'Reverse Racism'??

Recently I was accused of 'reverse-racism' by a black conservative ex-colleague..this is how I responded to her...

'Of all of the instances of inexcusable ignorance, it is of those blacks who are ignorant of white racism, and either excuse it as being benign, or conveniently ignore it altogether. When a black person accuses another of 'reverse-racism', they are implicitly accepting this phony made-up term by white racists, who devised it to 'flip-the-script' on blacks and fool them into believing and accepting a specious premise - that blacks can be, and are, as racist as white folks.

Not only is this premise false, but it ignores the realty that there can be no effective racism without the necessary power to implement and execute it - something whites have always had, and blacks have seldom, if ever had.'

'Rising Above IQ'

I read Nicholas Kristof's NY Times article, and the new book he referenced seems to finally get it right - that there are no innate intelligence differences among racial groups.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/opinion/07kristof.html?em

The differences arise from unequal history and access to resources, which translates into all manner of inequalities right down to the number of words a baby in a welfare family hears - "One study found that a child of professionals (disproportionately white) has heard about 30 million words spoken by age 3; a black child raised on welfare has heard only 10 million words, leaving that child at a disadvantage in school."

Interestingly, Kristof did not address white children raised on welfare, which number many-fold more than black children raised on welfare, and presumably they also have only heard 10 million spoken words by age 3, leaving them also with a disadvantage in school.

If this 'spoken word' count is correct and results in a learning and educational disadvantage, then it partially explains how 65 million mostly white voters could vote for Bush in 2000, 68 million voted for him in 2004, and 60 million mostly white voters voted for McCain/Palin in 2008.

In contrast Bush received less than 4% of the black vote in 2000, less than 11% in 2004, and McCain/Palin received less than 2% in 2008. So it appears that despite some blacks being handicapped by hearing lesser spoken words by age 3, we as a group 'rose above IQ' and had the sense to reject the Bushco disaster both times, and avert the McCain/Palin disaster that would have surely followed. Above all we had the good sense to vote for President Barack Obama! - now that's really 'Rising Above IQ'!

Reflections On The Moment.....

As I see Barack and Michelle taking their victory walk along the parade route, I'm struck by the tremendous risk that they are taking to follow the 'walking' tradition started by Jimmy Carter. Of course Carter was never in the amount of danger that Obama is, and will be, throughout his presidency. So I held my breath and prayed along with millions of others along the route and watching on television.

It has been a momentous time ever since Obama declared that he was running for the presidency, over two years ago. America will never be the same again, even if they never elect another Black man again. History has been made and witnessed by millions who never thought they would see this day. And those who have passed on already, will not have the opportunity to experience what we did today. I'm thankful that God has protected him so far, and am hopeful that He will continue to do so in the days ahead.

The self-congratulatory expressions of our greatness and generosity, flowed freely in the many speeches that were made today. I just wonder if all the good things that we can rightfully boast about, compensates for the evil done by us or by our proxies with our permission. Can we ignore the 1,300 Gazians killed by Israel financed with our tax dollars. What about the 400 children and 100 women included in that number?....what about the 100,000 Palestinians injured, including 1,900 children and 800 women included in that number...the 24,000 buildings demolished and the 100,000 made homeless are too horrific to comprehend - all this done in our name and with our connivance. What about the millions of Iraqis that are either dead or injured by our actions?...And we call ourselves a 'christian', moral nation with a deep respect for life, unless of course 'the others' have been branded as terrorists and not worthy of humane treatment, as these have been by Israel and Us.

Oh well, fortunately, the final trump card is still held by Almighty God, and He alone will ensure that we 'sow what we have reaped'. Until then, we will continue to feel smug about our democracy and the peaceful transfer of power we have just witnessed. When the piper has to be paid though, it will all go for nought...we should enjoy it for now....

A Christian Nation?????

