Hmmm…

Troubled waters…

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090820/ap_on_sc/us_sci_warm_oceans

Doesn’t seem too promising.

G.

The Cool 2007 Lupe Fiasco @ EMU & Collective Memory

The way our collective attention spans work these days, the rappers who remain the most relevant in public perception are either on EVERY new single out (Wayne, Kanye), getting in trouble with the law (Wayne, Kanye, T.I.), or just by being outtapocket with petty beefs (Rick Ross, 50 Cent). Now, none of these things necessesarily bother me very much at all, I just write this to make an observation about how quickly both rappers and songs become outdated and irrelevant in our collective consciousness. It’s crazy interesting to me particularly when I begin to take this same concept and apply it to real hard pressing issues affecting our communities both local and global.

The same way we dismiss rappers who haven’t leaked a new song every couple weeks is the same way so many of us in the U.S. relate to the current socio-economic and political issues we face as a people. For example, the tragedy of prolonged violence in the Middle-East is overshadowed by controversial torture procedures enforced during the Bush administration. Of course torture should be looked at closely, it’s inhumane, unspeakably fucked up and shouldn’t happen, but the amount of time the media chooses to focus on it while not telling us much of anything new about it is simply a waste of time. There’s ALL KINDS of death and fucked up shit going on right now in the Bay Area and it seems like the shit that our communities go through are just forgotten and pushed aside for the new subject du jour (of the day). The role of mass media as a central tool for propaganda and distraction can NEVER be underemphasized.

Interestingly enough, this video of Lupe Fiasco performing his song, “The Coolest,” off of his album The Cool, brought all of this to mind. Specifically because back when this album first came out Lupe was my favorite rapper by FAR and in my head nobody could top his talent at songwriting, wordplay, etc etc. But if someone had asked me who my favorite rapper in the game was yesterday he wouldn’t even have crossed my mind initially. Knowing me, I probly woulda said Young Dro or someone. But then I went back and looked at this video and was just floored again at this fool. He’s just ridiculous. I mean how long ago was 2007 really? But I’m SURE if i put together a mix to throw on at a party and it had something from Lupe’s 2007 album on it muhfuckas would definitely be giving me the stink face. It makes me check myself and my own susceptibility to being swept up into the waves of the “current” and losing touch on things that I loved (or things that affected me) but I just hadn’t thought of in a while.

(Sometimes I ramble, sorry).

Anywho, here goes the video that sparked this tangent:

Peace.

G-Mitch

PS – Shout out to DSB for checkin me and makin me do a new blog. Your turn now bruh bruh!

Happy Belated Brother Shabazz

I was playing tetris when i should have been studying and was listening to these in the background. These gotta be sampled and put into an album, hopefully mine, ASAP. Wow how bout the one way back when talking about black people living in a police state and how police are allowed to kill black people…hmmm. way back when is way right now too.

They’ve had their professional liars for so damn long! A whole history of Bill O’Reilly’s!

The criminalization of the black person:

Who Are You? Slavename?

Worldwide Revolution Going On:

Brotha Malcolm got mad funnies man.

Sometimes I forget to think about how got-damn important he was and still is. I never really forget, but then listening to all these clips just reminds me why his life has affected mine so much. These clips are so relevant 45, 50 years later. wow. that’s a long ass time, but then again it’s short in terms of his/her/ourstory. Thanks to whoever put these on youtube.

Slavename.

End These Wars!

“The Amerikan way of life is simply not sustainable, because it doesn’t acknowledge that there is a world beyond Amerika.” ~Arundhati Roy

The wars that Amerika has been engaged in have lasted so long that they no longer even make the front pages of newspapers. Media uses these wars and occupations as political rhetoric and analyze (as if they were qualified) and discuss where presidential hopefuls should align themselves in order to obtain popular votes and argue about how they can get the muhfuckin’ “super”delegates on their side. Simultaneously thousands of troops have died, tens of thousands more have suffered injury, thousands of Iraqi civilians have died and been injured, families on both sides destroyed, and our militaries mere presence in Iraq and Afghanistan provide Al-Qaeda and other insurgent groups with ever-increasing recruitment numbers. Young Iraqis have grown up and are growing up in an occupied country and live under martial law. They have suffered through bombings, firing squads, air strikes, missile launchings, and a whole lot of other terrible shit that I don’t know enough to speak on.

