Michelle Obama Speech at the DNC

Posted on | September 5, 2012 | No Comments

First Lady Michelle Obama addressed the 2012 Democratic National Convention putting a focus on her relationship with Barack, family, and struggle. Admittedly she almost lost me in the beginning. It started off a bit slow for me, describing her familial relationships and Barack’s busted old car. However the story paved the way for her to be able to drive the point home. That point? That an Obama presidency and the President cares about family, fairness, and helping others.

Michelle really spoke to an idea of progress and moving forward together. She communicated very specific ideas that combated the opposing viewpoint without mentioning any of them directly. The GOP tends to push agendas that favor those already succeeding or reinforce a greedy and dehumanizing idea of trickle down success that doesn’t work.

A couple stabs at the GOP mentality had to do with women being capable of making decisions about their own bodies and that the Obama’s couldn’t have went to college without financial aid opportunities.

Mitt Romney took a jab or two as well as Michelle spoke of her husband.

And he believes that when you’ve worked hard, and done well, and walked through that doorway of opportunity…you do not slam it shut behind you…you reach back, and you give other folks the same chances that helped you succeed.

Ouch, don’t bring Mittens to a match where boxing gloves are needed. See what I did there?

Watch Michelle Obama’s full DNC speech. Read Michelle Obama’s full transcript on the next page.

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Additional:
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/michelle-obama-dnc-speech-full-2012-hard-work-17156165
http://www.wcnc.com/news/READ-First-Lady-Michelle-Obamas-DNC-address-168550076.html 

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Obama’s Birth Certificate Middle Finger To All Is Awesome

Posted on | August 25, 2012 | 2 Comments

Look at it. Picture it in all it’s glory. This is awesome. There is a bit of arrogant style in the Obama campaign selling a mug with his long form birth certificate plastered on it. After all the time-wasting ridiculous witch hunting that took place over his place of birth, this is funny as hell to me. Donald Trump should own one. He was vetted by the government, Hawaii confirmed his birth several times, and still these birthers persisted with their thinly veiled bigoted attack against the black man that they couldn’t fathom being in the highest office in the land. Many still feel an uncomfortableness with Barack Obama being president that has nothing to do with his policies or political party. Those are convenient excuses to attempt to mask the real issue. Even now after he produced the long form certificate there are still those that refuse to accept the validity of the record. I don’t need to mention the Tea Party movement or the Republican party’s unprecedented opposition to anything Obama has tried to do to help the country but I just did, so there. Even Irish President Michael D. Higgins can see the nonsense.

Mitt Romney recently made a remark regarding the birther issue. He can say it was a joke but it was obviously an attempt to revive that bit of doubt in supporters minds to make them lean more in his direction.

“No one’s ever asked to see my birth certificate. They know that this is the place that we were born and raised,” Romney said. – washingtonpost.com Romney dig at Obama: No one’s asked to see my birth certificate, people know I’m from Michigan

Oh that is funny Mitt. Comedy gold. You are a rich white man in America, you are rarely asked to prove anything. Unfortunately, white privilege is a very real thing here. Ask Louis C.K. about being white. You, Judge Tom Head, and Rick Perry should go on a comedy tour. For those that don’t know Texan, Judge Head (seriously?) recently said there could be a civil war if Obama was re-elected. Texas Governor Rick Perry spoke about the state seceding from America after Obama’s election.

If we think these things have nothing to do with race then we are fooling ourselves. It doesn’t matter how great your relationship is with the blacks. Oh wait, Obama is half white? No, he only became that when it looked like he was going to win. Before that, he was black.

Let’s stop trying to mask these issues and admit them so they can be dealt with. There are still people who feel a certain way about black people. That feeling isn’t going to go away over night. It will take time and that is ok. Our society’s culture leads feelings in that direction with indoctrinated teaching, media representation, stereotype participation and history. Those images are going to be there in many people. They will fade in time. Barack Obama is proof of that. The youth will lead the way.

It would be unfair to not mention the opposition Obama has had to face from some sectors of the black population as well. Namely things like, “he’s not a really black.” I’m talking to you, Boondocks creator Aaron Mcgruder and those like you. Come on people, let’s get it together.

So to you President Obama go kudos for the way you have dealt with what has to be very difficult mental stress. I don’t agree with you on everything. NDAA is criminal, nuclear power is dangerously irresponsible, and appointing people who are part of the problem to positions that cause those problems are some of my pet peeves with you. That being said, this mug is awesome. I see you.

