Gantt who stood a good chance at becoming the second or third African-American win a Senate seat.

Gantt sought an endorsement from Jordan who refused.. He played it safe and many accused him of not being ‘down for the cause’. It wasn’t until Jordan met Helms and the Senator dismissively looked him up and down and called him ‘Fred’ that Jordan began to rethink his position. For those who don’t know calling a black man Fred was a long-standing ‘joke’ Helms had when dealing with African-Americans. He’d call them Fred no matter what their name was, because Fred was the generic name for ‘the Help‘. Jordan reflected on that incident after Helms died and admitted there was more to life than making money.. You can read about that encounter HERE.

All this is not to suggest that RG3 would ever be like Jordan. Perhaps RG3 is the type of guy who will proudly step up and support worthwhile candidates and speak out on issues of importance. He also may be conservative whose opinions stand in stark opposition of the ones held by the majority of Black folks. Time will tell if RG3 is ‘down for the cause’..

Rob Parker

This leads to the next point..’What cause was panelist Rob Parker expecting RG3 to be down so he could avoid being classified as a cornball brother?

Did he want him to talk a certain way? Often times some Black folks who speak in a certain tone or are too articulate are accused of not being Black and acting white.

Did Parker want him to dress a certain way? Go to a particular church? Have a Black girlfriend?

Did Parker want RG3 speaking out about the recent killing of Jordan Davis, a teen shot to death by a white man in Florida who felt his music was too loud?

Or did he want RG3 to be ‘down for the cause‘ by weighing in on the controversy surrounding the firing of KTBS whether reporter Rhonda Lee? She was fired for responding to a racist Facebook comment where a viewer told her to get rid of her natural hair and wear a wig. Was this a cause for RG3 to be down for?

Would RG3 be less of a cornball brother if he said he was a fan of Chicago rapper Chief Keef and could kick the lyrics to all his controversial violent themed songs? Would that be an indication that he’s down for the cause?

black-power-pin Parker said he was just being honest and reflecting what folks say on street corners and in the barbershop. Perhaps..The irony is that in many of those barber shops, RG3 may carry himself in a way that they deem satisfactory, while calling Parker’s Blackness into question. For example, some might say Parker is a cornball brother for sitting on a panel, cheesing at white owned ESPN, a Disney company vs showcasing his talents on Black owned TV1.

Some might say Parker is a ‘cornball brother’ because he doesn’t speak out about the prison industrial complex or bring attention to the plight of political prisoners, like; Mumia Abu-Jamal, Herman Bell, Dr. Mutulu Shakur or Romaine “Chip” Fitzgerald or Ed Poindexter to name a few.

Perhaps he’s a cornball for not speaking out about the plight of unions and how Black folks in Detroit, a city he once worked in, will be disproportionately hurt by recently passed anti-union right to work bill.

Some might call him a cornball for publicly blasting RG3 vs sitting him down and talking to him behind the scenes about his politics and ways in which he engages Black culture. Parker’s public condemnation of another Black man for something so personal is the type of behavior we often advise youngsters to avoid for fear of it leading to unnecessary beefs and violent confrontations. How is it ‘being down for the cause’ to call someone out like that? Was he trying to shame Mr Griffith into a particular way of being? Should RG3 upon hearing these remarks dump his girlfriend?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFY2kJ96jNY

We could go on and on playing ‘I’m Blacker than thou games’ pointing out where and how someone falls short of some mythical mark. Someone can always claim they are ‘Blacker’. Perhaps we should be more concerned with the types of causes RG3 gets behind.. In short lets choose substance over style. It may have been a bit more instructive if Parker had noted that the folks in the barbershop were looking for RG3 to come hang out at the local youth centers, or speak out on some recent occurrence impacting Black folks who live in DC and the surrounding DMV. Even better would be if Parker himself could’ve invited the star quarterback to join him and others to an activity or be a part of cause that would enrich the community. To simply suggest he’s a cornball brother is in the words of James Brown, is talking loud and saying nothing.

written by Davey D

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: African American, Black Power, cornball brother, ESPN, Jesse Helms, Jordan Davis, Michael Jordan, NFL, Parker, race, RG3, Rob Parker, Robert Griffin, Robert Griffth III

Sisters Under Attack: Serena Williams Gets Mocked, Black Woman Gets Fired Over Her Hair

December 12, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Davey-D-brown-frame Not a good week for sisters… First we have Rollingstone Magazine releasing their much ballyhooed 50 Greatest Hip Hop Songs of all times. They assembled a panel of 33 artists taste makers, label executives etc.. As they scoured through over 30 years of recorded material, Rollingstone and their panel could only come up with 3 female artists who put out songs worthy of being on their Top 50 list Missy Elliott who was 38, Lauryn Hill (45), Salt-n-Pepa (46)…So sisters were told don’t trip after all, who cares about a damn rap chart? There are bigger fish to fry..

