rootwork the rootsblog: a cyberhoodoo webspace

Rootsbag:02/23: Aristide & Haiti, Hardcore Kerry, Spying on Kofi, Bush & the BigLie, Nader Clone, MIT Armchair Warriors Conference

Rough Ride

Its been a bad week. Between Haitis descent into chaos and Ralph Naders revolutionary egotripping its been one of those weeks make you want to crawl back under the covers and sleep it off. Wake me after the election.

Kerrys Liabilities Election: 2004

According to folk from the Nader polisat link below, Kerrys liberal voting record are going to be a serious problem when folk really start focusing on him during the real election. Another commentator says that for the Democrats to counter Bushs National Security strength they are going to have to position themselves as more hardline than Bush is and that they might not be able to stomach the level of demogoguery that will entail.

So far Kerry has positioned himself as much more of an internationalist in his attempt to out National Security Bush. Hopefully that will fly but we may have to be prepared to hear some questionable positions from him. National Security is a real issue that cant be swept under the progressive rug. What positions will he take on Civil Liberties. On the use of Force. How far are we willing to go to oust Bush.

Joke of the Year: Nader Clone is Running Again.

Im convinced that this is not the Ralph Nader that we used to love and respect. Im convinced that this is an evil clone substituted for the real Ralph Nader by the Heritage Foundations Re-elect Bush Committee and programmed to run as a Spoiler every 4 years.

Revolutionary fundamentalism and runaway egos are a toxic mix. Fortunately he will not be anything nearly like the force he was 4 years ago. My daddy used to say Fool me once shame on you. Fool me twice shame on me.

The Nader Clone will fool only a small percentage of the Fundamentalist Left this time. And if they that lame we better off without them.

But then again, some folk say he got Game. One commentator said the only thing certain is that this is going to be a twisty election and we best strap in for the ride. If Nadir (sorry, I meant Nader) is the biggest bump in the road we doing fine.

British Spying on Kofi Annan 2/26

Ex British cabinet minister Claire Short in a Guardian interview exposes British intelligence spying on Kofi Annan as part of the push to get UN backing for the war in Iraq. She says she has read transcripts of Kofi Annans conversations.

An embarrassed Blair has dropped charges brought last week against the leaker of a memo proving American/British spying on Security Council.

Short also comments on the intensity of the pressure bought to bear on African countries to back the UN resolution on going to war with Iraq. I am proud of the African countries for being able to resist the pressures America and Britain bought on them. They thought the Africans would be susceptible to financial and diplomatic pressure but they stood firm with the rest of the world in opposition to Bushs discretionary war.

She puts all this in a context of a web of deceit woven by Britain and America to shill the Iraq war. When asked what should we do now, she replied, "I think the good old British democracy should keep scrutinizing and pressing to get the truth out."

Guardian: "How? There's been a lot of it and a lot of people are beginning to say look we've heard it all, we've had the war let's put it behind us, Tony Blair certainly wants to put it behind us."

CS: "Yes, but the tragedy is that Iraq is a disastrous mess. Ten thousand Iraqis have died, American troops are dying, some of our troops have died, the Middle East is more angry than ever.

I'm afraid that the sort of deceit on the route to war was linked to the lack of preparation for afterwards and the chaos and suffering that continues, so it won't go away, will it?"

Bush Vulnerabilities 2004: Addicted to Lies: 2.6 Million Jobs, Yeah Right

They just don’t get it. They are so used to governing through unreasonable projections that they cant swear off them. Their latest job projection is that America will gain more than 2 million jobs before the end of the year. This is clearly ridiculous and for once (because Bush’s credibility has been an issue) the media called them on it. They as yet don’t understand that what has worked so well for them to date will no longer do so.
There has been a consistent Bush Administration pattern of the Big Lie. Two years ago Bush forecast 3.4 million more jobs in 2003 and a budget deficit of $14 million. The economy lost 1.7 million jobs and the budget deficit is busting $500 billion.

This willingness to lie without shame has been consistent throughout his presidency. It has been reflected in the WMD buildup to the war in Iraq and the recent protest by over 100 prominent scientists regarding the Bush Administrations pattern of abusing science to promote their right wing agenda.

