Looking Through the Window-May Micheal Jackson Rest in Peace

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Looking Through the Window-May Micheal Jackson Rest in Peace

by Davey D

Michaeljackson-look-225By now I think everyone on the planet has now heard that Michael Jackson the King of Pop has passed away. Talk about having a full range of emotions. It’s hard to know where to begin when you start talking about an icon that was essentially the sound track through your childhood and much of your adult life. Michael Jackson was always bigger then life and yet had this vibe about him that made you feel like he was within reach.

 It’s hard to know where to begin with a guy who is credited with saving a then troubled music industry with the release of what many consider his two most impactful albums ‘ Off The Wall’ which was put out in 1979 and Thriller which came out in 1982.  Those two albums along touched people all over the world that will take years to fully comprehend. They changed the face of music, as Michael Jackson became the building block for almost every major music icon today from Madonna on down to Usher to the Backstreet Boys, Diddy, Nsync, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, Britney Spears, MC Hammer, Ne-Yo and beyond.  Most of the artists mentioned openly recognize this fact. I just hope they along with their peers come out and pay a proper tribute to this icon that was on par for their generation the way that the Beatles, James Brown, Frank Sinatra and Elvis were for previous generations.  Entire thesis’ could and should be written on just how Micheal Jackson changed music industry with those two albums.

Its hard to know where to begin when you look back and note that once upon a time  MTV which in the 80s was an upstart music video channel, had garnered a sour reputation for not playing too many videos from Black artists. How ironic that Michael Jackson with his ground breaking  videos which were really mini movies became the saving grace for MTV and put them on the map in ways that I don’t think has ever been fully acknowledged.  I hope all Viacom employees appreciate the creative genius of Michael Jackson and that they haven’t been caught up in the fray of dragging his name through the mud by viewing  the King of Popas some sort of laughable charcter.   I hope yesterday and the days to come are spent reflecting on  how so many owe their jobs and the millions of dollars the company has generated over the years to this man.

michael-jackson_0_0_0x0_359x356When word got to me about Michael’s passing I kept thinking, I wonder when he woke up yesterday morning  did he hear  the news about 70s icon actress Farrah Fawcett passing away? I wonder if Micheal Jackson ever in his wildest dreams thought that Thursday June 25, 2009 would be his last day on earth. I wonder if he thought the TV programs with all their breaking news interruptions and television  anchors doing walk down memory lane tributes with friends and families calling in to pay tribute to Ms. Fawcett, would just a few short hours later be doing the same for him.

They say that Michael Jackson for the past few weeks had been preparing for his 50 city tour. They say he was showing up to his tour rehearsals hours late each night and that he was low energy. Now we all know that here were so many people who wanted for him to come back and be the King of Pop again, but I wonder if that even mattered to him anymore. Did Michael Jackson come to a point where he said ‘No More. I had enough!’ or was he still the perfectionist that I had often read and heard about from close friends who actually knew him?  Which Michael woke up on June 25, 2009? Was it the perfectionist with childlike enthusiasm for life and people or a was it a man who was seriously worn down from the controversy and day to day ridicule and scorn that surrounded his life who sensed he was taking in his last earth memories? I wonder what Michael’s last thoughts were? All I kept hearing was the man was in pain and that he was seeking some sort of peace of mind. The phrase “tortured soul” has been used over and over again to describe him and it was evident by what many described as eccentric behavior.  

Yesterday was emotional because there was little time to grieve for Michael’s passing. To be honest there seemed to be little time to even wish him a speedy recovery when we initially got word that he suffered a heart attack. While the man was enroute to the hospital and from our understanding not able to breathe and in in some sort of coma, all sorts of media opportunists jumped out the woodwork and started laying in. Can we all raise a big middle finger to so called gossip blogger Perez Hiltonwho epitomized the ugliness and viciousness of the day? This dimwit had the nerve to put out a blog accusing Jackson of faking his heart attack. As of last night, I didn’t hear or see one of vintage  long winded videos apologizing for the transgression.  Who knows?  Maybe there will be one today.  But do we really care at this time? The damage was already done and sadly Perez wasn’t the only one. Michael Jackson’s death was paydirt for many who continue making name for themselves by smashing on him and being a source of controversy.

