Honorary “Black” Man

One piece of the information that came out this week about the bullying issue (which it definitely was) with Jonathan Martin and Richie Incognito is that there is apparently a place for those who are not, but are considered to be…a black man. For some reason this person Richie Incognito has so associated himself with either actions or deeds of black men that he was actually made an Honorary one-My question is what perks does a move like this afford someone? Is this the reason he was allowed to bully another black man in his own locker room? Was it alright because he was an honorable black man? and that was the reason the “brothers” in the room ignored his ratchet behavior? It must have been the reason everyone from the owners to the coaching staff turned a deaf ear when they repeatedly heard the un necessary, unwarranted, unruly use of the N-word in the locker room, and on the field by their own highly paid players. I would bet that Martin, who was called less of a black man than Incognito (which in itself is pure ignorance, since 1 drop of red blood from a black man, by their rules, makes you black) knew that if he did retaliate his punishment would be far more deadly than his counterpart. I'm sure he had thoughts about his family and legacy in football and decided to suffer the disrespect and BS in silence. This is no different than what I have seen countless times on the play ground, offices, schools, racial equality marches and numerous PBS Eyes on the Prize specials. People are using these NON –terms of endearment as ways to communicate with each other in a NON-community building, Non-positive way. One article said that the staff of the Miami dolphins asked Incognito to bring Martin out of his shell, http://mmqb.si.com/2013/11/07/richie-incognito-jonathan-martin-dolphins-lydon-murtha/  the article went on to say that once Martin was out of his shell…He didn’t find many things amusing and did not seem to like the “fun and games” these grown immature men were constantly playing. Some of the language could be “blue” and that is understood. I think most of us realize that a football locker room is not a prayer closet and there will be colorful language used there. We also understand that usually, language of that sort is directed at a member of the opposing team. Not true in this case, as the language in all of its disrespectful, colorful, hateful and otherwise inappropriate flair was directed at a team member. This article goes on to highlight some of the banter http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9926139/richie-incognito-miami-dolphins-used-slurs-messages-jonathan-martin as it outlines the use of the N-word amongst other words that had no place in that locker room.

 A few years ago(2011) when Rex Ryan used the F-Word that rhymes with “stuck”…he was fined http://espn.go.com/boston/nfl/story/_/id/7260763/at-least-75k-fine-likely-rex-ryan-new-york-jets-source-says and he said he understood the reason why and that he realized that he is a representative of the NFL and cannot just say anything you want. This was a perfect time for the NFL to declare a policy that would have tempered the use of many words in and around the locker room, telephone, text messages and overall conversations of players and men who were being paid to be on their best behaviors. This of course was not done and now we are here again with the use of the N-word, now coupled with other words that have run their course. Then last year (2012) another player Tank Carder decided it was ok to use the other “F” word while tweeting and also got into trouble http://americablog.com/2012/11/tank-carder-gay-slur-twitter-nfl.html  Earlier this year (2013) Riley Cooper decided it was no foul to use the N-word in front of his friends at a concert and did so while on camera, with apparently no worry for consequences. Even while saying he would fight every N-word at the concert. http://msn.foxsports.com/lacesout/wow-stop-the-clock-did-riley-cooper-just-say-that/

I have to ask in a time such as this, when political creativeness has us calling Christmas, the HOLIDAY season, has us tipping our hats to marriages of the same sex, has our children able to call the police when disciplined by parents, but yet we seem to be alright with people of any and all colors getting a pass if they want to use the N-word against the very victims of the atrocities that bore this word? It has not escaped this writer that this issue took place in Florida. Florida has been in the headlines of late for a passion they seem to have with hating black men specifically and black people in general. This hatred and indifference has now spread to open actions by it's professional team. All of the marching and poster writing and court cases, have done absolutely no good and that is evident by this event and the fact that it has been going on for as long as it has.  http://www.daveyd.com/nword.html   Organizations like the United Voices for a Common Cause http://www.theunitedvoices.com / and Ban the N-word http://banthenword.org/news/publish/news/index.shtml have been working relentlessly behind the scenes, to fight the powers that be and get this word recognized as one of utter disrespect just as other words are no longer used except in historical context. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_ethnic_slurs_by_ethnicity  Join with us in this fight and donate your talents to get this thing straight for once and for all...and help us keep this word especially out of the mouths of those who are ignorant to the history behind it-Lets not take for granted that adults are a special breed. Allow us to come in and re-educate those who need sensitivity classes to teach why this word should not be used and what the eventual consequence will be for the use of it. Make rules to govern those who choose to disregard the struggle and brainwashing that this word produced. All races and creeds have words that provoke disdain and animosity towards the user and this word is not different in that stand. Speaking of words…I found this to be interesting…Definition of the word...Incognito… of a person having one's true identity concealed. “In order to observe you have to be incognito" under an assumed name, under a false name, in disguise, disguised, under cover, in plain clothes, camouflaged, unidentified; secretly anonymously-What a true sense of appropriateness that a man named Incognito came across very clear and transparent as can be but was not seen by the other brothers on that team and probably others as well.

