SATURDAY
ive become fond of real clear politics in spite of its rightwing slant, i like the aggregating format
i think ima start aggregating articles i think pertinent, some from rcp, some other sources
usually progressive but occasionally other perspectives, just to keep up with whats what
maybe a little commentary on them, will have to work the kinks out on it but i like the idea
1) Obama and the Runaway Train - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal
2) Will There Be Any Surprises on Election Day? - Washington Post
3 A Cribsheet on One-party Rule for Obama - Matt Dallek, NY Daily New
4) Obamas Ground Operation for Victory: Letter to a Fellow Progressive - Horace Campbell, Black Commentator
5) Keeping our Eyes on the Prized Vote - Jamala Rogers, Black Commentator
6) Shannon Prince vs Tim Wise: Rebuttal and Response: Black Agenda Report
notice how i went straight to black commentator and black agenda report, two sites i respect, thinkng about supporting them like i did obamas campaign but cant send them money till election is done deal cause their hardleft thirdparty politics be working against obama and i cant support that
bar seems to be more rigid than black commentator but i have not closely assessed either, i will do so before i send them any money, dont feel like supporting severly retro politics even ii do approve of what they do
dont know how this aggregating gon work; may take too much daily time and a lot of kinks got to be worked out - should i do a little one line comment on each or just leave as is like rcp does; how much of my traditional commentary do i continue to do; how do i work it out graphically - its mostly the time factor, this may be another good idea i just dont have time to implement
but im kinda excited about the potential increasing rootsblog substance and perhaps
help my standing goal of making rootsblog the place to go for the real deal information
im outta here, i got to clock some pages
i had a conference with a student yesterday and she said she doesnt really care about her characters, she works them (and works them well) but she doesnt care about them (or her work) i said thats the mfa curse, when its all head and exercises, and no heart, you want work that matters, that means something to you, you got to write work that cost you emotionally, she asked how do i do that and i had to think about it and i was kind of please with what i came up with - you got to write into your obsessions i told her, you got to write into your fears, she suggested time as one of her obsessions, i replied that time is a motif, not an obsession, fear of getting older is an obsession, fear of dying without making your life count, thats an obsession, something where literary honesty and digging deep cost you
questions in your life that aint no if and or maybe
questions in your life you just have to resolve
do or die
all my love
rdoc
FRIDAY
hello world
i saw the most powerful show on tv yesterday, a huey p. newton story
one man play written by and starring roger guenvuer smith, directed by spike lee
it was so powerful i went online and ordered it and will come up with
some pedagogical justification for playing it in my oraltrad in afroam lit class
old boy smith played the hell out of newton - respect respect
wrote the hell out of it too - i was so jealous
old boy gave me more respect for who newton must have been
i remember feeling bad when i heard back in 1989 that newton had been shot
during the great crack binge trying to score drugs in oakland
a tragic and almost iconic commentary on what the panthers could have been
bring to mind the different phases of struggle, how different types of leaders are thrown
up as necessary and now we got barack, for whom we all praying on some many levels
been reading where democrats been afraid this election gon get stole like the elections of 2000 and
2004 and it was kinda reassuring to see that im not the only one holding my breath on this one
win or lose i for one will be glad when this one is over - i just cant take the anxiety
on the god (that was supposed to be good but i kinda like god there) foot is the surge of
black voters putting southern states into play, i can only hope this election convinces blackvote
of their voting potential and makes them a dependable voting block, we could do so much
if obama wins i see heavy black turnouts for at least 8 years, maybe it will beome a habit
rdoc
THURSDAY
say what?