Perhaps that bigger fish was tennis star Caroline Wozniacki who has been accused of doing a ‘racist’ impersonation of fellow tennis player Serena Williams. During an exhibition match in Brazil against Maria Sharapova,Wozniacki stuffed her bra and shorts to replicate the body of the curvaceous Serena. She then strutted around the court like a peacock and drew laughter from the crowd and other tennis players.. As this story was being reported it was pointed out this wasn’t the first time tennis players have stuffed towels into their under garments to make fun of Serena.

serena_williams Supposedly Serena is friends with Wozniacki and things are all good.. The news reports say Serena laughs at these sorts of jokes.. And so once again Black women were told they shouldn’t trip, after all this was’ just harmless fun’.. In one of the reports I saw today, it was explained that since was done in Brazil, people there take racism differently and making fun of bodacious bodies is not racists..

One has got to wonder if those apologizing for Wozniacki would’ve been cool if she did the Crip Walk.. Remember how the tennis world and sports writers came down on Serena for doing the popular ‘Crip Walk’ dance? They came down on her even though it was done in another country not plagued by Bloods and Crips, and even though we know Serena is not in a gang. Folks were screaming for her head, talking about how she was out-of-pocket and suggesting she was setting a bad example for the kids.. But I guess the kids are getting a good example with Wozniacki..But like they said it was a joke. Fox News reporters writes about why its a joke.. U can read it HERE

Ok I get it.everyone should lighten up, there are bigger fish to fry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=onBivko4gaw

rhonda-lee-ktbs I wonder if everyone thinks this next story is big enough fish to fried. It involves a Black woman named Rhonda Lee who was a reporter for ABC affiliate KTBS in Shreveport, La. What happened to her was a viewer identified as Emmitt Vascocu took issue with her natural, short afro hair style and posted up a nasty comment on the station Facebook page for all to see. This viewer said that Ms Lee should wear a wig or grow some hair.

His exact words were as follows:

“the black lady that does the news is a very nice lady.the only thing is she needs to wear a wig or grow some more hair. im not sure if she is a cancer patient. but still it’s not something myself that i think looks good on tv. what about letting someone a male have waist long hair do the news.what about that (cq).”

Lee replied;

“Hello Emmitt–I am the ‘black lady’ to which you are referring. I’m sorry you don’t like my ethnic hair. And no I don’t have cancer. I’m a non-smoking, 5’3, 121 lbs, 25 mile a week running, 37.5 year old woman, and I’m in perfectly healthy physical condition.

“I am very proud of my African-American ancestry which includes my hair. For your edification: traditionally our hair doesn’t grow downward. It grows upward. Many Black women use strong straightening agents in order to achieve a more European grade of hair and that is their choice. However in my case I don’t find it necessary. I’m very proud of who I am and the standard of beauty I display. Women come in all shapes, sizes, nationalities, and levels of beauty. Showing little girls that being comfortable in the skin and HAIR God gave me is my contribution to society. Little girls (and boys for that matter) need to see that what you look like isn’t a reason to not achieve their goals.

“Conforming to one standard isn’t what being American is about and I hope you can embrace that.

“Thank you for your comment and have a great weekend and thank for watching.”

Vascuco responded by saying Lee has a right to be proud of who she is, but this world has standards and if you come from a world of being poor, you will dress in rags.. Those remarks sat for 6 days before Lee was by her news director and station’s general manager and told she was being fired for violating station policy. When it was pointed out that there was no written policy setting out guidelines on how one shouldn’t respond via social media and viewer comments, it fell on deaf ears.

