Mos Def reads Malcolm X, “Message to the Grassroots” (November 10, 1963) from Voices of a People's History on Vimeo.
Mos Def reads from Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove’s book Voices of a People’s History of the United States, November 11, 2006, at the Berkeley Community Theatre, Berkeley, California. For more information, visit: http://www.peopleshistory.us.
The world is pretty crazy right now. To all of my readers overseas, let us examine what is really going on:
In America, we know that “gay marriage” is a terrible thing. We have to ban it. This “sacred institution” needs to be preserved. We need this institution. It was started as a means to subjugate women. What could be more important? First we let gay people get married, and then we have to figure out: Who is the husband? Which one owns the other one? Who gets to take most of the money in the divorce? We might even have to make wedding cakes with two brides on the top.
Sex with goats. That has a lot of gray area. Florida recently failed to ban beastiality, and it is a good thing too. I mean, how do we know if the animal is consenting or not? Do not let this cloud your judgment, though. If men like having sex with men, it does not matter if it is consensual. They need to do it the good, old fashioned way: In a sleazy hotel with a lot of crystal meth, preferably with a male hooker or employee. If you are in a hurry, you could always just jerk each other off in the restroom. But to actually live with someone that you love and share in their life is unacceptable if you are the same gender. (Gay women should not be allowed to marry, but we don’t want to talk about it too much, because all the straight men will get erections thinking about it, although, lesbians never have mullets and skull tattoos in heterosexual lesbian fantasies.)
These are important issues, not like the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The Governor of Texas let us know that the oil spill was “God’s will” and that “nothing could have been done about it.” When I farted in the elevator last week, that was God’s will, too. Hurricane Katrina was also God’s will. And the Earthquake in Haiti was “God’s will.” This is not important. What is important is covering up the cartoon breast on the seal of the State of Virginia. This is a much more pressing issue then the coal mines that collapsed next door. The State of Virginia is also currently celebrating their loss in the War of Northern Aggression. They do not want to be concerned with trivial issues like slavery, but want to delve into the spirit of what caused them to lose the war against the United States government and be forced to have a tit on their state seal.
People from Mexico coming into the United States has nothing to do with “God.” Illegal immigrants are another big issue. Everyone is concerned. The people on the Right are so outraged that Mexican children are working in the fields and building their houses with no workplace standards, they want to enact an Apartheid system. Apparently, it is much easier to get a nanny from China or Africa and beat her into submission, because she can’t just leave. The people on the Left are all worked up about illegal immigration, too. They claim that “no one is illegal” even when they are not legal. Everyone has a very strong stance on the issue and are consumed with the details so much that they don’t have time to actually look at what is going on in Mexico. While the drug cartels are assassinating the entire government of Mexico, we have so much to worry about, like sex with goats, gay marriages, and abortion.
The abortion issue is currently a big deal because of Universal Healthcare. Apparently, the President passed a bill that provides Universal Healthcare. This is terrible. It is so terrible, that people logically loaded their guns and marched on National and State capitals. (I know that it shouldn’t even need to be said. Whenever I think about healthcare, my first response is to load my assault rifle.) These people know what is really going on, the things that are not written anywhere. They can read between the lines:
First we let gays marry, and then we give poor people preventative healthcare, and the slippery slope starts… next thing you know, everyone is being forced into gay marriages and Communist death panels start deciding who is getting a gay abortion. Meanwhile, God is dumping oil along the coastline, so you have to have sex with your goats farther inland… no animal sex on the beach.
