What is Important

February 26, 2009

Family is the most important thing that I can imagine. The people, themselves, closest to me by blood, marriage and true friendship are more vital to my happiness and sanity than anything else on this earth. Sure food, clothing and shelter are the trump cards for basic survival but what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world… I got my priorities in order, do you?

The federal government is scheduled to begin its trial of Barry Bonds for perjury on March 2, 2009 in San Francisco. He is accused of bearing false witness before a federal grand jury on the question of whether he “knowingly” took steroids. How important is it for “we the people” to hang a scarlet letter on Barry Bonds? Raise your hand if you think justice cries out for a ruling that Barry Bonds “knowingly” took steroids and then shaded the truth when asked about it before a grand jury.

Our government, in the middle of a trillion dollar international economic storm is expending millions – yes millions – of our tax dollars prosecuting a pampered athlete for taking drugs to enhance his ability to entertain us.

How dare he!

I’m not advocating for mass drug abuse, anarchy or even willful ignorance of cheating. I am saying that there are more important things federal prosecutors can be working on right now.

Let’s start with this Bernie Madoff character and the $50 billion he supposedly swindled from investors. We all know you don’t pull off that kind of heist on your own. That was an inside job if I ever heard of one. Government agencies charged with the monitoring of his stock trades gave him a free ride for over a decade. How do you move $50 billion from tangible, traceable assets to thin air without a trace?

I can’t deposit ten grand in my account without setting off a series of bells and whistles at the bank. $50 billion huh? A whole lot of heavy hitters were in on that mess and we need to see them all doing the “perp – walk” not just this Madoff character who so far is being treated like a lone gunman. Where is the team of federal prosecutors making arrests; getting low level conspirators to flip; working their way up the ladder until they bring down all of Madoff’s accomplices?

How about the $125 billion that has gone missing in Iraq? There has been rampant war profiteering since the beginning of the Iraq War. United States and Iraqi government officials have diverted money earmarked for the “reconstruction” of Iraq into their own pockets in a naked and blatant grab for cash. Some Army personnel and civilian contractors have been indicted for low level profiteering – a few million here and there – but the scope of fraud that leads to $125 billion in losses has not been addressed in any meaningful way.

You would think some of our sharp, avenging angel prosecutors would be crawling all over this; making the lives of our elected officials and their big money backers squirm until we got our money back.

You got folk sweating the President over a stimulus package of $800 billion but won’t move heaven and earth to capture people who are violating the public trust and robbing America of billions during a time of war?

And what about the propensity for police officers to gun down African-American men? From New York and Amadou Diallo to the Bay Area and Oscar Grant, police have been vulgar in their violation of their fellow citizens. This madness has been going on since the 60′s (1860′s) and no one in a position of authority has taken it upon themselves to stamp it out? How many African-Americans need to be murdered by police officers before the Justice Department steps in and starts prosecuting crooked/ bigoted/ incompetent cops with the same zeal that they prosecute Gambinos, drug dealers and uppity ball players?

As an African-American man with a beautiful young sun, I admit a degree of bias in seeking protection from stray bullets. Nevertheless, with or without a proactive Justice Department, I have no intention of going out like a lamb to the slaughter. The Willie Lynch Era been over…

I am hopeful that this new Justice Department, under the capable leadership of Attorney General Holder, adjusts its priorities and focuses on what is important to all of us.

A. Baraka Scott (…brother from another)

Wonder City

February 22, 2009

I wonder as I wander the streets of New York. I am amazed at the sheer diversity and pulse of this City. A living organism itself, the City has moods and emotions, interests, passions and apparently a conscience… I hope.

I hope I don’t see a single New York Post in the hand of a single New Yorker.

I hope New Yorkers reject the bile and hate mongering that was broadcast from the venerable page 6 of that rag.

I hope the owner of that rag is publicly shamed by a complete and utter rejection by the people of a City with a conscience.

I hope that the City recognizes the power of their dollar and uses it. I hope that paper stacks up for months, one unsold edition after the next; causing the paper’s account ledger to bleed red ink. I hope the current owner tucks his tale between his legs and has to leave town after selling the paper at a substantial loss.

I hope he sells it to someone who respects the field of journalism and honors the public service good journalism can provide.