I hope they continue to stumble and expose themselves. They are addicted to political lies and don’t quite understand yet that they aren’t going to be allowed a free ride on that any more. Or maybe Im the one whose fooling himself.

Armchair Warriors of the World Unite

Fifth Annual Conference on GRASSROOTS USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Cambridge, MA
Saturday, March 13, 2004 * 900 am - 530 pm

Sponsored by the Organizers Collaborative and the MIT Center for Reflective Community Practice

Featuring workshops on subjects including:

Technology for Political and Civic Engagement
Voter Lists and the Civic Engagement Initiative
Social Capital: Forming Citizen Networks
Intro to Blogs, Meetups, Evites and Useful Web Tools,
Maintaining your Mailing Lists,
Benefiting from a Database-backed Web Site,
Introduction to Distributed Campaigns
E-Advocacy
etc.etc

If you cant make it consider subscribing to the Organizing Collaboratiive’s Octech e-letter on computers and social change.

Hoodoo Magic: Healer, Heal Thyself

Been involved in this effort to modernize the hoodoo tradition. Make it one of the worlds great spiritual systems. Generally when folk think hoodoo they thinking slaverytime hoodoo - spells, hells and black cat bones. But as African Americans have evolved as a people so too has their spiritual tradition. Comparing contemporary hoodoo to slaverytime hoodoo is like comparing the space shuttle to an oxdrawn cart.

Hoodoo though is a very eclectic system and you got a wide range of practitioners from the classic rural magic workers to the sophisticated ideological orchestrators of literary hoodoo. Then you got many thriving hoodoo listserves. Go to Yahoo Groups, search under "hoodoo" and you will find many groups like Siren's Hoodoo List. There is much more hoodoo activity going on (online and off) than most folk realize.

My concern is that so much of contemporary hoodoo is based on the archaic form of practice exemplified by Cat Yronwode and the Lucky Mojo school. Because she has an extraordinary knowledge base and is a strong organizer (for instance her online hoodoo correspondence course) her brand of hoodoo has become the prevailing approach and she herself a major hoodoo force. My objection is that she teaches an antiquated folkloric model of hoodoo thats about 100 years out of date.

My position, (and admittedly one not very valued in hoodoo circles) is that contemporary hoodoo should be about more than folkmagic practices. I have called the concerns I would like hoodoo to be about ‘high magic’ in an attempt to retain the magical mode but add some contemporary licks befitting a cutting edge spiritual (magical) system. Licks like Personal Illumination. Cultural Guidance. Social Transformation and the Conjuration of Reality. Destinic Orchestration and the Care and Feeding of the Tribal Soul.

Manifestations of Will and Way: Making Real That Which Was Not: Turning The Key in the Hoodoo Lock.

I not only want hoodoo to be a strong contemporary spiritual/magical system, I want hoodoo to be a cutting edge spiritual/magical system. And even moreso a prophetic one. I want to play the longgame.

Hoodoo has always been as much shamanistic as its been magical and Gullah Jack as much an ancestral force as Marie Leveau. Hoodoos have traditionally functioned as cultural guides and guardians and I object to exclusively newage wiccan modes of hoodoo that strip it of its role as a cultural and spiritual force. That take away its true power.

Folk dismiss my concerns on the basis that hoodoo has always been a folkmagic system so I guess its supposed to stay a folkmagic system forever. My position is that it was a folk system when we were a folk people but we are so much more than that now and our indigenous spiritual system should reflect that. So often folk who adopt black cultural modes (like the blues) adopt antiquated souldead forms of black culture. While the living breathing culture is moving on they are stuck in their folkloric mode.

If hoodoo is to be a viable 21st Century system rather than just a cultural curiosity it has to grow and evolve It has to be a living breathing evolving entity. I don’t mind folk following that old slaverytime model of hoodoo if they must. There is a lot of it, for instance the herb knowledge and other magical principles, that are still viable. (And if I were not a Traditionalist I would not be a hoodoo in the firstplace.) But I believe that contemporary hoodoo should also concern itself with personal illumination and cultural custodianship.