Additional:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/romney-says-north-american-energy-independence-achievable-calls-for-more-offshore-drilling/2012/08/23/b6d955fe-ed95-11e1-866f-60a00f604425_story.html
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/04/15/governor-says-texans-want-secede-union-probably-wont/
https://store.barackobama.com/obama-2012-store-home-outdoors/obama-2012-store-kitchen/made-in-the-usa-mug.html

Irish President, Michael D. Higgins Tea Partier Smack Down Makes My Day

Posted on | August 24, 2012 | 1 Comment

There’s a 2-year-old audio exchange from May 2010 going around with the President of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, on a radio talk show with a Tea Party organizer Michael Graham. Well Michael is gave Michael a good what for. At the time the Irish politician hadn’t yet become the president. Graham tries to get a word in but Higgins just steamrolls over him with a passionate tirade of truth and logic that brings a tear to my eye.

“You’re about as late an arrival in Irish politics as Sarah Palin is in American politics, and both of you have the same tactic. The tactic is, to get a large crowd, whip them up, try and discover what it is that creates fear, work on that and feed it right back and you get a frenzy.” - Michael D. Higgins

Exactly! This has been the strategy of the far right since 9/11. Pundits like O’reilly and Limbaugh make their living doing this. Fox news fills a 24 hour a day “news” cycle with it. We’ve been tossed around from one fearful situation to the next for ratings, votes or under the guise of protection in an effort to solicit submission. And it’s worked. A lot. What I really like most about Higgins words is that it shows that apparently crazy can be seen for thousands of miles. Unfortunately that is a double edge sword. It’s embarrassing, as an American, that many others in the world can see the ridiculousness that is going on here.  We can’t quite claim to be the best when our idiocy is obvious.

Apparently the comments section on the YouTube video had to be closed because of the Tea Partiers running wild with racist remarks. Nothing convinces people of your sanity more than racist remarks. Have a cup of tea. Decaf.

Michael Higgins goes on to speak of the positive change in America’s image in the world since Obama’s presidency. I remember the Bush years, we weren’t as liked in other countries as we used to be. I made several overseas trips during that time. I still recall a memorable conversation with the Persian (they didn’t claim to be Iranian) workers at a pizza place around midnight in London. Our image wasn’t good. The point is, since Obama has taken office, whether you agree with his policies or not, he has repaired some of that damage.

“I think even the poorest people in the great country that is the United States should be entitled to basic health care. And I don’t think they’ll thank the Sarah Palin lookalikes and followers for taking it off them.” - Michael D. Higgins

Again this was 2 years ago, when Palin was still around. Before her crazy was surpassed by others and she could no longer compete. When are the Democrats going to find their sack and speak up like this? The Republicans do it all the time. I’ve said it before, the Democrats are wusses and it makes it that much tougher on President Obama who is facing the most rigid opposition I’ve ever seen. Remember when the Democrats had a spine for like seven minutes after Bill Clinton put the smack down on Chris Wallace on Fox News? Ahh those were the minutes.

Why is the clip back up the spotlight now? The Huffington Post attributes it to Upworthy who posted the debate under the title, “A Tea Partier Decided To Pick A Fight With A Foreign President. It Didn’t Go So Well.” Also, it is the Internet and there are no rules. The full unedited segment can be found on Newstalk’s site (Michael D. Higgins vs. Michael Graham on Newstalk).

It’s detrimental to the country and our standing in the world to use fear mongering as a control mechanism. It does nothing to boost the country nor move it forward. We have enough issues as it is without this type of rhetoric. It’s irresponsible at best. We can and should do better. I usually leave with a parting comment but I believe I’ll let Mr. Higgins have the last word.

“Be proud to be a decent American rather than just a wanker whipping up fear.”

Additional:
http://www.upworthy.com/a-tea-partier-decided-to-pick-a-fight-with-a-foreign-president-it-didnt-go-so-we
http://www.newstalk.ie/2012/featured-5-slideshow-homepage/michael-d-higgins-vs-michael-graham-on-newstalk/
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/23/michael-d-higgins-takes-down-michael-graham_n_1825812.html

Kaitlin Nootbaar, High School Valedictorian, Denied Diploma For Saying “Hell”

Posted on | August 22, 2012 | No Comments

Kaitlin Nootbaar graduated Prague High School in Oklahoma as the high school valedictorian but won’t receive her very much earned diploma. During the graduation speech she said, “How the hell do I know?” regarding the often asked questions of pending graduates about what they will do after graduation.