Token Black...

So... Barneys of NY has been caught racially profiling young black men and women based on their skin color and apparently the cost of merchandise-Then immediately it becomes Jay’s Barney and Jay-Z’s problem, which is ridicules to anyone with common sense. I read one report that said…”if it’s on the table it’s for eating” meaning that if Jay-Z is in any way connected to this establishment, some are narrow minded enough to think now it’s his fault-Macy’s also has been charged in the “court of public opinion” of not playing nice with black people-Sure they would say there is no particular reason why just black folk are targeted and point out the fact that they employ many many black people to work for them. They would also point out that they cannot think of a time where this type of action was warranted, but for the millions of us who continue to patronage these places, we know better. We understand why at times we feel we must have our cash in hand to justify even being inside of a lot of stores. The climate inside of these stores is one that is not really conducive to a calm, comfortable, shopping experience. 

Barneys is just one of the places that we have to be careful in, Macy’s Bergdorf Goodman, Saks and even the corner Chinese hair stores in our own neighborhoods just to name a few. Stop & Frisk (which is now also Shop & BE frisked) has happened in numerous cases already...there are many complaints against NYPD for people being stopped & frisked (which STILL is a search equal to Slave papers of old) WITHOUT a warrant.

Once an entity has been shown to be effective in their pursuit of “control” over people, such as checking bags, denying purchases, doubting purchases options, stopping them on the street for ID for no apparent reason, regulating what they eat and drink http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/de-blasio-bloomberg-soda-article-1.1490333  it then becomes easier for other people, places and things, to follow suit. They do not have to reinvent the wheel and come up with ways to keep people in their places; the ways used have been proven to be adequate-McDonald s Corporation has a black CEO, http://gawker.com/mcdonalds-ceo-in-feisty-racial-exploitation-accusation-509710633 No one has called for him to cut his ties with McDonald's because children and adults alike are becoming morbidly obese by consuming his companies product. Most are not even aware of his position and even if they were, it wouldn't stop McDonald’s sales; The McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 68 million customers daily in 119 countries. http://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en/home.html  The issue with Jay-and Barneys is more diluted but supposedly more intense-Calls and petitions were enacted to try and get Jay to pull his upcoming clothing line with the company-It became clear to those of us that understand people and business that a clear stable approach is often times the best approach.

We can learn something from Jay’s actions during this “witch hunt” that appropriately occurred during the Halloween season-In business as in real life-Do not rush to judgment, get the truth from the horses mouth, and then check to see if there is any way to amicably solve the crises, without having to elevate the situation and always allow cooler heads to prevail. Jay-Z has not always had the means to be able to sit down with a major corporation and hash out and discuss these types of issues and receive a personal apology for even the semblance of inappropriate actions, based on racially explosive behavior. http://www.christianpost.com/news/barneys-apologizes-to-jay-z-shoppers-claiming-racial-profiling-107795/  But one thing is certain Jay has always been black and certainly no stranger to discrimination based on many factors, and for those who hate this type of skin judgment-Just do not shop and exchange currency with these businesses, as the old saying goes..Money talks…and BS walks… 

There Was a Shut Down But Not a Shut Up-

One of the things that can be said going forward throughout history in reference to those who have lived during the reign of the very first publicly elected black President is that we are smarter. Having had the opportunity to participate in these elections for someone we believe in such as we have has definitely elevated our political intelligence quotient. It was probably better for all those involved in shutting the government down this time, when no one totally understood what they were up to. This being said, they have resolved to just being mean spirited and selfish. There is no reasonable defense for meanness. There are no laws in place or standard operating procedures for those who revert back to the politics of grade school and just decide to treat the new kid like crap. The issue is that this “new kid” (President Obama) bought the best ball to the yard to play with. He also has revitalized the game to include even those who have previously been picked over and left out.






