Living the Legacy

Fingers Off My Fanta!

2010-03-09T04:58:00.000-08:00

There's been a hue and cry lately over too much government intervention in our private Lives. Normally I shrug this off as just more conservative rantings. But, this time dangit, they're going too far!
If you live in New York State, by now you've been bombarded by TV and radio commercials encouraging the NYS legislature to pass a surcharge on soft drinks. The ads proclaim that adding a few pennies to the total price of sodas will stop kids from buying them. Two paid hacks that no one ever heard of claim that this will help stem the tide of childhood obesity and tendancy toward diabetes. What a crock! You've got to be kidding!
First of all, the kids are just going to ask their parents for a dollar to cover the increase or they're going to do without something else to buy soda. Perhaps instead of buying one of the national/international brands, they'll buy a cheaper one. Even if that one goes up by a few pennies too, it'll still be within their price range.
Secondly, it's about parents encouraging their children to eat healthy. It's about parenting period. The government can encourage healthy eating habits, as our First Lady Mrs. Obama is doing, but legislating it this way leaves a bitter taste in one's mouth.
Thirdly, if they add a few cents onto the price of soda, are they simultaneously decreasing the price of healthy beverages, like juice, milk or water correspondingly?? No, they are not.
Don't be fooled people. This is a stupid idea and one which only fattens the coffers in Albany. They are desperate for new ways to raise money to offset the deficit. But just tell the truth about it. Don't make it seem as though it's about the children and their health, when it clearly is about money.
Finally, what about me? I like a soda once in a while. Why am I being punished? Maybe we should just be 'carded' to make sure we are not children trying to sneak a soda. Then we can whip out our state-issued soda card and get to pay the discounted 'adult' price.
Really Albany...you should just allow this to fizzle out and find the loopholes in the budget where some real money is slipping through your fingers. Taxing children for drinking soda is a very lame idea.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

This is The Legacy

2009-12-12T12:29:00.000-08:00

When one thinks about the various factors, the experiences, the generations before which created your 'backstory', there will inevitably be some events and people at the forefront. These people made an indelible mark on who you have become. And, whether positive or negative, it is up to us to decide what effect these interactions have upon us...how they shape us, how we view ourselves. One such person was my grand-aunt, who every time she came to visit would sit me on her knee and tell me the history of my great-grandfather, her Dad, who became the first Black Congressman. She told me of his trials and of his triumphs. She explained to me what it meant to be a child of legacy and what it meant to be a 'Rainey'. My aunt was a very proper, dignified and well-educated woman who, in fact, became the first certified Black schoolteacher in the State of Massachussets. Her brother, my grandfather became the first Black internationally recognized classical violinist. As I listened, I thought, what a burden to thrust upon a child. Yet I listened and was sold...sold on the idea that anyone could do wondrous things. That anyone could, with enough determination, be something special. Any person might be someone who could inspire and leave a legacy worthy of admiration and emulation.
My daughter told me just last night, that I am old-fashioned. At first, I regarded that as a semi-insult. But then I thought. When did being 'old-fashioned' become a bad thing? Our ancestors had a set of ethics that will always be timely. I am proud to admit that in some areas I am 'old-fashioned'. I think that hard work brings reward and I do not want anything I did not earn. I think speaking English well is the best way to communicate with others on the level you seek and being well-educated is not losing your identity. You can never have too much knowledge. I do not make excuses for myself. I do everything to the best of my ability. I set high standards for myself and try to lead by example.
In my childhood I was surrounded by the most ethical and 'old-fashioned' people I have ever met. On my father's side and my mother's. And in the intervening years, I have met thousands. I take their lessons with me whereever I go and no matter what. Many times, I think that being open and honest encourages others to do the same. When I have been wrong and they have not responded in kind, that's a burden they will have to bear which reflects on them. In the history of my mother's people, the Choctaws, there are many examples of how an Indian was found guilty of an offense and the punishment was death. The judges knew that they were people of honor, and innocent or guilty, if they released them, they would show up at the appointed time to be executed. I find that an amazing testament to their concept that their word was worth more than their Life.
On this day, December 12th, 1870, Joseph H. Rainey was sworn in as the first Black Congressman. Born into slavery, the humblest and most inhumane of all circumstances, he rose to become one of America's political pioneers. He was a man of honor and commitment to his causes who was re-elected four more times making him the longest tenured Black politician until the 1950s. He endured physical and verbal abuse in spite of his role as a public servant. Intimidation was his constant companion and he must have felt that his work in Congress was more important than his Life.
This is the legacy which we should all share. A legacy which propels each of us to excellence and fulfilling our potential. It is a legacy which I personally pass along to my children. And, even though they may not know it, they are just as 'old-fashioned' as I am. I just won't tell them, they'll find out soon enough that they too are 'Living the Legacy'.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

Tempus Fugit

2009-12-02T10:22:00.000-08:00

After all the serious posts I have uploaded, I thought it might be refreshing to put up my most recent poem. Hope you enjoy it! But please remember that it is protected intellectual property. You may forward or reference with proper credit.
Thx!

