Well since there's a scandal brewing in the NFL over
the Michael Vicks case let's look at baseball and Barry
Bonds. But upon a closer look Mr Bonds seems to also
be fighting his demons. As he moves closer to breaking
Hank Aarons homerun record not all are rooting for the
arrogant Mr. Bonds especially in light of his supposed
steriod use. After reading the article below feel free to
offer up your opinion.
Barry Bonds is poised to break perhaps the most prestigious record in U.S. sports by hitting the most home runs in a baseball career but instead of being hailed as a hero, many fans view him with suspicion.
Spectators regularly boo Bonds as a cheat unworthy of the record because he is tainted by allegations he used steroids before Major League Baseball began mandatory drug testing to enhance his performance for the San Francisco Giants.
His rudeness toward fans and journalists also detracts from his sporting achievement, according to commentators and fans.
Going into Saturday's game against the Florida Marlins in San Francisco, Bonds was just one home run from equaling the record of 755 set by Hank Aaron. But he often is compared unfavorably to Aaron, who in 1974 passed the previous total set by Babe Ruth.
Bonds has denied knowingly using steroids but his former trainer ended up serving time in prison for supplying steroids to athletes.
While Aaron is black like Bonds, some Bonds supporters, such as former Giant Willie McCovey, a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame, say attitudes reflect a racial divide in the United States.
They say Bonds, 43, is a black sports star in a culture on the lookout for reasons to find fault with African-American heroes.
That view could help explain polls that suggest more blacks than whites are rooting for him to break the record.
Civil rights leader Jesse Jackson said Bonds' quest had given baseball a big boost and he is widely admired by players despite the reaction of some fans. It was too sensitive to suggest that public ambivalence toward Bonds was based on race, Jackson said.
"Sometimes we love to hate athletes and tear them down," he said in an interview.
Carol Jones, a black woman who took in a Giants game recently, said there are mixed feelings about Bonds in the black community.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
\http://www.kingprogram.net/
Monday, July 30, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
The United States Empire
The article below is a fitting piece that shows the
strength, power and extent of the United States.
And as people of color we should recgognize the
extent of our power in this matrix.
It is fitting that today is a Sunday because I would like to speak this afternoon about what the Church should be saying about war and foreign policy. This war, like all of the other foreign wars the United States has been involved in, is a consequence of our interventionist foreign policy.
Although the foreign policy of the current administration has been referred to as "the Bush Doctrine" and "this great mission," it is not much different from the foreign policy of most previous administrations.
Gunboat diplomacy may have given way to cowboy diplomacy, but U.S. foreign policy is still aggressive, reckless, belligerent, and meddling. The history of U.S. foreign policy is the history of hegemony, nation building, regime change, and jingoism. In a word, it is a history of interventionism, with its stepchildren imperialism and empire.
Although Donald Rumsfeld claims that "we don’t seek empires" and "we’re not imperialistic," I don’t hesitate to use the terms. Not only did the 9/11 Commission Report conclude that "the American homeland is the planet," it referred to the Department of Defense as "the behemoth among federal agencies. With an annual budget larger than the gross domestic product of Russia, it is an empire." The extent of the U.S. global empire is almost incalculable.
The Department of Defense’s "Base Structure Report" states that the Department’s physical assets consist of "more than 600,000 individual buildings and structures, at more than 6,000 locations, on more than 30 million acres." There are over 700 U.S. military bases on foreign soil. There are U.S. troops stationed in 159 different regions of the world in every corner of the globe. There are 285,000 U.S. troops stationed in foreign countries, not counting the 200,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are 100,000 U.S. soldiers in Europe to face a non-existent Soviet Union.
The United States has commitments to provide security to over 35 countries. The United States still maintains 64,000 troops in Germany, 33,000 troops in Japan, and 10,000 troops in Italy – sixty years after we defeated them in World War II. We have, in fact, never stopped mobilizing for war since World War II, manufacturing enemies where we could find none. In addition to military personnel, the Department of Defense employs 675,000 people worldwide, including thousands of foreign nationals. But instead of all of this being an example of imperialism and empire, we are told by neoconservative intellectuals that the United States is merely exercising "benevolent hegemony."
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
strength, power and extent of the United States.
And as people of color we should recgognize the
extent of our power in this matrix.