I am a Traditionalist but not a Fundamentalist. I believe that many of the issues that concern hoodoo clients would be better addressed by personal illumination. Folk come to me all the time asking me if I can hurt somebody for them. Save their marriage with a spell. Make somebody love them. Revenge themselves. Make everything right. Why should I indulge that infantile mode of social behavior, when instead I should try to get them to see and understand their own need to grow and evolve.

I ran up on this admonition on the Mamiwata Vodoun site that spoke to many of my concerns about antiquated hoodoo practice:

WHAT NOT TO REQUEST FROM A MAMAISSII PRIESTESS

Contrary to what you many have been conditioned to believe in Hollywood, the Vodoun Religion is an ancestral and healing tradition laced with the same moral and social integrity as any mainstream religion. A good rule of thumb to remember is: if you will not contact your Christian priest, Jewish Rabbi, Muslim Cleric, Swami etc.,to request the following services, we ask that you NOT request them from us:

1. Breaking up marriages to pursue the spouse of another
2. Killing of anyone for any reason
3. Cursing your enemies or anyone for any reason
4. Causing disharmony, bad fortune or sickness upon anyone for any reason
5. Forcing someone to love you (unrequited love) for any reason
6. Forcing someone who obviously does not love you to return
7. Getting you out of jail for a crime that YOU committed and were found guilty.

These points reflect many of my own concerns. On many levels, hoodoo (and the ATR afrospiritual family) has to grow and evolve. I will not leave my beloved tradition nor my beloved people to flounder into the 21st Century with a 19th Century understanding.

Healer, Heal Thyself.

Rickydoc Flowers

Rootsbag:02/09 Rev Al, Haitian Revolution Redux, Afrolatino Family Matters, Janet & Justin, GWBush AWOL Again

BC Prophecy on Haitian Coup d'etat

Been informing myself on Haiti. Ran across a series of articles Black Commentator did on Haiti last year exposing collusion between the Bush Administration, US media and reactionary Haitian forces efforts to delegitimize Aristides government. These articles now seem almost prescient.

The Bush Administrations Endgame for Haiti (BC Dec03)
US Corporate Media Distorts Haitian Events, (BC Nov 03)
Propaganda War Intensifies Against Haiti, (BC Oct 03)

More on Al Sharpton and Roger Strone from Black Commentator

BC followup piece on the Al and Roger show says Roger Stone wins either way.

"But in fact, Roger Stone held all the cards – it was a win-win-win, no-lose situation. If Sharpton makes his televised speech in Boston, Stone wins; whites run to Bush. Should Sharpton be treated shabbily by white Democrats, Stone wins; Black voters are angry and disgusted, and stay home in November. If Stone can instigate some madness during the campaign, that’s icing on the cake. And if pesky “white liberal” reporters sniff out the arrangement, so what? – Sharpton self-destructs as a national leader, causing dismay and recriminations in Black and white Democratic ranks; Stone and Bush win. For a dirty trickster, nothing could be more exquisitely elegant."

Ive gotten over my first sense of hurt and betrayal and willing to give the Rev credit for all he has done for Black America. I am not however, willing to be used to re-elect George Bush.

Haitian Revolution Redux

Yesterday I put up a post about Haiti that deplored the current situation there and chastised Aristide for having become, if not a classic Haitian elite, an ineffective one.

Almost immediately I got an email from Rudy gently questioning my position and drawing my attention to two articles, one on Chickenbones about the Opposition movements armed wings and another on the Haiti Action site entitled US War on Haiti, both of which were convincing. Aristide has made mistakes but the Opposition seems to be led by thoroughly discredited Haitian elites and Duvalierist paramiliatary forces

I still have questions but Im willing at this point to give Aristide benefit of the doubt and place the primary onus on the Opposition. (thanks rudy man for watching my back and not leaving me out there hanging)

Im really going to have to pay more attention to whats happening in Haiti. Right now Im just confused and dismayed and want to submit to Haiti Fatigue. (God, when will these folk get their act together. Lord Legba must have a mighty mission in mind for them to need this much tempering.) But Haiti is too important a symbol of black empowerment for us not to be intimately involved in Haitis ongoing struggle. And of course the same question might be asked of us or any other African peoples, God when will they get their act together, have they not been tempered enough.

