Question of The Day- Covid, Police Brutallity, What's Next

What can I say except here we go again. Another black man loses his life due to police brutality. It would be overstating the obvious if I said that we as a people are so tired of this because not only is another life loss, but our distrust of the justice system only adds to the anguish and pain because in most cases justice is the last thing that we receive. It has been reported that George Floyd tried to pass a counterfeit $20 bill. Now whether it was intentional or not we may not ever know, however the subsequent actions that followed this alleged crime was definitely not warranted. We have marched, sang and protested these crimes against black men and women and to no avail it has often been futile because of the systemic racism and hatred of a people by a people who still view us as inferior, ignorant and not worthy to be treated as equals. 

Unfortunately we have not come far within this civil rights struggle and one of the profound obstacles that is not spoken about much is their fear of us. The noted poet and author James Baldwin once said " it is certain in any case that ignorance allied with power is the most ferocious enemy justice can have" This quote is so profound because it speaks directly to the two issues that are at the forefront of this systemic malady that has plagued us for centuries, ignorance and Power. In this case Ignorance is not about the state of unawareness. No, it is so much more than that. There is an old saying "Contempt prior to investigation is everlasting ignorance."In other words, to hate or have disdain for something or someone that you know little or nothing about is ignorant. Power, well the phrase that best describes it is the quote "Absolute Power corrupts absolutely. Power is often seen as an intoxicating elixir once tasted creates a need and a want that is often unquenchable.

Those in power are always wanting and seeking to keep the status quo tilted in their direction because becoming one of the have nots is an inconceivable that they are not willing to live with.  So you see it is not just a race thing, it's the ability to do as you please to whom ever you please, disregarding race, religion or lack of religion with impunity. Why? Because the only color that is respected and cared about is GREEN. Furthermore no matter who you are if you try to interfere with their program you too will become collateral damage. Not to forget it but when you add racism to the equation you create an unholy trifecta that has been dominating the face of the earth for centuries. The year 2020 represents the biggest threat to the so called norm in close to 60 years. Which brings me to this point; How is it that we are still asking for civil rights when the most basic of human rights is not being respected? 

Mind Spray of the Day- Justice, The Invisible Boogeyman

Justice..... What is Justice? Do it mean the same to everyone? Is it a myth, a socially accepted fabricated principle based upon an astrological scale that never seems to balance itself out? Justice for all intents and purposes is the exacted measurement of righting a wrong and bringing some sort of satisfaction to and for the principles involved in a conflict, whether it be legal or otherwise. According to Wikipedia Justice is defined as the concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, fairness, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics.

Alright, so let's delve into this a little deeper. "The concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationalilty, law, natural, fairness or equity along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics. Right off the bat the first thing that stands out for me is having the words law and fairness in the same sentence because it comes off as the ultimate oxymoron. Now, the average person may think that I'm being a bit melodramatic in my surmation, but thank Allah that I'm not the average person. See I'm speaking from a platform of a man who still has a very sour taste in his mouth after serving a 10 1/2 year sentence in the penal system

However this is not my story, well not entirely. When I was a young kid I can remember seeing pictures of Emmet Till in his casket and could not for the life of me understand how his mother allowed her son to be viewed like that. I've grown and changed my stance on that issue. But let's get back to justice. History has shown that individuals who didn't appear to have a voice or any "so called" rights always cried out for Justice to be served whenever their, not civil, or human, but inalienable rights were infringed upon. For centuries those same cries have echoed and resonated throughtout galaxies and universe throughout the Solar system unanswered because those who are impoverished, disenfranchised, and have darker hue skins containing mass amounts of melanin are still looking for this ghost to appear.

It has become a practice to provide protection upon things and or people that have value and if there is some type of infraction then those who violate will penalized to the fullest exent of the law. For a lot of us justice is the not the entity that "prides itself on moral rightness." No justice is the dark cloak reaper who moves across the face of the earth with a hood and a face that has never been seen to bring more and more pain, misery and suffering to anyone that crosses it's path. Was justice served when Michael Stewart was killed in a NYC transit station for tagging or spray painting graffiti on the wall. Was Amadou Diallo given justice when he was gunned down for reaching for a wallet to show ID he was asked to produce. If justice is the scale that  moralilty, law, natural law, and fairness is placed upon then explain to me why is it so evasive and why won't it show it's face to us?