Michael_Jackson_Ben_FrontBlogFor these types of people, it didn’t matter that Michael meant so much to so many people. It didn’t matter that for many he was more than just a good singer. It didn’t matter that he was more than just a guy who moonwalked and did funny gyrating dance moves. It didn’t matter that for many he was more than the Thriller video that they keep showing over and over again. Michael Jackson the King of Pop was a constant companion through all our childhoods.  He was piece of magic and bit of sunshine. He was the one  who could always bring on a smile.

Maybe it was through the videos. Maybe it was through his concerts. Maybe it was through his charity work. Maybe it was through a special song that has stuck with us over the years while so many have simply faded away. For me it’s ‘Looking through the Window’ and ‘Life of the Party’. Others say it’s ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’ or  ‘I Want You Back’. Still others will point to ‘She’s Out of My Life’ or ‘Man in the Mirror‘. The bottom line for so many of us Michael Jackson was so much more than  the salacious scandals and sordid controversies that far too many pundits have reduced him to.

Michael Jackson was someone who touched folks in multiple generations. For a 70s baby like myself, he was our favorite Saturday morning cartoon. He and his brothers had our favorite variety show next to Sonny and Cher and Flip Wilson. Everybody who was anybody in the neighborhood watched The Jacksons. That’s where new ground was broken and new trends were set.

For example, everyone likes to talk about the thrill they got when they first saw Michael Jackson do the moonwalk during the Motown 25th  Anniversary Tribute. It was good and exciting and I’ll give it its props as a great moment in television history. But for those of us who came up when the Jacksons had their variety show kicking off, our ‘moonwalk’ moment was actually a ‘robot’ moment. I remember how I bugged out when the group came on and performed their hit song  ‘Dancing Machine’ and Michael Jackson busted out with the robot. Talk about setting a benchmark. His moves were flawless. He looked like a machine and had each angular movement down to perfection.  Every kid I know including myself came to school the next day trying to rock the robot the way Michael Jackson did.

Unfortunatly for us we didn’t have videos to go back and see this over and over. The next time I saw him do the robot was in concert at Madison Square Garden and I will say this to this day – I seen everyone from Sammy Davis Jr to U2 to Prince, Rick James, Teena Marie, Tina Turner, Rollingstones, James Brown to KRS-One name the artist I seen them perform. I say this emphatically-Nobody could rival what I experienced at the Garden that night. Michael was simply the best-hands down. And yes you read this correctly – Michael was better then James Brown on stage.  

Jackson-5-cartoonFor my 70s baby generation, Michael Jackson was our answer to the over hyped and overplayed Osmond Brotherswho also had a cartoon and variety show around the same time as the Jacksons. Michael gave us important bragging rights when those racial insults were hurled and comparisons between the two groups were made at school.

Micheal Jackson was also a fashion icon of sorts. I know some will try to deny it but back in the days, having a tight Applejack cap  and big afro set it off for more than just us grade school kids. We all wanted to be like Mike long before the other MJ (Michael Jordan) came along. If anyone denies it I guarantee there’s some auntie or cousin just dying to post up a picture up on Facebook of a family member trying to look tight with a vintage Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5Apple Jack fit. Many of us had those outfits and had mastered MJ’s superior spinmoves when we got on the dancefloor. And while a younger generation coming up in the 80s may laugh at such things we need not remind folks that Michael wearing black loafers and white socks and that funny jacket was adorned by quite a few folks. I have quite a few pictures of younger cousins to prove that.  Bottom line- The man was always loved  and is surely missed.

I was asked yesterday what I remember most about Michael and I responded there was an array of things.

Jackson 5We keep forgetting the important role Jackson played in the We are the World Projectin 1985  He along with Lionel Richie wrote the song and of course Michael did the hook. That was the jump off record for artists to come together and try and make big statements. Up to that time I think the Boycott Sun City Projectwhich was done a year or two earlier was the only other supergroup project.