"He needed to make himself look totally white," says direct mail pioneer Bill Thompson, referring to baracks infomercial on foxnews.com, "It's going to come down to whether the average Joe or Jane accepts Barack
Obama as an African-American or a human being,"
ol rickydoc gon leave that one alone, i believe it spoke for itself
on a lighter note this email made the rounds after the last debate
i dont know who did it, i wish i had, ima edit it when i get a moment
i dont know half of those dances, make me feel out of touch
i been impressed with blackfolks understanding of the game in this thing
mostly they havent been trying to jack obama up, make him prove his
bona fides - and the ones that did (jessie, tavis, et al) got spanked
cause far as blackfolk concerned - the game is on
-----------------
> Subject: FW: November 5th Etiquette
Good Morning My People -
After watching the final debate the other night,
it dawned on me that Obama could actually win this thing. If that
happens there will be a lot of people (some of our co-workers included)
who will be afraid that an Obama presidency will usher in the end of days. They'll be watching us on November
5th (the day after the election) for signs of the end times.
To keep the peace and keep a lot of folks from getting nervous, I think we should develop a list of acceptable celebrations and behaviors we should probably avoid - at least for the first few days:
1) No crying, hugging or shouting "Thank you
Lord" - at least not in public
2) No high-fives - at least not unless the area
is clear and there are no witnesses
3) No laughing at the McCain/Palin supporters
4) No calling in sick on November 5th. They'll
get nervous if too many of us don't show up.
5) We're allowed to give each other knowing winks
or nods in passing. Just try to keep from grinning too hard.
6) No singing loudly, We've come this Far By
Faith (it will be acceptable to hum softly)
7) No bringing of barbeque ribs or fried chicken
for lunch in the company lunchroom for at least a week (no
chittlings at all) (this may make us seem too ethnic)
8) No leaving kool-aid packages at the water
fountain (this might be a sign that poor folks might be getting a break
through)
9) No Cupid Shuffle during breaks (this could
indicate a little too much excitement)
10) Please no Moving on Up music (we are going to
try to remain humble)
11) No doing the George Jefferson dance (unless
you're in your office with the door closed)
12) Please try not to yell----BOOOO YAH!
13.) Just in case you're wondering, Doing the
Running Man, cabbage patch or a back hand spring on the highway is 100%
okay.
If I've missed anything feel free to add to the
list. I just want to make sure we're all on the same page when Obama
brings this thing home on November 5th. Now go get your early vote on and
let's make this thing happen!!!
-----------------------
my peoples at they best
the game is on
BOOOO YAH!
rdoc
WEDNESDAY
well i will just be blessed, did a reading at jefferson community college today and they start quoting me
telling me what army unit i was with back in the day and im like where did yall get all that
and lo and behold, somebody put my iraqi vets against the war march speech on youtube
generally i cant watch myself cause all i see is what i could have done better
same way i cant read my old novels, they just make me cringe, i got another one on youtube
from a presentation i did with terry adkins, cant imagine watching it either, though i will probably post it
sometime this week too, might put some of my other performances on youtube, i kinda like
seeing myself there i must admit, and this particular presentation i was rather proud of
i was rushed cause the organizers were ringing a little bell offstage telling me my 4 minutes were up,
i had clocked it at 4 minutes but i kept getting interrupted by applause, i couldnt dis audience appreciation could i
i just ignored the bell and said what i had to say, according to youtube 4:59, that aint bad
kinda interesting, i was telling them that the rightwing had outorganized us
that we got to move past the marches and protests of the 60s
and come up with something new, something they hadnt seen before
now we got obama, a brand new game
its on
a luta continua
TUESDAY
some fascinating reading here on how sarah palin got chose
jane meyer of the new yorker lays out how she seduced shall we say
the rigtwing pundits of national review and the weekly standard when they
were on a cruise to alaska and their subsequent campaign to get her chosen
apparently she is not as disdainful of the media
or washington as she has claimed
always nice to see what really goes down behind the curtain
