Happy New Year!!!

There is about 16 hours left in 2008. 2008 was a great year. I got a new job, met some new friends, moved into a new place, and safely turned 26 years old!! And I know God has much more in store for me in 2009 regarding my career and relationships. I am so excited about the future...more excited than I've ever been. It's gonna be a great year!!

For those of you who are going out tonight, party hard, but be safe. Don't drink and drive...get a cab!! Have a safe and happy New Year!!

But remember brothers and sisters....

....you can still stand tall. Just be thankful for what you got. Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac, diamond in the back, sunroof top, digging the scene with a gansta lean.

I can't remember when I first heard this William Devaughn classic. I know I was really young, and thought it was a cool song about a cool car, b/c honestly, Caddies are cool cars. No, seriously, they are. However, now that I am much older, this song says so much more to me. It's about being happy with yourself and the things you have...though you may not drive a great big Caddie. Honestly, who wouldn't want a caddy with gangster white walls, and a t.v. antenna in the back? I think this is especially true for me this Christmas. For the first time, receiving gifts was not important to me. I took so much pride in giving to my mom and baba (Swahili for father), that I really didn't care about receiving any gifts. And I am so thankful for what I did receive. It has taken me years to get to this point of being thankful for what I have, instead of focusing on what I do not have.

In our society, people define themselves through material possessions. Self-worth is derived from the type of car you drive, the neighborhood you live in, the college you attended, designers you wear, etc. etc. You can still tall without all of those things. Y ou can still be a great father to your children, a loving and patient wife to your husband, a leader in your community. Those material things should not define us as a people. With so many people jobless, it is necessary we stress what is really important in our lives....God or your higher power, family, and friends, and making sure our spirits are happy and content. We must be thankful for what . Willie said it best.

I am thankful for a loving family, patient friends, agreeable co-workers, and respectful neighbors.

Idle almosttimetopunchtheclock Thoughts

Today is turning out to be the longest work day of my life...all because my Christmas vacation begins as soon as the clock hits 4pm. And I am out of the office until Jamuary 5th, and later that evening, I will watch my beloved Bukeyes play in the Fiesta Bowl. I'm tempted to have a little get together with a few other alums and friends to watch the game. But that also means I have to provide food and libations. And I have to do extra cleaning at end of the night. Naw, I'm not hosting a FiestaBowl party. I'll just go to a sports bar to watch it with friends and fellow alums.

I am so tired. My eyes are red from staring into thie computer all day. Which is not cool, since I want to hit up a happy hour after work. I'll just go home first, and add a few redness reliever eyedrops.

So, for the holiday, I will be in South Carolina, at least until the 29th. Then I am back here to get ready for New Year's Eve party on the 31st. I'm pretty excited about it. I had fun last year, and it helps that everyone there is not booed up with a SO (I seriously need to get back into the dating game...like seriously; another post for another time). This year, my younger sister is going, which will be the first time we partied together since she turned 21. She attended my law school grad party, so NYE should be interesting...and a lot of fun.

I'm leaving here at 3:50. I have about 10 more minutes...Hallelujah!!!

A Call to Action....

Dear ColorOfChange.org member,

A new report in The Nation¹ documents what many have claimed for years -- for some Black New Orleanians the threat of being killed by White vigilantes in Katrina's aftermath became a bigger threat than the storm itself.

After the storm, White vigilantes roamed Algiers Point shooting and, according to their own accounts, killing Black men at will-- with no threat of a police response. For the last three years, the shootings and the police force's role in them have been an open secret to many New Orleanians. To date, no one has been charged with a crime and law enforcement officials have refused to investigate.

The facts are finally seeing the light of day. Now we must demand action. Given Louisiana's horrible record when it comes to criminal justice and Black folks, it's the only path to justice.

You can help. Join us in calling on Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, Louisiana's Attorney General Buddy Caldwell, and the U.S. Department of Justice to conduct a full investigation of these crimes and any police cover-up. It takes only a moment to add your voice and to invite your friends and family to do the same:

http://www.colorofchange.org/nation/

In the two weeks after Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the media created a climate of fear with trumped-up stories of Black lawlessness. Meanwhile, an armed group of White vigilantes took over the Algiers Point neighborhood in New Orleans and mercilessly hunted down Black people. "It was great!" said one vigilante. "It was like pheasant season in South Dakota. If it moved, you shot it."