I’ll never forget that Michael Jackson had the gumption to do his Remember the Timevideo set in Egypt and showed the ancient Egyptians as Black. That was big and the height of irony because so many of us always were annoyed that Egypt was always associated with Elizabeth Taylor who was one of Michael Jackson’s best friends. Instead of casting her in a return role of Cleopatra he put in Magic Johnsonwho played the Pharaoh. Sadly Jackson caught heat for it, but he never changed that video and many of us loved him for it.

I remember that whenever Michael Jackson did a new video it was a big event which on a couple of occasions actually interrupted all tv programming. I’m not sure if the Remember the Timevideo was one of them, but I recall the networks would delay prime time programming to premier a new MJ video. That’s how large he was and that’s how much he impacted music.

I recall Michael Jackson holding a press conference  and calling Sony record executive Tommy Mottola out who at the time was one of the most powerful label executives in the world. Jackson called him a racist and a devilish person who was ripping off Black artists. He even went so far as to accuse his ‘former friend’ of using the N word when referring to another Black artist. At the time it was a bold move by Jackson. Not a whole lot of artists were willing to stand up and be counted. I thought it was interesting to see  Mottola on one of the networks yesterday praising Jackson and talking about the good times they shared together.  That was classy of him to do that in spite of their beef. What was Keith Oberman’s excuse for being so tasteless in his coverage?

I remember when Michael Jackson burned his hair during the taping of a Pepsi commercial. We all feared the worse when that happened. Of course we know he survived it but he never really looked the same. He did quite a bit of plastic surgery in the aftermath of that accident.

I’ll never forget that Michael Jackson did an anti-war song called Man of War, which is still relevant today. The words are deep and searing. In fact, if you take time to listen to many of his lyrics, you find that they aren’t always as simple and poppified as they may suggest.

How do you conclude a summarization of Michael Jackson? You simply can’t. He was and will continue to be someone who will touch a part of us even in death.  May he rest in peace finally and may his music and gentle spirit live forever within us. 

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Gays,Hip Hop, Violence, Murder,Bloggers-WillI am & Eminiem

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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?

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

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

source:http://www.playahata.com/?p=6375#more-6375

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Jim Brown Speaks on Punk Athletes

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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-

Jim BrownCultural 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

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A Message to Hip Hop-We Need to Do More than Just Wear Green

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A Message to Hip Hop-We Need to Do More than Just Wear Green

by Davey D

daveyd-raider2Here’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...

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'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

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

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Time to Emancipate the Airwaves

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 Time to Emancipate the Airwaves:
The Airwave Abolition Movement

by Paul Scott

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PaulScott-225Back 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

Paul Porter: Black radio Speaks w/ Forked Tongue

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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

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

www.IndustryEars.com

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Why the New I-Phones Suck- Be Warned It’s Not what You Think

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Do you want the new iPhone?

Yes it's a nice looking, fast moving device. But sadly it has lots of internet restrictions-Yes folks AT&T is still in the mix and has all but gutted Net Neutrality on your Iphone. Not all that glistens is gold.  Time will tell as you start to use these smart phones more and more and find that the internet has lots of limits.

Yes it's a nice looking, fast moving device. But sadly it has lots of internet restrictions-Yes folks AT&T is still in the mix and has all but gutted Net Neutrality on your Iphone. Not all that glistens is gold. Time will tell as you start to use these smart phones more and more and find that the internet has lots of limits.

If so, you’re in for a disappointment. If not, you should be worried anyway. Here’s why:
Apple just released the new iPhone with a promise that it will be “the Internet in your pocket.” If only. The iPhone’s groundbreaking technology has been hijacked by AT&T. The telephone giant has struck an exclusive agreement that ties the hands of all iPhone users, restricts their Internet use and prohibits access to any other network.
 
That’s why Free Press has launched a new campaign to free the iPhone and other “smart” phones like it from attempts to cripple their best features, block full access to the Internet and stick customers with astronomical bills. Please join us:

Free My Phone and Open the Wireless Internet

FreeMyPhone is fighting for affordable new phones that have full access to the Internet. This is vital because handheld wireless devices are becoming the first point of Internet access for tens of millions of Americans.