I hope he sells it to someone who loves this Country and the freedom it gives.

What other nation would grant speech so freely as to permit a foreign-born businessman to parody the murder of their Commander in Chief in a major metropolitan newspaper?

What other nation would be so civilized as to censor a hate-peddler by just not listening?

I hope that the City says, “how dare you presume to threaten our President in a cartoon?”

I hope the City says, “we are from many nations and we are all Americans.”

I hope the City draws a line and demands respect for itself and its Chief Gardener.

I hope anyone meaning President Obama harm pays attention to how much the City has his back and thinks twice… Really.

I hope the Knicks win a championship before my four year old son goes away for college…

What? As long as I’m going in, might as well see if I can hook my Knicks up!

A. Baraka Scott (…brother from another)

Economic Stimulus In Denver

February 19, 2009

Response to President Obama's Economic Stimulus Package

The winds of change and hope were fierce in Denver on Tuesday as President Obama breezed into town to sign the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. But, a 56-year-old black teacher who cares for her 92-year-old mother took all the air out of the event with one simple observation: “He made history. But it doesn’t help me.”

While the President toured the Denver Museum of Nature and Science and signed into law the multi billion dollar stimulus package, bystanders, protesters and gawkers gathered outside, offering their perspectives on what the stimulus package meant to them.

Some were optimistic, like a Turkish American student of 29 years who stated that the package, “is a great step for nation’s future.” He added, “it’s time to make an investment in America, our nation; in American roads, healthcare and schools.”

This optimism seemed to override the negativity, while still laced with curiosity. “I’m happy they left a fair amount for the arts,” a white mother of two said. As her daughter dealt the crowd her own stimulus package, chocolate chip cookies, she added that she was “worried about the republican buy in,” and felt that the act “lost it’s luster.” She felt optimistic, however that arts spending stimulated the economy.

In between glances across police tape and squad cars, a few people addressed the dangers of such sweeping action. A high school student who volunteers at the state capitol said, “We’re going to lose more jobs. We will be in a downfall.” He held a sign that said Obama’s Hope + Change = Fear. Nearby a white, female retired Denver police officer offered, “this the most outrageous money grab this country will ever see. Congress and Obama are forgetting they work for us. It’s immoral and it will put us in debt for a long time.” Optimism was bookended by skepticism, adulation and abhorrence side by side.

Many felt the President was off to a great start and recognized his hard work. Michael, a black out of work journeyman and painter of 52 years felt that the act meant hope. “It’s a long road to recovery, the beginning of being patient.” Steps away from Michael, a white carpenter of 26 years also felt optimistic in saying that the act would eventually enable us to get back to business. “It will mean a lot to all of us… in time.”

The crowd swelled over the mid afternoon as the President signed the Act into law inside the museum and took a tour of the Museum’s new solar technology, and perspectives on the street reflected the confusion, confidence and frustration that exists today nationwide. A former warehouse worker of 54 reflected on history and reminded us that our problems are historical and fanned by recent wars for which he holds Bush responsible. “We got to go back to when Bush was in office – His daddy. Them folks [in Iraq] been fighting that war since Jesus was around.” He added that he was a Vietnam vet and that his experience colored his perspective by saying, “I did my time.” Bringing it home, he focused on the future and the long run. “The little ones’ll have to pay.” We both watched as the little girl with the chocolate chip cookies ran out of treats for the crowd.

The prevailing thought in the dust gusts and honking, passing cars and trucks was that of hope and optimism, even though those thoughts were laced with frustration and confusion. From the former teacher who first voted in 1960 – “My job is secure, but I think it should be directed towards those who have lost their homes.” – to Denise Wisdom, the Executive Director of the Pikes Peak Area Urban League – “This is the road to recovery for our families sustain ourselves. A chance to prosper and thrive.” – people remain vigilant and on the watch as President Obama strives to pull America out of the grips of economic peril. There are mixed emotions brewing around the country. And this small microcosm of the American psyche is just a portion of the plethora of stories to be told as we watch our country mend itself and heal. The final word came from a local soldier for change, Jeff Fard, Founder and CEO of the Brother Jeff Cultural Center who said, “This goes beyond the stimulus package. It represents opportunities for people to turn their lives around and hopefully creation of jobs.” True optimism from a slice of the American populous. The winds rage on and carry our stories, anger and hope forward.

