Wassup ya’ll? And happy hump day to you. Looks like we’re going to make it through this week after all. Hope it’s been productive and prosperous for all, so far. I want you to know how much I appreciate you taking time to stop by Just Sayin. I scoured the web for some of the best African American cyberspace has to offer. Again thank you for coming; I hope you enjoy today’s Just Sayin.
My Two Cents Well ya’ll, when I started planning this Just Sayin, it was my intention to talk about African American heroism. There’s an interview with Iraqi war veteran Gregory Gulley in this edition and a mother shares her struggle with fear through her son’s enlistment and deployment. This Just Sayin was about
The Memory of Four Little Girls and examining our own double standard. I wanted to, not only highlight our struggles and challenges, but to rekindle our fire for victory. It’s all still here, and I still hope you’re informed and inspired. But the past few days I’ve found myself wondering if it’s futile. Did we long ago forfeit even our potential for unity, for victory?
I mean chile, have you looked at us lately? Go ahead, take two good steps back and look. Are we suffering from Stockholm Syndrome or something? While we steady talkin ‘bout hood “negroes”, dissin Ebonics and fussing ‘bout how folks wear dey pants…While we busy pretendin to be uppity and edjamacated…’de folks wid the chains…you know…DA MAN…sittin back, ROFL his AO.
Once it took whips and chains, rape and murder to keep us unruly Africans from banding together and reclaiming our power. Fear mongers were fear mongers even then, divide and conquer was, is and ever will be their leadership style. Before you call me racist, check out current GOP tactics. So, long before Abraham succumbed to the abolitionist pressure, the seed of enmity was planted among us. Men suffered systematic emasculation; their wives and children the merciless tools. Women became, not just their own protectors, but often positioned themselves to shield their sons and men. Complete fragmentation was secured by the manufactured differentiations between house saggin and field saggin. Once our “freedom” was secured, the fear rulers used educational, economic and geographic disparities to slow and distort all attempts at cohesiveness.
We survived all that ya’ll because we had foundation. Despite the house saggin and field saggin crevice, we were once one community. The doctor lived next to the janitor; we knew, loved and supervised each other’s kids. If anybody on the block had food, nobody went hungry. We churched together, we partied together; we struggled forward together. Then we had a nightmare. We decided if we could have cars, educations and homes just like them, we could (and should?) become just like them. We lost our stores, banks, schools, newspapers, all but the barest bones of our communities, (our sense of community) to the shining, empty promise of integration. We gained “free” access and lost ourselves.
Now, we stand by afraid while our children assassinate each other on the corners and in the classroom. We preach, “It Takes a Village…”, but most of us cross the street when we see those hood-lems coming. Won’t even say hi; sure don’t know not even one of their names. We dialogue and discuss; we *itch and moan. Lament at every turn what’s wrong with our kids, but how often do we take time to love them? No overseer required to keep a young black man in line.
I know, I know, that isn’t us. We’re educated and responsible; we’re focused on bettering our expiring community and ourselves. Right? Am I really right about it? Back to have you looked at us lately? The disrespect we show each other, the venom we so rapidly and murderously spew, even here in cyberspace, would cause the casual observer to conclude we know nothing of community or love. Sister and brother Ministers of all traditions are all representing with a deadly zeal that looks nothing like the Divinity they portend to serve. Why is DA MAN ROFL his AO? Why is daddy liar laughing with him? They don’t need no whips, no chains, no Jim Crow laws; we’ve got ourselves right where they want us. Are we really so entrenched in assimilation with the ruling by fear class that we choose our own genocide by any means necessary? Your sister whose perception differs from yours is neither Jezebel nor Satan; your brother is neither a heretic nor a fool. Our growth depends on our ability to understand and accept our differences. Our survival depends on our willingness to discover and build on our similarities. Just Sayin
Shout Outs While there’s much pontificating swirling around us, both in our own churches and the in the GOP spew, there seems little appreciation for how grave the battle for free worship truly is. Abayomi Azikiwe gives us a reality check in
Rev. Edward Pinkney Sentenced to 3-10 Years for Quoting Scriptures There’s been a lot of talk about White racism and double standards through-out this election season. Dr. Ahmad Glover asks us to examine our own double standards and racism in his
Gut Check Do What I Say Not What I Do Roger Madison laments that many African Americans are preparing themselves for an Obama defeat, and challenges us all to take our responsibility and work diligently for victory in
Obama vs. McCain.