It is fitting that today is a Sunday because I would like to speak this afternoon about what the Church should be saying about war and foreign policy. This war, like all of the other foreign wars the United States has been involved in, is a consequence of our interventionist foreign policy.
Although the foreign policy of the current administration has been referred to as "the Bush Doctrine" and "this great mission," it is not much different from the foreign policy of most previous administrations.
Gunboat diplomacy may have given way to cowboy diplomacy, but U.S. foreign policy is still aggressive, reckless, belligerent, and meddling. The history of U.S. foreign policy is the history of hegemony, nation building, regime change, and jingoism. In a word, it is a history of interventionism, with its stepchildren imperialism and empire.
Although Donald Rumsfeld claims that "we don’t seek empires" and "we’re not imperialistic," I don’t hesitate to use the terms. Not only did the 9/11 Commission Report conclude that "the American homeland is the planet," it referred to the Department of Defense as "the behemoth among federal agencies. With an annual budget larger than the gross domestic product of Russia, it is an empire." The extent of the U.S. global empire is almost incalculable.
The Department of Defense’s "Base Structure Report" states that the Department’s physical assets consist of "more than 600,000 individual buildings and structures, at more than 6,000 locations, on more than 30 million acres." There are over 700 U.S. military bases on foreign soil. There are U.S. troops stationed in 159 different regions of the world in every corner of the globe. There are 285,000 U.S. troops stationed in foreign countries, not counting the 200,000 troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. There are 100,000 U.S. soldiers in Europe to face a non-existent Soviet Union.
The United States has commitments to provide security to over 35 countries. The United States still maintains 64,000 troops in Germany, 33,000 troops in Japan, and 10,000 troops in Italy – sixty years after we defeated them in World War II. We have, in fact, never stopped mobilizing for war since World War II, manufacturing enemies where we could find none. In addition to military personnel, the Department of Defense employs 675,000 people worldwide, including thousands of foreign nationals. But instead of all of this being an example of imperialism and empire, we are told by neoconservative intellectuals that the United States is merely exercising "benevolent hegemony."
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Monday, July 23, 2007
They’ve Already He’s Convicted Vicks!
Some people seem to think that Michael Vicks should lose
his position in the NFL. I say why should we take away
a way a man’s livelihood while he deals with legal problems.
Does the life of an animal mean as much as destroying a mans
career? I think not. So for those elected official who want to
circumnavigate the judicial system stop grandstanding. Read
the article below and of course weigh-in about the case against
Michael Vicks.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would like Michael Vick to take a paid leave of absence, but the Atlanta Falcons star wants to play football this season, sources familiar with the situation said Friday.With the opening of NFL training camps looming, league and Falcons officials are under pressure to take decisive action against the quarterback, who was indicted this week on federal charges related to dogfighting.
Goodell met Friday with animal welfare officials at league headquarters in New York, and about 50 people demonstrated peacefully outside the Park Avenue offices, urging the commissioner to suspend the player. The group, which was organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, chanted "Sack Vick!" and held signs featuring his No. 7 with a circle and slash through it.
In Washington, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) called for the immediate suspension of Vick, accused of being a key player in a Virginia dogfighting operation that allegedly executed poor-performing pit bulls by methods such as hanging, drowning and electrocution."I am deeply disturbed by the indictment of Michael Vick for dogfighting charges," Kerry wrote in a letter to Goodell. "I urge you to treat this issue with the utmost seriousness as the case progresses. In light of the seriousness of the charges, I believe that Mr. Vick should be suspended from the League, effective immediately.
"Kerry wasn't the only lawmaker to weigh in on dogfighting this week. In a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) called dogfighting "barbaric" and — although not specifically addressing the Vick case — said: "I am confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt."
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
his position in the NFL. I say why should we take away
a way a man’s livelihood while he deals with legal problems.
Does the life of an animal mean as much as destroying a mans
career? I think not. So for those elected official who want to
circumnavigate the judicial system stop grandstanding. Read
the article below and of course weigh-in about the case against
Michael Vicks.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell would like Michael Vick to take a paid leave of absence, but the Atlanta Falcons star wants to play football this season, sources familiar with the situation said Friday.With the opening of NFL training camps looming, league and Falcons officials are under pressure to take decisive action against the quarterback, who was indicted this week on federal charges related to dogfighting.