and surprise surprise, its been okeydoke all along
and indicative of the contempt in which they hold the rest of us
nov 4th real americans are sending caribou barbie back to the hinterlands
and she can take her pom pom wielding sycopants with her
rdoc
MONDAY
somalian transitional gov and islamic courts movement have signed a ceasefire
that calls for withdrawal of ethiopian troops by end of november
im pulling for this but i dont give it a lot of hope, somalia a rough nut to govern
i assume all this will end up with the islamic courts in control of somalia
which i am not in favor of but it seem to be the only option that will stabilize somalia
somalia will never tolerate occupation by the ethiopians who have issues of their own to deal with
it goes without saying that rickydoc is not in favor of another fundamentalist islamic gov
in africa, the creeping islamic conquest of africa irk my pan african soul
but the humanitarian consequences of inaction in somalia is brutally sobering, i will just have to
accept the hammer on this one, try to encourage the moderate factions such as they are
and longgame for the blackworld flip - strategically speaking we lost this one - again
wonder what obama will do about somalia, darfur, zimbabwe et al - russia, europe, iraq, aghanistan et al
i have been restraining myself from speculating on obamas policies as president, foreign and domestic
for fear of somehow jinxing november 4th, but im very eager to engage that, was thinking today
that if he allow himself to be captured by his base (folk like me) he will make the same mistake
the republicans did, obama will have to defy me and mine in order to be a successful president
thats going to be a bummer, gon break my progressive heart, but hey ima wait till nov 5th to engage all that
till then im staying on the gun (like it really mean something to obama and the world what i do)
recently got back on the hoodoo lists, been off all year, felt the need to see whats what
still the same, exchanging a bunch of magical recipes, man that folk magic thing bore me
they just not interested in the kind of hoodoo i do, hoodoo as guide and guardian of the tribal soul and destiny - high hoodoo - high magic
they so passionate over that slaverytime magic - about a 100 years out of date, i just aint got time for that, rickydoc thrive on the cutting edge
reminds me why i pulled out the hoodoo dialogues in the 1st place
just got tired of swimming upstream - trying to bring them into the 21st century
figured i would come back and just observe but if thats
all they talking about they just wasting my time
you know im kinda discouraging myself here, bringing myself down and giving myself the blues
that wont do, im out, this novel my best bet for destinywork like i like it
best i remain focused
a luta continua
rdoc
SUNDAY
hello world, ive added real clear politics to my daily news scan, definite rightwing
tendency and a lot of what they highilght i just briefly scan a para or two
to get the gist of it but still they have substantive articles aggregated there
i enjoy substance whereever i can find it and always nice to see what the competition doing
was reading one of their many rightwing alarmist pieces about obama
the republican line now is warning of a one party government, is that the faint
smell of surrender, hang in there dear regulators - one more week or so
anyway i ran across this line, which the writer was putting forth as cautionary
it is a line from which i take heart
"Unlike past Democrat presidential candidates, Obama is a hardened
ideologue. He's not interested in playing around the edges. He seeks
"fundamental change," i.e., to remake society."
i believe obama must be a closet hoodooman
cause he be working the roots
ima get into this more later today
right now im more or less clocking pages
all my love
rdoc
BuffaloSoldier salutes Art Flowers Jr. for keeping alive John O. Killens, the Brutha tapped to occupy Bobby Kennedy's old gig, and the South Texas
grand jury that indicted Alberto Gonzales and Darth Cheney on charges relating to prisoner abuse in U.S. prisons. Okay, I'd been responding to
the Rickydoc. blogs and he asked me to put my comments on blast. Our inhouse get togethers always reminded me of those early days in the sixties when there were all night jam sessions trying to break out of assumptions we'd lived by for about 344 years. Man, no caps here. This is a brave new world. In the 1800s down in Arizona and Mexico (Yes, Senator McCain, Arizona) There came a brand New Soldier. I don't have the italics
feature here. So I repeat: A Brand New Soldier. The like this world had
never seen. In the early '60s, we saw the Civil Rights Experience explode.
