rootwork the rootsblog: a cyberhoodoo webspace

limping, lame and game: if limp i must then limp i will

for the last couple of months its just been
one physical issue after the next and most
of them have involved a new order of pain

hopefully im on the mend now
but the old hoodooman have been pondering
while laying flat on my back
getting older and mortality and all that

colleague at the job say when you get our age, art
its just patch patch patch patch

feel like thats what i been doing - patching
the old machinery up with spit and bailing wire

and my doctor threatening blood pressure pills

so ive decided to use this moment to get my act together
so many parts of my body been cut and blasted lately
i feel like im starting over from scratch

since ive got to go thru this rehabilitation thing anyway
i might as well try to get the old body in shape

i have already cut out salt and frenchfries
(god i cant imagine watermelon w/o salt)
plan to do the gym thing daily (more or less)
already lost 7 pounds just on calorie intake alone

if this latest health issue backs up some ima buckle down
and even if it dont ima buckle down anyway

i have felt quite decrepit these last couple of months
feel like frankensteins monster lurching about
all i need is a couple of knobs on my neck

this will never do, if i let myself go now what happens
when im really old, and have to endure what my mama
and bonnies parents be enduring everyday

i dont have that much to say in this post
but havent posted in a week or so
when just sitting at the sacred desk is painful
you cut your desk time down to the essential

but i figure i got to get back in the game
so ima do this no post post
just to kinda loosen up maybe, see if i can
start working thru the pain

this getting older is a major attitude adjustment
but it cause me to think about my life
my trials and tribulations
and im still counting my blessings

looking back ive lived a very good life and i
got no complaints, i whine a lot about getting no respect
what writer dont, but i love being a writer
and for all it has cost me over the years i love the literary life

ive lived a life beyond my wildest
dreams as a child (or adult)
i feel like that old blues classic - going down slow
ive had my fun if i dont ever get well no more

dont get me wrong, the game aint over
and damn if ima roll over and play dead
im just trying to adjust for whatever time i got left
get a little more serious about my projects
and living life to its fullest

i vaguely remember tecumsehs death song
something along the lines of let me make sure
i do all i been planning to do in life
make sure i live out my best and greatest dreams
so when its time to go im not kicking and whining
wait a minute, i meant to do this and i meant to do that

at the moment just sitting at the sacred desk
is an exercise in pain but im hoping thru
physical therapy and meditation i can compartmentalize it
like i do all the other tribulations that try to keep me
from working

ive had a lot to say here in rootsblog actually
about jesse in florida and developments in the sudan
and haiti, about some hoodoo issues i want to explore
etc etc etc

but when working is painful and priority got to be assigned
its going to be assigned to novelwork, schoolwork
and various mentoring obligations

i think what i like most about being a writer is
that it entails leaving a legacy that hopefully
will be of some use to humanity

i need another 20 good work years (at least)
and i will be satisfied that my seeds
will have been planted in properly fertilized ground

but even if i check out tomorrow i think ive done okay
ive done a pretty good job of manifesting my vision
though it may not be apparent to you yet i hope the
generations will appreciate what ive done

i think one of a writers worst nightmares is dying
or being incapacitated, in the middle of a major project

when you start a major project
you know its going to take years to make it happen

and when youve already invested say 10 years into it
and feel like all you need is another 5 or so
its a constant negotiation w/the gods

just let me finish rest for the weary god
then we will talk about maybe the
hoodoo book of flowers

buddy of mine, doris jean austin, once said:
every book finished makes it easier to die

im already one of the slowest writers ever been
and recent damage has apparently reduced my
already meager productivity
i cant accept that, ima have to work thru this

do my physical therapy, kick up my meditation
make appropriate lifestyle changes, you know the drill

maybe tomorrow i will be focused enuf to start
doing real posts again -  till then im hanging tough

word by rickydoc
de rootdoctor

rootsbag0323:on memoirs and living wills

FRIDAY

washerwomen of the world unite

in atlanta 20 years after the civilwar
black washerwomen went on strike to protest
wages and working conditions

in the face of fines, strikebreakers and political repression
they maintained solidarity until atlanta employers were
forced to concede their demands

sisters in soldarity

church and state

the schiavo case is a prime example of why
the coming battles over bushs court nominations
will be so important

the reason the founders decreed a seperation
of church and state is so the rest of us would
not have particular religious beliefs imposed upon us

as the rightwing ascendency would have so quickly done in this case
had not the judiciary shown its independence

the doctrine of church and state is important
in the best of times
and even more surely so in the worst

