Monday, December 16, 2013

Gwen Ifil discusses the American Infotainment Industry

Or Not!!
Breaking News: The U.S. media is devoid of standards

It's not exactly a news flash or breaking news, quite the contrary, the "infotainmentalization" of the traditional news model is well known among Americans. 

Anytime the who, what and where stories regarding the Kardashians has morphed into breaking news;

or, a cable "news" giant (FOX) devotes an entire segment to debating the skin pigmentation of Santa Claus, we know the nightly news industry has jumped the shark.

Friday, December 13, 2013

Fox News Megyn Kelly: "I'm dreaming of a white Christmas" -- literally


I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Just like the ones I used to know
Where the treetops glisten,
and children listen
To hear sleigh bells in the snow

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
With every Christmas card I write
May your days be merry and bright
And may all your Christmases be white 


Monday, December 9, 2013

Education Appreciation: By Any Means Necessary

By Any Means Necessary

This iconic phrase uttered by Malcolm X -- help solidified his revolutionary street cred -- has more meaning than the conventionally accepted interpretation.

Many black militants and revolutionaries of the Sixties equated this quote to that of American revolutionary Patrick Henry's quote:

Give me liberty or Give me death.

HGP's Tweet of the week

Tweet of the week by Severlypunked: 
Stop asking President Obama to solve every problem in every corner of the world. Then blame him when he doesn't save the frogs of Tasmania.

Friday, December 6, 2013

Mandela: Our long walk to freedom

For the last couple of years, we knew this day was rapidly approaching.

We braced our hearts to accept that this man -- giant among giants -- would be called home.

Our long good bye to our dear Madiba didn't make our sorrow any easier to bare.



What can one say?

He was all things:

Warrior, both determined and militant;
unswayable in his quest for human rights and dignity;
calmly resolute in the face of danger and detainment.

He was:

Touched by the hand of god;
bestowed insight into the hearts
and mind of all mankind.

He became:

A wise older sage;
his weapon of choice, compassion;
he walked with kings, presidents
and common folks with the same grace.

After all:

He was our Madiba;
and now he walks with god
and belongs to the ages.

RIP

GOP Tea Party Battle Cry: "Let's impeach the Muslim Marxist"


The poor, poor, poor GOP:

Totally bereft of any substantive ideas to help move forward a plan to help our economy and the average American;

Deep into an intra-party civil war between the rough and ready Tea Party folks and the Republican established leaders;

Acutely suffering from Obama derangement syndrome -- they will scuttle their own ideas if Obama adopts them -- the delusional GOP is now holding meetings to discuss presidential impeachment.

This move is somewhat predictable -- similar to a NFL QB checking off covered receivers -- the impeachment move came to the table after several failed counter-Obama attempts:

  • Failed to beat him in 2008 election
  • Obstructionism failed to stop Obamacare
  • The SCOTUS ruled Obamacare constitutional
  • 2012 the American re-elected the author of Obamacare
  • 2013 fiscal debt cliff hostage maneuver and government stoppage was unsuccessful in stopping Obamacare

What's a party to do?

Dana Milbank of the Washington Post reports:

History will record that on Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary met to consider the impeachment of Barack Hussein Obama.

They didn’t use that word, of course. Republican leaders frown on such labeling because it makes the House majority look, well, crazy.

It is, Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) said from the dais, “the word that we don’t like to say in this committee, and I’m not about to utter here in this particular hearing.”

One of the majority’s witnesses, Georgetown law professor Nicholas Rosenkranz, encouraged the Republicans not to be so shy. “I don’t think you should be hesitant to speak the word in this room,” he said. “A check on executive lawlessness is impeachment.”   source

To borrow from the Joe McCarthy hearings:

"Until this moment, GOP/Tea Party Congressmen , I think we have not fully gauged your cruelty or your recklessness. Let us not character assassinate this president any further, Legislators. You have done enough. Have you no sense of decency gentlemen, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?"  source


Sunday, December 1, 2013

Bob Dylan: Slavery ruined America

When asked about parallels he sees between Civil War-era America and today, Bob Dylan offered his frank opinion.

 His Dylanesque response reminded me of the Pulp Fiction scene when Samuel Jackson's character (Jules) rebuked John Travolta's character (Vincent) by stating:

If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.