Goodell met Friday with animal welfare officials at league headquarters in New York, and about 50 people demonstrated peacefully outside the Park Avenue offices, urging the commissioner to suspend the player. The group, which was organized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, chanted "Sack Vick!" and held signs featuring his No. 7 with a circle and slash through it.
In Washington, Sen. John F. Kerry (D-Mass.) called for the immediate suspension of Vick, accused of being a key player in a Virginia dogfighting operation that allegedly executed poor-performing pit bulls by methods such as hanging, drowning and electrocution."I am deeply disturbed by the indictment of Michael Vick for dogfighting charges," Kerry wrote in a letter to Goodell. "I urge you to treat this issue with the utmost seriousness as the case progresses. In light of the seriousness of the charges, I believe that Mr. Vick should be suspended from the League, effective immediately.
"Kerry wasn't the only lawmaker to weigh in on dogfighting this week. In a speech on the Senate floor Thursday, Sen. Robert C. Byrd (D-W.Va.) called dogfighting "barbaric" and — although not specifically addressing the Vick case — said: "I am confident that the hottest places in hell are reserved for the souls of sick and brutal people who hold God's creatures in such brutal and cruel contempt."
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Thursday, July 19, 2007
This Is A Doggone Shame!
How does on of the NFL's best quarterback get himself
into trouble fighting dogs? We complain about what the
white man does to us but it seems that we mostly do it
to ourselves. This is not going to be an easy battle for
Micheal Vicks to win there are just to many animal
lovers in the world today. What are your thoughts?
In the hours that followed the federal indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick — an alleged key player in a Virginia dogfighting operation — the team's offices were flooded Wednesday with angry phone calls, an Atlanta radio station switched to an all-Vick-all-the-time format, and the national Humane Society's computer server crashed under a deluge of e-mails.Vick, 27, and three others are accused of violating federal laws against staging dogfights, gambling and engaging in unlawful activities across state lines. According to the indictment, they ran Bad Newz Kennels out of a property the quarterback owns in Surry, Va., and executed pit bulls — by methods such as hanging, drowning, electrocution, shooting and beating — that didn't perform well as fighters.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, characterized the response as "unbelievable," adding, "There's no happiness we're feeling about this, but we're pleased that the public is not tolerant of this, and that there's such enormous revulsion to this kind of conduct."Vick, the former Virginia Tech star, said after authorities initially raided the property in April that he was rarely at the house and had no idea it had been used in a criminal enterprise. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The Vick case will be the most significant test yet for the NFL under Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has pledged a crackdown to make players and teams more accountable for off-field transgressions.
The league said in a statement that "all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts." In a separate statement, the Falcons said they "plan to do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out."But in at least in one recent instance, the league suspended a player before his case made it through court. Tennessee Titans defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones, suspended in April, had at least 10 run-ins with police in his first year in the league.Vick and his alleged business partners — Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Va.,
Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta — all were ordered Wednesday to appear for a bond hearing and then arraignment July 26. That's the same day the Falcons are scheduled to open training camp.But reaction to Vick's indictment, and the graphic allegations of how the animals were treated, has been swift and severe — from inside and outside pro football.
"This is going to be a significant blemish on the NFL, no matter what," David Cornwell, a former assistant general counsel for the league, said Wednesday.The Atlanta-based attorney added that there was nothing the league's new boss "can say or do that's going to make this go away from an image perspective. I just don't believe in degrees of bad — when it's bad it's bad. And this is bad."
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Right
smovement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
into trouble fighting dogs? We complain about what the
white man does to us but it seems that we mostly do it
to ourselves. This is not going to be an easy battle for
Micheal Vicks to win there are just to many animal
lovers in the world today. What are your thoughts?
In the hours that followed the federal indictment of Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick — an alleged key player in a Virginia dogfighting operation — the team's offices were flooded Wednesday with angry phone calls, an Atlanta radio station switched to an all-Vick-all-the-time format, and the national Humane Society's computer server crashed under a deluge of e-mails.Vick, 27, and three others are accused of violating federal laws against staging dogfights, gambling and engaging in unlawful activities across state lines. According to the indictment, they ran Bad Newz Kennels out of a property the quarterback owns in Surry, Va., and executed pit bulls — by methods such as hanging, drowning, electrocution, shooting and beating — that didn't perform well as fighters.
Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States, characterized the response as "unbelievable," adding, "There's no happiness we're feeling about this, but we're pleased that the public is not tolerant of this, and that there's such enormous revulsion to this kind of conduct."Vick, the former Virginia Tech star, said after authorities initially raided the property in April that he was rarely at the house and had no idea it had been used in a criminal enterprise. He could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
The Vick case will be the most significant test yet for the NFL under Commissioner Roger Goodell, who has pledged a crackdown to make players and teams more accountable for off-field transgressions.
The league said in a statement that "all concerned should allow the legal process to determine the facts." In a separate statement, the Falcons said they "plan to do the right thing for our club as the legal process plays out."But in at least in one recent instance, the league suspended a player before his case made it through court. Tennessee Titans defensive back Adam "Pacman" Jones, suspended in April, had at least 10 run-ins with police in his first year in the league.Vick and his alleged business partners — Tony Taylor, 34, of Hampton, Va.,
Purnell Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach and Quanis Phillips, 28, of Atlanta — all were ordered Wednesday to appear for a bond hearing and then arraignment July 26. That's the same day the Falcons are scheduled to open training camp.But reaction to Vick's indictment, and the graphic allegations of how the animals were treated, has been swift and severe — from inside and outside pro football.
"This is going to be a significant blemish on the NFL, no matter what," David Cornwell, a former assistant general counsel for the league, said Wednesday.The Atlanta-based attorney added that there was nothing the league's new boss "can say or do that's going to make this go away from an image perspective. I just don't believe in degrees of bad — when it's bad it's bad. And this is bad."
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Right
smovement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Imus Is Comming Back!
From what I've heard Don Imus is in talks with his old boss
CBS. So guess who's going to have the last laugh and it won't
be Jesse or Al. I mentioned in one of my previous blogs that
it was just a matter of time before Imus would return to radio.
It seems as if it is going to happen a lot sooner than most people
think. So what are your thoughts on the situation?
Shock jock Don Imus, fired from WFAN and MSNBC for using racist and sexist remarks, may be back on the air as soon as September, according to the New York Post.
The paper says it received confirmation from private eye Bo Dietl, who was a regular on "Imus in the Morning" on WFAN. Dietl said on Post State Editor Fred Dicker's Albany radio show, "I'm not supposed to say, but . . . if he was to be coming back, I would look to September."
When Dicker asked if he meant satellite radio, Dietl replied, "Broadcast."
Word has it that Imus has been out at comedy clubs looking for an African American comic to serve as his sidekick and to keep him in check should any racial jokes pop up, the Post reports.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
CBS. So guess who's going to have the last laugh and it won't
be Jesse or Al. I mentioned in one of my previous blogs that
it was just a matter of time before Imus would return to radio.
It seems as if it is going to happen a lot sooner than most people
think. So what are your thoughts on the situation?
Shock jock Don Imus, fired from WFAN and MSNBC for using racist and sexist remarks, may be back on the air as soon as September, according to the New York Post.
The paper says it received confirmation from private eye Bo Dietl, who was a regular on "Imus in the Morning" on WFAN. Dietl said on Post State Editor Fred Dicker's Albany radio show, "I'm not supposed to say, but . . . if he was to be coming back, I would look to September."
When Dicker asked if he meant satellite radio, Dietl replied, "Broadcast."
Word has it that Imus has been out at comedy clubs looking for an African American comic to serve as his sidekick and to keep him in check should any racial jokes pop up, the Post reports.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Friday, July 13, 2007
Aid For Mozambique
Well at least blacks somewhere in the world are
getting U.S. funds. Bush may be trying to sway
future immigrants from Mozambique to join the
republican party. He's had little success in his
home country so he's taking the recruitment
drive on the road. Well whatever his reasons I'm
glad to see he's spreading the wealth. What do
you think?
The main U.S. development fund on Friday signed a $506.9 million aid agreement with Mozambique to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in the southern African country.
The agreement was signed by Millennium Challenge Corporation chief John Danilovich and Mozambican development and planning minister Aiuba Cuereneia in Washington.