What War Brings

They grow up on that while our youth grow up playing the video game versions of these wars as if they are not framed within the context of some of the most unjust and unfounded wars in history, and we all are becoming increasingly desensitized to death and dying and killing as we are fed numbers and statistics and lies.

I stayed up until 2 watching C-Span last night because there was a panel of 5 veterans of the war in Iraq reading their testimonials as to why they now actively oppose the war and work to end it and bring the rest of the troops back home. They were all part of the organization Iraq Veterans Against the War. The panel was put together by the Congressional Progressive Caucus to hear the experience of members of Iraq Veterans Against the War. Congresswomyn Barbara Lee and Lynn Woolsey are the co-chairs of the caucus which aims to “give voice to the needs and aspirations of all Americans and to build a more just and humane society.” Watching this panel I could just see how fucked up one of the speakers was with post traumatic stress syndrome, you could see him flashing back while he was reading about what the military was doing when he was in Iraq. It was powerful to see 5 marines who served tours of duty speaking on why they have since become some of the biggest anti-war activists.

At this point the war in Iraq, which so many of us knew was an unjust war to begin with- solely based upon power and control of the worlds oil supply- is nothing more than a farce and disgrace to the global community. Thousands have been killed and Amerikan media has been ordered not to show the people what this war actually looks like: These pictures are INCREDIBLY HORRIFIC, some of the worst I’ve ever seen, but this is what “our” country is doing right now.

End all Amerikan invasions and occupations now!

Peace,

G-Mitch

Police State Status.

Gescard Isnora, Marc Cooper, and Michael Oliver at a press conference last week, some time after hearing their “not guilty” verdict.

So it’s been about a week since the not-guilty verdict came down from the judge in the case of Sean Bell’s murder.

3 police go free for killing an African- American male and seriously wounding two others. Wednesday hundreds of people in New York blocked rush-hour traffic in protest of the police aquittals. There were at least 216 arrests.

Even Al got arrested.

Meanwhile, here is footage of what’s happening in Philly right now. (No wonder these Philly rappers are so heated right now). I’m sure this ain’t the only reason of course. Fuck.

These men have already been characterized as “murderers” by the Philadelphia police Commissioner. So they are made to be guilty already. No proof. Stereotypes, racism, criminalizing the victim(s), this is always how it happens. Police departments and the media have been doing this for centuries now. It’s a science. Making the victim the perpetrator and the perpetrator the victim and you have a spun story…

Not to mention the wrongful police killings of Gary King Jr. and Anita Gay by Oakland and Berkeley Police officers in the past 8 months. Nor does it include the beating of Michael Fykes by Cleveland police. No matter where you look it’s happening. Police beating, detaining, killing, unjustifiably justified. Sometimes they have video which makes people appalled so they gasp and say that shouldn’t happen, but it does. And it never stops really. Whether it’s 1 shot or 51 shots. Whether it’s 1 cop or 14 beating three people.

We also currently have over 2 million people incarcerated in the US right now, that figure does not include those under house arrest, on papers, etc. ICE is going crazy arresting, detaining, and deporting (peep the post right before this one). Amerika is a POLICE STATE, don’t get it twisted.

Fed the fuck up.

Signing out From the land of the free to be killed by the Police State and State Institutions,

Slavename.

ICE ICE BABY.