Pope: ’Not to share wealth with poor is to steal’

In a scathing report on European and American style capitalism -- calling it the "new tyranny" -- Pope Francis bluntly stated:

Pope Francis has taken aim at capitalism as "a new tyranny" and is urging world leaders to step up their efforts against poverty and inequality, saying "thou shall not kill" the economy. Francis calls on rich people to share their wealth.

Friday, November 29, 2013

Update: The Fox fake war on Christmas 2013

Right Wing Propaganda
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you "Be of good cheer"
It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year
It's the hap -happiest season of all
With those holiday greetings and gay happy meetings
 
 
 
For most American families, the Christmas season represents the most joyous time of the year. It's a time families and friends come together to pay homage to the birth of baby Jesus. The celebration includes parties, prayers, feasts, gifts and good cheer.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

GOP Trey Radel: Cocaine is one hell of a drug

 
Tea Party darling: Trey Radel
Rich James: Cocaine is one hell of a drug!


My Republican of the Season: Rep. Trey Radel.

Rep. Trey Radel, channneling his inner Rick James, announced:

U.S. Rep. Trey Radel said Wednesday night he will take a leave of absence for an unspecified time and donate his salary. "I have no excuse for what I have done. I have let down our country," he said at a news conference.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Injurious George: Have gun, will not hesistate

GZ strikes again?
Once again -- beginning to sound very redundant -- injurious George (not to be confused with Curious George) is running amok, again.

How this Teflon man has enjoyed liberty after several brushes with the law is beyond explanation -- but having a well connected retired judge as a father doesn't hurt.

The legal trouble du jour:

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

America: Our two nation status

Our Two Nation State
I read two articles today that highlighted some disturbing and disconcerting insight into the political temperature of our country in 2013.

Both articles could be titled the two Americas.

By many accounts, we are not just two countries -- one red and one blue -- we are two distinct nations, with two distinct cultures, travelling on two different Acela trains and speeding in opposite directions.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Miami Dolphin locker room: missing in action

Incognito and Martin
The first question I had after reading the sordid bullying details by Miami Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito of his teammate Jonathan Martin:

Where were the locker room leaders?

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Election Night Highlights: Looks like a far right smack down.

NYC First Family: de Blasios
As funk group Graham Central Station use to say: Ain't no Bout-A-Doubt it, last night's election results was indeed a Tea Party smack down.

Chris Christie of New Jersey

The big man of the evening did not disappoint: Chris Christie, in the blue state, destroyed his Democratic competition and was re-elected governor of the Garden State. He is considered a RINO to many Tea Party purists in the GOP, especially after his post-Sandy hurricane praise and embrace of President Obama.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Tea Party and the lost art of irony

Papi Cruz
Many contemporaries have lamented about the lost art of irony. This may be true in the world of prose, poem and satire, however, this can not be said for the folks of Tea Party Nation.

Albeit unwittingly, the Tea Party has revived this lost art.

Who can forget when TPers shouted -- summer 2009 -- at various Town Hall meetings: Keep Guvmint out of my Medicare.

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

And now: Shopping while black?

SWB: shopping while black
“I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard, distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves or figments of their imagination, indeed, everything and anything except me.”
Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man    


Some of the views, opinions and perspectives of my white friends and associates on Race in the Obama era offer me a glimpse into the inner angst of white America -- whatever that means.

It means

Monday, October 28, 2013

Business community to the GOP: The tea party is over

Here's to hoping the GOP restores sanity to their brand. It's no secret that the GOP -- bullied by their Tea Party upstarts -- has been severely unhinged for the last five years: I call it President Obama hysteria.

Not pulling any punches

The election and re-election of Obama has triggered a mental, emotional and political breakdown among GOP white male voters over the age of 55. And the largest cluster of the GOP power base reside in southern red states: the confederate of yore.

Monday, October 21, 2013

Fox News Reportedly Used Fake Commenter Accounts To Rebut Critical Blog Posts


I have been on the record, I have little more than total disdain for 90% of our corporate own media.

They seem to be fixated on sensational celebrity news (who really cares that much about the Kandashian family drama), ambulance chasing, the seasonal missing white chick, racially charged hot button stories, over-the-top political opinion sharing and much more...