Ima have to keep a critical eye on this situation. I hate being uninformed as much as I hate irresponsible elites. Guess I will start by reading the articles on the Haiti Action site.

I am confident that one day Haiti will be the shining example of black achievement we all in our hearts know it can be. Until then we must keep the faith and do what we can when we can to empower the Haitian people and help Haiti one day be truly free.

A luta continua.

Afro Latinos and Family Matters

Speaking of Faith and African American Unity, there was this fascinating article in Mundoafrolatino, the online magazine for Black Latinos, about Afrolatin Struggles as reflected in House Resolution 47, aka the Afro Latino Resolution.

On Feb 20th CBC Congressmen John Conyers and Charlie Rangel are holding a press conference in conjunction with the Hunter College-based Global Afro-Latino and Caribbean Initiative (GALCI), to encourage folk to contact their Congressional representatives about voting on House Resolution 47, designed to aid the black communities of Latin America. The resolution was announced in February of 2003 to both aid the black populations of South and Central America and to encourage an expanded definition of just what it means to be an African American.

"We are all brothers and sisters” said Charlie Rangel, "The ships that brought us to the U.S. could have just as easily taken us to the Dominican Republic, Colombia, or Brazil. Our history is their history. Our problems are their problems.”

Although supported by folk including the Congressional Black Caucus and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Congress’ International Relations committee has refused to bring the resolution up for review. If it is not voted on this Feburary it will probably have to languish for another year. The GALCI link has instructions on contacting your congressman.

This question of Afrolatino identification and empowerment will become ever more significant with the rise of Hispanic influence in the United States.

This is a Family Matter.

Janet and Justin

That clearly scripted Superbowl skit was an insult to black women everywhere. (Reminds me of the equally questionable performance of Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Dansen some years ago.) The offense is exacerbated by Janet taking the fall and Brother Justin getting a free pass. Need I say more.

Election 2004

Looks like Kerry will be the nominee. I have to admit that I too think he has a better chance than Dean, now that hes carrying Deans message without Deans liabilities. Probably should select Edwards for Vice and really make a fight out of it.

The fierceness of Deans attacks on presumed nominee Kerry are probably counterproductive, further reinforcing the perception that he was not the one to carry this fight
.

Bushs Vulnerabilities: AWOL Again

Well hes turned in his records, somewhat. We shall see, hopefully this will give journalists material to check him up, because it appears that Commander In Chief Bush ducked out on his national Guard gig during the Vietnam war. During the Vietnam War the National Guard was used by many sons of privilege to avoid going to Vietnam. Apparently Bush used his connections to get a cushy slot with the Texas Air National Guard. But that wasn’t enough. Apparently he didn’t even do that and was AWOL for a year or so from his Guard obligations before being let out 6 months early to go to Harvard Business School.

This is another example of Bush using his connections to avoid the consequences of irresponsible behavior, a pattern that that has continued to this day with increasingly tragic consequences for the rest of us.

Whats been truly disturbing has been the unwillingness of mainstream news institutions to look into these allegations until Vietnam Vet Kerrys impending nomination resurrected the issue. Its been my fellow hounds of the internet that have kept this issue alive. This reminds me of the press’ refusal to say forthrightly how Bush ran scared on 9/11. Its is appalling how much of a free pass the Naked Emperor has gotten on any behavior that counters this fiction of him as a strong war leader.

Now the Republican Party is trying to declare questions about Bushs Vietnam service offlimits. They will falsely claim it disparages the National Guard, or that it’s a matter of National Security not to attack the Commander in Chief. But they didn’t have any reservations about defeating Senator Max Cleland of Georgia by questioning his patriotism in spite of the loss of both legs and an arm in Vietnam.

There is a pattern here, almost none of these slavering neocon hawks so willing to send American kids off to die did their service during the Vietnam years. To a man they ducked it.