All Power To The People

Jwhpage

Here’s what they think about you…

February 19, 2009

After seeing the disturbing cartoon disseminated by the New York Post yesterday, that Ice Cube skit immediately came to mind:  the phrase “here’s what they think about you” is looped over a sample of actor John Tuturo’s racist tirade from “Do The Right Thing” where he exhorts all big-thighed, 360-degree slam dunking moulies to take their pizza and go back to Africa.

I can hear my Mother now, “we’re rubber and their glue…”

I can hear my Lil’ Sister now, “we got bigger fish to fry…”

I can hear my Cousin now, “they got hate in their blood…”  

I recognize the violently racist cartoon as the desperate act of a defeated foe, struggling to stay relevant in a new world where white skin privilege is waning.  I will not be distracted from seizing the incredible opportunities that President Obama has opened for me and my live homies. 

That does not mean that I won’t take time out of my busy schedule to snatch a fool out of his seat and put him in a sleeper hold if he insists on yelling fire in a crowded theatre.

First off, the Post cartoon was intentionally racist.  The Post’s attempt to claim that the piece was meant as a parody of the shooting of a chimp in Connecticut and the inefficiency of Congress is intellectually dishonest and absurd. 

At first blush, when you read the cartoon three components take primacy in your consciousness:  1) the caption which refers to the Obama stimulus bill that was signed one day earlier; 2) the dead chimp lying in a pool of blood with bullet holes in its chest; and 3) two white police officer holding a smoking gun over the dead chimp. 

All three components point to President Obama specifically and African-Americans generally and come together under the gestalt principle to say, “President or not, we can do him the same way we’ll do the rest of you n#@@*s!”

President Obama is the public official most associated with the new stimulus package.  He has been requesting legislation of this type since shortly after the election.  In fact, the initial flap over the first draft of the bill blew back on him because he gave Speaker Pelosi autonomy in that regard.  He has gone to great lengths since being sworn in to advocate for the bill in Washington and across the country.  President Obama signed the bill into law, not Senator Harry Reid, and ultimately President Obama will be the first person judged on its effectiveness.  

Western history is replete with hateful attempts by sick people to compare people of African descent to monkeys.  Does anyone remember the controversy over the LeBron James Vanity Fair cover where he mimicked King Kong while clutching a distressed white damsel? 

Every urban area in this country, and many suburban and rural ones, have at least one story of a brutally un-American murder of an African-American male by the local police force who are sworn to protect them. 

Think about it, an American newspaper, one of the oldest in the country, called for the assasination of our President.  Check out Dr. Joy DeGruy and the legacy of slavery on the collective unconscious of all Americans.  We live with a violent, racist and violently racist history in this great land of ours.  The only way to continue to perfect our union is to be open and honest about where these outbursts come from.

Kudos to Attorney General Holder for his statement on race in America yesterday.  

The debate is not whether the god fearing folk at the New York Post have lost their ever-loving minds; they have clearly bugged out.  The question is what are good Americans of conscience going to do about it?

I honor and respect every artists right to express himself.  Freedom of the press and freedom of speech are pillars of American society that must never be troubled. 

I also respect the power of a capitalist economy.  It is appropriate that the consumer picks the winners and losers in the marketplace by simply buying one product and rejecting another. 

Calls for the firing of the cartoonist responsible are short sighted.  These folk need never be allowed to bring us the news ever.  The press is free to report the news in its totality.  A free press is supposed to keep public officials honest by keeping citizens informed.  Conversely, the press must not abuse its freedom and broadcast platform to distribute propoganda, lies or in this case, threats of violence against the chief executive and representative of the people. 

The New York Post threatened all Americans yesterday.  They yelled fire in a crowded theatre and I am not waiting to see if anyone gets trampled. 

The current management at the New York Post can not be trusted to bring us the news and until that paper is sold to new management, no decent New Yorker or decent American should spend their hard earned quarters on that rag. 

I honor and respect the hard working folk at the Post who had nothing to do with the cartoon – so to them I say, “get your house in order or we will shut you down.”    