Nootbaar graduated from Prague High School with a 4.0 grade point average, her father, David Nootbaar, told KFOR-TV. But school administrators told him that Kaitlin would have to submit a written apology in order to get her diploma. – yahoo.com High school valedictorian denied diploma over ‘hell’ speech says she won’t apologize

Nootbaar had went back and forth over her decision to say “hell” or “heck” in her speech. The draft that she presented to the school had “heck” written down. The idea of that part of the speech comes from a scene from one of the Twilight films. I knew those movies were bad; glittery vampires ugh.

So the school wants a written apology or they won’t give her the diploma she has more than earned. Katilin has said that at this time she is not going to apologize. Her father supports her decision to stand her ground. Good for them.

“Ms. Nootbaar prepared an appropriate speech, which was approved by the high school principal,” Rick Martin, Prague schools superintendent, said in a statement. “Unfortunately, she did not present the speech as written and used language that was inappropriate for a graduation exercise.”

This is a bit ridiculous. If the school administrators are upset or uncomfortable with the language that she used in her speech that is fine. I can even understand to some degree as the audience no doubt was made up of people of all ages and families. When putting on a family friendly event you have to be careful about what is presented to the public. People going there expecting a clean event might lobby complaints with the school, regardless how crazy you or I might think that would be over the word “hell”. With that in mind, perhaps an apology is in order. However, asking for an apology is one thing. Holding her diploma hostage is something totally different. It’s petty and vindictive. Childish. Yea let’s throw childish in there too.

Presenting an ultimatum for an apology is more likely to make someone less obliged to see your position. I’d be willing to bet that if the school had come at her differently about her choice of words she would have apologized anyway as a courtesy. Now, due to the attention this incident has received, it’s a situation where someone is going to have to swallow their pride to resolve. The school is going to have to basically admit that they overreacted or Kaitlin is going to have to say she made a mistake. Situations like that usually result in a stalemate for a long time.

Should Kaitlin Nootbaar apologize to get her diploma? I don’t think so. I think the school needs to let it go, give her what she earned and move on. How are you going to teach students to be adults when you are acting like children yourselves?

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Additional:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/valedictorian-denied-diploma-hell-apology-141901681.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2192097/Kaitlin-Nootbaar-High-school-valedictorian-denied-diploma-says-won-t-apologize.html
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/22/oklahoma-high-school-valedictorian-denied-diploma-for-saying-hell/ 

SEC Shut Down Zeek Over Ponzi Scheme Allegations; Not Surprised

Posted on | August 17, 2012 | No Comments

In the least surprising bit of news that I’ve seen today, Zeek Rewards has been shut down by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) due to allegations of running a Ponzi scheme. According to the SEC, this was a $600 million scheme by a company with about a million users worldwide.

In a press release issued late Friday afternoon, the SEC called the company a $600 million Ponzi scheme on the verge of collapse, alleging that company revenues were soon to dip below its cash payouts to its customers and that the company’s chief executive officer, Paul Burks, siphoned off millions of investor funds to family members. - the-dispatch.com SEC shuts down Zeek, calls it pyramid, Ponzi scheme

The reason this isn’t surprising to me is because recently I was approached about the Zeek Rewards business opportunity. Some people I knew had made a return on their investment with very little effort. They were trying to get me to sign up in their downline. While I was being pitched the idea I was doing some google research on the program and the company. I could tell right off something wasn’t right and by the way he the plan worked it was obvious there was something going on here that wasn’t exactly legal. This comes after Zeek Rewards admitted in February 2012 that the company’s then business model was illegal. At the time they apparently adjusted to be in compliance with the law however the numerous results questioning their validity threw up many red flags to me.