The Nation's article tells the story of Donnell Herrington, Marcel Alexander, and Chris Collins -- a group of friends who were attacked by shotgun-wielding White men as they entered Algiers Point on September 1, 2005. As they tried to escape, Herrington recalls, their attackers shouted, "Get him! Get that nigger!" He managed to get away. Alexander and Collins were told that they would be allowed to live on the condition that they told other Black folks not to come to Algiers Point. Herrington, shot in the neck, barely survived.

And there's the story of Henry Glover, who didn't survive after being shot by an unknown assailant. ² Glover's brother flagged down a stranger for help, and the two men brought Glover to a police station. But instead of receiving aid, they were beaten by officers while Henry Glover bled to death in the back seat of the stranger's car. A police officer drove off in the car soon afterward. Both Glover's body and the car were found burnt to cinders a week later. It took DNA analysis to identify the body.

Then there's the story of White militiamen who tried to drive their Black neighbors from their homes. Reggie Bell, who lived just two blocks down the street from the vigilantes' ringleader, was told at gunpoint, "We don't want you around here. You loot, we shoot." Later, another group of armed White men confronted him at his home, asking, "Whatcha still doing around here? We don't want you around here. You gotta go."

These are only a few of the stories of Black folks who were accosted in Algiers Point, and you can read more in The Nation. But unless you speak out, we may never learn the full extent of the violence. Journalists have encountered a wall of silence on the part of the authorities. The coroner had to be sued to turn over autopsy records. When he finally complied, the records were incomplete, with files on several suspicious deaths suddenly empty. The New Orleans police and the District Attorney repeatedly refused to talk to journalists about Algiers Point. And according to journalist A.C. Thompson, "the city has in nearly every case refused to investigate or prosecute people for assaults and murders committed in the wake of the storm."

The Nation's article is important, but it's just a start. For more than three years now, these racist criminals have by their own admission gotten away with murder, while officials in New Orleans have systematically evaded any kind of accountability. We have to demand it.

Please join us in calling on state and federal officials to investigate these brutal attacks and the conduct of Orleans Parish law enforcement agencies, and please ask your friends and family to do the same. http://www.colorofchange.org/nation/

Thanks and Peace,

-- James, Gabriel, Clarissa, William, Dani, and the rest of the ColorOfChange.org team
December 18th, 2008

References

1. "Katrina's Hidden Race War," The Nation, 12-18-2008
http://www.colorofchange.org/link/?cat=nation&link=1

2. "Body of Evidence," The Nation, 12-18-2008
http://www.colorofchange.org/link/?cat=nation&link=2

The United States of AmeriKKKa...

Katrina's Hidden Race War

Perhaps Rev. Wright isn't so crazy after all? Not nearly as racist or bigoted (as so says the foolish, the ignorant, the bigoted) as they say he is, perhaps? Perhaps, he was telling the truth...a truth so many prefer to ignore and deny. I'm not surprised this did not/has not received MSM attention. The lives of our men, women, and children are not as valued as others...MSM rarely, if ever, reports on crimes where we are the victims. The only reason J-Hud's family received so much attention is b/c it's J-Hud's family. I sometimes listen to Chicago talk radio, and I know crime is rampant in the city, particularly in our communities.

I remember clearly during Katrina, how N.O. citizens were referred to as refugees. REFUGEE - Any person who is outside any country of such person's nationality or, in the case of a person having no nationality, is outside any country in which such person last habitually resided, and who is unable or unwilling to return to, and is unable or unwilling to avail himself or herself of the protection of, that country because of persecution or a well-founded fear of persecution on account of race, religion

, nationality, membership in a particular social group, or political opinion. Victims of Katrina are/were not refugees. Also during that time, the MSM really showed their racial bias by using certian code words (looters, criminals) when defining the black Katrina victims.

So, it's been 3 years since Katrina. And now we have our first black President. The next 4-8 years will be interesting....

Are you effing serious?

Drew Peterson Is Engaged To Be Married... Again

Can somebody, anybody explain to me why any woman in her right mind would want to marry a man who's been married 4 times...twice divorced, third wife died a mysterious death, and fourth wife missing? Oh, and the third wife's death is being investigated as a homicide. And this current fiance, who remains nameless, is 23 years old, 31 years Peterson's junior. If I ever accept a marriage proposal from a person of interest in his 3rd wife's death and his 4th wife's disappearance, I hope my family has the guts to kill me....before he does.

Thinking of a master plan....

If you didn't know...I love old school hip-hop. I wonder what came first...hip-hop or rap? I feel like I remember a time where the music was rap and the artist rappers, instead of hip-hop and hip-hop artists. Do you remember "Yo! MTV Raps? How about the old Rap City? I dunno...just curious. But I digress....

