“Silence is argument carried out by other means.”
“If you tremble indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine.”
“Until victory always”
“It’s a sad thing not to have friends, but it is even sadder not to have enemies.”
“Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love.”
Here are some books that I’ve been (re)reading recently:
All About The Beat:Why Hip-Hop Can’t Save Black America by John McWhorter
When Research Matters: How Scholarship Influences Public Policy by Frederick Hess
The Educational Thought of W.E.B. Dubois: An intellectual History by Derrick Aldridge
Spin Cycles: How Research is Used in Policy Debates by Jeffrey Henig
Death At An Early Age by Jonathan Kozol
Social Science for what?: Philanthropy and the Social Question in a World Turned Rightside Up by Alice O’Connor
Che Guevara, Paulo Freire, and the Pedagogy of Revolution by Peter McLaren
The Wounded Healer: Ministry in Contemporary Society by Henry Nouwen
According to a recent USA Today cover story, oral sex is sharply on the rise among teenagers, many of whom do not consider it a form of sex. What do you think?
Bernie Porter,
Locksmith
“That’s a relief. Turns out I haven’t been sexually abusing my son, after all.”
Nina Hahn,
Occupational Therapist
“I was shocked to find that cunnilingus accounted for a full 1.3 percent of these oral-sex cases.”
Roger Blauvelt,
Systems Analyst
“This is just more of the usual conservative-Christian hysteria over teenagers swallowing miles of cock.”
Robert Hastings,
Teacher
“So is it wrong when I tell my students, ‘Make love to me with your mouth’?”
Bernice Cole,
Medical Assistant
“These teens will believe anything the president goes on TV and says.”
Leonard Doby,
Student
“As a teen math whiz, I can’t say I’ve heard or seen anything about this.”
Today’s video of the day shows the latest round of anti-Obama commercials from the Black Republicans of America. These are so ridiculous that they’ll likely help Obama among voters with IQs above 50.
The Crimes of Kings
(c) ‘08 Mumia Abu-Jamal
[col. writ 6/21/08]
There is an adage in Anglo-American law that says, “The King can do no wrong,” a reflection of the power of kings stemming from the conquest of Britain by William the Conqueror in 1066.
It remains in American law under the doctrine called sovereign immunity, which protects the government from suit by its citizens.
But beyond the law there is the practice of politicians of bowing to the power of the president, no matter what he (or someday, she) does.
There is no question that Richard Nixon broke laws during the Watergate scandal. Nor is there serious question that Ronald Reagan violated the Boland Amendment, which outlawed aid to the contras in Nicaragua.
When the present Bush administration wiretapped the phone calls of Americans it violated the F.I.S.A. (or Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act) law, which required secret court orders to proceed.
Yet, in none of these cases were presidents charged for violating the laws. Indeed, when Nixon was threatened with impeachment, his handpicked successor, Gerald Ford, issued a pardon before any charges were even made!
There’s an important lesson here, in that the presidents known as the toughest on crime, didn’t want that toughness when it came to their crimes.
Historians have demonstrated that high ranking congressmen worked out a nice, neat deal with Nixon, sparing him the embarrassment of impeachment if he resigned.
Centuries after a revolution, in the name of democracy , and it’s still ‘the king can do no wrong.’ Or as Richard Nixon put it, “When the President does it, that makes it legal.”
Clearly, if George W. Bush has studied anything, it’s Nixon.
From secret prisons to legalized torture; from renditions abroad to wiretaps at home; from illegal wars to ruinous occupations, crimes - as in violations of both U.S. and International laws - have become presidential prerogatives.
And Congress has become legislative enablers, by not only taking impeachment off the table, but by rewriting laws to make crimes legal, and also granting retroactive immunity to those corporate criminals which aided and abetted the White House in its crime sprees.
When the White House urged companies to quietly violate FISA by spying on Americans’ communications, both sides knew the law was being violated. If this involved poor folks, conspiracy charges would’ve been leveled, and the conspirators would’ve been cast into prison.
But in the recent FISA amendments, a majority of the members of the House voted to grant immunity to phone companies.
How would you like that kind of juice?
Well, you can’t have it. You’d have to be a multi-million (or billion) dollar corporation…or a president.
–(c) ‘08 maj
Doctors in Berlin have found that sorbitol, the artificial sweetener found in many sugar-free gums, can lead to chronic diarrhea and considerable weight loss. What do you think?
Wendy Beauvoir,
Choir Director
“I look and smell great, so what if I have a little diarrhea?”
Wes Funa,
Hair Stylist
“It also leads to a million friends asking for a stick of your gum. Jeez. If you want gum, bring it yourself!”
Chris Smith,
Systems Analyst
“Doesn’t affect me. I was born a Hubba Bubba man, I’ll die a Hubba Bubba man.”
Today’s photo of the day shows the legendary Thurgood Marshall, who celebrates his 100th birthday today. May He Rest In Peace!
Today’s video of the day is the “classic” video from Eddie Murphy and Michael Jackson. How much would Eddie pay to take this one back?
Anyone care to offer an analysis?
It’s tugging, at my heart, but this time apart is needed
From the public, who should’ve gave me the pulitz’
Instead gave me they ass to kiss
But you know me, thugging ’til the casket dips
But still shine light down on all my peers
I know they weird… I still want them to share
In all the success I received, I know you can’t believe
I still love ‘em but they don’t love me