Anything less would be…  

A. Baraka Scott  (… brother from another)  

Jedi-in-Chief

February 16, 2009

You think his adversaries would have learned by now.  President Obama is a real life Jedi Master — think a cross between Mace Windu and Obi-Wan Kenobi — someone who should be afforded the utmost respect due a person who can move large objects with his mind and play mind tricks on his enemies.

Let me be clear, I do not think that our President is infallible or beyond reproach.  He is subject to all the pitfalls of his predecessors and will be judged by his performance with energy, health care, and education not the size of his crowds in Berlin, Chicago or Port of Spain.  All black folk ever wanted was a true meritocracy and at a minimum President Obama will get the opportunity to compete on a level playing field.

That being said, what I do know is that he has earned a wide berth to operate and carry out his political agenda.  Any person who can turn the American legacy of slavery on its head and unite a majority of Americans to chart a new course has got a decent handle on this whole American politics thing.

He should just keep in mind that Bill Russell, Muhammad Ali and Wilma Rudolph’s greatness is assured because they are champions; everyone loves a winner.  Mr. President the bar is set quite high and you have a clear path for your attempt.

While the 24-hour news cycle requires constant conflict and analysis to feed the beast, Americans must resist the urge to jump to conclusions based on the prevailing winds of public pontificators.  The change that President Obama champions not only requires a new, responsive government but a sober, intellectually curious citizenry.

Gone are the days of American voters voting en masse on wedge issues or against their own interests because politicians play on their fear or cultural differences.

The stakes are too high for Americans to permit petty arguments to carry the day while the country suffers.  Americans are listening critically to all sides of political arguments and arriving at more informed decisions.

Consider the lesson of Hillary Clinton and national health care.  During the 1st term of the Clinton Administration, First Lady Clinton attempted to craft legislation that would provide universal health care for every American.  Conservatives mobilized to actively oppose the initiative and, without suggesting any meaningful alternatives, between 1993 and 1994 were successful in defeating the Clinton Administration efforts to provide universal health care.  Since that policy failure, neither Republicans nor Democrats have considered universal health care seriously.

After 14 years, and millions of Americans struggling without health care, does everyone agree that a flawed universal health care system would be better than no health care whatsoever?

That is why most Americans supported the Obama economic stimulus package over the Republican opposition.  Most critical thinkers (especially those who live paycheck to paycheck) will choose a tangible offer of assistance over empty, philosophical criticism.  The Republicans “just said no” to Obama without articulating any alternatives.

For Americans, Obama is door number 1 while the Republicans do not even have a door to hang a 2 on.

Recognizing that their President is a Jedi, forces Americans to step their political game up.  Americans must judge Obama’s performance over the long run because he clearly is thinking long term when he makes decisions.

Americans must avoid red herring arguments that distract from the important issues.  Before even thinking about tampering with a woman’s right to choose, legislators better propose a reform that will improve public school education and begin to prepare the workforce to compete in the 21st Century.

Americans must really be active in government on a local level.  Does everyone know who their Senators and U.S. Representative are?  Drop them a line and say hello, then keep in touch over the next two years…  They need to know you are looking over their shoulder.

I’m wondering what the Jedi-in-Chief is up to next?  Three weeks for an $800 billion priming of the pump, flaws and all, is a good start.  He got the job done.

I like the idea of a President who hits for power and has high batting average…  Same way I like the idea of a Jedi Master who is nice with the light saber and swift with the whole mind trick thing.

A. Baraka Scott (…brother of another)

Touchable Redemption From The Solitude Of Sanctuary

What are you prepared to do?

