Wal-Mart Media Ping-Pong rally of the troops with the NAACP and the MEDIA

Just finished reading the News-Sentinel attack on Rev. Michael Latham's, executive director of NAACP attack on Wal-Mart. BobCaylor writes that Latham's call for a boycott could hurt the revitalization on the southside. Caylor suggests that clients on the southside are not entitled to the same treatment, because Wal-Mart is not a public service, but a privately owned business. In other words, Wal-Mart can do what ever they darn please. And just like Wal-Mart, the private citizens can do whatever they darn please, including boycotting the store.

But, let's take a closer look at the underbelly of the beast, meaning the body of the threat of a boycott, and the arms and legs of the media coverage of the threat of a boycott, and the market manager of Wal-Mart indifference to the threat. Begs the question, who is really benefiting from all of this posturing? I believe all three, the media sells paper, NAACP will get sponsorships, jobs or money, and Wal-Mart will hire less people to operate it store on the southside.

Wal-Mart is not doing the folks on the southside any favor. Wal-Mart is coming to the Southside because of the amount of disposable dollars spend on the southside. The author of the Million Dollar Slaves writes that a star athlete's father tells his son, to hold out for the best offer by a college. The college is not giving you a scholarship, you earned the scholarship. In other words, the son is bringing something that the college wants, no different for Wal-Mart. If Wal-Mart wants the southside dollars to support it store, than it needs to listen to the wants of its shoppers.. scanner, lay-away, longer hours.

Besides, the SouthCentre Mall is not being developed for shoppers, it's a training center for police recruitment. The real development is happen on the boulevard to downtown. I just saw another business going in to meet the needs of the southside, a laundry mat. Ricker's City Laundry at 3817 South Calhoun, has invested in brand new washers and dryers in a building next to a gas station, ice cream place and bus stop. Somebody researched the market demographics of that area to meet the needs of the people. I just hope they use hot water unlike some of the laundries on the southside. All the money is going north to downtown, why else would the city want to build a baseball stadium downtown?

SouthCentre Mall is a sham, being used to drive up the prices of home in the area for homeowners who are going to need housing after the city's programs begin razing the homes closer to downtown.These rumors of a staged boycott, is just puppet master rallying the troops, to pretend that someone is looking out for the average hard working joe. Latham is just a puppet among the puppet master, but I stated earlier, I didn't say he was a friend of mines. But I have to hand it to him, the appointed honorary privileged representative of the Africian-American monolithic community does knows how to work the system. Matter of fact, this Saturday, I believe the NAACP is having an event in the downtown area, the Grand Wayne Center, September 16, 2006 at 6:00 p.m., but the media already knew this.

So who's zooming who?

Katric Couric: What's a girl to do?

Ms. Couric duing her debut as a serious news anchor,came out in a white blazer. Image definitely aimed to the youngster that she maybe seasoned but she is hip. Because old school still believes in packing in anything white right after labor day. But the problem that I have with Ms. Couric is she wasn't hired to be a fashion trendsetter, but to deliver some hard hitting news.

So what did we get when she interviewed President George Bush, Jr.? Ms. Couric couldn't hold eye contact with the lying President! Can't you call the President a liar, without being sent to some type of secret prison? Ms. Couric was so barbie-ladylike in allowing the President to correct her, when she didn't quite get her facts straight.

Sorry, Ms. Couric, the President is not running for office, so nail him. Just picture him naked or that someone that lied and said you had a face lift or eyebrow lift. We are counting on you to call him on his own lies. We have been listening to what you had to say,Ms. Couric, much longer than the President. So don't let us down.

The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of African-American Atheletes

Rhoden writes about a history that I lived through and learned using my eyes and my ears, not books. Questions that were not asked but still were answered through naïve observation. Rhoden tells the stories and tales of the sport world that are down right ugly, but warriors stood in the mess and challenged, with a simply, watch me work. The hardship old school endured to make a way for the young cats today.

Rhoden demands more from the young cats arrival on the scene as big ballas. He encourages them to learn African-American athletes’ struggle in paving the way for them to be able to demand huge salary. To simply pour out a little wine, for the brothas, who were not paid their weight and gold, but endured the slights, for a better environment for those who would follow. Rhoden called old school, “activists” and young cats,” symbolic markers of progress.” If the conveyor belts continues to deliver these types of young cats, those “absence of vision and leadership to help define the next stage in the struggle, which is, according to Rhoden, “the historical mission of black athletes to push for progress and power” will be lost.

Rhoden, suggest that these young cats are not only well paid and talented but they have what old school was missing to create power back in the day. That is juice, investment capital, that these young cats can own something, These young cats, don’t have to go back to the impoverished neighborhoods themselves, but they can create jobs for those who will never have the opportunity to earn the kind of money they command.

Rhoden gives an example, in five young cats that decided to ban together rather than go their separate ways. Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson, All-Americans high school seniors, as package collectively chose Michigan to continue their basketball career. This teamwork model can be replicated for real power, The rainmakers can ban together to make a difference in the lives of folks who will never accumulate the wealth, but will not have to wait on donations, if only businesses by these wealthy cat would built in these communities.