We also have a Black President with a funny name. This means he is a follower of Marx, a Muslim, a Communist, a Black Nationalist, a Socialist, the Anti-Christ, a Zionist and a black Stalin/Mao/Castro. He is NOT, under any circumstances Se Seko Mobutu. Mobutu may have caused the death of half a million people a year, but he was not a Communist and all of those people were Black Africans, so they were probably going to die in a year or so anyway. (We all know that is all that happens in Africa… people kill each other, or get a disease, and die – while the noble animals are all sitting around discussing important issues, like what people to have sex with and not letting gay animals have married abortions.) This Communist President bailed out private automotive industries to help them keep people employed. He also bailed out banks and financial institutions. He did not nationalize these institutions, because he does not want to show his hand yet… the Communist Conspiracy of Kenya. (more…)
The United States population has probable not been this divided since the Civil War. There is truly a bi-polar split in the national psyche. There are splits and fringes on both sides, but there is still a divide right down the middle. I recall mentioning this before, but I don’t recall how much detail it was on this site. What I’m really pondering today, is from a comment I received this morning. I was asked why we don’t support secession for states like Arizona.
My initial response is: “Please.” Unfortunately, it is not that simple. Let’s just use Arizona, Texas, and New Mexico. (Sorry, New Mexico, if we let you stay, my hypothetical becomes even more confusing.) In the future, Arizona, Texas and New Mexico leave the United States to form the “New Republic of America.” The first thing we need to consider, is if they allow everyone who wants to remain in the United States to leave. If they do not do this, it would cause a lot of tension and end up like a North Korea/South Korea situation.
So, let’s assume it is amicable. The New Republic resents Washington D.C. so much, they want to govern themselves. The US says, “Ok.” And anyone in these states leaves to enter the United States… (and the companies that are in those states have to pick a side, too… but now that the Supreme Court decided companies are people, we don’t have to argue specifics.) … and these states are now the new Southern border of the United States.
I’d assume they would all enact Arizona’s “Pass Laws” and end up with an Afrikaner Apartheid system. But they have their own Constitution, so we cannot deride them for violating out Constitution.
What I cannot figure out, is what their economy is going to be based on. I would guess agriculture and oil. I’m sure they would also have to purchase weapons from the United States, to maintain their border system.
So, let’s jump forward ten years. The “New Republic of America” has been exporting beef, wheat, other agricultural products and oil for ten years. They have a secure border on both sides and pass laws, that anyone stopped by police has to provide proof they are Citizens of the New Republic. The average wage is equivalent to US $30 a week. The University students in America are growing weary of this Apartheid system on their border and protest for full divestment. Within 2 more years, the United States will no longer sell weapons to the New Republic on humanitarian grounds, or trade with them for oil and agricultural products. China offers, though, because they could honestly care less what is happening in the Western Hemisphere, as long as it cannot cross the Pacific. They will need these weapons because, just putting a military zone between the New Republic and Mexico, the drug cartels have completely overrun Mexico. As the violence from the drug lords escalates, multi-national corporations leave Mexico and go to South East Asia (and maybe the New Republic.) So, you now have a country that makes Nicaragua look peaceful on the border, you are going to need good weapons.
Now we have Chinese weapons south of the American border, with a country trading almost exclusively with China, the biggest growing threat and competition to the American government and economy. Of course, up here in America, we also have to deal with people escaping the “New Republic” – to gain wages higher than $30 a month, where we make $300 a month in McDonald’s here. The New Republic knows not to aggravate the United States, as the US could just send in a few dozen drones and take out the entire government.
Anyway, I’d give the New Republic 20 years. By the end of the second decade, they will either be begging to come back, or begging to be invaded by UN Peacekeepers. So, no, I don’t support secession by other states, it would be a travesty. The loss and suffering on both sides would hardly be justifiable.
One could argue that there are weapons manufacturers and tech companies in the South. Plenty in Texas alone. Well, how many would stay and give up contracts to the United States military? Are the Southern states going to build their own military manufacturing plants? What is the justification for an arms buildup on the US border? You’d have to be careful, too much Nazi-esque talk about “enemies” ‘and needs to “weapons” and internment camps for minorities, and you’d have to deal with all of Europe and the United States. (Or do you believe that England and France would take the side of the South?)
I really don’t see this as a win for anyone. And this wasn’t an all inclusive example. There is plenty of contribution from Southern states that the United States utilizes. Any secession would be detrimental. The whole world would feel it. It may even be worse than I had explained. What if drug cartels or terrorist organizations overran one of the states and launched the US into a century of warfare? What if China got sick of all the bickering and just blew everything in North America up? What if England just said, “We gave you a few centuries and you can’t get your shit straight… you are coming back home.” ?