The alphabet soup news selection in America --- think ABC's, CBS's, CNN's, NBC's, MSNBC's -- fails miserably at keeping our citizens truly informed on news with substantive value.

Thursday, October 17, 2013

Eagles vs Cowboys and Peyton Manning going back to Indy

There are a couple NFL games I circled to watch this weekend. First game, in a battle for 1st place in the wounded NFC East, my Philly Eagles against my sister's (Karen) Dallas Cowboys.

Now, granted, neither team has a winning record -- both are 3-3 -- but first place is first place. The history of the NFC East is that any team that heats up late in the season has a chance to go deep in the playoffs.

Wednesday, October 16, 2013

Redskins Name change: Dan Synder it's long overdue

Full disclaimer:

I am a Philly fan (born in Philly and raised in South Jersey) living in DC. The Skins are our bitter rival in the NFC Eastern division -- not quite as bitter as, say, the Cowboys vs. the Skins but, yet in still, no love lost.

 I can remember only one game in which I was an unabashed and enthusiastic Skins fan: The Doug Williams Super Bowl!

Monday, October 14, 2013

The South Rises Again: Neo-Confederates, Sarah Palin & Ted Cruz invade DC

The Confederate march on Washington.

For the last 5 years they tried to, well, let's say, semi-hide it -- although they did not do a good job.

Outside of the occasional finger-in-the-face; the "you lie" outburst; the birther movement; and, the federal judge's racist anti-Obama email (to name a few):

The GOP/TP and friends wanted all of us to believe their anger and rage was strictly about policy and not remotely about race.

Monday, October 7, 2013

The History of Federal Budget Crisis: A Tea Party Coup?

Repeal or we will destroy USA!
“He who controls the past controls the future. He who controls the present controls the past.”
George Orwell, 1984

When people discover my passion for history, they usually respond:

History is so boring, how can you find it so interesting?

My response is the above Orwellian quote.

In my words, understanding history is a prerequisite for understanding the present. And if one truly understands the present, one can exert more influence in shaping the future.

Thursday, October 3, 2013

Washington Times: Ted Cruz and the Tea Party support "Real Americans"

Living in DC, the belly of the beast, we feel the government shutdown in real time. Folks here are out of work for real. The National Zoo, parks, museums etc. are closed. Even the Metro has seen a precipitous drop in passengers.

Knee deep in this GOP manufactured crisis, I decided to see what the conservative media is saying about this mess. Hence, I clicked onto the other newspaper in DC online -- the Washington Times. This paper has a very well earned reputation of being a drum major for the RNC.

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

Tea Party strives to dismantle America as we know it

The most vexing question for Americans of sound mind:

How can "one faction of one party in one house of Congress in one branch of government," bully their party, hold our government hostage and threaten to destabilize the world's economy if their ransom is not paid?

To better understand the Tea Party movement, we have to distill the purposely created myths regarding this rogue organization. First and foremost: The TP movement is not a spontaneous and authentic grassroots uprising.

Monday, September 30, 2013

Bill O'Reilly: "I’m getting paid millions of dollars for being a big thug."

"I am a Big Thug"
In an interview with 60 Minutes, Bill O'Reilly of Fox News, self-mockingly stated:

When asked about his record of getting in trouble in school as a kid, O'Reilly said laughing, "Ain’t America great? I was a little thug and now I’m getting paid millions of dollars for being a big thug."

GOP mafia: "This isn't business, this is personal"

Michael Corleone to brother Sonny Corleone ( Godfather):

 It's not personal Sonny, it's strictly business.

The GOP thugs -- or as Al Gore called them Political Terrorist -- continue to hold our country's economy (and the world's economy) hostage until their ransom demands are fulfilled.  Kill Obamacare or else we blow up the economy!

This is how they see fit to govern.