The words hemorrhaged from his mouth, seconds before death, in the face of a seemingly impossible fight; words of inspiration, a mocked challenge against faith and courage right at death’s door. Connery’s fictionalized question is appropriate in real life, just seconds into the Obama presidency. And while it is not the newly anointed president’s responsibility to lead a national dinner discussion on race, class and gender politics, it is nice of him to set the table.
Today, the stakes in America mimic those faced by Ness and his fictionalized gang. And this challenge echoes through Martin Luther King’s hills and hamlets as we inherit Obama’s presidency with earnest gusto. What are we prepared to do? democratic dialogue is a great start to that conversation and our commitment to true social change. And a noble example of this format for change is Called To Be One: Seeing the Face of God in Each Other, a musical performance and dialogue with acclaimed vocalist and composer Rene Marie and Veterans of Hope co-founder, Dr. Vincent Harding, hosted by Saint John’s Cathedral in Denver, Colorado last evening. For more information, please go to: http://called2beone.blogspot.com/.
Once again, President Obama has made the call, offered the challenge and set the table. No matter the metaphor, the conversation has begun. And with the help of the great Dr. Harding and the controversial Rene Marie, a small diverse crowd gathered in the Episcopal Cathedral to heed that challenge and experience the inspiration that is art for social change. This gathering of people were prepared to have that democratic dialogue and help to re-invent an America that is committed to healing and hearing stories.
In an effort to level the contextual field, Dr. Vincent Harding, former speech writer and companion to Dr. Martin Luther King, and Rene Marie, composer who made international news last year for her replacement of the National Anthem with the words from “Lift Every Voice And Sing,” led a wonderful dialogue last night as part of the Episcopal Church’s ongoing series on race class and gender. As background, Marie’s creative and bold switcheroo took place at the Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper’s State of the City Address in 2008, and was followed by everything from adulation to outrage towards Marie’s decision. I personally thought the move was, as the kids would say, Gangsta.
Harding and Marie’s leadership sparked an inspiring discussion about all of the topics that are making headlines in this country at this moment. However the common denominator was democratic dialogue. While the sanctuary was filled with multi-culti faces of the choir, our hearts were filled up as the room swelled with the sounds of Ms. Marie’s Voice Of My Beautiful Country suite, inspired by the patriotic hymns of our American songbook, My Country ‘Tis of Thee, America The Beautiful and Lift Every Voice and Sing.
Greg Movesian, Canon Steward for the Episcopal Cathedral, introduced the program, welcoming us with a challenge to answer the divine call, and follow the leadership of our new president on the topic of dialogue and the ways we engage one another on important topics. The discussion was about the sharing of stories, beginning with Rene Marie’s. Dr. Vincent Harding, who among other accolades wrote the book There Is A River, a testimony of the Civil Rights Movement, moderated the discussion and introduced sister Marie’s musical suite. He began by inquiring who was in the crowd: How many of you were born in the 21st century? Just a few pudgy hands went up in the air. How many of you are under 35? Even fewer of us raised our hands. Over 65? This got a rousing response with a few chuckles. How many of you have grandparents that were born outside the Unites States? These questions clearly were tools to help us identify ourselves in this space, as we prepared for our conversation with Ms. Marie.
Rene Marie, a tall and impressive woman with a short graying natural proceeded to explain her story, which included a revelation upon being interviewed in Moscow years ago, that she didn’t necessarily feel “American.” This feeling stuck with her as she fought her way through a creative career and came to a creative head last year when it was clear that an African American man was a strong contender for President of the United States. Inspired by Barack Obama’s steady climb, Marie completed what would be the Voice of My Beautiful Country suite, a haunting and redemptive piece that solidified the dichotomy of feelings many in this country feel about our native land.
Without rehashing the incident of last year, but allowing us to hear some of the email responses after, Ms. Marie, along with Mark Simon on Bass, Jeff Jenkins on piano and Paul Romaine on drums flowed through the suite, gracefully moving from one American musical form to the next, culminating in the moving rendition of Lift Every Voice and Sing, the portion that sparked controversy in 2008.
The venue of the Episcopal Cathedral was a wonderful component, accessible and welcoming. The Episcopal Church, having a tremendously rich history in the American led triangle trade, is a fitting host for this act of healing as we heed the President’s call and move to tell our own stories.
We all settled in to receive Rene Marie’s Voice of My Beautiful Country. The suite started like most classical contemporary instrumental hymns, slow and building.
Ms. Marie sang the familiar Oh Beautiful for Spacious Skies, building much like the beginning of Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. The bass and drums kindled sparks of composition as the first portion tasted much like past renditions. Then came My Country Tis of Thee- a blues. This second part grumbled low, reminiscent of other slow blues, Aretha’s Dr. Feelgood, something you might hear at the Whole Note or the old Rossonian. It was slow like the river Dr. Harding wrote about many years ago, complete with a complementary bass line and rim shot. Finally, Ms. Marie settled gracefully into Lift Every Voice And Sing, still like mourning, but growing to a familiar universe of rejoicing sound. If you have any experience in the black church, you can close your eyes and imagine how the suite ended, those words of celebration that a white woman responded to with a testimony that the Negro anthem held no references to bombs or red glare, just survival and shine. Every note, every syllable, came out steady over a the growing roll of the drummers tympani-like triumph. The bass, acting out on the bottom, formed a foundation that Marie’s voice didn’t require, but welcomed, nonetheless. Then the bass, followed by the piano, picked up speed, like the rapids in the narrow part of Harding’s river, picking up the pace; and just in time for America the Beautiful, hauntingly halting with from sea to shining sea.
After the suite completed, Dr. Harding rose. If you are unfamiliar with the man’s steez, it is important to know that he is serious about his democratic engagement, his respect for people’s stories and his passion for active listening. He held us in silence for what seemed like an eternity, the last chords still echoing over the crowd in the lofty sanctuary. His first words were golden:
Who are these people who have marched on from slavery to the presidency?
He then explained that this was the beginning of our time during the program to say what the song meant to us and share our stories. He slowly asked that we patiently make our way to the mics, say our complete name and explain where we grew up. Stories. He asked that we have a dialogue with Ms. Marie and tell what the suite did to us. Dee from Five Points in Denver hit it with the first remark by saying, “this suite has been instrumental in igniting a sense of pride I have never felt in my life.” What followed, while testimony from and to the choir, was an outpouring of guilt, redemption, history and inspiration. The crowd was highly moved by Rene Marie’s story and composition. And it was clear that we were all prepared to begin our fight towards social change with democratic dialogue. Naturally, there was enough positive energy to last till Sunday’s services, but we had to cut it short at two and a half hours. After all, Dr. Harding explained, true democracy must keep its promise and we promised we would be done in two hours.
Having had this experience and in sharing it with the Archive, I ask the reader and the larger audience, are we armchair political wonks and Monday morning quarterbacks? Or are we players for change, establishers of a new America? Participants in a new conversation. What are we prepared to do? How bad do we want to redeem ourselves from a violent history and forgotten soldiers of faith and change? For me, it begins with democratic dialogue. And I challenge myself, my colleagues, loved ones and adversaries to step out of our collective comfort zone of complacency. Heed our leader’s challenge and spark that dialogue where it seems most impossible.
For information about upcoming events hosted by Saint John’s Cathedral, please visit: http://called2beone.blogspot.com/.