Full Disclosure: As did many others of my generation, I did my years duty in Vietnam without whimpering. Well, without a lot of whimpering. Surely that gives me (and the young soldiers now dying in Iraq) the right to question Bushs response when it was his turn to be called to duty. And to get true and unspun answers.

Rootwork:

I have had a Vision: of a Shining City on a Hill: where the highest calling is to Awaken the Sleeper, Protect the Weak, and Guide the Strong.

I am Rickydoc.

Rootsbag0201: Al Sharpton as Roger Stones' Boy, Nat Turner and Skip Gates, Moral Dilemmas and WhiteGuilt, Bush's Vulnerabilities

Whose Tricking Who: Al Sharpton Fronts for the Republican Party

There are very disturbing reports coming out about Al Sharpton and this guy Roger Stone.

This guy Stone is a notorious Republican dirty trickster who has apparently taken over Al Sharptons campaign. He has supplied Al with moneys and operatives and one of his top dirtytricksters, Charles Halloran, replaced Frank Watkins as Als campaign manager.

Apparently hes trying to set Al up as a spoiler to help deny Democrats during the Convention in Boston by either depressing the black vote if Al isnt allowed to speak or turn off moderate votes if he is. In the meantime hes been used as a political hitman against the Democratic contenders.

Say it aint so Al. How could you do this to us.

We need to make it real clear to Al that he dont represent nobody under these circumstances. (Except of course the revolutionary fundamentalists who still contend that there is no difference between Democrats and Republicans and it doesnt matter if George Bush gets reelected.)

Als run for president was designed to make him a national leader. Well it looks like Al wasnt ready for prime time.

The Hunter has been captured by the Game.

Nat and Skip on the Bone

That Rudy stays on the warpath. He has raised Chickenbone questions about Skip Gates' Talented Fifth and an upcoming PBS film on Nat Turner. Rudy feels about Nat Turner the way I feel about David Walker and Bonnie feels about Harriet Tubman. There are some Ancestors of Struggle that speak to you in a special way. Rudy is appalled at Nat's treatment in an upcoming PBS film that apparently butchers Nat a la Willie Styron. What offends him even more is that they brought in a respected black filmmaker, Charles Burnett, to do this Ancestral Driveby.

Nat Turner: A Troublesome Property is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10 at 10 p.m. on PBS. I havent seen it yet but if Rudy dont like it thats a bad sign. The real story of Nat Turner is likely yet to be told. The same with David and Harriet, those of us who love them have a responsibility to their legacy:

Watch over Us. And We Will Watch Over You.

The Ancestor of Struggle that speaks to Skip Gates is clearly W.E.B. Dubois. Skip has whittled Dubois' Talented 10th down to a Talented 5th. The Committed Bougie. I come out of the committed bougie wing myself (Southern Front) and I cringe everytime Skip tries to deal with this delicate issue. Skip gives being Committed Bougie a bad name.

Whats really problematic for me is that a lot of what he says, as in the case with Debra Dickersons new and even more conflicted work, the End of Blackness, I agree with: The need for self determination and self responsibility. The futility of continuing to blame whitefolk for our problems. The need for cross class solidarity. The racial responsibilities of the overachiever.

It is with some embarrassment that I have to say that I believe there are aspects of the old racial uplift strategy that still consitute a viable strategic option. But Skip is not a comfortable committed bougie and perhaps not fully comfortable being black. A lot of that going around you know. So he often comes up with questionable conclusions and presentations more often geared toward his Market and his Paymasters than they are to the Tribe.

Skip speaks for his Class and not the Collective.

Its more sad than it is venal. But I judge Skip, for all his confusion and his personal issues, to be sincere and I can disagree with him without counting him an enemy. There is more than enough Struggle to go around and all sincere strategies lead to Timbuktu.

It is, however, unfortunate that he is media anointed as the premier intellectual black leadership when such designation should rightly go to a more appropriate individual such as myself.

(Full Disclosure: Skip pissed me off when he didnt include John O Killens in the Norton but Im not going there.)

A Moral Delimma.