A boy becomes a man and makes decisions we’d rather he didn’t, but how do you cope when he decides to don a uniform and go to war? Agnes Levine shares such a mother’s most fervent prayer in
Bring My Boy Home, Bring Him Back Alive.
In Their Own Words with Iraqi War Veteran and
Black In America Blogger,
CWO3 Gregory Gulley USMC take on election As a marine, I speak for myself, and not the Marine Corps in this response... As a member of the military, a republican led government tends to pay us better and provides more funding for better gear and weapons to do our assigned task. That being said this election is FAR larger than our desire to get a 3 percent pay raise. My opinion of the Marines, soldiers, sailors and airmen I have seen over the past 8 to 10 years is, we are all TIRED. The army deploys 15 months out of 24 months and the Marine Corps deploys 14 out of 26 months. The Navy's tempo matches the Marine Corps more closely than that of the Army, and the Air Force has a higher tempo than ever before in their 60 year history.
I'm tired of the Republican government that has caused 4100 of my fellow service members to lose their in a war I don’t clearly understand. Why we are there, as a country? As a Marine, my focus is on the Marine to my right or left; I will fight to death to ensure a Marine in my charge comes home safely to their wives, kids, and parents. This election is vitally important. Everyone must get out and vote for the party that they feel will best lead this country. I'm in the business of winning America's battles and sadly business is good, but one day I will leave the military and I will need a strong economy. An Economy that can pay me a decent wage so I can continue to support and protect my own family
One thing you wish women understood That men can be good and bad, a saint and a sinner and never lose sight of who they love the most. Women tend to state that their man will never do this or never do that, yet when called out on the fact that their man is in fact trifling they are hurt by the news. Women should understand a MAN can be many things in a day’s time, but if that man knows where HOME is, he is coming home. I wish I had the eloquence, and grammatical power of some of the bloggers I’ve seen here. If I did, I would spin a tale of words that would have women believing a man is more complex than you presume, yet ultimately simple in his approach to life, his job and his family. Understand we men can be good and bad, saint and sinner and never lose sight of who we love most.
Your vision for the African American community in cyberspace In cyberspace we can hide behind any mask we choose, we can become anyone we want, and we can say and argue any point we choose to support and defend. My vision is that we African's in America understand that together no other race ever to exist is more capable of leading this world into a place of harmony and peace. I can talk to a Doctor with a PhD in business as easily as I can talk to a Doctor with a PhD in Dentistry, or a "doctor" with a plain high school diploma. We as a people can build bridges and communities that can't be limited to the church house or watch meetings. Communities that challenge us all to speak out on the WRONGS of this world, this country and the communities in which we live. Cyberspace can deliver anything I need in an instant, so my vision is for cyberspace to deliver, what we have seemingly lost, the pride and honor of being African's in aMERICA.
The one thing you want Just Sayin Readers to know about you, your vision, your burden – speak your heart Just Sayin I've given you 21 years of my life servicing you as you slept in warm beds in the winter and cool porches during the summer. I would give my life to protect any of you if in my power to do so. All I ask for my sacrifice is that you be motivated to act. Talk when given the opportunity to educate someone. Fight when you have to protect the innocent. And VOTE when you have a chance to change HIS STORY.
I have to thank 3 people today for giving me the go ahead to step outside myself and speak freely so too the Radical, the Doctor, and my "daughter" I Love you all, and hope I meet your and exceed your expectations of what a Good. No Good. Man. Can be...
Learn Me Something The economy is in the toilet; I’m sure we can all agree on that. Field Negro and Terence Blackett share their views on how we got in and how we get out of this mess in
504!!! and
The Politicians Still Argue That Our Financial System Is Fundamentally Sound.
My View of the News Yes, I’m still harping on Sarah Palin the GOP diversion. I’ll keep it short tonight though, and ask instead that you take time to hear Brandon Whitney’s and Eartha Jane Melzer’s views in
Palin’s Nomination Same Old s*xism and
Republicans Recant Plans to Foreclose Voters but Admit Other Strategies If you are not registered to vote in this critical presidential election,
REGISTER NOW. Forfeit your right to participate; forfeit your voice. Just Sayin
Connect Platform Community News Many of you already know, and it’s my honor to introduce to others Makeisha Lee. The accomplished columnist and Health/Nutritional advisor has recently launched
BlackHealth.org . This network gives African American a place to discuss relevant and often crucial health issues affecting our communities. Support her like only you can. Visit the
BlackHealth network today.
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Just Sayin Copyright © 2008 Michelle Roberts
Posted By: Michelle Diane
Wednesday, September 17th 2008 at 6:41PM
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