THURSDAY

living will and testament

living wills are like memoirs
you feel like surely its not time for that yet
surely i got another chapter or two left in me

but with the rightwing ascendency running wild
best not to take no chances

so first let me say that bonnie
makes all decisions
no matter what bush and company
has to say

dont leave me laying there like no vegetable
give me a month or so in case im on
a magic carpet ride in there
then pull the plug

second, i believe im going to join aarp
you talking about somebody dont want to go there
surely im not old enuf yet for that
but it seems i am and i need to support any
institution that is capable of taking on the beast

(sending off my black radical congress dues too)

speaking of testimonies

adam had folk read an excerpt of mojo rising
for his class on liberation rhetoric down at the groove
man you talking about embarassing

aint nothing like sitting there while folk discuss
your old work, i got real defensive over the selection
he chose, mostly about being progressive bougie
and the struggle i had to go thru to be comfortable w/that
(and clearly not comfortable with it yet)

he explained that he chose it precisely because of that
struggle to attain what he called 'synthesis'
between the strategies of liberation
(integration, nationalism and transformation, et al)
to struggle thru to a personal ground that you can stand on

by the time he was thru explaining his interp
i was feelng pretty good about it, i like that class

rope a dope

i see where bush and company begging the democrats
to come in and save them on privitizing social security
starting to say they will consider alternatives if the
demos bring them to the table

first off we cant let them slip off to the side on this one
they gon try to flip the script

the add on option is not really a option
will still have to come up w/benefit cuts and such
to make social security viable

so if we give them add on, that money is going to
come out of social security no matter what they say

kinda like the social security trust fund, supposedly a lock box
a modest proposal would be to spend it strictly on
social security, then we wouldnt be having this problem

instead the government spends the social surplus immediately
on whatever they please

with this add on option, all they have to do is cut the benefits
like they always planned and say it has nothing to do w/the add ons

sooner or later bush is going to see that and start calling for add ons
as a compromise option and the demos who been calling for it will
have to say okay, so that bud needs to be nipped right away
the whole point is that we dont have discretionary money in social security
and we dont have the money for no add ons either

the focus has to be strictly on the solvency of social security
lets take up this ownership society rhetoric somewhere else some other time

anybody want to play with the stock market use their own money

the thing to remember here is that the repubs are not trying to save social security
they trying to kill it
and until they give up their little dream of killing social security and
really sincerely approach this as an effort to strengthen it
then they need to continue to have a conversation amongst themselves
and the democrats need to continue to let them stew in it

i am rickydoc

one of my most treasured colleagues called me a fake hoodoo the other day
whenever that happens it hurts my feelings and i have to take a moment
to convince myself to keep going, to keep on keeping on

my brand of hoodoo is frowned upon in hoodoo circles
im not considered a true hoodoo by many of my colleagues
because im not interesting in many of the conventional hoodoo concerns

i am just not interested in slaverytime spells and magical recipies
i am not interested in making a living off the pain of others
i am not interested in gathering a flock of believers
and i will not abide a thief of souls

i have been trying to open up the understanding of what a hoodoo is
and what a hoodoo do in the 21st century

to encompass high magic with the folk magic traditionally ascribed to hoodoo
and i man have been catching much grief for it

im used to other folk and atr folk dismissing me
its hurts when my fellow hoodoos reject me and my vision of the hoodoo future
but i aspire to be a hoodoo prophet and i assume that comes w/the territory

cause i swear by god and all thats holy
i will bring hoodoo into the 21st century kicking and screaming if i must
and when i am thru the conception of hoodoo will have been opened to include new skills

the ones i am interesting in practicing:
conjuring reality and forcing it to bend to my will
shaping the future of humanity and enhancing its destiny
establishing hoodoo as custodian of the tribal soul and destiny
defining hoodoos as destiny players

i dont question other hoodoos doing what they do
im just trying to forge a little piece of hoodoo ground for me to stand on
because these are the kinds of things im interesting in doing
and im tired of folk telling me that hoodoos cant do this
and still be true hoodoo

cant nobody tell me what i can and cannot do as a hoodooman

my primary instruments of conjuration are my works
(rest for the weary, the hoodoo book of flowers, the hoodoo tales, etc)
but i have to also engage my contempories in dialogue
and some process of hoodoo institutionalization that respects
hoodoo individuality

if my works are my seeds (of future realities)
my ideological orchestrations are preparation of the ground