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

AIG CEO Robert Benmosche Compares Bonus Criticism to Lynch Mobs

Robert Benmosche
My head did an instant 360 degree turn-- a la Linda Blair in the exorcist -- when I read the following:

Monday, September 23, 2013

Chicago gangbangers, George Zimmerman and Terrorist: Birds of the same feather flock

Chicago police are questioning two 22-year-men about last week's shooting in a park that wounded 13 people, including a 3-year-old boy, local media reported Monday
.
The pair were arrested Sunday night, but no charges have been filed, the Chicago Tribune reported. Police described one man as the gunman who opened fire Thursday on a crowd watching a basketball game in Cornell Square Park, on the city's South Side. The other was "one of the individuals who participated." source

Friday, September 20, 2013

Fox's Bill O Reilly: "Fanaticism on the right is also harming our country"

Brother Bill O' Reilly as the voice of reason?

I'm not sure, is it comforting or scary?

But when even Bill thinks the Tea Party's agenda (defund Obamacare or else) is crazy and dangerous, the time to call out these nuts was yesterday.

They are like rambunctious children when denied their every whim or desire: they throw public temper tantrums.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Boxing Hall of Famer, Ken Norton dies and the ABC's of boxing

The 1970's was truly a golden era for the heavyweight division of boxing.

The Pantheon of great heavyweights include: Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier, George Foreman, Larry Holmes, Jerry Quarry, Ken Norton, Ron Lyles, Ernie Shavers, Jimmy Young to name a few.

A few of the above legends are no longer with us -- most notably Joe Frazier who passed in 2011 -- and now we lost another one:

Ken Norton, who fought three memorable fights with Muhammad Ali, breaking his jaw in winning their first bout, then losing twice, and who went on to become the World Boxing Council heavyweight champion, died on Wednesday in the Las Vegas suburb of Henderson, Nev. He was 70.

His death was confirmed by his son Ken Jr., an assistant coach with the N.F.L.’s Seattle Seahawks and a pro linebacker for 13 seasons, The Associated Press said. Norton had been in poor health for several years after sustaining a series of strokes, The A.P. reported.
      
Norton defeated Ali on a 12-round split decision in 1973 to capture the North American Boxing Federation heavyweight title. Norton was an exceptionally muscular 6 feet 2 inches and 220 pounds, but a decided underdog in that first Ali fight. source
 
I can vividly remember watching Ali lose this fight. In a fight many thought to be a mere tune up, the great Ali struggled to master Norton's awkward and confounding boxing technique. In the first live Ali fight I saw, as a little kid, I was practically in tears watching Norton dominate Ali from round one to round 12.
 
ABC's of Boxing
 
But this was my introduction to the ABC's of boxing: Just because boxer A can whip boxer B; and boxer B can destroy boxer C; it does not necessarily mean boxer A can beat boxer C.
 
In other words: Ali knocked out George Forman in a rather easy bout; George Forman destroyed Ken Norton in only two rounds; and yet, Ali badly struggled with Ken Norton in all three of their fights (all were close decisions).
 
As they say: In boxing styles makes fights...
 
Ken Norton RIP.
 
 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

GOP: No sensible gun control laws are needed

GOP Thugs
The United States of America gun control policy:

Come one, come all...

Everyone -- terrorists, criminals, rapists, mentally imbalanced, domestic abusers, gang bangers -- has the constitutional right to possess WMD.

If you think I am using gross exaggerations and hyperbole, check this out: As incredulous as it sounds, the state of Iowa declared even blind people can get gun permits.

Don’t expect Iowa to revoke gun permits for the blind. It’s not even the only state that offers them

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Africa: Game changer for the global commerce

As I read this article, I thought what one commenter wrote, "Truly its time for Africa to be the game changer for the global commerce."

Once written off as the dark continent of poverty, disease and war, Africa is emerging, once again, as one of the most dynamic continents in the world.

Read on:

Banks set to transform African growth by

As Africa develops, its investment prospects are growing exponentially. Banks such as Kenya Commercial Bank will be key to steering the continental boom

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Jon Stewart destroys Fox Nation (again)!

First things first: Welcome back Jon Stewart! We missed ya.

Jon Stewart at his rhetorical very best -- both caustic and witty -- chastises the Obama administration for dragging us to the doorstep of war (based on an off-the-cuff campaign pledge) and he absolutely eviscerates Fox News for their knee-jerk anti-Obama reactions.

You see, Fox being Fox, absolutely had to spin great news -- a possibility of averting war -- into an Obama defeat.