 

All Power To The People

jwhpage

What Shakespeare said…

February 12, 2009

about the lawyers may also apply to the bankers huh?

After watching Barney Frank and  other members of the House of Representatives berate America’s banking leadership during testimony before Congress I began to exhale…  Someone was taking off the dunce cap.

Euphoria began to set in as I turned to the op-ed page of this nation’s paper of record and read columns that lanced bankers as “economic royalists” unworthy of confidence, supported expanding immigration to stimulate the economy and an editorial proposing a realistic grassroots disbursement of bailout money rather than a typical top down scheme.

Brother almost fell out when Rachel Maddow devoted 15 minutes to the populist wave sweeping the country in the wake of malfeasance by bankers and traders in the financial industry.

The question is:  now that people are paying attention to the financial markets and the finely tailored  magpies  who run it,  what is going to change?

Regulatory reform of the banking industry, like what occurred during the New Deal, would be welcome.  We can start with a law that requires all commercial paper traded on the stock market to actually be based on something that can be valued.  No more derivatives which are like an IOU based on an IOU based on an IOU based on a dollar.  Three-card monty for $20 in Times Square is one thing but a game of “catch me if you can” with $750 billion is non-cipher.

More important than regulatory change is a paradigm shift in the way Americans think about money.

First of all, they should recognize that all the money getting thrown around really belongs to them.  It should always be spent in a manner that benefits the restless many first and then the prosperous few if possible.  As citizens of the richest country in the world, the quality of life for all Americans should benefit from our collective wealth.

Next, they should educate themselves about the market in which they live.  A financially illiterate American worker is like that kid in school who always fell for the “banana in the tailpipe” jokes.  Bankers ran an okey doke because Americans did not know anything about the finance system and were too scared to admit they were clueless.