U.S. President George W. Bush set up the MCC, which extends foreign aid for anti-poverty programs in developing countries, in 2004. Since then, it has signed aid agreements with 12 countries, most in Africa and Latin America. It is expected to sign a similar deal with Lesotho in July.
The funding for Mozambique would help fight poverty by improving water, sanitation, roads, land rights and agriculture, Danilovich said
"The agreement is a testament to Mozambique's strong commitment to good governance," he said, adding that program should benefit about five million Mozambicans.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
getting U.S. funds. Bush may be trying to sway
future immigrants from Mozambique to join the
republican party. He's had little success in his
home country so he's taking the recruitment
drive on the road. Well whatever his reasons I'm
glad to see he's spreading the wealth. What do
you think?
The main U.S. development fund on Friday signed a $506.9 million aid agreement with Mozambique to promote economic growth and reduce poverty in the southern African country.
The agreement was signed by Millennium Challenge Corporation chief John Danilovich and Mozambican development and planning minister Aiuba Cuereneia in Washington.
U.S. President George W. Bush set up the MCC, which extends foreign aid for anti-poverty programs in developing countries, in 2004. Since then, it has signed aid agreements with 12 countries, most in Africa and Latin America. It is expected to sign a similar deal with Lesotho in July.
The funding for Mozambique would help fight poverty by improving water, sanitation, roads, land rights and agriculture, Danilovich said
"The agreement is a testament to Mozambique's strong commitment to good governance," he said, adding that program should benefit about five million Mozambicans.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Let Them Choose?
I found this article of interest especially to those
who just might be of Cherokee decent. Seems
that the nation has changed the rules on who is to
be considered Cherokee and who is not and this
seems to affect a number of black folks that were
decendants of slaves that became apart of the nation
some time back. Read on and offer up your opinion on
how this should be settled.
I'M PROUD TO BE a Cherokee citizen who is also descended from black slaves, and the Cherokee Nation I know is one of the most diverse, welcoming societies on Earth. Yet today, my tribe stands accused of racism and is the target of legislation introduced by Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) aimed at cutting off our federal funding because we amended our tribal constitution to affirm that, in order to be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, you must prove by-blood descent from Cherokee Indians.
Can a tribe be both inclusive and have a by-blood requirement? My experience proves that it can, and I believe that Indians deserve the right to preserve our heritage through a direct connection to our ancestors.The constitutional amendment is a recent chapter of a long history. In 1906, a census called the Dawes Roll was created, listing by-blood Indians along with non-Indian residents of Cherokee Territory. Some of those residents were former Cherokee slaves or their descendants, known as freedmen, and an 1866 treaty with the U.S. government called for them to have "rights of native Cherokees."
Watson refers to that treaty as the basis for her contention that all freedmen should be tribal members. But of course that treaty was controversial. It came after the infamous Trail of Tears and at the end of the Civil War, which ushered in half a century of fierce U.S. government efforts to destroy Cherokee (and other tribes') sovereignty and land claims. Ultimately, the only "rights of native Cherokees" left to speak of were the right of individuals to a private land allotment and a cash payment from the U.S. government — which non-Indian freedmen and Cherokees alike received when the U.S. dissolved our territory and made Oklahoma a state.
Then, for a long time, there was no functioning Cherokee government. It wasn't until 1975 that Cherokees were able to revitalize their nation and lay claim to self-governance. The Cherokee constitution was written then, and its intent was that Cherokee citizens should be Indians who could trace their lineage to at least one by-blood Indian listed on the Dawes Roll.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
who just might be of Cherokee decent. Seems
that the nation has changed the rules on who is to
be considered Cherokee and who is not and this
seems to affect a number of black folks that were
decendants of slaves that became apart of the nation
some time back. Read on and offer up your opinion on
how this should be settled.
I'M PROUD TO BE a Cherokee citizen who is also descended from black slaves, and the Cherokee Nation I know is one of the most diverse, welcoming societies on Earth. Yet today, my tribe stands accused of racism and is the target of legislation introduced by Rep. Diane Watson (D-Los Angeles) aimed at cutting off our federal funding because we amended our tribal constitution to affirm that, in order to be a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, you must prove by-blood descent from Cherokee Indians.