I got a text message last night warning about how there have recently (like the past couple days at least) been Migra sweeps at public schools around the East Bay! “ICE sweeps, public schools, Berkeley High, East Oakland, West Oakland…” The message continued, but i just peeped the Oakland “conservative” Tribune today and there was an article in there today about a few homes in Berkeley and Oakland where ICE came and snatched up families so WATCH OUT for federal agents, cuz they are on a mission right now! So not just schools but errywhere!

This is damn damn troubling, i can only imagine the fear and confusion of the people trying to avoid these raids. ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement formerly known as Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS)) is an incredibly destructive and problematic agency of the government. They perform raids all over the country tearing apart thousands of families and deporting and detaining (with an without charges) working people. Here’s just one example in Dallas. This problem is waaay too frequent and waaaay too silent in non-immigrant households and needs to be PUT ON BLAST as loud as possible.

Here’s a mini but potent article you NEED to know about:

http://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2008/05/06/18497395.php

Sfgate reporting:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/05/07/BA8B10HRUS.DTL&feed=rss.news

Know Your Rights! Go to immigrantrights.org:

http://immigrantrights.org/knowrights.asp#toolkit

Peace Duckin’ the Feds,

Slavename.

No Justice, No Peace, No Muthafuckin’ Chance

We’ve all heard about the murder of Sean Bell by 3 NYPD pigs, and if you haven’t, get the fuck up on it. You’re late!

I am damn near debilitated by all of the bullshit that these courts put my family through. And while Sean Bell is not my family I know that the same situation has been happening all around the Bay and could very well happen to me or someone I know.

The judge presiding over the trial aquitted all 3 undercover officers either yesterday or this morning of manslaughter and reckless endangerment charges.

Some context: My friend is being tried right now, and he’s been charged with murder, assault with a deadly weapon, and of being a felon in possession of a firearm. He is facing 40 years to Life for an accidental shooting.

From BBC News:

The defendants had opted to have a judge decide the case rather than a jury, arguing that pre-trial publicity could have prejudiced jurors.

Publicity has surrounded the trial and case of my friends as well, but these same decisions are not implemented when it comes to young working class men and women of color. This shit is far past any terrible adjective that I can think of. Not just this detail, but everything about our criminal (in)justice system that we fall victim to in Amerikkka.

All I can really say at this point is that my countdown to seeking refuge in another country (like James Baldwin) has already begun. If Barack ain’t elected I’m pretty much out this piece, and I ain’t sayin’ that Obama is this fuckin’ triumphant hero ass dude here to lift underprivileged people out of oppression, i’m just saying that at this point he is the last glimmer of hope (besides all of the crazy beautiful activists out there who don’t have the media attention given to a presidential hopeful) that realistically holds any type of real change that this country will see. Fuck Hillary, if she wins the primaries I probably ain’t voting, and I’m bouncing.

Peace to my people serving time in modern day plantations,

G-Mitch aka Slavename.

Mass Media Propaganda and Barack Obama

We live in times where propaganda streams through every one of our mediums of gathering information. The “news” channels are simply propaganda for dictating societal, cultural, and political norms. Our media function as info/tainment, and barraging us with large daily dosages of politically conservative jokes, non-chalant racism, and overtly divisive programming and words that take already existing societal fears, stereotypes and anxieties and manipulate them in ways that magnify our differences and serve to pit everyone in our society against one another instead of directing our anger at the true sources of our problems i.e. government, corporations, and media. 

This blog, for me, is my little way of combating the constant negativity, manipulation, and ideological conditioning that we live through everyday here in Amerika. It is a small, isolated, sporadically updated blog that not that many people see, and yet by posting i feel a sense of empowerment in believing that by putting out these words into the vastness of the Internet, it is giving my friends and whoever else sees this shit, a breath of fresh air and a break from all of the bullshit we breath in the rest of the day. 