The holders and makers of the law are quick to tell us just how right and fair this system is but the "Standard Business Procedures" that these laws are encased in speak to the contrary. Now, I'm not going to bore you with loads of statistics and cases to coroborate my position. No, I'm speaking strictly from a moral principal that has us living in a country that has a constitution and a set of laws that were written for a select group of people and we wonder we protection isn't given. Why the phrase "fair trial" is like going to a vegetarian restaurant and asking for a hamburger. It's ludicrous.

And today is no exception. Most of us know about the Oscar Grant trial and were outrage by the outcome of the sentencing, however when you look at from the reverse angle you will see that according the morals and ethics of those who wield the power justice was served. Now can add so many other names to this equation, like Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner, Michael Brown just to name a few. These young also lost their lives and within the "justice" system, justice was not given because at the end of the day a live was extinguished and no one was held accountable
See when you stand in front of a person or people who doesn't see you or value you as a human being then it makes it easy to discard you and your existence. The police officer is valuable to those in power because they would rather slap one of their "overseerers" on the writst for doing what they told him to do in the first place, then to give justice to the family of the man he is charged with seeing over.

Yes, I'm talking about slavery, but from a different perspective, however the way punishment is metted out hasn't changed much. So, if you're expecting justice to become courageous and show his face to you, forget it. However rest assure that if it is deemed that you have fallen outside of his "moral rightness" then his face will no longer be an issue, but his wrath, well that's a whole other story. In the end the sad part in all of this is we keep getting shown that all we have is JUST US and we still won't come together. Damn

Feel Good Joint of The Day- James Brown- Say It Loud

Keeping Real Thought Of The Day- Economics vs. Safety

It is a fact the Covid-19 virus has changed the landscape of what we knew as normal life forever. Sheltering in place, social distancing are terms that we had never heard of, much less even considered but here we are. It's almost inconceivable that a virus such as this could singlehandedly shut down just cities, countries, province and states but the whole world in general. The Government and global companies are losing billions of dollars and as a result they are panicking and trying to stay functional amidst the pandemic. However so are the people that reside within these countries. We are trying to keep the lights on, feed our families and make it day to day with no cure or vaccine in sight and often times very little hope. The Dow Jones and Nasdaq is very unstable and now we are faced with re-opening the 50 states going from a conversation to a reality.

Common sense says that we have to understand that economic stability is necessary for this country not to go so far in debt that it may never recover. However at what cost? The love of money it is said is the root of all evil and even though some may agree or disagree the one thing that is abundantly clear that by any means necessary the powers that be are willing to sacrifice as many of us they can to prove it. They are playing a dangerous game and at the same time playing on the fears, anxiety and theories of conspiracies to rope people into thinking that opening up the country somehow equates to the pandemic being "under control" and we know that it is far from it.Even in the face of new information that the practice of wearing masks and social distancing seems to be working thousands of people perish on a daily basis.

Yes we all have some sort of cabin fever and yes we crave to be reunited with friends and loved ones, but the normalcy or what we used to call normal is slowly slipping away. Conversely it is hard to deny the fact that because we took the suggested precautions the country is a little safer...just a little. We understand that from a physical perspective all we can think about is this virus, but we can turn a blind eye to the fact that Wall Street is driving this reopening and not only putting people at risk but the potential for a second round this malady to terrorize us rises exponentially.

If the safety of the people were the number one priority we wouldn't be having this conversation, however it is plain to see that is not the case. A large majority of the population will continue to do what is necessary to keep themselves and their families safe. As for the sheeple, well it remains to be seen and how this decision to reopen will affect us as a whole. Stay tuned.

The Last Poets "Black People What Y'all Gone Do?"

POETIC FLAME OF THE DAY- TIRED

Eyes filled with disdain, hate is the venom that flows like Ice through your veins. Fists and nightsticks ready to inflict pain, hide behind that badge can't stand on your own. Heart black as an onyx stone. Hate personified from the top of your head to the marrow of your bone.