It was only after this story started making its rounds that KTBS general manager George Sirven issued a memo for the media to look at..A copy of the memo was also been posted on KTBS’ Facebook page. It reads:

When we see complaints from viewers, it’s best not to respond at all. Responding to these complaints is a very sensitive situation and sometimes our off-the-cuff response will be the wrong response … if you choose to respond to these complaints, there is only one proper response: provide them with [redacted]‘s contact information, and tell them that he would be glad to speak with them about their concerns. Once again, this is the only proper response.

Lee had put up with racial insensitivity for a minute, noting that job she one that been part of a good ole boy network in her neck of the woods and there are some who are not too comfortable with that. In any case the take away from this incident is that Black women need to keep quiet stop complaining.. In this case Rhonda lee came across a situation that was arguably a ‘bigger fish to fry’.. But once she got to frying it, she was told it was the wrong way..

People are signing petitions at change.org and calling General Manager George Sirven 318-861-5813. I hope to be in touch soon. –Met. Rhonda Lee

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Andy Roddick, Caroline Wozniacki, KTBS, Maria Sharapova, Rhonda lee, Serena, Serena William, Tennis, Wozniacki

Jasiri X: They Not Real Gangstas ( A Few Thoughts About Rick Ross)

December 12, 2012 By mrDaveyd

At this point, even his fans know that rapper Rick Ross is far from the image he manufactures for his songs and videos. Slate Magazine even went as far to label the success of Rick Ross, in the face of his correction officer past, as the end of street credibility being necessary to Hip-Hop fans. So the news that Rick Ross canceled his tour due to threats from Gangster Disciples, posted online, shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone.

In fact, The Real Rick Ross, who lost his lawsuit against the rapper for using his name and image, was recently granted an appeal and has a trial date set for January. According to The Real Rick Ross, the rapper Rick Ross, “doesn’t have the right people around him to explain the streets.” Freeway Rick Ross told AllHipHop.com. “You need to say that it wasn’t intentional or nothing like that. It’s ok to apologize and make things right with a real agreement out of respect.”

But what about the Gangster Disciples? Hakim Green, formerly of the rap group Channel Live, made a excellent point about the Gangster Disciples unity against Rick Ross, “How, just how, is it that gang members can unite and organize against fat ass Rick Ross, but can’t, won’t, don’t organize against police brutality, unemployment, drugs in the hood, poverty, racism, abuse or anything that would actually make a difference in our communities?”

Want to know what Real Gangstas are doing?

Claiming to ‘Fix’ the Debt, but really pushing for more tax breaks so their corporations, at the expense of taxpayers, can make billions

Pushing through “Right to Work” laws so their corporations, at the expense of unions, can make billions

Using “slave” labor so their corporations, at the expense of prisoners, can make billions

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=CySzoJFkTA8

Here’s a video laying out who the Real Gangstas are here that we need to be concerned with..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=41s1oWM9vOQ

source: http://www.blackyouthproject.com/2012/12/they-not-real-gangstas/

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Channel Live, Gangster Disciple, Hip Hop, Larry Hoover, Maybach Music Group, Police brutality, Rapping, Rick Ross

Congratulations to Public Enemy -Newest inductees to Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame

December 11, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Public Enemy

Congratulation to one of the greatest musical acts of all-times..Public Enemy.. The were just inducted into the Rock-N-Roll hall of Fame.. Its an honor the well deserve.. They are the 4th Hip Hop group, behind, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious 5, Run DMC and the Beastie Boys..

One of the strengths that I think goes beyond the group’s massive category of records, is their endurance.. They been at this for over 25 years and are nearing 100 global tours..PE has transcended music..they same way they transcended the borders of this country.. Props to them..

Chuck D noted on twitter; Any achievement by PE is to be shared across HipHop and its real fans.The songs are 1thing but our strength has been our meaning & performance

Peep out their latest song..

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Chuck D, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five, Hip Hop, Public Enemy, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

The Epic Rap Battle of History: Santa Claus vs Moses featuring Snoop Dogg

December 11, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Screen shot 2012-12-11 at 6.22.14 AM Here’s a a fun song for the holidays… Epic Rap Battles of History..Santa vs Moses..featuring Snoop Dogg. Just in time for the holidays.. I ain’t mad at Snoop for this.. I wish we could see more creativity like this where folks are having fun and going beyond the usual fare..For folks who wanna get more info on Epic Rap Battles.. heead on over to http://epicrapbattlesofhistory.com/

Santa vs Moses

After you laugh at the Moses vs Santa video check out the Michael Jackson vs Elvis

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0M0RbaPxq2k#!