Can a tribe be both inclusive and have a by-blood requirement? My experience proves that it can, and I believe that Indians deserve the right to preserve our heritage through a direct connection to our ancestors.The constitutional amendment is a recent chapter of a long history. In 1906, a census called the Dawes Roll was created, listing by-blood Indians along with non-Indian residents of Cherokee Territory. Some of those residents were former Cherokee slaves or their descendants, known as freedmen, and an 1866 treaty with the U.S. government called for them to have "rights of native Cherokees."
Watson refers to that treaty as the basis for her contention that all freedmen should be tribal members. But of course that treaty was controversial. It came after the infamous Trail of Tears and at the end of the Civil War, which ushered in half a century of fierce U.S. government efforts to destroy Cherokee (and other tribes') sovereignty and land claims. Ultimately, the only "rights of native Cherokees" left to speak of were the right of individuals to a private land allotment and a cash payment from the U.S. government — which non-Indian freedmen and Cherokees alike received when the U.S. dissolved our territory and made Oklahoma a state.
Then, for a long time, there was no functioning Cherokee government. It wasn't until 1975 that Cherokees were able to revitalize their nation and lay claim to self-governance. The Cherokee constitution was written then, and its intent was that Cherokee citizens should be Indians who could trace their lineage to at least one by-blood Indian listed on the Dawes Roll.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Monday, July 9, 2007
The "N" Word Has A Funeral
For all intent and purpose this was a good idea but
will the younger generation allow it to remain in it's
grave? Will the N-word become like Count Dracula?
Only time will tell. What is your opinion on this matter?
Hundreds of onlookers cheered Monday afternoon as the NAACP put to rest a long-standing expression of racism by holding a public burial for the N-word during its annual convention.
The ceremony included a march by delegates from across the country from downtown Detroit's Cobo Center to Hart Plaza. Along the way, two Percheron horses pulled a pine box adorned with a bouquet of fake black roses and a black ribbon printed with a derivation of the word.
The coffin is to be placed at Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery and will have a headstone.
"Today we're not just burying the N-word, we're taking it out of our spirit," said Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. "We gather burying all the things that go with the N-word. We have to bury the 'pimps' and the 'hos' that go with it."
He continued: "Die N-word, and we don't want to see you 'round here no more."
The N-word has been used as a slur against blacks for more than a century. It remains a symbol of racism, but also is used by blacks when referring to other blacks, especially in comedy routines and rap and hip-hop music.
"This was the greatest child that racism ever birthed," the Rev. Otis Moss III, assistant pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, said in his eulogy.
Public discussion on the word's use increased last year following a tirade by "Seinfeld" actor Michael Richards, who used it repeatedly during a Los Angeles comedy routine and later issued a public apology.
The issue about racially insensitive remarks heated up earlier this year after talk show host Don Imus described black members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" on April 4.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
will the younger generation allow it to remain in it's
grave? Will the N-word become like Count Dracula?
Only time will tell. What is your opinion on this matter?
Hundreds of onlookers cheered Monday afternoon as the NAACP put to rest a long-standing expression of racism by holding a public burial for the N-word during its annual convention.
The ceremony included a march by delegates from across the country from downtown Detroit's Cobo Center to Hart Plaza. Along the way, two Percheron horses pulled a pine box adorned with a bouquet of fake black roses and a black ribbon printed with a derivation of the word.
The coffin is to be placed at Detroit Memorial Park Cemetery and will have a headstone.
"Today we're not just burying the N-word, we're taking it out of our spirit," said Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick. "We gather burying all the things that go with the N-word. We have to bury the 'pimps' and the 'hos' that go with it."
He continued: "Die N-word, and we don't want to see you 'round here no more."
The N-word has been used as a slur against blacks for more than a century. It remains a symbol of racism, but also is used by blacks when referring to other blacks, especially in comedy routines and rap and hip-hop music.
"This was the greatest child that racism ever birthed," the Rev. Otis Moss III, assistant pastor at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, said in his eulogy.
Public discussion on the word's use increased last year following a tirade by "Seinfeld" actor Michael Richards, who used it repeatedly during a Los Angeles comedy routine and later issued a public apology.
The issue about racially insensitive remarks heated up earlier this year after talk show host Don Imus described black members of the Rutgers University women's basketball team as "nappy-headed hos" on April 4.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
Thursday, July 5, 2007
Obama Says He's The Man!