so i guess ima keep on hammering or rather chipping away
at this thing in my lifetime

i am rickydoc de rootdoctor
and i will not be denied

rootsbag0315:minimal maintenance

SATURDAY

two more days of springbreak
and its back to the saltmines
didnt do hardly no work but i am feeling
better, next week is going to be problematic
but one gets thru doesnt one

congress has inserted itself in the schiavo case
playing to the base & trampling on rights
political ghouls playing for points
the neocon follies continue to surprise

abc news produced a copy of senate republican talking points
that encouraged its members to exploit this as a
'moral issue', excite the prolife base and put democrats
in an uncomfortable space

delay says he knows nothing about no talking points
that the very idea is 'disgusting'

the husband calls it a mockery: "these people are walking all over my personal and private life, he said, "im telling you, the united states citizens, you better start speaking up, because these people are going to trample into your personal, private affairs.

okeydokes and wolfcalls

meanwhile back at the ranch wolfowitz is trying
to convince the international community that he
wont be a shill for bushs neocon poliicies if they
just give him a chance

they would be fools to fall for this okeydoke
the bush administration has proven over and over
that they are willing to tell you whatever they think
you need to hear

it is also clear that they are moving their people
into every position of power they can get their greedy
little hands on

its looks like a done deal
and the international community will grin and bear it
if so they deserve what they get

THURSDAY

a blues for rickydoc

badnews from the delta
sometime god just up and pimp slap you
just to remind you who the boss

WEDNESDAY

red alert: red states going global

bush has nominated wolfowitz
to be head of the world bank

really bad news
bush has already put operatives in charge
of all the domestic institutions
now hes going for the international ones
and wolfowitz of all people

wolfie doesnt even bother to wear
the wolfs cloak

this is a mode of this administration
to put folk in charge of institutions for
which they have nothing but contempt

the appointment of karen hughes
as minister of propaganda
bolton at the un and wolfowitz to worldbank
is indicative of bushs determination to remove
the checks and balances of world opinion

which would give him an imperial pass
cause domestic opposition doesnt seem
to faze him
the only thing that has checked him
has been the global community

the naked emperor

interesting la times article about how relentlessly
bush administrations propaganda machine
stays on message in spite of inconvenient facts

so we get steady drumbeat of privitazation saving social security
of massive taxcuts that wont affect the deficit
of what bush once called 'catastrophic success' in iraq
and any other of the blatant lies he has told

i have wondered sometimes about his blindness on social security
and i think its that bubble he lives in, surrounded by neocon yesmen
and townhalls that consist of nothing but true believers

he probably does believes he is doing well on social security
and that iraq is in truth a 'catastrophic success'

hopefully the deeper he digs himself in the more he will be exposed
as a naked wouldbe emperor

somebody needs to tell that man to put on some clothes

vigilance

theyre dying on the vine w/social security
and the more bush pushes it the further they slide
i hope they decide to fight to the death on it

but already you dont hear anything about
60s stops in 60 days
weve stopped them on this, but watch them
because they slippery and right now
they are trying to figure out how best to make
lemonade of this lemon

vigilance

standing on higher ground

team of us and ethiopian scientist find evidence
of first ancestor to walk on two feet
at mille site in northeastern afar region
dating humanities stumbling attempts to evolve
maybe 4 million years ago

the bit about humanity beginning is africa
is the core of this myth im trying to implant
in the tribal consciousness
the illuminated children of the sun

(im considering changing that to illuminated people of the sun
but children seems more humble i think and when you trying to
mythforge a chosen people you want some humility in there)

evolutionary development is one of the core riffs in rest
what is the dynamic, whats in play, how do we stay on the cutting edge
what will humanity be

little while back i was studying the cosmos
trying to understand better how the universe works
studying stars quasars darkmatter and all
want to master the field so i can use it to inform
speculative passages of rest and focus
my mind into dimensional modes
become a cosmic thinker and ponder
evolutionary potentialities

i want that level of play in rest

i bogged down because it is a daunting subject
one of those lifetime studies apparently
its on minimal maintenance now but
when i get a little discretionary time ill pick it up again
cause i got to know how the universe works

i want that level of play in rest

interesting being part of a research institution in which the
research i do for my novel, (an unrelenting process) is so esoteric
my academic colleagues barely count it research
but im given the leeway to do what i please as long as i produce

was reading about folk who get fired for blogging
and occasionally wonder if syracuse will ever be uncomfortable with
the higher profile and my musings on the academic life

but i figure syracuse pays me to be a literary man and
to the extent that i play the game well it reflects
well upon them

on that note i probably should get some novelwork done
or go lay down which is more likely
i got limited energy/pain tolerance right along in here
got to spend it wisely

got to go, minimum maintenance this week
the old rootdoctor is not a happy camper

