Good morning family. Yesterday, President Barack Obama addressed Morehouse College graduates. The symbolism was compelling and powerful, the first black president speaking to a group of educated black men. Seeing all of those brothers gathered for a positive purpose reminded me of the Million Man March. Who would have known that we would have an African American president approximately 13 years later?
During his commencement address, the President urged the graduates to do good by serving humanity. He encouraged them to be world competitors and leaders. He encouraged the young men to be role models for the community. It was a truly inspiring speech.
Although he acknowledged that racism still exists, the President urged African Americans to stop making excuses and take personal responsibility. Most of us understand his point. Most black people are not making excuses. We are striving against the odds each and every day to improve our lives and our communities.
Every year during Black History Month, I was taught about the diluted and sanitized version of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His famous I Have A Dream speech was drilled into my head. I was taught that people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin. I was programmed to embrace the virtues of non-violent resistance. Conversely, Malcolm X's name was only mentioned in passing.
Finally, when I attended Howard University many moons ago, I saw a excellent documentary on the life of Malcolm X. Before seeing that film, I never heard a black man speak with such boldness. For the first time, I heard a brave black man say that we have a divine and legal right to defend ourselves from racist brutality and oppression. Instead of begging the white man to recognize our humanity, brother Malcolm X taught us to know ourselves and our history. He taught us to love our motherland. He taught us to love our black skin, wide noses and kinky hair.
Malcolm's words awakened my political and social consciousness. I started devouring books beginning with the Autobiography of Malcolm X and Malcolm X Speaks. He inspired me to become a student activist in college. My commitment to social justice continues today because of the spark that he ignited within me.
I cannot thank Brother Malcolm enough. Thank you for sacrificing your life for our freedom. Thank you for inspiring me to join the struggle for equality and justice. Happy Birthday Brother Malcolm X. May God forgive you for your sins and bless you with paradise.
"Hate begets hate; violence begets violence." Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Good morning family. I condemn all forms of terrorism. I condemn the Boston bombers for killing and maiming innocent civilians. There is no justification for such senseless violence. I also condemn America's drone policy. Many innocent civilians are killed during U.S. drone strikes. We must end all forms of terrorism.
Please take five minutes to listen to Farea Al-Muslimi testify before the U.S. Senate regarding the real world impact of this nation's drone policy. Mr. Al-Muslimi explains how U.S. drones terrorize villages in Yemen.
On Democracy Now, Jeremy Scahill described the true nature of America's drone and war policies.
What do you think about America's drone policy, the kill list and U.S. military intervention?
I pray for the people of Boston. May God bless and comfort the families and the victims of this horrible tragedy. I pray that law enforcement captures the cowards who committed this heinous and cowardly act of terrorism. Such senseless violence will not accomplish anything. It will only breed more violence and hatred.
We cannot let this tragedy consume us with hatred. If we do, the terrorists win. Unfortunately, some people have surrendered to hate. In response to the Boston bombing, Fox News Contributor Erik Rush tweeted that all Muslims should be killed. Here are his disgusting tweets.
We are constantly bombarded with news reports equating Muslims with terrorism. We see images of menacing Muslims wearing ski masks, shooting guns and blowing up innocent people. We see images of men, women and children killed in New York, Arlington, London, Iraq, Israel and other places by Muslim terrorists. Rarely do we see positive images of Muslims on the news. When we hear the word "terrorism", we immediately think of Muslims. A prime example of this problem is CNN's false report of a "dark skinned male" being arrested for the Boston bombing.
When one has the power to define, one possesses the ability to shape reality. When we think about terrorism, we do not immediately think about Timothy McVeigh, Ted Kaczynsky, Eric Robert Rudolph or other white men. When white people commit crimes, they are punished as individuals. They are not stereotyped, profiled and punished as a collective like Muslims, Arabs, African Americans and Latinos are. In America, that is one of privileges of being white.
In addition to contradictory standards for racial profiling, we also use a contradictory definition terrorism. We have been taught to accept and tolerate some forms of violence based on the source of the violence. The U.S. uses drones to kill innocent civilians around the world. Israeli airplanes launch missiles into residential areas and bulldoze houses in the occupied territories. Those violent acts are not called terrorism. They are called collateral damage. The word "terrorism" is reserved Muslims and Arabs.