Monday, September 9, 2013

Injurious George Zimmerman: Have gun will shoot; beware

George at the Kel-Tec gun factory
It is wise for killers exonerated by our courts to lay low.

But the narcissist types -- just ask OJ -- struggle when denied the attention they have been accustomed to receiving.

Zimmerman's lawyers have advised him to be as inconspicuous as possible.

No can do!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Floyd Mayweather bragging: I keep all my 123 million dollars in one bank accout

Floyd & 50 Cent counting the loot
I have proudly shined the spotlight on African American athletes, entertainers and business men/women who have earned fortunes and invested wisely.

Much to my chagrin, I have written about the same group of folks who have made fortunes only to lose them by reckless spending and poor investment.

Boxer Floyd Mayweather, Jr. -- esteemed member of "The Money Team" -- is in a class all to his own:

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Butler, Sheryl Underwood, Bob Marley and my Yin&Yang

(Reuters) - Civil rights drama "Lee Daniels' The Butler" continued to serve up box office victories with $20 million in ticket sales over the long U.S. Labor Day weekend, leading Hollywood's box office for the third straight weekend.

My Ying

This is very good news for a very good movie. In fact, I have been on a three week black consciousness art high. After watching the emotionally riveting "The Butler" (TB)  not once but twice -- believe or not I may have been more teary-eyed the second time -- I felt a new level of black art had been reached.

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Breaking News (or not): Science proves that Black Africans are Black Africans

Many of us may recall the so-called DNA result announcement of Pharaoh Tut by mainstream news outlets.

 Discovery channel aired a documentary, National Geographic devoted a cover story, CNN, ABC, NBC and CBS (MSM) all broke the story in dramatic breaking news urgency.

The news:

Pharaoh Tutankhamen -- also commonly known as King Tut -- is of European ancestry.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Colin Powell Worried U.S. Got Steamrolled Into Iraq War, Calls Out Dick Cheney

To those congressional wackos yelling that President Obama is "perilously close to impeachment", put this in your pipe and smoke it -- obviously you are smoking something:

Dick Cheney should be in jail as a USA war criminal.

 He falsely led America into the costly -- human and dollar losses -- Iraqi war. By cherry-picking classified intelligence and planting false media pro-Iraqi war stories to reporters like Judith Miller of the New York Times:

Saturday, August 24, 2013

President Obama: Republicans are scared of Rush "Boss Hog" Limbaugh

GOP's Boss Hog
“The sequester is killing jobs every day. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office tells us we will lose almost a million jobs by this time next year. That is unacceptable and we will continue to push for a balanced plan to replace the job-killing sequester.” source

The above quote says it all about the intent and agenda of the far right wing Tea Party leaning conservatives -- and they, in mood, demeanor and rhetoric, control the modern day Republican party. They continue to deliberately sabotage our economic recovery.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Ted Cruz: A wacko bird coming home to roost?

Malcolm X: “Being an old farm boy myself, chickens coming home to roost never did make me sad, they’ve always made me glad.”

Tea Party Wacko Birds coming home to roost

Tea Party folks are in love with Ted Cruz. His threats to shut down the government unless Obamacare is defunded rings music to their ears. In fact, they find Cruz so endearing they want him to run (and he wants to run

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Anthony "Carlos Danger" Weiners anyone?

On a Saturday afternoon light note: check-out this story from ABC news:

Anthony Weiner may be lagging in the race for New York City mayor, but he is winning in another area — hot dog marketing.

The  delicious combination of Anthony Weiner’s name and his sexually suggestive Twitter antics were apparently too good to pass up for one Florida marketing man, who has joined forces with an Illinois hot dog company to create a hot dog brand called Carlos Danger Weiners, which he has incorporated into the company Carlos Danger LLC.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

The Africa Business Center: Towards Sustainable Development

VENTURES AFRICA – Since 1800’s the world has seen two great middle class expansions, and in Africa we are trying to grow and live through a third.

As a result of the nineteenth century industrial revolution created a substantial Western European and American middle class. This growth continued post the WWII – a trajectory that included Japan. Today this is happening in the emerging markets (EMs).

In Asia alone, 525 million people can already count themselves middle class — more than the European Union’s total population. Over the next two decades, the middle class is expected to expand by another three billion, coming almost exclusively from the emerging world.

