We Should Be Scared

The Jena 6 should be frontpage news.

Louisiana should be embarrassed.

In the wake of Katrina with all of the obvious problems that were exposed we should be a little scared of the developing storm around even newer injustices in the embattled state.

The Jena6, for those who have been blacked out, are six young black men between the ages of 17-18 who were charged with attempted murder for a schoolyard fight.
The small Louisiana parish of Jena was the setting.

85% white in the great state of Louisiana, I am sure there is a history of racism there.
If the recent events are any indication there is a rich history of racism that has gone on unabated.

Racism is not new. Unfair and harsh prison sentences for young black men are not new.
After civil rights movement and our reaquisition of the right to vote most black folks thought that blatant injustices like this were thing of the past. We have come to expect more comlex shenanigans like the Tuskeegee experiment, Cointelpro and Rockefeller laws.
Jena is unsettling at best, a sign of the apocalypse at worst.

We need to look at this shit, if it keeps going there is going to be a lot of unneccsary bloodshed.
People have a right to defend themselves. It gets hard when you are up against the government ask anyone in Darfur or surviving Bosnians.

The people are being ignored just like poor victims of a lynhcmob in the twentys. The black people in Jena are being left to their own devices just like the newly freed entreprenurial slaves of the south after reconstruction.

What I find scary is the hate.
What did we do?
Why?

I know these are sophomoric questions that can only be answered by the God of ignorance. He resides in his exclusive hatefilled heaven reserved for the limited few who will recieve his good graces.
His disciples speak on radio talkshows blaming the Michael Vick's, Jesse Jacksons and yes Barack Obamas(he is certainly black enough- at least to black people) of the world for our eroding society.

We are poised to descend , once again , into the dark tunnel of savagery I thought we dug out of.
The divide and conquer strategy (poor people at odds) that the planter class (oil& tobbacco) practiced in 1869 works like a charm to this day.

The only way this shit stops is when we ALL stand up, black, white, yellow, red and human and say.

"Share the fucking wealth".

That will, be about the time they start to charge us for breathing .

In the meantime google Jena six

If you are not pissed

I won't blame you

I reserve pity for the ignorant only.

Nostalgia Rules

I was perusing through an old vintage music and memorabilia shop in Utica. I was in the t-shirt section looking for a birthday gift for Hilde (pronounced hilda).

First of all Hilde is hard to shop for, Belgians are moody and finicky people. Its true,ask anyone in The Congo.

Anyway.

I'm flipping through the t-shirts, The Clash, Discharge, Metallicca, Slayer, Godsmack, Operation Ivy...wait a minute.

Operation Ivy?

I could not believe it. I thought what's next Exodus? Sacrilege?, Christ on Parade? How about Neurosis.

The t-shirt was a reminder of a bygone era when fledgling delinquents decided to pick up instruments in place of a bong and provide music for the rest of us accomplished delinquents and future alcoholics to thrash out our frustrations about the absurd American experience we wished we could change.

Change.

To what , we did not know. Most of us were scared to death of nuclear war, Russians and Ronald Reagan. We just wanted to get the politics of conflict and greed out of our faces, we shunned plastic concepts like The Mall. We resented the adults of the hippie generation for abandoning their utopian vision in a drug dazed stupor.

We didn't like the lame communist either it seemed the idea of anarchy made sense. We read books like Lord of the Flies and Malcolm X.

The punk scene was very close to hip-hop in philosophy at the time. Groups like Public Enemy(MyUzi Weighs a Ton) Doug E .fresh, Slick Rick were in heavy rotation with all the punks I hung out with.

It is important to note that this was a pre-crack era.
The low level inhumane mentality of the music today had nowhere to exist. It was a poetic artform that was admired by all other genres.

But Operation Ivy?

Operation Ivy t-shirt in Utica?

I immediately thought about an old a friend and next door neighbor, the guy who introduced me to Timothy Leary.

The Artist who could impress Dali with a SHARPIE.
The guy who laughed at T.V. not with it.
The writer who is the son of a writer.
It was the second product I saw from them since I left California.

The first was in Chicago 1992, tripping in our loft(yeah i lived in a loft) I was going through my roomate's girlfriend's tape collection and I saw Op-Ivy, right next to Janes Addiction tape. Weird things like that happen when you are tripping.