See, not much has changed in my reality, far too many fatalities due to police brutality. Traded in your horse and whip for the ride with blue siren on top loaded with automatic weapons and extra clips. Waiting for me to slip so you can trip; any excuse is better than none. You scream self defense even though you're the only one with the gun.

In this little shop of horrors we aint promised no tomorrows. A brotha begs and borrows while drowning in the quicksand of his own sorrows. Tired of the disrespect, tired of trying to keep your foot off of my neck. From where I sit I'm just tired of all your S#** I don't know, maybe just maybe its time to get this revolution on and poppin' so we can get this over with.

Tired of physical and psychological emasculation, tired of blatant miseducation and unnecessary inarceration. Slavery, I was told that they signed the proclamation, butI guess it was a declaration of fabrication based on this nations infatuation with power and domination.Oh yeah and about reparations, we'll have to pick that up in another conversation.

I've come to the end of my poetic dissertation on the violent acts against our black nation. The names have changed but the game is still the same. No time to turn the othe cheek as the life's blood from our bodies continue to leak. No more lessons, time for you to feel my prescence. Even if I lose my life and get sent back to the essence, I'm telling you for the last time...I'M TIRED!

A-Skillz
Cipher Publishing
2020

Guest Blog By Reggie Smith : We Need Truth & Reconciliation, Without Anymore Hesitation

I remember going to the March on Washington over 50 years ago when Martin Luther King Jr delivered his "I have a dream" speech, I also attended the Million Man March in the same place with Minister Louis Farrakhan as the keynote speaker. I've been inspired by Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Dr. John Henrik Clark, Rev Al Sharpton, Dr. Michael Eric Dyson, Barack Obama and so many other black leaders of thought and action including my parents. These are just a few who have spoken truth to power. Unfortunately, the systemic power of the status quo does not seem to want to hear or act on the truth. It is not possible to reconcile a lie like the one racism is built on without first admitting to the atrocities that have perpetuated to maintain and sustain that lie, is it.

People of color have been suffering oppression and other indignities worldwide for all of my life and longer. It has never made sense that white people would claim superiority based simply being white no one has the choice of what race we are born into. The evil that has been in the name of so called civility is unbelievable. In America, Black people have had to fight with and for our lives in order to create a space where we might enoy what is said in the Constitution to be "inalienable" human rights. Now, all immigrants of color are faced with oppression and rejection while either fleeing life threatening situations, or simply seeking freedom and self determination. Even the history of Black people worldwide is perverted or suppressed in order to justify racial injustice. It is easier to say that race relations in America have gotten of you do not have live with the trauma of being discriminated against. There is no justification for racism in the first place.Are we satisfied with the state of race realations in America or the world as a whole? What will it take for there to be human equity?

W.E.B. Dubois said, "The cost of liberty is less than the price of repression." I interpret to mean more than an economic debt is incurred when so much energy is put into denying the truth about human inequality. There is a great spiritual price we are paying because quite simply we are spiritual beings having a human experience. There is no conscious choice we can make to choose what tribe we are born into, however there may be a karmic decision made by our eternal souls to come into this incarnation in a particular place and race in order to fulfill our individual and collective debt. When we approach life from the perspective of an "engaged observer" we are able to more easily achieve some level of equanimity. Thurgood Marshall, the first African American U.S. Supreme Court member said, "In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute." We are all I assume with a purpose for being. Without any evidence, I maintain the hope that the world will be transformed into a place more suitable for peace and self determination for people of color in my lifetime.

Great change is often preceded by great chaos. By that standard, we must be on the verge of a new earth. We are all blessed to be on the planet to experience this phase of human evolution. We certainly have a part to play in how the story progresses. Our actual choices in the universal outcome of mankind is limited to the choices we make in our daily interactions with each other and ecology. Coretta Scott King said, " Hate is too great a burden to bear. It injures the hater more than it injures the hated." We are here at this time in human history to be the light-bearers and drum majors for truth and love. Black History is world history. There is no separation between the two, so let us make a conscious choice to spread love. As the song says, "Love is the one thing there is so to little of, What the world needs now is love sweet love. Not just for some but for everyone."

After all, your are more than a follower, you are a warrior!! Now is the time to RISE4WAR!!