These “exclusive deals” remind me of the days when AT&T held a monopoly over all phone communications. Consumers could only use one phone, on one network, at rates set by one company. No innovations could take place without AT&T’s permission. When federal rules forced AT&T to open its network, an explosion of innovation occurred with new fax machines, Internet modems and answering machines.

Today, the FreeMyPhone campaign seeks to open up the wireless market in the same way:

Free My Phone: No More Gatekeepers
The future of the Internet is wireless and mobile. Eighty-seven percent of Americans have mobile phones. Increasingly, these phones are people’s only gateway to the Internet.
Yet as more phones become Internet-enabled, more users are tied to carriers that don’t actually deliver an open Internet. This is important…

If you care about universal Internet access and closing the digital divide.
If you care about Net Neutrality and protecting an open wireless Internet.
If you care about innovation and fostering new online tools and economic opportunity.
If you care about competition and offering more affordable choices for everyone.
Sign our petition to free your phone and demand the freedom to use new phones on wireless networks that offer true high-speed Internet and real consumer choice.
Thank you,

Josh Levy
Online Campaign Manager
Free Press Action Fund
www.freepress.net

1. Join us on Facebook, follow FreeMyPhone on Twitter, or tell your friends to support FreeMyPhone. Be sure to tweet about FreeMyPhone using the #freemyphone hashtag.
2. Help the Free Press Action Fund continue to fight for wireless freedom. Donate today.

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Supreme Court Rules Convicts Have No rights for DNA Testing

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One thing we have to keep an eye on is who gets appointed to the courts. We are gonna be haunted by the Clarence Thomas appointment for years and years.. Say what you will about Obama, lets hope that he gets into position people on these courts who will have bit more sensitivity and sensabilities to the plight of people.. All I can do is shake my head after reading this..

-Davey D-

Court finds convicts have NO RIGHTS to test DNA

U.S. Courts Video:State budget battle heads to Arizona Supreme Court KTVK 3TV Phoenix

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer – 12 mins ago

WASHINGTON – The Supreme Court said Thursday that convicts have no constitutional right to test DNA evidence in hopes of proving their innocence long after they were found guilty of a crime.

The decision may have limited impact because the federal government and 47 states already have laws that allow convicts some access to genetic evidence. Testing so far has led to the exoneration of 240 people who had been found guilty of murder, rape and other violent crimes, according to the Innocence Project.

The court ruled 5-4, with its conservative justices in the majority, against an Alaska man who was convicted in a brutal attack on a prostitute 16 years ago.

William Osborne won a federal appeals court ruling granting him access to a blue condom that was used during the attack. Osborne argued that testing its contents would firmly establish his innocence or guilt.

In parole proceedings, however, Osborne has admitted his guilt in a separate bid for release from prison.

The high court reversed the ruling by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. States already are dealing with the challenges and opportunities presented by advances in genetic testing, Chief Justice John Roberts said in his majority opinion.

“To suddenly constitutionalize this area would short-circuit what looks to be a prompt and considered legislative response,” Roberts said. Alaska, Massachusetts and Oklahoma are the only states without DNA testing laws. In some other states, the laws limit testing to capital crimes or rule out after-the-fact tests for people who confess.

But Justice John Paul Stevens said in dissent that a simple test would settle the matter. “The court today blesses the state’s arbitrary denial of the evidence Osborne seeks,” Stevens said.

Peter Neufeld, a co-founder of The Innocence Project who argued Osborne’s case at the Supreme Court, said he was disappointed with the ruling.

“There is no question that a small group of innocent people — and it is a small group — will languish in prison because they can’t get access to the evidence,” Neufeld said. The Innocence Project helps free wrongly convicted prisoners.

The woman in Alaska was raped, beaten with an ax handle, shot in the head and left for dead in a snow bank near Anchorage International Airport. The condom that was found nearby was used in the assault, the woman said.

The woman identified Osborne as one of her attackers. Another man also convicted in the attack has repeatedly incriminated him. Osborne himself described the assault in detail when he admitted his guilt under oath to the parole board in 2004.

Osborne’s lawyer passed up advanced DNA testing at the time of his trial, fearing it could conclusively link him to the crime. A less-refined test by the state showed that the semen did not belong to other suspects, but could be from Osborne, as well as about 15 percent of all African-American men.