I e-mailed him recently

Life is art.

Oh yeah I got Hilde a Joey Ramone doll.

A Pompous Culture

The guilty plea has been cast. Vick will do 12-18 months in the pokey. America can rest easy now.
Right?
Never mind the 3billion people who eat dog they are all savages.
Right?
I am sorry I can't grasp the severity of Vick's offence. I am part of the lunatic fringe who has witnessed a fight or two. I am part of a culture that shrugs its shoulders when people cry over dogfighting. I am not alone.
The new enemies of the state are the same old enemies, black men.
recently the sherriffs office in Phoenix Arizona raided rapper DMX's house where they found twelve malnourished pitbulls.
I am sure DMX has seen a fight or two his self.
In a world full of violent imagery I wonder why people are so surprised when some form of violence ends up on their doorstep or two acre backyard.
I have witnessed several shootings (two murders) and I have never been to war.
I grew up in America.
Maybe that is why I don't think dogfighting is a big deal.
I think its even more ridiculous to go to jail for it.
In the land of hypocrites it is hard to be right.
We should draw the line somewhere shouldn't we?
Why do we allow the wholesale slaughter of cows and pigs?
Life is life... right?
Can we conveniently justify it?
You will find me shrugging my shoulders on that one too; I eat meat
If law enforcement makes dogfighting a priority guess who will be going to jail.
Young brothers in the city.
All those people in the suburbs with their beautifully manicured lawns can cry out in outrage over Vick's crimes but sleep easy knowing their Katrina hedgefund is solvent.
It is not the dogfighting that pisses everyone off I think it is the electrocutions and drowning of the animals that bother people.
America is full of hard asses why get squemish now?
Dogfighting goes back hundreds of years.
In America it took on a whole new intensity.
The culture that bred a captive population of humans also bred a new and ferocious fighting dog that could tear anything on the other side of the Atlantic apart.
We are a violent country. It is that simple.
Dogfighting is bloodsport in a country with blood industries (eat meat)those are not games.
Here we are fueling the world with arms and toxins but a dogfight is on the headlines. I am wide awake I will not get behind any bullshit smokescreens.
When we bomb Iran I bet someone else gets busted; maybe an ass fucking governor.

I am still pissed

I was listening to sport talk radio yesterday. The subject was Mike Vick and his recent guilty plea.
It was one of those sport talk shows where callers can call in and share their opinions on the current subject.
The overwhelming sentiment was Vick is a scumbag.
'this guy should be strung up'
'They should put him in a cage with some pit-bulls'
'he deserves whatever they give him'
One guy called in and asked the announcer what he thinks , if he thought Vick should do serious time. The announcer shared his opinion that Vick should , in fact, do serious time for his crime.
The caller countered with 'What about Scooter Libby'?
Anyone who has read my blog knows I brought that very point up a week ago. The caller asked 'What about Dick Cheney'?
The announcer stuck to his guns"those were isolated incidents that have nothing to do with this case"
The caller reminded the announcer that Scooter Libby was found guilty by a jury after a trial and he has yet to serve a day in jail , he also reminded the announcer that Libby commited treasonous crimes against Americans not dogs.
The announcer was undaunted and asserted "Vick, commited a felonious act, his thug lifestyle will never be justified , they have to set an example.
I assert slavery was a good enough example we do not need any more examples. The black community already knows there is a double standard we do not have to prove it to the rest of America anymore. Some people in the media are up in arms about the NAACP's assertion of my point. If the NAACP does not speak up who will?
Yeah dogfighting is vicious, so is war. Yeah dogfighting is illegal, so is outing a U.S. intelligence officer.
Now, I ask, which is worse?
Oh yeah and while your pondering ask yourself if Vick could get away with accidentally shooting someone?

Michael Vick vs The U.S.

What if American men and women were fought like pitbulls? What if the government took young men in their prime, honed them physically and programmed them mentally to fight. What if they trained some of them to kill ? Putting them through life threatening , grueling situations to prepare them for the hardships of battle.

What if they did it with thousands and actually fought them in a high stakes gambling den located in Iraq?

What if the guys that fought these innocent young men were found guilty of treasonous crimes?

Would they be pardoned?

I can see the defenders of our legal system lining up now.