I don't see anything christian about the preemptive invading of a sovereign country on the pretext of suspecting them of having WMDs, and then 'shocking and awing" them to death numbering in the thousands, while sacrificing thousands of our own citizens.

If the nation had collectively risen up and denounced the criminals who planned this, and then impeached and jailed them for their criminality, then we could at least claim to have some Christian virtue. Instead, most of the nation supported this slaughter, and 60 million voters just voted for McCain/Palin to continue this atrocity done in our name.

What about the billions of taxpayer funds stolen by war profiteers, with no-bid contracts and other ruses to facilitate their thefts? Would a Christian nation sanction and allow such stealing with impunity from the national treasury?

If this is a christian nation, then we will have to re-define what 'Christian' means, from following the teachings of Christ, to following the evil in the hearts of the men who lead this nation.

My Thanks to 2 Gods

Thanksgiving is the time of year to express our thanks to God for the blessings of faith, family, health and strength, and all the other blessings of life that we enjoy.

I'm particularly thankful to God for His miraculous intervention on Barack's behalf, where He brought him from being the most unlikely candidate for president, to 'the one' who beat all of the more likely candidates who were ahead of him. This is the God who was able to hear and answer the prayers of millions of Obama's ancestors and supporters, by responding in a miraculous way on his behalf.

I also want to be sure to thank the 'god' of the John McCain and Sarah Palin supporters, who either couldn't hear their prayers, ignored their prayers, or merely decided to punish them by allowing an outcome that they absolutely could not conceive of and did not want. In fact, the TBN gang could barely whisper their usual, "Praise The Lord!". If I was their 'god' I would have also been offended by what many of them prayed for. One of their prominent supporters, James Dobson, who is a leading Evangelical, had the temerity to pray and ask his supporters to pray, that Obama's acceptance speech at the Colorado convention, would be rained out. Others hoped their 'god' would let something unfortunate happen to Obama, to prevent him from winning the presidency. Still others hoped their 'god' would kill him because Sarah Palin said that he 'palled around with terrorists', and was not like what a good [white] American should be.

All these ungodly prayers were being uttered on behalf of two of the worst candidates for president and vice-president, in the history of this country. What an insult it was to a 'god', to have to listen to these kinds of offensive prayers on behalf of two unqualified, unworthy candidates. It's no wonder he or she, either tuned them out, or exacted the ultimate retribution by turning the tables on their requests.

The last thing I am thankful for, is that this election made it abundantly and absolutely clear, that there were and are, two different 'gods' being prayed to. One is the true and living God of many of the Obama supporters, who not only could hear their prayers, but answered in a most convincing and miraculous manner. The other is the false 'god' of the right-wing, and particularly many Evangelicals, who left them high and dry, searching for an explanation of why he failed to grant their most earnest prayers, entreaties and supplications.

Never again should anyone think that just because someone calls himself or herself a Christian, that they are following and praying to the same true and living God. Millions have been unknowingly or secretly following their own false christian god, that finally got exposed this past Nov. 4th.

All thanksgivings to the true and living God.

Where's the Cos.....?

Where's the Cos, when we need him????

The Cos of course is Bill Cosby, who made a small fortune writing a book and making numerous speeches and media appearances, lambasting poor blacks for their deficient English and speaking skills. His payoff besides the money, was the pat on the head from grateful whites and some blacks for his willingness to "tell it like it is" at the expense of blacks who can't defend themselves.

We'll, since the election, there has been no shortage of articles, opinion pieces and essays, about the butchering of the language by Caribou Barbie, better known as Sarah Palin. She has been charitably described as "an air-head with a scrambled brain between her head and her mouth". Her inability to put a coherent sentence together or answer simple questions, made the jobs of comedy writers easier than it had ever been. Her well-publicized ignorance of basic geography, politics, and the world in general, had most shaking their heads in disbelief.