Despite mountains of evidence from affiliates, observations of the mechanics of Zeek Rewards payouts and tracking of commissions paid out to thousands of affiliates, claims that Zeek Rewards were paying out a daily ROI that consisted of mostly new affiliate money, were often dismissed. - behindmlm.com THE FACTS: Dissecting the Zeek Ponzi apocalypse 

The way it was explained to me was that through Zeek Rewards program affiliate investors could partake in a share of the company’s profits made from their penny auction site Zeekler.com. That too was shut down today. As an affiliate you would pay a monthly fee to participate. Then, you would place an ad for packets of bids for the penny auction site. There was a free option as well but the return would of course be smaller. Every day that you placed an ad  you would be eligible to share in the days profits. The ads were the equivalent of posting a link on a site like Craigslist. Sounds easy enough right? You know what they say about something appearing too good to be true. Instead of withdrawing the profit you made for the day the company urged affiliates to use that money to buy more bids to give away in order to get a higher  revenue share percentage. The person that was trying to convince me to become an affiliate in their downline was actively trying to sell their motorcycle so they could invest more money into the Zeek Rewards affiliate program. Luckily the bike has yet to sell.

If you are familiar with penny auctions or how they work they are a bit of a cautionary type of auction themselves. You don’t bid what you’re willing to pay but you pay every time you make a bid. The price of the item that you bid on goes up by one cent every time a bid is made. So even though your final winning price may be low for the item you are purchasing you’ve already spent money bidding to get to that price. It costs you money whether you win or lose. That is definitely not for me.

Now this doesn’t mean that he investors weren’t making any money. People were making money. As a matter of fact shortly after Zeek Rewards got shut down affiliates took to a Change.org petition to try to get the company’s doors back open. At present almost 38,000 people signed the petition. The problem is the company was on the verge of collapse and a whole lot of people were going to lose a whole lot of money.

The site BehindMLM has covered Zeek Rewards extensively throughout its existence and has broken down the particulars of their troubles and why the program was a scheme doomed to fail. Some of the questions they raised in the articles I read confirmed my suspicions about the program and  kept me from investing any money with them.

The Attorney’s General office has opened a hotline for concerned Zeek Rewards affiliates or Zeekler.com retail customers, which can be reached by calling (919) 716-6046. A call to the line early Friday evening said the mailbox was full.

I can imagine.

Additional:
http://money.cnn.com/2012/08/17/technology/zeek-rewards-ponzi-scheme/index.html
http://myfox8.com/2012/08/17/zeek-closes-headquarters-in-lexington/
http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20120817/NEWS/308179988/1074
http://www.change.org/petitions/north-carolina-attorney-general-roy-a-cooper-keep-zeek-rewards-open-for-business
http://behindmlm.com/companies/zeek-rewards/the-facts-dissecting-the-zeek-ponzi-apocalypse/ 

Julian Assange Gets Asylum from Ecuador, UK Not Happy

Posted on | August 16, 2012 | No Comments

WikiLeaks founder and professional thorn in the side of many governments, Julian Assange was granted asylum by the government of Ecuador. Assange is wanted for questioning in Sweden on sexual crimes he allegedly committed. As you can imagine, some aren’t to happy with Ecuador’s asylum decision. The UK in particular, since he is taking refuge inside the Ecuadorean Embassy in Britain.

The British Foreign and Commonwealth Office called Ecuador’s decision to grant Assange asylum “regrettable.”

“British authorities are under a binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden,” a spokesman for the office said. “We shall carry out that obligation. The Ecuadorean government’s decision this afternoon does not change that.” yahoo.com Ecuador grants Assange asylum; UK vows to ‘carry out’ extradition anyway

Assange and his allies believe if he is extradited to Sweden, they will in turn send him to the United States. WikiLeaks published more than 25,000 documents about the U.S. and the country’s activities in Afghanistan and Iraq. Ecuador even asked for a guarantee from Sweden that they would not take that action. They  wouldn’t guarantee it. The U.K. is saying they will send Assange to Sweden even if they have to storm the embassy to get him. That is a very serious action. It is akin to invading a foreign country. There has been talk of potentially revoking the status of the embassy and then going in as well.

It’s been a wild ride for Assange over the last few years. Governments don’t like their secrets being put on blast, especially when they are covering things up. The stance the governments are taking in this case is interesting to say the least. Yes the allegations against him are serious. Rape and molestation are not to be taken lightly. However, the actions that U.K. government is proposing is unprecedented overkill when you put it up against violating agreements between countries. This is over one man. On top of that, he hasn’t even be charged with a crime yet, anywhere. They are willing to pit the countries against each other, which will have far reaching repercussions, over a crime that is usually handled by local authorities. Interesting.