The racism charges regarding Vick's techno lynching has some merit. These rich, white, power brokers are trampling all over the Constitution and the sacred laws passed under it. While the federal Government goes after an athlete for crimes that pale in comparision to an illegal war.

The dog racing industry also has a dog disposal side to it, those people get fines all the time. Fined, no jail time , no Feds.

It is incredible to me.

I read old newsclipping about lynchings and other outrageous events. The language has changed but the sentiment hasn't. The assumption of guilt is overwhelming.

When Kobe Bryant was charged with rape the same thing happened.
No facts, just assumptions .
A rush to judgement.
A mob mentality.

The Headline for the Denver Post read in bold letters SHE SAID NO!!!

Lynching?

Inciteful?

Objective?

Remember the L.A. riots? A lot of people thought it was just Rodney King, but it wasn't. People boiled over when, earlier that week, a Jury found a Korean woman guilty of manslaughter and put on probation-no jailtime-for shooting an irate customer, a young black teen, in the back of the head- the clip of the girl being shot was shown over and over on the news. The girl died for stealing orange juice. That same week a black man got two years jail time for animal cruelty.

It is frustrating to see Scooter Libby get away with perjury, treason and a host of other crimes and not see the inside of a cell.

But everyone is screaming for Vick's head.

The NHL gambler Tochet gets two years probation for gambling.

Admitted Steriod abusing slugger Jason Giambi cleared of any wrongdoing, clearly still a fan (media)favorite. Clearly guilty of using roids.

Barry Bonds? Everyone(media) hates him.

How dare that Negro act arrogant
How dare that Negro deny us the opportunity to talk to him.
Who the hell does he think he is?

All the while our human pitfight goes on and thousands more will die and these guys, the ones who are gambling with our lives, will walk away to Kennebunkport counting money, checking their Katrina hedge funds.


But Dave.... we have to save the dogs.

It hurts when it is real

An aqcuaintance, a guy who by all appearances had it together , killed himself.
I did not know him well but I knew him and I knew, beyond a doubt, he was good guy.
He mentored kids, owned a house, he had a great job, I was told he had two daughters. He also was a good musician and played keyboards at our annual church Easter Pageant.
Shocking.
Just last week there was a rumor that I killed my self.
Shocking, Sickening.
The meanspirited misinformation blazed through Utica's black community. People stopped me on the street asking me if I was O.K.
People at church were hugging and kissing me like I came back from the dead. Where it came from I will never know or care. What I do know is there was another guy , like me, who REALLY was hurting. Who needed help.
I want to preface what I write next with a hearsay clause although I do not consider this gossip, it is much too serious an issue to be taken lightly. The information I have recieved regarding this event is secondhand.
I was told he had vocally announced his intent to his significant other, she alerted the police who arrived and determined that the victim was O.K..
Later that night he was found.
I know in a lot of places it is illegal to do yourself harm. If one announces the intent to do so, they are sent in for an evaluation or a suicide watch.
I can't help but think there was something overlooked. He was not his right mind but he cried out for help.
He could still be here.

The Caveman

Someone has to say it. The GEICO Caveman has to go. I have to bring up this discussion, because this sentiment has been festering in the minds of many people, I know personally who have felt the sting of racism or , in the cavemans case, cro-magnonism .

Everytime I see a step n fetch it negro 'yassa bossin' to the benevolent master or I see a clip from Birth of a Nation I cringe from an existential meltdown.

My individual ego clashes with the group dynamic everytime I see these cartoonish rap videos.
I know this feeling is not exclusive to black people , but one can draw a lot of parallels based on our experience here in America. I am not sure I am ready to laugh about it.

I cringe everytime a commercial with mostly black people in it is always accompanied with church music, or hyper-vibrato singing.

I cringe when I see childrens programs and the black woman is always sassy with her hand on her hip, but never nerdy.

Face it we need this imagery.

I want everyone that reads this to understand , underlying all the phony(seemingly real) designations that we live up to according to race therein lies an indisputable truth: We are all from the same shit.