I am definitely thinking of a master plan. I have a renewed interest in politics, policy, and legislation. International law/relations/human rights/trade and development is still my core interest. However, I am not looking into entering into the field on the legislative/policy side, instead of the legal side. I am so very blessed and thankful for my current job. However, I know this is not where I want to be this time next year. I have several co-workers who've been working at this job for several years, and have absolutely no interest in moving on or moving up. They are so content with the hours and the the laid back atmosphere that they have no problem with working a dead-end job with little to no advancement. Personally, I say it's bullshit. We have an office full of lawyers and paralegals, many who would rather work for pennies just so they can wear jeans to work and have little to no responsibility. It is frustrating, and that mentality is draining. I am used to aiming for the best in all that I do, and being around people who are not motivated to do any better than what they are doing is starting to wear on me. I am ready to move on. It's been almost 6 months, and I know it is time to go.

So, I am thinking of a master plan...a plan that gets me to where I want to be in the next 5 years.

Rakim - New Music - More Music Videos

Universal Mind Control....

I am listening to it right now at my desk. I will write a complete review of it after I am finished. But, I must say I absolutely love Common. No...I LOVE COMMON!!! So, I am trying to listen with an unbiased ear, but from the first 3 tracks, I am loving it!!

***Written 12.09.08 @ 1:45pm
Like I said above, I love Common. And I really like this album. It is very different from Finding Forever and Be, but I really like it. Several danceable tracks, and some head nodders. If you are a Common fan and a fan of music, you should check it out.

He's Black...Get Over It!!

As reported on Jack and Jill Politics, and written for The American Prospect. Read it here.

I am thankful....

....for my father, who always come through in a pinch (despite the fact I hav a job and he is on a fixed income).
....for hard life lessons that have made me into the spectacular young woman I am today.
....that my family and I are in good health.
....my sister and mother were safe the morning of Black Friday
....for friends who know a lot about the subjects I know little.
....for being blessed to be able to give to others who are more in need

Know Your Status!!

I know mine...do you know yours?

Why we need a recession....

Over at WAOD is a compelling piece regarding Black Friday, overconsumption, consumerism, and Recession. Check it out here.

Barack is not black....

....or so says Marie Arana in Sunday's Washington Post. And so, we have a Latina telling the world Obama really isn't black, not that there's anything wrong with that. Really? Obama isn't black? He was black during the Rev. Wright (non)issue, and he was definitely black when McCain was asking "who is Barack Obama", painting him as the scary black, Arab, Muslim, socialist boogy man. And the McCain supporters yelling "kill him" and "terrorist" think he is black, as well as the people all over this country who have spray painted racist epithets on the walls inside and outside of college buildings, adults and children who have spewed racism after his historic election. And the newly energized KKK see Obama as black. If Obama was ever unfairly stopped by police as a young man, it is because he was racially profiled as a black man, not multi-racially profiled as the son of a white Kansas woman and a Kenyan father, and subsequently raised by his white grandparents. He was black when he admitted to doing drugs in his book. He was black when Bob Johnson alluded to his drug use during the primaries. He was black when Bill Clinton sought to diminish Obama's primary win in SC by comparing it to Jackson. All during the primary and the general election, Barack Hussein Obama was a black man as noted by the terms inexperienced, elitist, and "that one", while the other side spoke of how they represented the "working class", the "heartland", and middle America...all code words for white America. Trust me, the media and Obama's opponents knew exactly what words to use for their desired audience.

What angers me the most is the idea that a black man or a black person could not be this great, this accomplished...could not become the President of the United States of America. A black man could never do that, could never do those things, so it must be b/c Obama is half white. That's it!! It's his white side that attended Harvard, and his white side who was editor of law review, and it is definitely his white side who won the Presidency. Because without his white half, he would never would have been able to achieve any of this. Because there is nothing great, nothing extraordinary about black people, especially black men. THIS IS RIDICULOUS!! It hasn't been a month since the election, and they are already trying to re-write our present history as to their benefit. They have been doing this for centuries. Just look at Thanksgiving...re-written as some great, wonderful time between Pilgrims and Native Americans, while completely ignoring the genocide of Native people's in this country. and let's not forget Columbus Day, celebrating the man who found land that was already inhabited. But hey, at least they give us a month, the shortest month of the year, to celebrate black history, while systematically ignoring this history themselves.

You know this is just the beginning of the idiocy that is America. We best be prepared to battle for the next 4-8 years.