“We remind the public that these extraordinary actions are being taken to detain a man who has not been charged with any crime in any country,” the statement said. It added: “We further urge the U.K. government to show restraint, and to consider the dire ramifications of any violation of the elementary norms of international law.” – nytimes.com Ecuador Grants Asylum to Assange, Defying Britain

I think many would agree that there is more to it than this. I would speculate that the allegations for which Julian Assange is wanted for is being used as a thinly veiled  excuse to get him into custody for his WikiLeaks activities. It would seem that Ecuador thinks so as well and is not backing down. Ecuador’s foreign minister, Ricardo Patiño, in response to the threat of the embassy being raided responded, “We are not a British colony.” President Rafael Correa posted a message to his Twitter that, “No one is going to terrorize us!”

This is going to increase the strain on the relations between the two nations that already exist. It seems obvious that something more is going on here. Assange may have asylum from the government of Ecuador but that only helps if he is in Ecuador or in their territory. While the embassy is considered Ecuadorean territory, all protection is off if they try to get him to the airport to go to Ecuador.

Am I the only one that thinks this situation is a bit ironic, providing the assumption of the plan being greater than an extradition to Sweden is true? They are covering up the real reasons they are taking such a tough public stance on the case of a man that is known for exposing these types of actions.

And again, this type of major government posturing is being done over a man that hasn’t even been charged with a crime yet.

Interesting indeed.

Additional:
http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/assange-ecuador-asylum-u-k-123726223.html
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/17/world/americas/ecuador-to-let-assange-stay-in-its-embassy.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/28/wikileaks-us-embassy-cables-documents_n_788893.html

Monsanto BT Toxin Corn Is Ready For Your Plate, Among 17 Year Low Yield

Posted on | August 10, 2012 | 1 Comment

Monsanto, probably the world’s most controversial company, is ready to hit shelves with their GMO sweet corn. Frankencorn, as some call it, MON 810 aka YieldGard as Monsanto calls it, has been genetically modified to resist its own Roundup herbicide and insects. The corn is engineered to contain Bt toxin, which tears up the digest system of insects when they eat it.

The corn’s DNA is equipped with a gene from soil bacteria called Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) that produces the Bt-toxin. It’s a pesticide; it breaks open the stomach of certain insects and kills them.

But Monsanto and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) swore up and down that it was only insects that would be hurt. The Bt-toxin, they claimed, would be completely destroyed in the human digestive system and not have any impact on all of us trusting corn-eating consumers.

Oops. A study just proved them wrong.-mercola.com “Dangerous Toxins From Genetically Modified Corn Found in Blood of Women and Fetuses”

Certified Badass

This year’s corn yield is projected to be the lowest since 1995, according to an Agriculture Department report that sharply cut production estimates for some major crops because of damage from the nation’s worst drought in 56 years. – nytimes.com “Citing Drought, U.S. Expects Lowest Corn Yield in 17 Years”

A helpful writer at Examiner.com put together a list of 15 things you can do to take a stand against Monsanto and avoid GMO foods. http://www.examiner.com/article/15-ways-to-take-a-stand-against-monsanto-and-avoid-gmo-foods

Serena Williams’ Gold Medal Is Still Greater Than Crip Walk

Posted on | August 5, 2012 | No Comments

Is it just me or is this year’s Olympic games full of a lot of so-called controversy?

Tennis superstar, Serena Williams kicked all kinds of butt this year to take home Olympic gold for her first win in the singles tournament. Following that win, Serena teamed up with equally amazing sister Venus to take home the gold medal for the doubles round. Congratulations you deserve it.

Serena admitted that she’s always wanted to take home a singles win in the Olympics. Her excitement was clear when, after beating rival Maria Sharapova, justifiable joy manifested itself in a huge smile and a little dance. And as the joke goes, “that’s when the fight started” so to speak.

Serena’s jig looked like a fun happy dance to most but others recognized it as the Crip Walk, a dance made up by the notorious Los Angeles gang the Crips. Yes, that one. Does this mean Serena is a Crip? Highly doubtful. Does this mean she advocates for the gang and the activities they engage in? No it doesn’t. Was it inappropriate? Yes, I believe so.

So then what does it mean??

It means that Serena grew up in Compton, California where the Crips hold a heavy influence upon the culture. Also, through many artists that have reached the mainstream, who have come up through the culture, have membership in or affiliation with the Crips, the Crip Walk has been popularized beyond that sub-culture. In other words, many people do it because many people do it.