 

TUESDAY

still laid up
i am such a wimp when it comes to pain

one wonders how the old folk take it like they do
not getting much work done, had hoped for a more productive spring break
but mostly im just laying there groping for pain pills
everything is on minimal maintenance right along in here

was reading where fewer black kids are joining the army these days
the % has dropped from 25% to 13%

my nephew joined last year and the family was too distressed
but he didnt last no longer than his uncle ricky did
i did two years, asa didnt do but one before he decided the army wasnt for him
his mama was concerned when she learned that he was getting
an unsuitable discharge until i told her thats what i got and never had no problems w/it
just means that you and the army didnt get along 

(after being courtmartialed 3 times for disobeying the same order they just let me go, got so i wouldnt get out the bunk in the mornings, i told them i quit, im through, do what you gotta do, im through)

so it was with interest that i read the % of black army recruits been falling off,
apparently because blackfolk just dont approve of either bush or his war
2003 gallup poll found 78% of whites approved and only 29% of blacks
numbers that can only have gone down for both

article said the attitude of black community influencing young blacks
family, counselers, et al
article had all these black preachers adivsing their flocks against it
which was reassuring when you hear about all these conservative black preachers
shilling for the rightwing and feeding at the trough

i was too tickled when asa told me he was getting an unsuitable
good for you i told him, blackfolk have decided to pass on this one

in motion: the great migrations

check out in motion

absolutely fascinating schomberg site on the great migrations of blackfolk
it chronicles thirteen migrations that transformed the african american population

the transatlantic slave trade
runaway journeys
the domestic slavetrade
colonization and emigration
haitian immigration: 18th & 19th centuries
the western migration
the great migration
the second great migration
the caribbean migration
the southern migration
haitian immigration
african immigration

this effort is fascinating to me on many levels
one im currently working on this illuminated children of the sun myth which
is based on the great journey of blackfolk that continues on into the stars


this is also fascinating to me as because of all the historical information theyve got in there for the hoodoo book of flowers, its incredible how much historical info including images and source documents and how they worked it  as an online document, which is what i want to do w/the hoodoo book of flowers

this is also fascinating as a hypertext document: im as jealous as i can be because my little one man shop could never match the schombergs resources i envy them having built a hypertext document that tells a history of afroamerica through its migrations and showing just what hypertext as artform and archival instrument is capable of doing, very 21st century librarywork

this is something only the schomberg could have done and they did a good job of it
the imagery is often breathtaking, the source documents convincing and the text informative and exhaustive

only thing i miss is that they could have used a more extensive sound component
the music, the voices,  the rhetoric of each migration would have been powerful

but hey im not quibbling, its an extraordinary journey in and of itself and a praisework befitting a people who have known the great journey songs

in this myth im working on ive got blackfolk continuing their great journey by guiding and guarding the dispersal of humanity among the stars

for me its synchronicity for the schomberg to have done this epic work now
at this moment in our struggle as a people and my own struggle as an artist

to remind me and us all that
we have come such a long such a long long way
but we still got so very far to go

hangingtough
rickydoc flowers

rootsbag0309:hellhounds on my trail

FRIDAY

never again

mark fiore cartoon on darfur
talk about hellhounds

philosphy of the writing life; by ruth mirian garnett
(ruth sent this out as part of marketing her workshop in st. louis)

"in my workshop, it is important to me to review equally the three points that make up the writers life: craft, regimen and marketing

the process of writing is always scary, because facing the blank page, always the first thing one does, is like repeatedly jumping off the proverbial bridge.  it entails a fear of the unknown, and one has to cosntantly embrace this fear, and this is always a profound thing.  ironically the process, which occurs in isolation, usuprs the private life, because the content of ones work, even for the most introverted and reclusive writer, is intended to be shared.  what occurs is a peculiar balance and what is, for better or for worse, a peculiar life

in addition, writers must embrace what i call 'the antisocial necessity' and construct a writing regimen that works for their productivity.  maximizing the time available for interior, meditative work, not answering the phone, sacrificing a degree of socializing and avoiding television, in general, hibernating, are essential components of this lifestyle.  the people i am closest too understand what i have taken on and the eccentricity from the standpoint of our culture, that results, or at least i hope they do