By 2030, so many people (we hope) will have escaped poverty that the balance of geopolitical power will have changed completely, and global trade patterns will changed based on the new shape of things transpiring in global politics, affecting global business. read more

Tea Party bites the hands that fed them

TP governs by threats
During the summer of 2009 the GOP tapped into the xenophobic zeitgeist (irrational hatred and fear of all things or people non-white or liberal) of their before dormant Tea Party leaning voters.

With the help of the John Birch Society (radical right wingers)  Koch brothers and the GOP propaganda machine, FOX news, they encouraged, aided and abetted the craziest of the crazy -- hell most of these folks have not recovered from the South losing the Civil War --  to yell at the top of their non-intellectual minds

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Santorum: "Liberals make it uncomfortable to shower at the YMCA"

No fun at the Y
The GOP top hit maker, Rick Santorum,  continues to top the charts again with his wacky take on issues. Santorum, as you may remember, experienced a political revival during his 2011-2012 GOP primary run for president.

He held his own in the buffoonery clown show that included: Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Michele Bachman, Rick Perry, Ron Paul and eventual nominee Mitt Romney.

Santorum's Top Hits:

Santorum criticized President Obama for promoting higher education.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Ebony: We are TRAYVON

You remember how far-right talking heads warned:

There will be riots in the streets of all major cities if George Zimmerman is found innocent of murdering Trayvon Martin. Angry black mobs will burn, loot and cause urban mayhem.

Never happened. Outside a few isolated incidents, wonton violence did not erupt in the black community. Anger? Yes. Outrage? Of course. Riots? Not this time. This time the cause and effect was more complex and introspective.

Not to compare apples and oranges -- and this point is still lost on the zombie (and predictable) right-wing talking heads -- Trayvon Martin receiving justice in our court system has no correlation to the extremely high and unacceptable black youth on black youth gun violence.

The right-wing noise machine, instead of honestly evaluating the misuse of deadly force by George Zimmerman -- the force that left an unarmed teenager dead -- employ a cheap debate tactic: change the subject from Zimmerman to urban violence.

The goal?

Have the court of public opinion declare: How can black folks raise hay about Trayvon when thousands of black young males kill other black males every single day?

The far-right miscalculation.

Mass post court decision violence did not occur for the exact same reason FOX nation cited black folks should not be outraged by Trayvon's murder. The community is just as appalled by senseless violence between Ray-Ray and Jamarcus. The community movement is about Trayvon and more. The mission is about saving our boys, brothers, and sons from gun violence.

The Martin miscarriage of justice has served as a watershed moment to re-energize the black community in the fight against root causes of gun violence: poverty, mis-education, lack of hope and opportunity and societal bias.

Ebony magazine has dedicated the September 2013 issue to Trayvon Martin and the movement to save our sons.

We are all Trayvon Martin here at The Greg Street Show!

And Ebony Magazine has dedicated it’s September issue to the slain teen and his family. You can see his mother (Sybrina Fulton), father (Tracy Martin), and older brother (Jharvis Martin) on the front, but that’s not it.

There are three additional electrifying covers that feature celebrity dads  Dwyane Wade, Boris Kodjoe, and Spike Lee with their sons.

The editors said they were inspired by the hurt that ran through the black community after the “Not Guilty” was delivered. So they have taken time in this issue to explore solutions for how to heal and move forward.

It’s time to take our community back and save our sons! source

And very predictably, the right-wing talking heads have already cried: Reverse Racism!  Go figure or not.

Monday, August 5, 2013

White Men Can't Jump – But, Boy, Can They Wince by Josh

 

Riley Cooper: In the dog house
Editor's Note: The following post was submitted by one of HGP's readers. The views expressed are the authors. As expressed previously, we here at HGP welcome all respectful views. No one has a monopoly on truth, hence, respectful dialogue is healthy.

This particular post is on the topic of Philadelphia Eagle Riley Cooper and his use of nigger. The author's perspective is that of a white man that struggles (my opinion) with the double standard applied to the word based on race. 
 