No amount of “thieves in the temple” banker bashing by the media can effect the fiscal policy of this nation the way an informed citizenry will.  Americans will not only know how to count their money but also how and where to spend it.

To that end, here is some Google homework for all my folk trying to get more than just the big piece of chicken:  1) read up on the Federal Reserve System and the history of central banking in the United States; 2) look up the  definition of fiat money; and 3) check out the Greenback Party (United States 1874-1884).  Americans need to overcome their fear of issues related to finance so they can participate in the creation of the market place that they will leave for their children to compete in.

It is understandable that Americans trust our security and defense to the career soldiers of our military.  These men and women have trained tirelessly and sacrificed for the nation.  Say what you may about the civilian leadership, but our armed forces can watch my back any day.

On the other hand, trusting America’s financial future to benevolent bankers reminds me of the story about the farmer who left the fox to watch the hen house…

A. Baraka Scott (…brother from another)

A-Rod meets Josh Gibson

February 10, 2009

I do not care that Alex Rodriguez has used performance enhancing drugs during his professional baseball career. His heartfelt mea culpa did not move me one way or the other. My general impression of him is that he is remarkably talented and flawed, just like every other person on the planet is talented and flawed in their own special way.

The melodrama surrounding A-Rod’s forced outing as a steroid user has inflamed the nostalgic (I say borderline bigoted) passions of sports fans who yearn for a time when the game was – don’t laugh – “pure” and “simple”.

First of all, the game was never pure because humanity was never perfect. Just because little children did not murder their classmates, wholesale, using automatic weapons during the 1930′s or 1950′s does not mean that members of mankind did not lie, cheat and steal to get ahead; consider the Stock Market crash of 1929 and World War II profiteering as simple examples.

Furthermore, the playing field has always been tilted. When Babe Ruth was setting all of those hallowed baseball records that we are supposed to revere; the professional league he played in was racially segregated. Babe Ruth earned his stripes in a Jim Crow league that prevented equally talented African-American athletes from competing against him and shutting him up on the field. Babe Ruth is the classic big fish in a little pond, the local high school track star who never runs at the Olympics but claims to be the best ever because he beat everyone on his block.

Consider this, four of the top five career home run hitters in American baseball are African-American, with Babe Ruth and his 714 segregated home runs sitting at number 3 all time. Two of the top five, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays, are from the generation that entered baseball on the heels of the great Jackie Robinson. The other two, Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr, are from the “steroid era” which followed baseball integration.

Out of the top five, only Ruth was afforded the ultimate hitters protection of segregation. Aaron and Mays played with all of the great Latino and Euro-American players of their day. Bonds and Griffey Jr have faced players of Asian, Latino and European descent.

Who is the best? I don’t know. What I do know is that to be the champ, you have to face and beat all comers. And on that criteria alone, Mr. Ruth is not qualified… Is he Josh?

For all those with a warped and incomplete sense of history who still think that Babe Ruth or Mickey Mantle were the best that ever did it, I offer Mr. Josh Gibson. Josh Gibson is one of the greatest baseball players ever to have played the game. His plaque at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown credits him with “almost 800″ home runs during his 17 year career. He did not play with or against Babe Ruth even though they were contemporaries because of the bigotry practiced by the league that Ruth played in.

Which brings us back to A-Rod and his now “tainted” baseball career. Last time I checked, Mr. Rodriguez was far from the only player enhancing his physical attributes; he was playing by the same rules as everyone else at the time.

The same way that when Mays and Aaron played the game, spitballs, scuffing the ball, and high and tight brush backs were accepted .

The same way that when Ruth played the game, he didn’t have to face any of those pesky Negro League pitchers or compete against an All Star like Josh Gibson.

Try not to be a hypocrite…

We are all just men and women of our time…

A. Baraka Scott (… brother from another)

Oh, and another thing…

February 8, 2008

The fate of American civilization will be determined by how America reforms its public school system over the next decade.

If we lavish our financial resources, collective ingenuity and best efforts on the creation of a national K through 12 system that provides all of Americas children with a 22nd Century education and an unlimited access to the world around them, the American way of life may truly flourish in a way that benefits the entire planet for a millenia.