another task, even more uncomfortable, is self promotion.  this is an ongoing, consuming and not altogether pleasant shifting of gears from examining the interior self to emphasizing the exterio, indentifying ones selling points to gain public exposure and increased readership.  in our celebrity culture, it makes for some strange bedfellows, lumping art products of varying description and caliber together in a messy, albeit democratic mix

people who want to create lasting work that will hold up for decades under critical scruntiny, work that rings of truth and is transforming to audiences, have to increase their marketing savvy without adopting self alienating postures anathema to their art, or any art.  this is tough to work out, but it is heartening to remember that black people on the lowest runs of america societal ladder, slaves working in cotton fields, created great art, sensuous and riveting art, still lauded by people all over the world."

now personally my big three has always been living it, thinking about it and writing it
- no life experiences and you got nothing to write about
- no time spent pondering it and what you have to say is shallow and of no import
- and if you dont sit down and write in a disciplined manner, whats the point

but i would have to put promotion in there too, she absolutely right about that being
one of the critical skills of the 21st century literary life (rootsblog began strictly as a promotional tool)

ruth is doing two workshops this spring, one in st louis, and one in harlem, you can get information about ruths workshop by emailing  olivawalker@aol.com

LATER THURSDAY
(while working on rest for the weary)

bid em in bid em in (for oscar brown)

morning gentlemen
got prime coloreds for sale this here fine morning
yall know me, yall know I dont handle nothing
but the best stock, my merchandise is prime goods
and fully guaranteed

first up is a fine black buck nama armstrong
he dont go for very much cause he weak
in the head but he strong in the arms and
do anything you tell him to

make a good driver, already broke in to his masters voice
what do I hear for armstrong

400 dollars from the gentleman in the rear there, how do sir
come on gentlemen this is a prime buck here
400 dollar 400 dollars . . 450 now and going strong
500 dollar cant be wrong,
450 going once . . .450 going tw . . 500 dollar
500 dollar for armstrong . . going once
going twice . . gone . . . to the colonel sir
take em away, take em away, i got nothing but bargains today

tell you what colonel, sell you young ford here as a package deal
o what the hell I will throw in young harold for free
make a good houseboy maybe but the fields would kill him
take em away, take em away, i got nothing but bargains today

ohwee, lookahere, what about this one
fine young filly with a gap in her mouth
you know what they say about them gap toothed negresses
this one keep you warm boys on those cold winter nights
make a fine ladies maid once shes properly whipped
we call her condolezza but you call her what you please

strip her down roy, let em they see what they getting
turn her around roy, let em look at her flanks

bid em in bid em in

600 dollar from a man whos thrifty
625, can I hear 650
650 i got - once twice and gone
take her down roy, bring the next one on

bid em in

THURSDAY

flat on my back

been a little offstride lately
had back to back operations
still recovering from last one 2 days ago

and recently found myself surprisingly shook
over their eyes were watching god movie last week
always had this vision of halle doing melvira dupree
but i guess thats shot
and susan lori parks doing the screenplay nooked me too
another dream shot and everybody getting play but rick
i couldnt even watch it, i just wasnt ready

and edward p jones is on campus today
would have liked to meet him but im laid up
so chris asked if jones could use my classroom to speak to the students
who are all excited about meeting him and here i am flat on my back
and in a world of pain

and this all seems so indicative of my literary standing these days
everybody kicking it but yours truly

ohwell, just more pressure on me to get my own novel done
i will take motivation wherever i can get it
i got hellhounds on my trail

black commentator - hanging in there

black commentator did a piece this week on the republican strategy
for replacing black leadership that was very enlightening
because i keep reading about all these conservative blacks and im
wondering why i dont seem to know any of them
and why am i so out of the loop on this

but black commentator makes a good case on the repubs
throwing money at black preachers and the like thru the faith based
programs and school voucher initiatives as a political strategy
to replace progressive black leadership

if anything black commentator was restrained because the
more we understand about the gop strategy on blackfolk
the more we understand how comprehensive a strategy
they have implemented to co op or neutralize the black vote

those of us who consider ourselves true voices of the people
got to keep exposing the game, however and whenever we can
whether we get paid or not

when im tempted to jump ship its pieces like this that reaffirm
my commitment to the struggle thru rootsblog
every voice counts in these perilous times

rootsblog and my other political initiatives getting shorted these days
my primary commitment has to be toward getting rest for the weary done
i figure im working too hard to get some play, much too much begging
for my taste - i got to get my novel done, i got to manifest my vision