 
A criminal offense is not usually judged based on the level of emotional grievance felt by the victim(s). That is typically saved for sentencing or in civil cases – emotional distress, pain and suffering. But we as a society have long attempted to change that by attaching special classifications to crimes, so that even the initial charge takes into account a victim's mental anguish.


It is a horrendously gross thing to physically harm someone. A man assaulting another man is liable for his actions, subject to charges such as assault and battery and malicious wounding. However, if the man in question is a different race, religion or a different sexual orientation than his victim, that man, committing the same crime, may be subject to a much harsher punishment due to the “hate crime” category.

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

Philly crime drop and Chicago gun violence summit

Winning back Philly streets
Philadelphia Daily News: DOWN BY LAW: Big-time crime has dropped remarkably in Philly.

This is the type of news I love reporting.

The city of brotherly love is successfully winning back the streets. I hope and pray this trend becomes the new norm. The credit is given to smarter and more proactive policing.

Another novel approach to reducing crime even further: Investing in our urban talent would not drain our tax dollars.

On the contrary, we know the crime prone years are 18-29 years old, targeting this demographic for skill development and job training would save us billions of dollars in law enforcement. Second, it would create millions of new tax donors and this additional revenue would lower the tax burden on the middle and working class.

Read on:

THE STREETS of Philadelphia are less mean this year because of a major decline in crime, led by a decrease in the number of homicides.

If the pace in the second half of this year matches the first, the city will end 2013 with fewer than 70,000 Part One crimes recorded. Part One includes murder, rape, robbery, serious assaults, burglary and theft.

As you can tell by that number, Philadelphia still has a lot of crime. But going below 70,000 would be significant, bringing crime down to the lowest level in 40 years and homicides down to the lowest number since 1969.  Read more

To those FOX news leaning folks who claim blacks are only concerned about homicides when it's white on black, here's some folks rallying in Chicago to address street gun violence. They are convening in an emergency summit.

While Congress tangled over gun control legislation earlier this year after the killings in Newtown, gun violence in Chicago went on unabated, taking lives in clips of one, two and three at a time.
“I equate it to when a 747 crashes as opposed to a two-seater,” said Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Chicago. “In Chicago, every day we have mini-massacres.”

After a particularly bloody Fourth of July weekend, in which 72 people were shot, 12 of them killed, Kelly and a couple of fellow local Democratic members of Congress have convened an “emergency summit” to address the issue of gun violence facing Chicago and so many other cities across the country. The two-day “National Summit on Violence in Urban Communities,” hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus, began on Friday at the Chicago State University Convocation Center in Chicago.

Speakers and attendees from all over the city, region and country, including members of law enforcement, the clergy, politicians, community leaders, and victims of gun violence, attended. Panelists will discuss what approaches have and have not worked. And organizers hope to glean practical strategies that could be applied in Chicago and in other struggling communities. read more

The sound you are about to hear is a broken record: Once again -- not rocket science -- investment in our Urban youth is equivalent to an ounce of protection is worth a pound of cure.

  • Education curriculum for the 21st century economy
  • Better resourced and funded public schools
  • Private sector/Public sponsored vocational and job training
  • Tax credit incentives for corporate job hiring and training programs in Urban America
  • Sensible (and much needed) gun control laws -- in particular closing loop holes for gun shows
  • Decriminalization of drugs:  take out the profit motives for street gangs
  • Urban youth activity centers
  • Urban family outreach -- by Fraternities/churches
We know what works, but is the will there?

"What you have to do and the way you have to do it is incredibly simple. Whether you are willing to do it, that's another matter." - Peter F. Drucker





Monday, July 29, 2013

CNN's Don Lemon offers Black on Black tough love

It seems to some -- especially in the Twitter world -- that Don Lemon stepped in it with his tough love commentary on CNN this past weekend.

Lemon not only piggy-backed on very critical comments of the black community (crime, drugs, violence etc.) by Bill O'Reilly, he opined that O'Reilly did not go far enough.

Lemon listed five ways to fix our community:

Friday, July 26, 2013

The secret agenda of "The Party of No"

Here's the context of when President Obama took the oath of office in 2009:

Our country is in economic dire straits. The Bush recession -- worst economic crisis since the Great Depression -- threatens to tank the entire world economy. Americans are losing homes, jobs and businesses. The stock market is diving.