If we use public education as a political football, using clever recriminations  and sniping to keep score, this country will spawn generations of myopic underachievers equipped to act as custodians of a deferred American dream.

It IS that simple:  sincere educational reform equals heaven on earth while old school politics equals death of a nation.

Americans need to recognize the tangible value that genuine education reform adds to their quality of life; the same way a homeowner knows that renovating their bathroom will increase the value of their house.

The political discourse around the economic stimulus package presently working its way through Congress shows ignorance about the importance of public education.

As Democrats and Republicans dicker over where and how many hundred billions to spend on infrastructure and tax breaks, proposed spending on education has been cut to help reach consensus.  Part of the argument against the education spending in the stimulus bill has been that it does not meet the criteria for economy stimulus and job creation under this legislation.  This logic is flawed from its premise in that it attempts to use classic economic indices to quantify the value of educating our children.  The number of teachers hired and schools built/refurbished are not the indicators of education’s value to the economy.

Education stimulates our economy because our children grow up enlightened and engaged and inspired to get involved (invested) in the system to make it better.

Education stimulates the economy because the young minds that can thrill us like Banneker and Edison and DuBois and Thoreau and Armstrong and Wonder and Spielberg and Lee will grow up strong and informed and free to add to the canon of genius that is American scholarship.

Education stimulates our economy because it provides hard working committed citizens to populate our civilization and be friends, neighbors and colleagues to our children.

Only a fool or scoundrel would use the bottom line to value education  investments.  Are we going to place a hard value (say $1,200,000.00) on each student, K-12 and then see how much money they pay back in taxes to justify educating them?  A child who discovers science or mathematics today  could solve the energy crisis tomorrow;  how would an accountant register that credit in his ledger for public schools?

The potential of the human mind is limitless and defies confinement.  What are we investing for if not the greatest possible return?  Do we not know that one day we will be gone and our only true legacy is our stewardship of this planet and the generation we leave to run it?

There is no such thing as wasteful education spending (misguided maybe never wasteful).  When the government spends money on public school education, their head and heart is in the right place.  The debate need never be “is that too much” but “where do you need it,” and “what do you need it for,” and “are there any other ways we can be of assistance?”

While Progressives are promoting public school education models for a 22nd Century school system, they must also get start to promote the idea of education spending as part of national security.

In the interest of jump starting the  public relations campaign for public schools I suggest:

1) Educate a child to be an engineer and she won’t snatch your purse or…

2) Introduce  a child to fine arts and he  won’t end up driving the streets without automobile insurance or…

3) Train a child to work with computers and your child can go to any school they please without worrying about getting picked on, beat up or shot in the bathroom.

Either invest in our kids now or don’t be surprised if they toss your old hindquarters on the street when they are running things and you’re  wearing adult pampers…

A. Baraka Scott (…brother from another)

Legislating Bigotry Leads To Economic Solvency

Obama’s first act as president was the Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act reiterating a founding American principal that each person deserves a chance to pursue their own version of happiness. Of course, it is not unfair to note that the founding fathers did not have Lilly Ledbetter in mind when they drew lines in the sand and signatures on parchment. However, it is agreed that despite our American history of bigoted legislation, we continue to reverse that trend with newer rules on the books to benefit those who were once neglected or persecuted to benefit previous seats of power.
In another motion of Presidential might, Obama has pledged to cap executive salaries at $500,000 for bankers under his stimulus package. This pretty little ditty directly addresses our admission of corporate greed in recent decades. In just under a month in office, Barack Obama’s leadership has set the tone for true change in our culture of work in America, especially with respect to race, class and gender. A nation that came into power off the backs for the neglected and marginalized, is establishing a new cultural fabric and with Presidential orders like the aforementioned, change will to come to the economic landscape of America.
With jobs disintegrating by the thousands per week and unemployment expected to reach 9% early this year, America doesn’t need quick fixes and gigantic checks to bankers. Americans must look to the Ledbetter act, executive salary caps and other broad strokes of common sense genius as the model for change. These sweeping glances of legislation must be accompanied by national dialogue and more exposure of the bigoted greed of our nation’s financial leaders. Hiring and firing practices will change, bringing more opportunities to people across the nation.

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