This is a Moral Dilemma question. Please consider deeply the moral and philosophical implications of your answer:

You are a photographer in the middle of a catastrophic delta flood. You are taking freelance photos. Suddenly a man near you is swept away in the raging waters. You recognize the man and, my God, it is George W. Bush. There is rope at your feet. This then is the Question:

You can save him or take priceless photos chronicling the death of one of the worlds most powerful men.

So what would you do?

Choose color film? Or go with the classic simplicity of black and white?

CURE: Caucasians United for Reparations

I found this website for CURE: a group of white activists trying to convince the white community of the need for reparations. I looked at their bios - a bunch of oldschool lefties and such trying to manifest that old nationalist demand that white liberals speak to and organize their own communities.

I couldn’t help myself, I wanted to maintain my cynical armor but I was touched. Their sincerity was endearing. This is what I posted on their dialogue page:

I am an African American activist who does not believe that reparations are an effective contemporary African American empowerment strategy. So I think your contributions here are somewhat quixotic. I would however like to express warm appreciation for the humanistic impulses underlying your efforts here. Be well. A luta continua.

Okay, so Im a closet humanist, so what.

Bush’s Vulnerabilities

The Election Season is heating up. Let us assess some of Bush’s strengths and vulnerabilities and how best to leverage them. Cant sit around waiting for somebody else to trip him up, we all have to do our parts.

Vulnerability #1: It’s the The Economy, Stupid:
The Economy has recovered enough so that it’s a judgement call. Enemies will see the glass as half empty and supporters half full. The Economy is a neutral factor unless it gets substantially worse. Or if the deficit and the rightwing determination to defund the government so that it can no longer support Great Society programs like Social Security and Medicaid finally become populist issues.

A steady drone of populist accusation will eventually cut through that Teflon coating of his. We got him reeling a little bit on the deficit. Too many mainstream fiscal authorities voicing alarm. His tendency to raid the national piggyback to support golddiggers like Halliburton and them has become too obvious.

Vulnerability #2: Iraq:
The steady bodycount, both American and Iraqi, is chipping away at Bush’s foreign policy invulnerability. As does the Occupations failure to have its way with Iraqi society. Brings into question the justification for being there in the firstplace. A discretionary preemptive war based on false intelligence that is responsible so far for the Death and Maiming of hundreds of American soldiers and thousands of Iraqi civilians.

Their latest scheme to use the UN as a figleaf for the Occupation (after trying so hard to maginalize them) is liable to fail because Annan refuses to be a Bush Team lackey. Annan and the UN are inclined to participate because stablizing Iraq has become a world issue now, but not as the Desingated Fool of Bush's Occupying Forces. Thats Colin Powells job. Hold firm Kofi.

Vulnerability #3: WMDs and The War on Terror:
Got to chip away at the Bush as Strong Leader motif. Expose the shallowness of this Rule by Slogan style of his. This perception of his strong leadership is not defensible. Not only did he run like a little scared chicken on 9/11 but even the US Army War College has said that he has diverted critical national security resources into this personal war on Iraq.

The Emperor is as Naked as a Jaybird and we have to chip away at this perception of him as otherwise. In particular in the media. However and whenever you can. Too bad we don’t have control of at least one wing of Congress and so we cant get those Congressional Inquiries mounted. During the election we should call attention to the perils of One Party Rule.

On WMDs force them to accept responsibility or blame the CIA. On the WOT we must show that his policies are not enhancing world or American security but instead fanning the fires. The inability of folk like Cheney and Rumsfield to admit they were wrong plays in our favor. Bush is finally fudging his support of the WMDs, but hopefully he will be unable to just say he was wrong and we can keep this issue alive.

Vulnerability #4: The Democratic Party Is Ready To Knuck: No More Mister Nice Person
No more nonpartisan, liberal equanimity in the face of fundamentalist certitude. The direction of American foreign and domestic policy is frightening folk into a new phase of advocacy and activism. No matter what happens to his candidacy, Dean has shaped the tone of the primary and roused the Democratic wing of the Democratic Party.

Bring it on.