** update **
As per requested, spelling of secession has been corrected. May 5, 3:00 am PST.
Well, the whole nation is abuzz about what Arizona did recently. I guess I have no choice but to discuss it.
The whole issue is actually pretty complex. On the surface, it does not seem to be. It appears to just be a fascist attempt of fascist state control. (Yes, I used fascist twice.) If anyone is living in a cave or hole somewhere, and has not heard, the lawmakers in the State of Arizona have approved an anti-immigration bill that goes much farther than any previous attempts. It makes it illegal to be illegal by state laws, imposed by fines and prison time. It also penalizes anyone who employs an illegal immigrant. It sounds pretty ridiculous to oppose a law to make something illegal to actually be illegal, but the way this law is stated makes it reminiscent of Apartheid South Africa or Nazi Germany.
The Economist stated that this law was “Hysterical nativism,” and claimed Arizona is on the path to becoming a police state. I completely agree. The problem with this type of law is the enforcement of the law. How does law enforcement determine who “looks illegal”? Do all Chicano Americans need to have verification that they are citizens at all times? What about other Latino Americans? “Latino” isn’t even a specific appearance. There are white, black, brown, etc. Latinos. What about Black Americans? They could be African or Haitian immigrants. A white person with a funny accent? Someone with “strange clothing”? Where does it stop? Does it mean everyone non-white has to carry an ID card or birth certificate on them at all times? A person could obtain a driver’s license with a work visa, which can expire before the driver’s license. So a driver’s license is not proof of citizenship.
It all reminds me of Born in East L.A. with Cheech Marin, where he gets deported by an immigration raid in which he has no papers because he is from Los Angeles. But it isn’t funny. It also brings to mind the events in South Africa, where Black South Africans were gunned down in the streets for not having a Pass Book. Or in Philadelphia where Black Americans were strip searched on street corners. Or even Nazi Germany, where Jews were forced to register with the government. I hate the “slippery slope” argument, but it really does work.
NO DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY HAS EVER ENACTED THESE LAWS AND STAYED A DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC!
The problem with “illegal immigration” is a valid issue. It becomes a wedge issue for a variety of reasons, but I want to look at the real situation.
The United States has two bordering neighbors. The United States only has a problem with illegal movement across the border from one of its neighbors. Why is this? Is it as simple as race? It is true that most Canadians are White. I honestly do not believe this is the key to the issue, though. I think that race is a great scapegoat on both sides of the argument, and ignores the nature of the real issue: Mexico is not doing well.
What’s going on in Mexico? Hell if I know. Well, I do have some idea, honestly. But it does not make sense that the place on the border of the United States could be doing so poorly. Let’s look at the numbers:
(I pulled these numbers from the CIA World Factbook for 2009. I did not factcheck them, but if they are off, it is by minor discrepancies.)
United States:
GDP (purchasing power parity): $14.26 trillion (2009 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP): $46,400 (2009 est.)
Labor Force: 154.1 million (includes unemployed)Canada:
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.285 trillion (2009 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP): $38,400 (2009 est.)
Labor Force: 18.4 million (2009 est.)Mexico:
GDP (purchasing power parity): $1.482 trillion (2009 est.)
GDP – per capita (PPP): $13,500 (2009 est.)
Labor Force: 47 million (2009 est.)
Mexico has a higher national GDP than Canada, but the per capita GDP is less than 1/3 of Canada’s, and 1/4 that of the United States. I could go into the Gini coefficient and all of that… but I’ll lose all but 1% of my readership… and I need all four of you that read this site.