just this morning i decided to try to work this myth in there
of the illuminated children of the sun
been fiddling around the edges of it for awhile now but i decided
this morning, feeling all unappreciated, to go for broke and make it happen
to do what i do best - a delta mythmaker, thats what i am, thats what i do

me and my colleague george saunders talking about style one day
and he say whats the point of doing what anybody else can do
best to do what only you can do

and on that note im outta here
gon get on up out of this sickbed and
clock me some novelhours this morning

hanging tough
rickydoc flowers

bush, blacks and social security

well at least the presidents plan is dying on the vine
the more folk find out about it the less support it receives
so their new little pr game of 60 stops in 60 days
hopefully will backfire

apparently the only ones falling for this are very young kids who
dont really care about social security (remember when we are all immortal)

and blackfolk

what is it about blackfolk that makes them so susceptible to bullshit

the repubs are putting this big push on selling this to blackfolk
using their little bullshit report about blackmen dying earlier and whatever

they have decided that even if they fail, it would be good to cut into black democratic support

another example of how they try to sell blackfolk on mack alone
while pursuing policies that operate against black interests
by peeling off folk with empty rhetoric about ownership societies

which is strictly rhetoric, and the same way they won their white support
of policies that work against their own self interests

a 2002 poll by the joint center claims that some 70% of blacks favor privitization
(where do they find these people, i must be traveling in the wrong circles)

so now the bushwackers have come up with a major plan
for pushing privitization on blacks
they are trotting out their (subsidized) black preachers
and their hired black guns like the (subsidized) armstrong williams
in a  blatantly political move

“there is an effort to tell the story in the black community and it doesnt have to be hugely successful” says michael tanner of the cato institute, “it just has to be more successful than bush was (in winning black votes).  the democrats are heavily reliant on having 90% of black support, but if that drops to 80% they’re in trouble.”

and so the republicans have set up a major outreach to ‘brief’ black business and community leaders

in the coming months (subsidized) conservative black clergy and such are having ‘town hall’ meetings in los angeles and detroit and other cities

last week the repub national committee chairman convened a 'townhall' meeting at howard univ

the heritage foundation is devoting the first issue of new magazine, heritage forum, to blacks and social security

one piece is by star parker, ex welfare mother who is now leader of a (subsidized) conservative black think tank, the coalition on urban renewal and education, and who is launching a (subsidized) campaign that targets black churchgoing population in la, detroit, dallas, chicago, atlanta and my hometown of memphis

another gop frontgroup, the black contract with america on moral values, has also begun a campaign

black business leaders coordinating with the whitehouse will present a ninepoint ‘21^st century mayflower compact’ that emphasizes privatized social security accounts and the ownership society

my homeboy, rep harold ford (who has really disappointed me) has just created the “congressional savings and ownership caucus”

this is all in keeping with what seems like a successful effort to woo blackfolk from the democratic party, i was reading that nyc's rudy guiliani, who apparently hated blackfolk, got 20% of the blackvote
and that freddy ferrer was struggling for black support against bloomberg
which is really a shame when you think of how often we have asked hispanics for support

how can blackfolk fall for republican fasttalk when their policies are so antiblack
when one of the main reasons the gop is in such a commanding position today is because
the democrats support for civilrights cost them so much whitesupport

those of us who still believe in the vision and who really care about blackfolk
are feeling beseiged by the money and power being arrayed against us and
wonder if we are fighting a losing battle

but we got to keep fighting the good fight

you dont abandon an ally because folk waving dollars in your face while they hurting everything you care about - in this case the vision of an progressive and warmhearted america, an america that cares

there are folk who want to say there is no difference between the demos and the republicans but if the democrats werent fighting the good fight, the bush admin would have us living in a dog eat dog society in which its every man (and maybe woman) for himself and the strong consume the weak

jcwatts was the black repubican rep from okhlahoma, his own daddy was perplexed
he once said: "a blackman voting for a republican is like a chicken voting for colonel saunders"

ima fight this fight till my very last breath
the first step is to take these suckers down in 2006
we have got to win one of the houses back, just one
and social security might be the ticket to do that

so we got to expose their little agenda to the black community
whenever and however we can
so that blackfolk see the trick for what it is

and the demos got to stand firm on this
and we (like we always have) got to give them backbone
not pull the rug out from under their feet

i think what pisses me off most is that the repubs
assume that we are susceptible to most any old mackeroni
but then thats the way they treat whitefolk too