As my mom would say...

This right here is the stone cold truth. If any of you are perplexed as to why the American political landscape is so toxic and congested, Dylan Ratigan has laid it on the line.

Be sure to stick with it until the end. Most in the 24-hour media are only running the beginning of the clip, but there's important stuff going down all the way through.



This is the type of anger and attention needed by the entire American electorate. Sure, there's a problem with the Republicans. Sure, there's a problem with the Democrats. But more than anything else, the problem is with the corporate control of United States policymaking. And it's about time someone told this to the people, loudly.

If we can only get the President to say it...



peace.

Common: The World's Nicest Gangsta

So yea, being in Vancouver is taking a toll on my blogging schedule. Nevertheless, I'll be here as much as I can. Thanks for sticking around.

Okay, so here's what we got:

A White House event intended to be a celebration of poetry and the power of spoken word went off without a hitch Wednesday but enraged right-wing pundits upset over the invitation of the rapper and poet Common.

Common appeared at the "Evening of Poetry"event -- part of Michelle Obama's White House Music Series – where he recited some lines amidst piano accompaniment in front of the audience of children and adults.

Some critics of Common's participation in the White House event, which also featured comic and writer Steve Martin and singer Aimee Mann, were upset that the rapper has slammed former President George W. Bush in his poetry.

More here.

I'm out of the country for one week and these Repugnicans (I shouldn't say that. But it's kinda funny, so I'm keeping it!) haul off and insult my favorite rapper. It's like they were waiting for me to leave so they do it behind my back!

Ever since I heard about this story yesterday, I've been trying to figure out how to tackle it. It's been a bit of a conundrum, really. I've been wondering why I'm not cursing a blue streak and spitting lava about it.

Perhaps because it's the type of reaction I'd expect from people who have no sense of their world. I mean, I can't be surprised by the conservative response, because the Right is notorious for not doing their research. I'm sure no one will mistake Sarah Palin or Karl Rove for hip hop scholars or being in touch with the pulse of the youth. Nor am I shocked or miffed by the lack of sophistication displayed by those wonderful kids at Fox News. Those lovely folks know their shtick really well; absolution, divisiveness, and fear. They do black and white like nobody's business.

So the only thing left for me to feel about this is excitement and happiness. Consider this: Common's first album, Can I Borrow a Dollar?, was released in 1992. That means he's been a professional recording artist for 20 years. Twenty. And while he's always had a very solid base of loyal fans, written some of the most powerful, thought-inspiring, and imaginative lyrics in the history of hip hop, advocated against the use of anti-gay and homophobic lyrics in rap music, participated in the "Knowing is Beautiful" campaign for HIV/AIDS awareness, written children's books, and created the Common Ground Foundation to help empower kids in disenfranchised communities of Chicago, he's never had an album sell with real mainstream success. He's never had anything past a gold-selling record (500,000 copies sold, but less than 1 million).

So good for him that he's made some stuffy right-wingers mad. I hope they call him a cop-killin, gangsta grillin, gang-bangin, drug-dealin, woman-beatin, Impala-drivin, saggy-pants-wearin, child-out-of-wedlock-havin, thuggin, gold-tooth-havin thug for the next two months. Maybe people will finally get a chance to hear what he has to say.

:)

Here's Common's "The Sixth Sense". I think this pretty much sums it up.





peace.

Gotcha!(?)

This is from CNN.com

The most prominent face of terror in America and beyond, Osama Bin Laden, has been killed in Pakistan, U.S. officials said Sunday night.

Bin Laden was the leader of al Qaeda, the terrorist network behind the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States. U.S. officials said that their forces have the body of bin Landen.

More here.

So here we are. Apparently. Osama Bin Laden has been killed by a handful of U.S. Navy SEALs who carried out a very quiet operation ordered by President Obama on Friday, based on intelligence received on Bin Laden's whereabouts in Pakistan. I'm sitting here at home watching live footage of a gang of people in Lafayette Park, across the street from The White House, partying like the Redskins just won the SuperBowl.

All the reports are saying Bin Laden's body is in U.S. custody. What are they gonna do, put pictures of it on facebook for proof?

And just last night, President Obama was doing stand-up at The White House Correspondents' Dinner where he absolutely blitzed Donald Trump. This cat is really good at multi-tasking.

So I guess my most nagging question now is, "What next?" If it is true that Bin Laden got smoked, what does that mean? How are things different?

I do know this. Obama just stamped his two-term ticket tonight.

I'll be watching the commentary just like you. Perhaps I'll have more constructive thoughts later this week.

peace.