We place varying degrees of our trust in that television and media will give us a non-biased portrayal of the world we live in, but even knowing that this is largely not the case, and in fact many of us who know that corporations and the government dictate what we watch, people still widely believe what the people on t.v. think about things from sports, to food, to politricks, and turn the televisions arguments into their own personal doctrines. This is why it is discouraging to see all of the effort to turn Barack Obama into an anti-Amerikan, anit-semetic, anti-white, muslim terrorist. They are comparing to HITLER for gods sake! What the Fuck?! This is the shit that i far too often passively receive as an open receptacle for the garbage thrown into my brain each day that honestly is killing me softly constantly. Barack Obama gave what probably was the best breakdowns of where we are as a society and because we live in a world of propaganda, colonialism, and smear artists, he is trivialized, dumbed down, and his words manipulated in ways that distort what he actually said- instead of bestowing him with praise for telling the truth and having the courage to speak that truth, especially when all we get from our current president is lies and an evil grins.Luckily we got people who fight back.

I just got this email from moveon.org that read,

This week, Barack Obama gave one of the most honest and inspiring speeches on race in American history after weathering days of the media’s relentless, divisive, and racially charged attacks. But have you wondered where these attacks came from and why they dominated the news? Reporters like NBC’s Tim Russert focused on the “Reverend Wright controversy” only after FOX and other right-wing media did. It happens over and over: FOX airs a right-wing smear and the mass media repeat it. Film director Robert Greenwald just released a short video called FOX Attacks Obama: Part 2 which shows how it happens.

I’m posting that along with the “Part 1″ cuz that shit just summarized really quickly how this bullshit is going down.

Part 1

Part 2

Wow. Sometimes i feel helpless and hopeless, i’m glad i find my outlets, in mostly positive ways.

Peace and truth,

G.

Bun B Ridin’ Wit’ Barack

Just had to post this, cuz I got mad love and respect for Bun B. Bun talks about why he’s voting for Obama and why you should vote even when you know the system’s rigged.

Kori man, how much does that second clip remind you of them long conversations in T-Town (Tallulah, Louisiana for those who don’t know) with Mr. Fair and the rest of the crew. Man, that’s some real shit.

Peace,

G-Mitch

Marine Recruiters — “Get Out of Berkeley,” Says CodePink.

I know I’m a little late on this, but this news is very intriguing to me. For all of the apathy in me, and all of the hopelessness for change that stays fighting me, it’s shit like this that gives me hope. Even with all of the military, media, and businesspeople charging CodePink as anti-Amerikan, anti-military, and as negatively affecting downtown Berkeley business.

These protests by CodePink, World Can’t Wait, many other anti-war organizations and civilians alike, as well as those in support of the war, have been receiving international attention.

Hey look, another article written by the destructive journalist Kristen Bender (she seems to cover all of the topics that i wish to know more about, yet every time i read an article written by her i feel violated. She always seems to side with the money, business, dominant political interests involved, probably enforced guidelines at the Oakland Tribune (which just so happens to be owned by a corporation out in Denver, Colorado, MediaNews Group, which happens to be one of the largest newspaper companies in the country. So you know, just like ClearChannel filters, censors, and conservatively politicizes all that we here on radio stations, big media news corporations do the same thing with the news outlets- print, internet, televised, etc.).

CodePink has been in very strong opposition to the war(s) being fought for some time now. They are taking a stand in the face of extreme opposition, in times of great complacency, apathy, and hopelessness, they continue to actively pursue peace and i’m really all about that. It still trips me the fuck out that this war (shieeeeeet, many wars) is being fought because oil and weapons corporations run the amerikan government and are making the kind of money that i can’t even fathom to have a majority poor and working class people killing and dying and fighting in this unjust war.

These videos speak volumes about how passionately people feel on both sides and then there is the whole right wing fox agenda.

Hannity and Colmes Bullshitin with Madea Benjamin of CodePink

Even MTV took a break from it dating shows…
http://think.mtv.com/044FDFFFF0098A13200170098D2B3/

Anti-war demonstrators in Berkeley are not just white people.

Fuck the war, the Bush Imperial Regime, and imperialist intentions!

Praying for Peace,

G-Mitch