This is also from the CIA Factbook:
major drug-producing nation; cultivation of opium poppy in 2007 rose to 6,900 hectares yielding a potential production of 18 metric tons of pure heroin, or 50 metric tons of “black tar” heroin, the dominant form of Mexican heroin in the western United States; marijuana cultivation increased to 8,900 hectares in 2007 and yielded a potential production of 15,800 metric tons; government conducts the largest independent illicit-crop eradication program in the world; continues as the primary transshipment country for US-bound cocaine from South America, with an estimated 90% of annual cocaine movements toward the US stopping in Mexico; major drug syndicates control the majority of drug trafficking throughout the country; producer and distributor of ecstasy; significant money-laundering center; major supplier of heroin and largest foreign supplier of marijuana and methamphetamine to the US market (2007)
So, What’s going on in Mexico? It appears there is a lot of money in drug production and distribution and a lack of distribution of wealth. Why do people from Mexico come to the United States illegally and people from Canada do not? I think economic factors are reasonable. Also, don’t we pretty much know what life around drug cartels is like? The government of Mexico has tried to fight back against the drug cartels, and the result has been assassinations of officials, included a decapitated police chief. A mayor recently left his home in Mexico and is not staying in Florida. Civil violence and strife are counterproductive to democracy and economic progress. Basically, it seems to me like what happened in Sierra Leone is happening in Mexico. Who can blame people for wanting to leave? They want a better life.
Farther, if you try to flea the cartels, they have to chase you. I’m sure the cartels do not want to take on the United States military, but out of principle, they cannot send a message that if you go to the US, you are safe from them.
The UN and England went into Sierra Leone and forced political stability long enough for a democratic process to re-emerge. This has happened several times in recent history. But when it comes to Mexico, the American government proposes solutions ranging from putting more guards on the border or building a wall. I always think that the People’s Republic of China finds this greatly amusing. “You want to build a wall on your border? We tried that.”
How long do we expect these issues to continue south of our border and, yet, not have any spillover? I mean, that is the American way. Violence and drug epidemics occur in minority communities, and the general public could care less… until some white, suburban child gets caught up in it. HIV/AIDS spread rampantly through gay and minority communities, until it effected white heterosexuals, the national concern was limited.
The United States has just sat around while Mexico has struggled with its emergence into the Developed World. (lacking a better term.) I would argue, that the U.S. has done more than just sit around, but has been complicit in this destabilizing process. Multi-national corporations, American corporations and wealthy elite have been profiting from the situation in Mexico for quite some time. If an international force were to enter Mexico and put an end to the disparities, how would companies, such as WalMart, be able to turn such a huge profit there? And where would we get our nannies and manual laborers that we pay below minimum wage? How would corporations circumvent labor unions? Produce cheap products without safety standards, equal employment, fair employment, etc… ?
The problem of “illegal immigrants” in Arizona is a by product of the wealthy people in America, and the world, becoming more wealthy on the back of countries like Mexico. Until we are ready to help the nation of Mexico, every other solution is a band-aid on a broken leg.
I don’t really have a good solution, but turning the United States into an Apartheid regime is definitely not a positive solution. (Ok, I have a solution, but everyone would label me a neo-marxist lunatic and call me a “commie” and threaten to eat my babies.)
What really terrifies me is how this country is following the path towards fascism more and more every day. This is not just an issue about Mexico, or illegal immigrants, or racism, or discrimination – it is an issue of this new brand of Brown Shirts: the emergence of the Tea Party, of hate speech, platforms of white supremacy, Sarah Palin (I had to mention her) and her “reload” and “we want our country back” comments. Back to 1810? These people are trying to slide the United States back 2 centuries and move it forward into a state of Apartheid fascism.
I was seriously going to post something lighthearted today. I had something that came up yesterday that was hilarious. I felt it was going to be a nice break from the last two pieces. Sorry. I logged into my Facebook page and saw an add with a guy in a cowboy hat with text mentioning doing unseemly things to “environmentalists.” His name is Richard Pombo. (In all fairness, his inane drivel can be found here: http://www.pomboforcongress.com)
So, I join his Facebook group to get information. I decided to just go to his webpage, as his FB group is just posting of articles that mention him (fighting the good fight!) and people commenting about how “God” wants farmers in California to not have to pay taxes and force brown people into sharecropper labor, or whatever.