I believe she was caught in the moment and that is what burst forth. Serena herself knew it was inappropriate, after the fact, when a reporter asked her what the name of the dance was then suggesting it might be “The Serena” or “The Wimbledon”.

“Actually, there is a name. But I don’t know if I — it’s inappropriate,” she dodged. “It’s just a dance we do in California.” – Serena Williams

Does this take away from her accomplishments or who she is? Not at all. She has apparently been the target of a lot of criticism recently, like the recent sexy Twitter picture incident. Serena supporters see her win as vindication of those who criticized her for various things. Serena showed and proved on the court and continues to in her public image. A mistake in the heat of the moment may be disappointing but doesn’t take away from that.

Crip Walking on worldwide television isn’t something advisable to do. Doing so does more harm than good. Opinions are mixed. Illseed at AllHipHop called it a “fail”.  Some see her C-Walk as “not forgetting” where she came from.

To celebrate her victory, Serena showed respect to her Compton roots by doing a “Crip Walk” - http://theurbandaily.com

This is also something I have issue with. Identifying the performance of a dance of a gang as “showing respect to her Compton roots” is misguided. I would bet the non-Crip residents of Compton or their victims wouldn’t appreciate being represented by this group. We have to be careful of what we accept and exalt. We also have to be mindful of what we allow to be a part of our daily lives. This is an organization that has a negative and violent impact on society and any representation of them, whether purposeful or accidental, normalizes ties to the group and what they represent.

That being said, Serena doesn’t deserve to be demonized for what happened. It was a mistake. Move on. Celebrate her wins and all that it took to get there.

Wow. Were is my fairytale ending. I do I do I say I do deserve one.

— Serena Williams (@serenawilliams) July 30, 2012

Yes you do and you got it.

This would have worked.

Additional:
http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/tennis/story/serena-williams-taints-golden-slam-with-crip-walk-dance-080412
http://necolebitchie.com/2012/08/05/serena-williams-makes-history-and-she-does-a-mean-crip-walk/
http://theurbandaily.com/1932341/serena-williams-olympics-2012/
http://hiphopwired.com/2012/08/04/serena-williams-crip-walks-after-winning-gold-in-olympics/
http://allhiphop.com/2012/08/05/serena-williams-crip-walk-epic-win-or-epic-fail/

Gabrielle Douglas’ Hair Is Beautiful

Posted on | August 3, 2012 | No Comments

Gabrielle Douglas is now a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the first Black woman to win gold in an all-around event. First and foremost, congratulations to you Gabby. Regardless of those amazing feats, some in the African-American community, mainly black women, took to social media to display their ridiculousness.

On Twitter and Facebook, black women shared their disapproval of Douglas’ ponytail, the same hairstyle all of her teammates sported. It appeared unkempt to some, didn’t have enough gel for others and a few demanded a chance to make over her style. - NPR.com “If Gabby’s Got The Gold, Why Flip Over Her Hair?”

My sistahs, my sistahs. SMH. My personal brush (see what I did there) with this nonsense was an encounter with a friend on a telephone call. She, my friend, said that something needed to be done with Gabby’s hair much like the rest of those who spoke about it. Let’s be clear Black women, and any others that apply, there is nothing wrong with Gabrielle Douglas’ hair.

This young woman has accomplished what only the elite in her craft have. The training, dedication, talent, and work ethic necessary to reach that point is tremendous. She’s also made history in doing so. These are the things that should stand out to you. This is the type of girl you should aspire to be like or show as a role model to your daughters.

Black people and hair are a sensitive topic and serious issue. Even more so among black women. Chris Rock’s 2009 documentary/movie “Good Hair” addressed this topic. On The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing)”, Lauryn Hill rapped to the women, “It’s silly when girls sell their souls because it’s in, Look at where you be in, hair weaves like Europeans“ Growing up, natural Black hair is considered bad among many in the Black community. If you are mixed or your hair is straight you are said to have “good hair”. It’s a mentality that is impressed upon us young. It is an unconscious form of self hate and brings about self-esteem issues. This ideology has its roots in slavery and also in just being in a primarily ‘white’ dominated culture where the ideal identity and example of feminine beauty, more often than not, has been the attributes associated with white women.

Dodai Stewart, editor at Jezebel says it well:

The point is that hair — black hair, especially — remains a hot-button issue. Hair is political, laden with subtext and meaning. Curly, textured hair — the kind a lot of black people have — is often called “wild.” Straight hair — the kind a lot of white people have — is considered “polished” and “professional.”