Osborne is awaiting sentencing on another conviction, a robbery he committed after his parole.

The case is District Attorney’s Office v. Osborne, 08-6.

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Clarence Thomas and his fellow conservative justices voted 5-4 to deny the rights of those convicted to have DNA testing to prove their innocence. We need to keep this in mind when Supreme Court and Federal Judges are being nominated and put in courts. We are gonna be haunted by George Bush sr's picks for years to come

Clarence Thomas and his fellow conservative justices voted 5-4 to deny the rights of those convicted to have DNA testing to prove their innocence. We need to keep this in mind when Supreme Court and Federal Judges are being nominated and put in courts. We are gonna be haunted by George Bush sr's picks for years to come

Rap & Rock Come Together Again w/Street Sweeper Social Club

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Boots Riley and Tom Morello Step Up and Get Busy on  Jimmy Fallon

by Davey D

Boots Riley & Tom Morello Street Sweeper Social Club falls in a long line of rap and rco artists teaming up and wrecking shop.

Boots Riley & Tom Morello Street Sweeper Social Club falls in a long line of rap and rco artists teaming up and wrecking shop.

We tip our hats to Boots Riley of the Coup and Tom Morello of  Rage Against the Machine. As you know the pair came together to form the Street Sweepers Social Club and their new album was released earlier this week. Last night they appeared on the Jimmy Fallon show and got busy.  For those of us who’ve known Boots over the years. It was the first time we’ve seen him get busy on the dance tip..LOL The video says it all

On another note.. we keep hearing conversations about how its cool to see artists like Boots moving into Rock-N-Roll. I guess one of the reasons this convo been surfacing is because we recently had Lil Wayne rolling out in that direction and so for many this appears to be a new thing. I guess people forgot about Ice T and his rock band Body Count..and their dope song Cop Killer LOL 

We just have to remind people nothing could be further from the truth. Hip Hop artists merging with rock has been going on from day one.

And when I say ‘day one’ I mean years before Run DMC hooked up with Aerosmith  to do a remake of  ‘Walk This Way’. In fact one of the reasons why Run DMC even agreed to help save the careers of Aerosmith who ironicly were flioundering at that time was because  the drum beat to that song had long been used as a popular break beat back in Hip Hop’s pioneering days. 

I recall Jam Master Jay talking about how the original versions of the remake had a much harder hip hop feel. It was more percussion based with the guitar riffs being used to add flavor.  At the time the trio did the song Jay wanted to take it back to the early days of Hip Hop and have it reflected in the song. This meant that Aerosmith’s role would’ve been limited.  It would’ve been all about the drums. 

I don’t know if it was good thing or not, but the powers that be intervened and pushed to make Walk this Way more of a rock song and the rest is history. Hip Hop officlally meets Rock-N-Roll… Well that’s the MTV version of the Hip Hop history..

Hip Hop and Rock as I said goes way back and before Run DMC teamed up with Aerosmith there was stretch of time where the early pioneers were hooking up with Punk Rockers and New Wave artists.  The most visible examples was Afrika Bambaataa teaming up with Johnny Rotten to do the classic song World Destruction. The collab clearly reflected boths artists taste and love for music.  The other classic was Blondie doing the song Rapture where they shout out Grandmaster Flash and Fab Five Freddy.  Lead singer Debbie Harry herself does the rap and in the video she features graf artists Freddy, Lee Quiones and Jean-Michael Basquiat .  What was interesting about this chart topping song was the NY Daily News had an article where they basically credited Blondie for inventing rap. I was dumfounded.

Fortunately Debby Harry was one of those people who didn’t try to exploit the situation as she often noted Rapture was her way of paying tribute to the block parties she and others used to attend up in the Bronx. She was inspired by Hip Hop and many within Hip Hop were inspired by New Wave Punk scene.  This was reflected in songs like ‘Punk Rock Rap’ by the Cold Crush Brothers or  “Genius Rap’ by Dr Jeckyl & Mr Hyde’  which borrowed from Tom Tom Club’s ‘Genius Of Love’ which was huge hit amongst early Hip Hoppers.