The Republicans and the Tea Party folk have resolved that should the ball come even close to their side of the play yard they would cross their arms turn their backs and kick the sand in defiance to the authority. This same authority that was selected as choice number one over anyone or anything these “mean kids” could throw our way. We became students of the political arena. We started to understand, admire and abhor those who have been voted into those positions and do nothing their constituents have asked of them. I am certain that every congressman has someone in their districts that this healthcare piggy back government shutdown is affecting. The health care plan has been hated from the beginning because it will take cash out of the pockets of those who have for years been getting kickbacks from major pharmaceutical companies. It is also hated by those who joined in the politics game to get some of those riches the medical companies and their connections can afford to give freely, just for a vote such as this one. Insurance companies are doing what insurance companies do.




http://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2013/10/01/tea-party-lawmakers-seek-deflect-blame-for-shutdown/ROPs3uI3ApfeEE2Oq3M0EK/story.html


They (lobbyist of big medical companies) have put their time and money into these representatives of the "people", and now they want the votes to reflect those “favors” given, and accepted. It’s obvious to everyone else that there is a great divide in the hearts of these people who have dug their proverbial heels in, regardless of the outcome. Even Judge Judy says if it doesn't make sense it’s not true, and it simply does not make good sense to allow the government to “shut down” for personal and cut throat political gain. There has to be more to this issue and I suspect lobbyist pandering, handshakes, check writing, wire transfers, real estate, trips abroad and lots and lots of cash is involved.




One of the Tea Party representatives who are responsible for this buffoonery John Fleming, a Louisiana Republican, said in an interview, “This is what my constituents send me here for, “This underscores just how serious we are and how serious our constituents are about putting an end to Obama care.” Meanwhile in his very state, reports and facts bear just the opposite. An estimated 938,000 people in Louisiana do not have health insurance. More people than ever will qualify for free or low-cost health insurance when key parts of the healthcare law take effect in 2014. Representative Tim Huelskamp who is a Kansas Republican calls the president’s health care plan “their own gold-crusted health care plan “and makes it his business to use this time to “negotiate” over fixing the flaws in this plan. Meanwhile his state has About 365,000 Kansans, or about 13.1 percent of the population, were uninsured in 2011, according to data from the Kansas Health Institute.

http://media.khi.org/news/documents/2013/04/17/2013InsuranceUpdateFinal_1.pdf

More than half of Kansans are covered by employer-based insurance, while about one-third are covered by a public program such as Medicare or Medicaid, according to the institute. Of all the uninsured, about 59 percent are ages 19 to 44, and two-thirds are white non-Hispanic. About 75 percent of the uninsured are working. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida, also has nothing to be celebratory about, In Florida, where 20.1% of the population is without health insurance, it has the second-highest proportion of residents covered by Medicare. The other large public health insurance program, Medicaid, covers Americans who cannot afford coverage. Roughly 18% of the population is covered under the program.

This is why it cannot be said they are representing their constituents; the very people who elected them to these offices are contacting the new medical website and call centers in droves to get some relief from the over pricing being done by the health care community. Many have exhausted their hard earned monetary savings due to a health care system that has been allowed to run ramped for many years. Those companies that are content to continue to make drugs that seem to only tame diseases rather than cure them.

Medicines that cost in some cases literally and “arm or a leg” are always being sold to us on the premise that it will make us “feel better” but are careful never to promise any possible cures. Emergency room visits that causes heart attacks rather than relieving them. For too long big insurance companies have been making fist over fist in cash by refusing to accommodate those who because sick and then sought medical insurance. They called that a “pre-existing condition” and refused health care and therefore emotionally, physically and financially bankrupted families and generations, because of their failure to care about people.




Where will this all stop? When folks refuse to follow the wrong leader and start following the President. Upon arriving in Congress, in 1991, Boehner quickly became the leader of a rebel faction called the “Gang of Seven” that used overdrafts at the now defunct House bank to discredit the Democratic majority that had controlled the chamber for forty years. After the Republicans took control, in 1994, the new House Speaker, Newt Gingrich, rewarded Boehner by bringing him into the leadership as chairman of the Republican Conference, the fourth-ranking position in the House. He quickly shelved some of his more radical ideas—abolishing the Department of Education and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration—but he remained more conservative than the garden-variety country-club Republicans who still populated Capitol Hill. In 1995, he was caught passing out checks from the tobacco lobby on the House floor. While he later apologized, the incident did nothing to harm him inside the Republican caucus...you can read more below http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2013/10/what-is-john-boehner-scared-of.html