Point Blank

Hope For The Best

I went to a job interview yesterday. It seemed to go well. Through the years I have been to many job interviews and I am a pretty good judge on my performance, at least I thought I was. I also had one three days ago it also SEEMED to go well. In fact, I was told I would be getting a call back within a day for the second interview.
I have to admit I am getting a little worried.
Am I presenting myself correctly?
Did my last boss slam me?
Am I overqualified?
Maybe I am just anxious. Actually I am anxious.
I need to work and I know I have value.
I also just got haircut.
Maybe two years without insurance is catching up with me(teeth).
Where does my value lie?
Is it making calls to area buisiness owners and CEO's for fundraising requests?
Is it playing 'goodcop' to wary advertisers?
Is it recruiting students for The Study Buddy Club?
Is it gathering information about the latest shootout in Utica?
Will it be selling cars?
Will it be generating qualified leads?
Who knows, maybe I'll get into politics.
Could it be writing political spin?
Stay tuned and while you are at it, tell everyone there is a talented Utican who wants to write for a living.

I'm Still Here Suckers

I heard this morning that I died last night. I had to pinch myself. It has been a dream of mine to actually be in the 'rumor mill'.
I have, up till now, lived a life of relative obscurity. Going about my day to day business under the radar.
Not true.
Everyone and their mother knows me, I have succesfully been in three places at one time. I do not know how I accomplish these amazing feats; being the subject of someone's fabricated story is an unusual skill. I will try to pass on what I know to anyone interested in being the subject of a false story.
It helps if you have a controversial reputation built on legendary acts of debauchery and 'devil may care' mayhem.
It also helps if you have an enigmatic personality prone to alienate almost everyone around you.
Talk about science and politics a lot.
Talk about the inequities that have created two distinct societies here in Central New York.
Work with any controversial character you can find and back them up.
Go out at three in the morning and walk the streets.
Get involved with current rumors and help them grow.
Eat a lot. You may wonder why I say eat a lot. The food helps put on pounds . Pounds limit physical movement which increases mental activity. Interest in television, more food, and rumors is a by product of a over healthy appetite. The television helps some people with creativity, but only those who totally lacked it before.
If you are already creative stay away from excess food and T.V. you already have a good rumor ready to be born.

38 For The first time

Tommorow August 5, 2007 I will turn 38 yrs old. By the grace of God I made it this far. I am so fortunate to be alive and relatively healthy.

I think about the wreckage of my past and I have to acknowledge that I am blessed.

In 1998 I was living in Oakland California; I worked for a guy named Bill King. One of his buddies, a crazy redhead, German chess(gun) fanatic named Linger told me. "Dancy, if you make it to forty you are doing something right". It sounded good at the time but as I reflect I realize that survival is not enough.

I have always wanted more but my self esteem told me I could not have it. I am screwed up or I am going to screw it up. I never got in the game because I was scared to play. I always wanted to be 'normal', accepted, liked and valuable. Now I don't care.

I am almost 38 and I am blessed. I thought I would share a few of the moments in time where everything stood still and my very existence hung in the balance.

8yrs old- playing with my sisters friends I end up falling head first down the stairs; I saw white light and was out for a few minutes. Who knows how bad It was.

10yrsold- visiting my grandparents in Utica during the winter we had a blow out on interstate 90. we end up doing four 360's before getting in the emergency lane and actually changing the tire. It was a miraculous act of God that we did not get killed. I vividly remember my mother grasping me and my sister in an impromptu bear hug as the tilt- a -whirl station wagon did its thing. The scariest part was seeing the headlights behind us not knowing how long we were spinning.

8-13yrsold- driving with my father had numbed my nerves to the point of fearlessness. I instinctively gripped armrests and door handles when I sat in the passengers seat. I was in a constant state of 'brace'. To this day I do not enjoy being a passenger. To my father's credit I was eventually able to relax. When I was thirteen he went into recovery. He died sober.

13yrsold- In Richmond California on my way home from school I saw shootout. A big Samoan was shot in the head and chest, he died.

15yrsold- I just bought a fish tank in North Oakland it was getting dark and I had beef with a kid in that neighborhood; he knew I was around, no one else would have shot at me. The scariest part was the whizz of a bullet, it sounds like a fast moving wasp. A bullet tickled my ear that is how I learned what a bullet sounds like zzzzzing.

22yrsold- West side of Chicago I was sitting on the hood of one our friends car, same thing as North Oakland but there were a lot of zzzzings.

The next sixteen years is chock full of action packed incidents that helped strengthen my faith in God.

But the one that stands out the most was March 14, 2005.

I will never forget that day.

She knows what I am talking about