During the pioneering era all sorts of Rrck songs ranging from  Queen‘s Another One Bites the Dust to Billy Squiers ‘Big Beat’ to  Liquid Liquid’s Caravan were all used as break beats. If it had a funky percussion section it got used.  So this notion of  rock and rap is nothing new.  Boots and Tom merrelo are just a continuum in a long line of folks who make good music pushing the envelop and exploring new ways to take things a higher level.

-Davey D-

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Is the Uprising in Tehran Real or a CIA Backed Exercise? Protesters in Tehran Address Progressive Community

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There have been many within progressive circles who have suggested that the protests we are seeing have been over exaggerated  and that the CIA is the main financial backer for the rebelling going on. People in Tehran have been speaking for themselves and bristle at such notions

There have been many within progressive circles who have suggested that the protests we are seeing have been over exaggerated and that the CIA is the main financial backer for the rebelling going on. People in Tehran have been speaking for themselves and bristle at such notions

It’s interesting to hear a number of progressives who immediately jumped out the box  telling people that they were being duped by supporting the protests in Tehran. Many arrogantly pointed out that we were somehow carrying the mainstream party line and what we were seeing in the streets was a CIA backed operation.  In fact one person hit me up and told me I should be ashamed of myself and that I was somehow pushing the mainstream party line.

What was interesting about these progressive assertions was they were in stark opposition of people who we know on the ground.  People who are ordinary folks and expressed a different tale. For starters there we many who never been politically involved but had grown tired of the oppression in Iran. There’s been a student movement that’s been in the works for years. I know for myself when I visited Beirut for a conference on censorship, I ran into a number of students from Iran who had been in and out of jail for refusing to stop expressing themselves musically and culturally. They felt like too many freedoms were restricted and so the push for change has been going on for a minute.  So I could easily see how folks dissatisfied with the current state of affairs would be looking  take advantage of any situation that could spark some change

A good friend of mine Cristina Veran, who co-wrote the ground breaking book Women in Hip Hop, has traveled extensively around the world and was immediately intouch with many of her friends living in Tehran. She too bristled at the notion that somehow her friends and activists who were out on those streets were doing so on behest of the CIA or US covert forces. She explained that was taken place was real. Sadly too many progressives kept pushing this line as if  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was what these hundreds of thousands of young people out on the streets really wanted.

The intial push back from progressives was to point out that  Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s main political opponent Mirhossein Mousavi’s was not this true reformer the way the mainstream media had depicted. If anything he had a shady background and was more on the oppressive side. However, what was not included in the conversation was the fact that the average person in Tehran is much more politically astute then the average person here in the US.  Hence whatever was being unveiled here about Mousavi was already widely known and understood. The rebellion on the streets was not done in the same way they might take place here in the US where folks with no political understanding may jump into the fray and roll with the momentum.  There people know whats up and they clearly understood that whatever fervor directed at  Mousavi was a lotbigger then him. He was a catalyst and symbol for greater possibilities but not the sole personification. I would liken it to President Obama’s run for the White House. Yes, he captured and is well liked by many, but at the same time there was a movement behind Obama that ideally should go on and have a life of its on with or without him.

As far as the people in the streets of Tehran are concerned is that the election was rigged and that a coup of sorts took place.  People have gotten killed, many arrested and the move to oppress is in full gear.  Current Iranian President Ahmadinejad with all his posturing and boisterousness knows full well that while the US and Israel  may have found ways to help stoke the fires and push for some of the unrest, the unrest that is going on is very real and has lot to do with people’s desire for substantial change.

We been covering the protests all week on  progressive radio station KPFA. Many of the guest are from Tehran and have been out there rebelling. Many have been long involved with movements to bring about change. In the radio show link we are placing below the progressive community is addressed about why they keep pushing particular line about CIA backing as if they want all those people to go home and accept President Ahmadinejad as their leader..

Something to ponder

-Davey D-

click on the link to peep the show  Voices in the Middle East. About 10 minutes into the show the progressive community analysis is addressed..

Voices of the Middle East and North Africa,

for June 17, 2009 – 7:00pm

 http://kpfa.org/archive/id/51749

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