The conveyor belt process writes, Rhoden, as described by Rudy Washington, “‘How tough is it to buy an inner-city kid? Buy him some shoes, take him to dinner, get him some nice clothes, maybe a car. You become his best friend, and he gets hooked, like a junkie..” They you control the product. The secret is controlling the product early. It’s just like slavery. Modern-day slavery is what it is. And you know the saddest part? The kids benefit from the system—at least a few lucky ones—with education and money, but what they often lose is any identification with the black community.’’’

Those athletes like Michael Jordan, who believes that these owners are their friends, or that all African-Americans can assimilate, Rhoden warns that the Naturalization Act of 1790 was for European immigrants to become free white persons. And Abe Pollin of the Washington Wizard fired Jordan, the universal man, after turning a losing franchise into a winning franchise. Jordan was told not only would he never own the franchise but also he was not even wanted as a franchise partner.


It makes sense as to why so many African-Americans males use and allow the use of N---er in their presence when in the company of raced whites after reading the 40 Millions Dollar Slaves. The male bonding with raced white males in sport, in order to show good sportsmanship, cultivates a permissible environment for the usage.

This book should be read by young players' coaches and the parents who push their children into playing sports as a way out of poverty.

The Jockey Syndrome:

The jockey syndrome ejected African-Americans athletes from the game of competitive sports, by banning them all together at the whim of fans or owners.

"..the white power structure chose blacks who made whites feel comfortable."

Later, when African-Americans were dominating sports, coaches refused to recruit African-Americans players:

"The manager said that it was not the 'conduct of the Negroes [that]was objectionable, but their mere presence.'"

"..the White South's revulsion at the presence of blacks, but on the other, they couldn't suppress their admiration of---and Need for---the black physical presence."

"..mental scourge of segregation."

"..the basis for integration---in the minds of many white people---was not to embrace quality, but to seize an opportunity for exploitation."

By now there was a need for teams to recruit African-Americans or risk having a losing team competing against winning teams that were recruiting them.


"By the beginning of the 2006 Major League Baseball season, four of thirty big league managers were African Americans. There were no African American owners."

However, I was intrigued by terms used by Rhoden, the author, in describing the strategy for eliminating African-Americans from the world of sports.

SURVIVOR SHOW

The producers of the Survivor Show will have a racial theme. The show contestants will have 4 different groups competing against one another, African-Americans, Hispanic, Asians, and Raced White. Folks are in an uproar.

If anyone has ever watched the show knows that it does not take long, for the African-American, Hispanic and Asians to get voted off, after one or two shows. How the African-American sista made it for as long as she did was amazing. But we were are all pulling for her. If the average television watcher is African-American, what viewers do you think Survivors are targeting? If most African-Americans and Hispanics can not buy homes because of discriminatory practices but spend billions of dollars on consumer goods, who do you think the producers are marketing the show for those ads?

New Orleans, Clean Up and Rebuilding

Actt III and IV of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke, screams a message that the people are doing the best that they can. But, they need some help. The water may have receded, but many folks can not return to their homes because they are unlivable.

G-Itch New Orleans or Spike Lee's

Watched Act I and II of Spike Lee's When the Levees Broke, and was reminded of something so painful, you never want to forget.

Cousin Jeff

Cousin Jeff, from BET is supporting Kenneth Blackwell. Blackwell, is an African-Americans running under the republican ticket. Cousin Jeff, raises an eyebrows in announcing his public support of Blackwell. As the Democrats and Republicans positions themselves to use high visible African-Americans to support their African-Americans candidates. Some are suggesting that even, Dr. Martin Luther, King, Jr. had to have been a Republican, coming from the south and being a Republican. Maybe, he came from a era that celebrated the Republicans for being a facilitator of the liberation of African-Americans. However, in King, Jr.s book, Why We Can't Wait, he suggest we embrace the idea of an independent party. Nevertheless, the question for many African-Americans voters is, will these candidates make a difference on policies impacting their communities.

I think not, I believe that the candidates who will make the different are those candidates at the local level. Those who are connected to the voters, at the grassroots levels, out there working in the community. Those candidates who have worked actively in knowing the voters needs in their community. These candidates can turn around the democratic or republican agenda at the grassroots level. However, as Dr. King, Jr. suggest an independent party will more than likely speed up this process. Lani Guiner, suggest that other join us in this process. If African-Americans could save the United States, surely we can save ourselves under an independent party.

World Trade Center Refund Coming Soon

Dear Oliver Stone, Magic Johnson Theatre and Al Sharpton,

Give me a break, who does not what to write about a hero, and to point fingers at Oliver Stone getting the movie wrong??? Answer, when two of the heroes are African-Americans. Jimmy Cricket!!! A commentator writes on the New Pittsburgh Courier's Online few media outlets were interested in Jason L. Thomas' Story.

Did they even get medals for the role they played in this? I want my money back from being mislead by the producers. Forget about pretending ignorance, these are rich folks, they knew darn well African-Americans were heroes !!!! Here, I'm boo-hooing and stuff, reading the credits and nothing about the heroes being brothas. Nothing, I tell ya. Unbelievable, wait a minute not really , if I remember correctly. Instead of telling the story about an African-American female named ShoshanaJohnson,who made it to hell and back. Media chose to create a trumped up story about a raced white female as a heroine captured in Irag in order to rally the troops.

I guess to rally the troops, our heroes and sheroes have to be anybody but an African-American somebody. So Mr. Stone I requesting my money back, Magic Theatre to refuse to show the lie, and Al Sharpton, to help restore the two heroes dignity to the larger community.