I go to his page, and I go to the page on Issues. There are issues, but I was curious, to start, what makes this man qualified to have a seat in Congress. The best thing I found, on the About page was this: “A fourth generation Californian, Pombo resides with his family in the Central Valley of Callifornia.” (sic) This great Representative of the Great State of California cannot even spell the name of the state correctly on his website? Is that a typographical error? Honestly, does it matter? He wants a seat in the federal government as a representative of his state, why should he worry about the guy making his website using a spellchecker?
Let’s be fair. I was honestly nitpicking. There are unsubstantiated claims that he authored legislation and stuff. Here is the passage:
Against enormous odds, Richard authored and passed significant legislation that was aimed at protecting private property rights and encouraging American energy independence. Richard was the key author and a driving force behind the passage of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which encouraged the use of American resources to produce more energy at home and to reduce our dependence on foreign supplies. He also authored and passed the landmark reform of the Endangered Species Act in the House– tragically it was defeated by a coalition of liberal Republicans and Democrats in the Senate.
Those damned liberal Republicans and Democrats trying to destroy everything (by saving endangered animals.) I think I figured out what happened though. Those liberal Republicans and Democrats with their elite educations probably expected him to spellcheck his legislation. Come on, people. This guy is a farmer in the Central Valley. He doesn’t do spelling much. Why should he? He has private property. Oh, and he wrote a book, which he misquoted Woody Guthrie in the title. Sadly, I really don’t think Guthrie would even agree with a paragraph of the book. And, no, I didn’t read it. I read the reviews and excerpts on Amazon. I’d rather read a Sarah Palin transcript than 250 pages of that.
(Sorry Richie, no book plug here. If they really want to find out, they will google it. If I get another affiliate link to Amazon, then maybe I’ll sell it for you, so I can use the profits to continue to comment on the issues for you.)
The reason I felt this was all worth mentioning, aside from all of the “Conservative” talking points espoused all over this mess, is the “social networking” aspect to his campaign. Weren’t they crying and screaming that Obama utilized social networking media to somehow create a support base that McCain couldn’t compete with because John McCain and Sarah Palin together can’t open an email on a Blackberry? This guy has a Youtube Channel, FB group, Twitter, and even Flickr and Say Now accounts. (Interesting to not that majority of the people who work on the technology he is using to promote his politics probably are not allowed to get married because of his party’s voting patterns.)
The other thing I wanted to point out: This guy wrote a book! Who hasn’t written a book? I’m writing a damn book. It will be done by May 2010. If you want to purchase it, let me know. I haven’t decided how to market it yet, but if this guy has a book that has sold at least a few copies, why shouldn’t I do the same? I must forewarn you, though. There will be no substance in this text I am to create. I’m just going to make claims and ascertaitions and then claim I’m right by common sense or a really cool web link. Seriously, though, I know bookstores aren’t doing as well now that people read online. (I’m reading an eBook currently.) But, have you ever been in the Politics section of your local book conglomerate? It is all these Conservatives making inane claims and very little substance, and, if you are lucky, a copy or two of Howard Zinn. (R.I.P. Zinn, you are missed and still needed.)
The REAL reason I wrote about this, was because I was a bit peeved. There’s a little button on my Facebook page, I click on it, spend 5 minutes on this guy’s site, and then spend 1 or 2 hours reading from Plato, Hobbes, Comte, Lukacs, Marx, some dead Pope, and tons of other people on the concept of “Private Property” and the concept of government. Richard Pombo, thanks a whole hell of a lot for wasting 2 hours of my day on things that I did NOT need to get done today.
(I could have been reading about Stuff White People Like, or updating my LoLcats files, or sipping lattés and discussing how great it would be for the leftists of the world to turn Anglo Republicans into government peasants to provide illegal immigrants with healthcare for a President that is from Jupiter.)
P.S. – I think my book will be better than your book. AND I will use my spellchecker.
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