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News, Video New Music Tagged With: Battle rap, Christmas, Moses, rap battles, Santa, santa claus Holidays, Snoop Dogg

20 Tips To Help You Go Green!!!!! #10ThingsOnATuesday

December 11, 2012 By mrDaveyd

tips-to-go-green

So this week’s #10ThingsOnATuesday is double the fun!!! We’re sharing some GO GREEN tips!!

courtesy: http://thatish.com/2012/12/11/20-tips-to-help-you-go-green-10thingsonatuesday-2/

While it’s hundreds of tips and changes you can make towards GREEN LIVING, our list below will compile some of the easier tips you can start to change one by one, day by day. Once you’ve accomplished minor changes, go for the bigger ones like changing out household appliances to energy saving, biking to work, growing a garden or starting a compost!

1. Hang your laundry out to try versus using a dryer.

2. Use recyclable bags when you grocery shop.

3. Take 5 minute showers.

4. Wash in cold water not hot.

5. Receive and pay your bills online (eliminates printed bills).

6. Remove yourself from unsolicited mail, stop pre-screen credit card offers etc

7. Re-use scrap paper!!! (Kids don’t care what they are coloring on!!)

8. Re-purpose glass jars in your kitchen!!! (Putting food away? Use an old jar versus buying plastic containers)

9. Use cloth napkins instead of paper.

10. Collect rain water for plant and garden use.

11. Buy from your farmer’s market and local producers.

12. Turn off the lights and appliances when you leave the room!!

13. Clean with natural products and use old rags!

14. Re-purpose items in your home instead of throwing them out. (Ok so all of us aren’t that creative, but we’re just saying, before you throw old chairs or table into a junk pile, see if something else can be done)

15. Lower the temperature on your hot water heater.

16. Cut off the water when brushing your teeth.

17. Use cloth diapers!

18. Stop buying cases of water, get a re-usable bottle and RE USE IT!

19. Change your lightbulbs to CFL bulbs (compact fluorescent lamp)

20. RECYCLE.

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Recycling, Shopping, Sustainable living, Water heating

Greatest Posse Cut of All-time: Juice Crew’s Symphony vs Wu-Tang’s Triumph-Who wins?

December 11, 2012 By mrDaveyd

Juice-Crew-vs-Wu-Tang Been having a heated debate about the greatest pose track of all time… There’s been lots of landmark cuts to choose from like Main Source‘s Live at the BBQ which featured a young Nas among others..

You had Craig Mack‘s Flava in Ya Ear which featured notables like Notorious BIG, Busta Rhymes and LL to name a few..

Of course we had Tribe Called Quest‘s Scenario which featured Leaders of the New School and the late Kid Hood. But at the end of the day you gotta narrow it down to two tracks..

One of my favorites is Heavy D‘s slept on track .. A Buncha Ni— which featured among others Guru and a young Notorious BIG who made his debut

Juice Crew.. The Symphony which features Big Daddy Kane, Kool G Rap, Craig G and Master Ace. When that song dropped in ’88 Hip Hop changed for the better. Everyone had to step up their lyrical game. The careers of all those featured took off and almost all featured on that song were immortalized within the Hip Hop annals …

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbsPTkwqWCI

It would be almost 10 years before another quintessential posse cut would come along on par with the Juice Crew. In ’97 the Wu Tang Clan dropped Triumph where all 9 members of Wu-Tang including Capaddona came along and like the Juice Crew before them changed the game.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=isumZjs3dKA

its always been a Hip Hop fantasy to speculate as to what would happen if the Juice Crew squared off w/ Wu-Tnag in a lyrical battle.. Who would match up with who? How would things go down? Juice Crew’s Symphony vs Wu-Tang’s Triumph.. Which is the Greatest of all-time?

Filed Under: 2012 Daily News Tagged With: Big daddy Kane, Craig Mack, Flava in Ya Ear, Heavy D, hiphop, Juice Crew, Kool G rap, Wu-Tang Clan

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