Ah, To be young, brash and cocky, thats thye way obama
is feeling these days. With a fat war chest of cash he's
more than ready to take on the Clintons who say thay
are best quailified to turn the nation around. But Obama
says the country wants new blood instead. Check out the
article below and let us know if you agree.
Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday that while he thinks highly of former President Clinton, voters weary of Washington-style political wrangling want to avoid "the same old thing" as the 2008 campaign unfolds."I admire Bill Clinton, I think he did a lot of fine things as president and he's a terrific political strategist," the Illinois senator said in an interview with the Associated Press.
"What we're more interested in is in looking forward, not looking backward. I think the American people feel the same way. They are looking for a way to break out of the harsh partisanship and the old arguments and solve problems."Obama spoke as the former president campaigned across Iowa on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). The presence of a former president on the campaign trail was getting heavy attention, and the Clintons were campaigning on a slogan arguing they were best prepared to bring change to the country.Obama dismissed that argument, however, saying he thinks voters are looking to turn the page — and not return to an earlier political era.As reported in the Top of the Ticket politics blog, in some remarks in Iowa, ex-President Clinton anticipated such an argument by his wife's rivals.
"I think I'm in a position to bring about the change that people want," Obama said. "Change can't just be a slogan. Change has to mean that we're not doing the same old thing that we've been doing."Obama's critics argue he lacks experience, and Clinton's backers point to her eight years as first lady and her tenure in the Senate as evidence she is qualified to be president. Obama dismissed experience that's rooted in Washington."What I know is the kind of experience I have outside of Washington as a community organizer working with families that are struggling, as a constitutional law professor, as a state legislator dealing with the very issues that affect people, people find that experience at least as relevant, maybe more relevant, than experience in Washington.
"In the interview, Obama declined to criticize Clinton directly."Hillary Clinton is a capable person and an experienced person and she's got a good track record as a senator from New York," said Obama, who said his history is one of pushing for change — not building a resume.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net
is feeling these days. With a fat war chest of cash he's
more than ready to take on the Clintons who say thay
are best quailified to turn the nation around. But Obama
says the country wants new blood instead. Check out the
article below and let us know if you agree.
Democrat Barack Obama said Wednesday that while he thinks highly of former President Clinton, voters weary of Washington-style political wrangling want to avoid "the same old thing" as the 2008 campaign unfolds."I admire Bill Clinton, I think he did a lot of fine things as president and he's a terrific political strategist," the Illinois senator said in an interview with the Associated Press.
"What we're more interested in is in looking forward, not looking backward. I think the American people feel the same way. They are looking for a way to break out of the harsh partisanship and the old arguments and solve problems."Obama spoke as the former president campaigned across Iowa on behalf of his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.). The presence of a former president on the campaign trail was getting heavy attention, and the Clintons were campaigning on a slogan arguing they were best prepared to bring change to the country.Obama dismissed that argument, however, saying he thinks voters are looking to turn the page — and not return to an earlier political era.As reported in the Top of the Ticket politics blog, in some remarks in Iowa, ex-President Clinton anticipated such an argument by his wife's rivals.
"I think I'm in a position to bring about the change that people want," Obama said. "Change can't just be a slogan. Change has to mean that we're not doing the same old thing that we've been doing."Obama's critics argue he lacks experience, and Clinton's backers point to her eight years as first lady and her tenure in the Senate as evidence she is qualified to be president. Obama dismissed experience that's rooted in Washington."What I know is the kind of experience I have outside of Washington as a community organizer working with families that are struggling, as a constitutional law professor, as a state legislator dealing with the very issues that affect people, people find that experience at least as relevant, maybe more relevant, than experience in Washington.
"In the interview, Obama declined to criticize Clinton directly."Hillary Clinton is a capable person and an experienced person and she's got a good track record as a senator from New York," said Obama, who said his history is one of pushing for change — not building a resume.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net
Monday, July 2, 2007
Would Military Use Be Better Option?
This incident in the article below may not have
happened if the military were used to protect
our borders. For one thing it would send a signal
to those that want to take advantage of the current
situation of limited personal to do the job. If we are
going to protect our borders then we must forget
about being non-chalant about it and stop trying to
uphold an image that we are such a free society.
Do you have an opinion on this issue? Let's hear it.