Yet, none of this has stirred Cosby to rise up in indignation and disgust at her lack of the essentials that he was so quick to publicly criticize poor blacks for. Why is this?.. Is it because blacks are an easier, safer target, whereas targeting a stupid, ignorant white woman who happens to be a state governor and who could possibly retaliate, is a risk he's unwilling to accept?... In other words I suspect he is a cowardly opportunist, that genuflects and bows to white dysfunctions and mediocrities, but can't abide the same things among those who happen to look like him.

I am patiently waiting for Cos to apply the same standards that he has set forth for the black poor, to this cartoonish joke of an ex-V.P. candidate, named Sarah Palin, and her pregnant, unwed, high school drop-out daughter.

Of course I don't expect to hear a peep from him unless he can figure out a way to parlay it into a profitable book deal, while avoiding being lynched by many of the rabid and loyal Palin supporters, who also vociferously called for the lynching of Barack Obama.

"...And Let Them Have Dominion.." Gen. 1:26

The dominion that God mandated is a far cry from the perversion that is practiced by the likes of Palin, Robertson, and Bush and their many evangelical supporters.

Their version calls for subjugation of inferiors, pre-emptive wars, manufacturing and lying about presumed threats to the US, murder and slaughter in the name of their god, illegally occupying another country, 'shock and awe', profiting from war, authorizing and condoning torture, waging war on all social programs that help the least able to help themselves, and opposition to hundreds of health, environmental and safety laws designed to benefit our society. Additionally, one writer said, -

"Dominionism has proved itself to be hooligan in nature. It is Machiavellian to the core. Dominionists take what is not theirs; they grab what belongs to others; they steal from the poor to give to the rich; they bribe; they punish with smears and condemnation. And they win elections at any cost—even at the cost of American democracy. In the end, that is the stated goal of Dominionists—they desire to establish an American Theocracy, where every one of them shall reign as “Theo.”

Where Jesus said to “turn the other cheek,” the Dominionists say, “dominate them; ruin them; run them out of power.” Their philosophy is anti-Christian and anti-Christ to the core. Dominionists have gained extensive control of the Republican Party and the apparatus of government throughout the United States; they continue to operate secretly. Their agenda to undermine all government social programs that assist the poor, the sick, and the elderly is ingeniously disguised under false labels that confuse voters.

Dominionism started with the Gospels and turned the concept of the invisible and spiritual “Kingdom of God” into a literal political empire that could be taken by force, starting with the United States of America. Discarding the original message of Jesus and forgetting that Jesus said, “My kingdom is not of this world,” the framers of Dominionism boldly presented a Gospel whose purpose was to inspire Christians to enter politics and execute world domination so that Jesus could return to an earth prepared for his earthly rule by his faithful “regents.”

"Dominionism’s purpose is to create theocrats (a Christian class of rulers). But in order to successfully place only certain Christians in positions of power, Dominionism divides Christian believers into classes based upon political ideology and certain hot point issues such as the privatization of Social Security and Medicare, freedom to decide on medical procedures with ones own physician, freedom of the press and freedom of speech, freedom of the arts, and certain rights like the right to a fair trial and protection from governmental intrusion into the privacy of marriage and adult associations.

The Dominionists have lost more American jobs in the last three years than since the days of Herbert Hoover. And now they want to eliminate the minimum wage laws too. America’s unions have helped to create a better life for millions of workers. The Dominionists want to break all unions apart (especially the teacher’s union). As Americans, we love our schools and are proud of our educational system. The Dominionists want to destroy all public education in America and force Americans to be educated in their religious schools. Americans love our culture and the arts. The Dominionists want to destroy that culture."

But God miraculously orchestrated Barack Obama's election, and it appears that He is throwing a monkey-wrench into the plans of these haters of freedom. Judging from the anguished cries and hand-wringing from their supporters, It appears that their attempt to sneak Palin/McCain across the finish line to continue Bush's dominionist reign, has been derailed, at least for now - All praises be to our God.