That negative propaganda causes the American people to consciously and subconsciously hate and fear all Muslims. That hatred explains why most Americans do not care about U.S. drones killing innocent civilians in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia. That hatred explains why most people do not care about Muslims being held indefinitely in Guantanamo Bay without being charged or tried. Whenever there is a terrorist attack, we automatically assume that Muslims are responsible. Sadly, we begin to view and treat all Muslims as terrorists.
For example, no one knows who committed the Boston terror attack. Yet, people assume that Muslim terrorists are responsible. In response to the attack, people harassed and beat a man in the Bronx. The New York Post reports that:
A Bangladeshi man out for dinner at a Bronx restaurant was viciously beaten hours after the Boston Marathon bombing by thugs who called him “a f--king Arab” before pummeling him to the ground, sources said.
Abdullah Faruque, 30 — a native of the South Asian country who grew up in The Bronx — was at Applebee’s on Exterior Avenue in Melrose at about 11:30 p.m. Monday when he went outside for a smoke.
Three or four Hispanic males he’d noticed drinking at the bar followed him and angrily got in his face, he recalled yesterday.
“One of the guys asked if I was Arab. I just shook my head, said like, ‘Yeah, whatever.’ I didn’t even know that [the] Boston [bombing] happened because I had a busy day,” Faruque said.
He turned to head back inside as one of the men snarled, “Yeah, he’s a f--king Arab,” and the gang pounced, punching him on the head and body, dislocating his left shoulder and leaving him semiconscious.
“Before I could grab the door, they started swinging at me,” the network engineer said of the 90-second beatdown. “I’ve been jumped before. If you can’t win, you back up, you try to protect yourself.”
The victim said he went home and turned on the TV, and only then learned about the bombing and put two and two together.
Erik Rush's hateful tweets encourages that type of violence against innocent, law abiding Muslims. Unfortunately, Mr. Rush is not alone. Anti-Muslim hatred is acceptable in mainstream America. Politicians like Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and others regularly make anti-Muslim statements without facing any real opposition.
So when someone like Erik Rush says kill all Muslims, there is very little public outrage in the media. That is frightening and dangerous. If Mr. Rush said kill all whites, kill Jews, kill all black people, kill all gays, kill all women or kill all disabled people, Congress would hold hearings. Politicians would have universally condemned his statement. His story would have been on every single TV news channel and in every newspaper. Fox News would have fired him immediately. People for the American Way is one of the few organizations demanding that Fox News fire Mr. Rush.
As an African American, Erik Rush should be ashamed. Throughout our history, we have been persecuted and oppressed. Today, we are still racially profiled, stopped and frisked just because of the pigment of our skin. In light of our history and current day realities as a people, no African American should embrace anti-Muslim hatred. By the way, many of Mr. Rush's fellow African Americans, including myself, are Muslim.
If we accept this kind of hatred, American society may degenerate into a state resembling Nazi Germany. Stand up to hate. Sign the People for the American Way's petition.
Yesterday, the U.S. Senate shamefully voted against background checks for gun purchasers. Those heartless chumps do not care about the victims in Newtown, Aurora, Tucson and Chicago. In a nutshell, the Senate decided that it was acceptable for criminals, gangsters, terrorists and crazy people to buy firearms. Those NRA puppets put profits over public safety. That is not leadership. That is cowardice.
Here are the Senators who voted against reasonable gun control legislation. Remember these faces. We must vote each and every one of them out of office.
Courtesy of The Huffington Post, here are their Twitter names. They need to hear from you.
•Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) -- @SenAlexander
•Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) -- @KellyAyotte
•Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) -- @SenJohnBarrasso
•Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) -- @MaxBaucus
•Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) -- @SenatorBegich
•Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) -- @RoyBlunt
•Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.) -- @JohnBoozeman
•Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) -- @SenatorBurr
•Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) -- @SaxbyChambliss
•Sen. Dan Coats (R-Ind.) -- @SenDanCoats
•Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) -- @TomCoburn
•Sen. Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) -- @SenThadCochran
•Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) -- @SenBobCorker
•Sen. Jon Cornyn (R-Texas) -- @JohnCornyn
•Sen. Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) -- @MikeCrapo
•Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) -- @SenTedCruz
•Sen. Mike Enzi (R-Wyo.) -- @SenatorEnzi
•Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) -- @SenatorFischer
•Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) -- @JeffFlake
•Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) -- @GrahamBlog
•Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) -- @ChuckGrassley
•Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- @SenOrrinHatch
•Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.) -- @SenatorHeitkamp
•Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) -- @SenDeanHeller
•Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.) -- @SenJohnHoeven
•Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) -- @jiminhofe
•Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) -- @SenatorIsakson
•Sen. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) -- @Mike_Johanns
•Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) -- @SenRonJohnson
•Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) -- @SenMikeLee
•Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) -- @McConnellPress
•Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) -- @JerryMoran
•Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) -- @lisamurkowski
•Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) -- @SenRandPaul
•Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) -- @robportman
•Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) -- @SenMarkPryor
•Sen. Jim Risch (R-Idaho) -- @SenatorRisch
•Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) -- @SenPatRoberts
•Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) -- @marcorubio
•Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) -- @SenatorTimScott
•Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) -- @SenatorSessions
•Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) -- @SenShelbyPress
•Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) -- @SenJohnThune
•Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) -- @DavidVitter
•Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) -- @SenatorWicker
Good morning family. I pray for the people of Boston. May God bless, keep and comfort them all during this horrific tragedy. I pray that the criminals be brought to justice.
The Washington Post reports that:
This city woke Tuesday morning to grief and unanswered questions, as investigators searched for the people who detonated two bombs near the finish line of the venerated Boston Marathon, lifting runners off their feet, killing at least three people and injuring approximately 140 others.
An eight-year-old boy fatally injured in the blasts was identified by the Boston Globe early Tuesday as Martin Richard, of Dorchester. The newspaper said Martin’s father, a community activist, ran in the marathon, and his family was waiting for him at the finish line. Martin’s mother, Denise Richard, and one of his sisters were hospitalized with “grievous injuries,” the Globe reported.
Many patients had lost limbs, and many remain in critical condition, a hospital official in Boston said. A number of children are among the badly injured.
The devastating impact of the explosions, which came 16 seconds apart at 2:50 p.m. on one of Boston’s most important days of civic celebration, spread almost instantly across the city and country, driving Boston and the nation once more into the grim work of responding to terror.
I hope that the American people unite during this difficult time. I hope that the politicians exercise reasonable restraint. I hope that they do not use this tragedy to further erode our civil liberties.
For the first time, he is formally proposing to trim scheduled Social Security benefits — a GOP demand that is anathema to many Democrats. He is also offering to make meaningful reductions in Medicare benefits, including higher premiums for couples making more than $170,000 a year...
Of the entitlement cuts, Obama said, “I don’t believe that all these ideas are optimal, but I’m willing to accept them as part of a compromise.” He added: “When it comes to deficit reduction, I’ve already met Republicans more than halfway. So in the coming days and weeks, I hope that Republicans will come forward and demonstrate that they’re really as serious about the deficits and debt as they claim to be.”
The president’s debt-reduction proposal mirrors an offer he made to Boehner in negotiations over the fiscal cliff.
That includes nearly $400 billion from federal health programs, primarily Medicare, with the bulk of the cuts falling on drug companies and other providers. But Medicare beneficiaries would also take a hit, through higher premiums and requirements to substitute generic drugs for more expensive brand names.
Obama also proposes to slow the growth of Social Security benefits through chained CPI, trimming cost-of-living increases by roughly three-tenths of a percentage point a year and saving the government about $130 billion over the next decade.
White House officials said the change would not affect programs for the poor, such as Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, and would be adjusted to reduce the impact on retirees 77 or older. Still, the proposal has infuriated many Democrats, who have long demanded that Social Security be protected from any debt-reduction deal.
President Barack Obama has officially sold out. Perhaps, he sold out a long time ago and we were just too blind to see it. Here is what he said before he was even elected.
Obama is balancing the budget on the backs of our seniors. Many of our seniors are already struggling. This will only make it harder for seniors to buy food and medicine. Unfortunately, this is probably just the beginning. If we do not act now, the President will probably agree to make additional cuts in entitlements in order to reach a "Grand Bargain". That Grand Bargain will be nothing but a Grand Sellout. We cannot sit back and let that happen. We did not vote for austerity. We voted to move forward, not backward.
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