What's clear from the surveillance tape is that Nicholas Corbett wheeled his Border Patrol truck around and cut off the four immigrants who had been trudging through the desert less than 100 yards north of the border.But the tape does not show what happened next on that January afternoon. According to court records, Corbett told supervisors that he had killed Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, 22, with a single gunshot after the immigrant raised a rock to throw at him.
But the other immigrants — two brothers and a sister-in-law of Dominguez-Rivera — said that their relative had been empty-handed and that Corbett had pushed him to his knees before shooting him.The Cochise County prosecutor has charged Corbett, 39, with murder — an unusual step, especially in a conservative county long affected by illegal immigration. The judge could charge Corbett with a lesser count such as manslaughter at a preliminary hearing scheduled for August.
"We came to the conclusion that this is not a legally justified shooting," said County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer, who says he has been inundated with angry e-mails since filing the charges in late April. "It's an incident that has nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with the immigration issue."But in southeastern Arizona — where homeowners find immigrants hiding in their backyards and where Border Patrol checkpoints proliferate — illegal immigration permeates every aspect of life and colors how some judge the shooting. The one thing people agree on is that the case demonstrates how the border has become more perilous for those trying to sneak across it and for the agents assigned to catch them.
Assaults on agents are up 10% in southeastern Arizona over last year, and though the number is holding steady nationwide, the Border Patrol says attacks have become more violent. Officers say immigrants are more likely to run and throw rocks or, as happened near Yuma, Ariz., last month, Molotov cocktails.The Border Patrol has seized nearly twice as much cocaine this year as last. The crossing is riskier for illegal immigrants too. Deaths among crossers are up 21% over last year. Bandits watch border-crossing routes, robbing immigrants and sometimes kidnapping entire groups. And Mexican border towns have been racked by drug violence that U.S. authorities fear could spread across the line.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
happened if the military were used to protect
our borders. For one thing it would send a signal
to those that want to take advantage of the current
situation of limited personal to do the job. If we are
going to protect our borders then we must forget
about being non-chalant about it and stop trying to
uphold an image that we are such a free society.
Do you have an opinion on this issue? Let's hear it.
What's clear from the surveillance tape is that Nicholas Corbett wheeled his Border Patrol truck around and cut off the four immigrants who had been trudging through the desert less than 100 yards north of the border.But the tape does not show what happened next on that January afternoon. According to court records, Corbett told supervisors that he had killed Francisco Javier Dominguez-Rivera, 22, with a single gunshot after the immigrant raised a rock to throw at him.
But the other immigrants — two brothers and a sister-in-law of Dominguez-Rivera — said that their relative had been empty-handed and that Corbett had pushed him to his knees before shooting him.The Cochise County prosecutor has charged Corbett, 39, with murder — an unusual step, especially in a conservative county long affected by illegal immigration. The judge could charge Corbett with a lesser count such as manslaughter at a preliminary hearing scheduled for August.
"We came to the conclusion that this is not a legally justified shooting," said County Attorney Ed Rheinheimer, who says he has been inundated with angry e-mails since filing the charges in late April. "It's an incident that has nothing to do with politics, nothing to do with the immigration issue."But in southeastern Arizona — where homeowners find immigrants hiding in their backyards and where Border Patrol checkpoints proliferate — illegal immigration permeates every aspect of life and colors how some judge the shooting. The one thing people agree on is that the case demonstrates how the border has become more perilous for those trying to sneak across it and for the agents assigned to catch them.
Assaults on agents are up 10% in southeastern Arizona over last year, and though the number is holding steady nationwide, the Border Patrol says attacks have become more violent. Officers say immigrants are more likely to run and throw rocks or, as happened near Yuma, Ariz., last month, Molotov cocktails.The Border Patrol has seized nearly twice as much cocaine this year as last. The crossing is riskier for illegal immigrants too. Deaths among crossers are up 21% over last year. Bandits watch border-crossing routes, robbing immigrants and sometimes kidnapping entire groups. And Mexican border towns have been racked by drug violence that U.S. authorities fear could spread across the line.
This Article Continues Here
Get your copy of the award winning King:
"From Atlanta to the Mountain top
It's the 3-Hour Docudrama that
tells the story of the Civil Rights
movement and the life of
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To learn more and hear
excerpts from this treasured
program,click here:
http://www.kingprogram.net/
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