Whether it’s readily admitted or not, this image is attempted to be recreated with wigs, hair weaves, chemical relaxers and extensions. This is expensive and actually in some cases, specifically in those involving relaxers, dangerous. Aside from the burning and damage to hair, chemical relaxers have been linked to high uterine fibroid risk in black women. On top of that, this image conscious society that we live in has everyone thinking they need some sort of exterior enhancement just to feel like they look normal.

This used to be Lil’ Kim.

Ladies, give Gabby Douglas a break. While you’re at it, give yourself one. Stop looking at your hair as anything other than good hair. If anything Gabrielle should be praised for being her and going on world-wide television with her own natural hair.

WOW such an AMAZING experience! Thank you all for your support, love and prayers love you all!!! #oncloud9 <3

— Gabrielle Douglas (@gabrielledoug) August 2, 2012

And, Thank you Gabrielle for setting such a good example by giving young black girls an exemplary image of strength, courage, talent and perseverance who looks like them. It’s important.

Additional:
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetorch/2012/08/02/157858684/if-gabbys-got-the-gold-why-flip-over-her-hair
http://jezebel.com/5930785/haters-need-to-shut-the-hell-up-about-gabby-douglass-hair
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/08/02/gabby-douglas-takes-two-olympic-golds-and-hair-criticism.html
http://msn.foxsports.com/olympics/gymnastics/story/gabrielle-douglas-aly-raisman-victoria-komova-deng-linlin-womens-all-around-080212
http://newsone.com/2028413/gabrielle-douglas-twitter-hair/

Government Flown American Flags Not American Made?

Posted on | July 8, 2012 | No Comments

A nation’s flag is supposed to be the symbol of patriotism. Evidently, even patriotism is being outsourced overseas. At least partly. A bill floating in limbo in Congress is meant to curb that.

Currently, federal law requires that U.S. flags purchased by the federal government contain a minimum of 50% American-made materials. The legislation would require federal agencies to purchase only flags made entirely in the U.S. “from articles, materials, or supplies 100%  of which are grown, produced, or manufactured in the United States.”

S.1188 – All-American Flag Act was introduced by Sen. Sherrod Brown [D-OH] June 13, 2011. It unanimously passed the Democrat controlled Senate on July 26, 2011 and was referred to the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform  in the Republican controlled House two days later. According to the Library of Congress’ Thomas system (so named in honor of Thomas Jefferson), nothing has happened with the bill since then.

On the day before the United States’ Independence Day, Senator Brown called on the House to pass the bill. According to the Census Bureau, the U.S. imported $3.6 million dollars worth of American flags last year. $3.3 million of that came from China. Imported American Flags.

Apparently we need a bill that says American taxpayer dollars being spent by the government shouldn’t go towards the purchase of American flags to be flown at American government locations that weren’t made in America. How much of that money was spent by the government on foreign-made flags hasn’t been reported. There’s also current bill that takes that idea a step further. Genuine American Flag Act which was reintroduced as H.R.474, in April 2011, by Representative Dan Boren [D-OK] seeks to ban all sales of foreign-made American flags in the United States. It also sits in the House. Ideally, you would think that anything the government spends American tax dollars on should be American made. If our own taxes don’t go to support domestic business then how can we expect jobs to come back home in the public sector?

“In a time when we face economic hardship, it is critical to invest in the manufacturing base,” Brown said during Senate consideration of his bill last year. “There is no product that deserves a U.S.A. label more than American flags.”

Now in the grand scheme of things $3.6 million worth of manufacturing may not be a lot, especially when compared with the size of our economy but the very symbol of American patriotism should at least support the country. It also leads to the question of how much of our tax dollars are being spent outside of the country? Shouldn’t government purchases be on items made domestically? If we keep spending our money overseas then our stability will continue to be in jeopardy. That’s just basic economics. How can the government or elected officials who receive tax dollars and spend them outside of the country admonish domestic corporations for shipping jobs off shore to take advantage of cheaper prices when the government itself isn’t following suit? This is where capitalism shows its uncaring nature. It holds no allegiance to anything other than profit.

[image via inky mess]

Additional:

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-flags-made-in-usa-20120703,0,5957962.story
http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/112/s1188
http://www.opencongress.org/bill/112-s1188/show
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/thomas

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