The scene I remember most was those brave 14 year old and younger kids marching and singing up a Birmingham street. When they turned that corner
we saw helmeted baton bearing police and snarling dogs waiting for them at the bottom of the hill. For a moment, everybody froze. My heart turned over in my mouth. Mom prayed out loud behind me. Then one little girl,
maybe 13, if that, sang in the strongest voice I've ever heard, "Ain't
gonna let nobody turn us around!" And those Brand New Soldiers marched straight to the police and their dogs. Fast forward to 2004. A thin brown
Dominican looking man, with no national identity, addresses the Democratic
Convention. It's a speech that doesn't approach Jesse Jackson's '84
speech but it wows the nation. 4 years later, Barack, The Blessed One, is
elected President. Bobby Kennedy's prophecy is fulfilled. There is Euphoria. A euphoria that hasn't completely swept over the BuffaloSoldier.
Let's examine a few things. The Black Population in the United States
is BlackAmerican, West Indian, LatinBlack and, finally, African. By the way, that's the order from the most populous to the least populous.
The Blessed One, from that least populous, is an actual African (his father) American (his mother) He owes his American citizenship to his mother. He owes his endearing complexion to his father. Hence, while he can intellectualize about The Black Experience here, probably putting more names and dates to history than I, he's not of this peculiar experience.
Make no Mistake. Above the howling of the Biracials ( I've read three missives where they decry his being identified as African American) he's
a Black man. We have a Black President. and for the %96 of blacks that voted for him, that's enough. But Mandela is Black and also of his people in South Africa. Their history is his history. Lumumba was Black and of his people, His history, their history. Nkrumah was Black. Same thing.
Think about it. I move to South Africa and marry Charlize Theron(hey, a
guy can drean) We have a son. He won't grow up to be President. My lack
of South African roots would doom him. "But, BuffaloSoldier, what does it
matter? We're Black and we have a Black President. Hosanna! Hosanna!"
Rickydoc is absolutely correct about the longgame. But a longgame that doesn't include at the top of the ticket the very people that made the longgame possible? The Blessed One ascended to the top of the ticket with
help of the '65 voting act. Whose blood was shed to make that act possible? I just think that little girl with the strong voice should be
acknowledged in the land and history of her birth just as Lumumba is acknowledged in his.
By the way,in light of Barack's immigrant roots, there are rumblings that
the Latin community has planned demostrations on 1/21 as a reminder to keep his promise to them. "Si, se puede!" Say, when will there be an American Indian President. Rickydoc. Proudly and correctly identifies as
a Race Man. SO is the BuffaloSoldier. I'm just not a BlackOnly Race man
I'm BuffaloSoldier and I approve this message.
Posted by: BuffaloSoldier | November 19, 2008 at 05:39 PM
BuffaloSoldier salutes Harriet Tubman and Nat Turner. BuffaloSoldier
stands with Rickydoc against the al zawahiri message. I think, though,
you may not realize that he is rallying the troops over what he percieves as a traitor to Islam rather than the house negro statement
to infuriate BlackAmerica. As you know, in a earlier I was Muslim. Why I left MiddleEast Theology is for another missive. For example,
we know Barack's father was not a practicing Muslim. The Muslim world
may not know. So, like Nyowe, in Things fall Apart, Barack supposedly
reject his father's religion as barbaric. Also, zawahiri is trying to
stem the notion that now that a non white man is President, maybe the
Muslim world will get a fair hearing. So while the message seems
crude and dated to us, it's timely and actually clever for them.
Barack is being cast as whitemouth. the opposite of Malcolm X.
Remember they're looking at a different longgame and endgame than we
here in States. You might say if they're not casting their argument
for us, why use the Western Media. For the same reason they use
airplanes to crash into buildings. They always use yours against you.
You're right about the arab slave trade. It was the inspiration
for the Western Slave trade and was every bit as viscious. As for
Darfur, they've sided with the marauders. I'm BuffaloSoldier and I approve this message.
Posted by: BuffaloSoldier | November 20, 2008 at 11:32 AM