"Tempus Fugit"

They told me it would happen
I'd seen it all before
It happened oh so slowly
Then could not be ignored;
I felt the same as usual
Didn't feel a blessed thing
But I'd surely been a victim
Of this accursed thing;
Just like all the others,
I tried to stave it off
Creams, toners, make-up cover
Any anti-age I bought;
Oh well beloved sisters
Some things we cannot change
So no longer give a number
Just give them your age range.
Lorna Rainey 2009

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

Help Save NYC

2009-10-28T07:22:00.000-07:00

Okay. I can't leave it alone. I am so incensed by the 'cheek', the audacity, the conceit, the arrogance of Michael Bloomberg that I find myself talking out loud about it. Better to talk to you, my followers.
When Mayor Mike talks about how much he has done for the middle class, I am reminded of the same type of equally absurd comment made by John McCain during the recent Presidential campaign. Neither of these men has any idea what it's like to be middle-class and neither seems to be aware that because of them and people like them, there is virtually no more middle-class. An article in yesterday's local AM newspaper cites the fact that New York City has seen it's highest exodus since they've been keeping records. You can't afford to live here, exist maybe, live...No. The quality of Life has plummeted. From the crumbling roadways to the higher MTA fares to the higher bridge/tunnel crossing fees to the hordes of parking ticket minions, every day has become a challenge. There is no humanity left. Mayor Mike says that his Board of Education revisions have elevated the percentages of students earning better grades. Well, that's true. But it's because the teachers are handed a sample of the mid-term tests and the year end tests and teach the children question for question what's going to be on the tests. That's not a healthy school experience. The children are not really learning anything except how to score well on tests! If you stray beyond those questions, what do they really know? All the teachers I know are so frustrated with not being able to help students exercise their minds, but they are so afraid of losing their jobs that they just do as they're told.
It's a shame that Bloomberg will probably win the election. Not because he's done such an outstanding job as Mayor. But because he has now spent more than any political candidate in history on his campaign. He's a billionaire. His commercials and mail pieces are constant. People who are not astute will believe his distortions of the facts. They will shrug off his blatant disregard for the will of the people who twice voted to limit mayoral posts to two terms. Money is power, but does that make those of us who don't have it powerless? I hope not. We still have the power of the vote and I hope for a huge upset from the 'silent majority' on November 3.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

Hypocrites!

2009-10-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Like most other Americans, I was shocked by the outrageously boorish behavior of Joe Wilson (R- South Carolina) during President Obama's speech on Health Care Reform. To think that he was a liar, like most of us did about Former President Bush, was one thing; to say it loudly in a televised speech before a joint meeting of Congress is quite another. Again, this is a money issue, where the 'haves' are engaged in an anything but silent war against the 'have-nots'. And additionally, his carefully premeditated outburst was a mark of disrespect for not only the man, but the office of President as well. Let the voters in his district show the same disdain for Wilson (no title of any sort is deserved) with their votes come election time. I cannot say that I am not concerned about money going to cover health care for illegal immigrants. I am! It is totally unfair to reward people for breaking the law. However...didn't George Bush campaign on immigration reform? Yet, during his tenure, illegal immigrants held one-day rallies in every major American city clamoring for their rights! If the President was serious, he should have had hundreds of busses and planes waiting to bag them up and ship them out. But, let's face it. The illegal immigrants were a source of cheap labor for the rich. The employment of them made the bottom line that much blacker and their profit margin that much larger. It became the way of business to look the other way when questions of legality arose. It became the way of business to flaunt the law and not pay American workers a fair wage. This fit in nicely with the conservative mindset. The same mindset which supported slavery and went to war to try to keep it. So, here they are bringing an old custom into a new century. This is the slavery of the new millenium. Work them hard, pay them cheap and pretend they don't exist. Hypocrites!
For some reason, I am on the Republicans mailing list. This is a wonderful thing! I get to see things most people would not. I recently received a mailing from that bastion of fairness and progressiveness, Newt Gingritch, asking for a donation to roll back the abortion clock. His group is launching another push in favor of abortion repeal. Of course this requires money. Of course, he thinks I have some. Whatever loose change I have goes to 'Feed the Children' or 'The Smile Train'. It is not our job to judge what situations a woman finds herself in. But, it is our responsibility to help where we can. Their efforts would be much better served, in my opinion, helping out foster care agencies and promoting adoption. Those people who scream out against abortion are the same ones who don't want welfare, food stamps, cross-racial adoption, or a slackening of the regulations on adoption, etc. But look into their well-manicured homes. Do you see any adopted children??? Only people who have stepped up and adopted a child who would have been aborted has the right to tell someone else that they should follow through. And, all this foreign adoption should be stopped until every American child has a home. We have too much red tape and too many loopholes here. Fix it so those children who desperately want a home and people who want to adopt can find each other. Hypocrites!
Lastly, I live in NYC...the kingdom of Michael Bloomberg. I live here. It has not become better. I live here. The standard of living has gone down. I drive here. The roads are a crumbling tangle of 'bet you're gonna need some front end work soon'. But the road usage tax has gone up...so have the bridge and tunnel tolls. And although the unemployment rate has gone up, there is an ever increasing horde of his ticket agents...pouring over the streets like roaches looking for the tiniest infraction. Now they pull their cars up and block you into an expired meter, bus stop, hydrant, trying to ticket you before you can move! My child goes to school here. The teachers are all fearful that if they don't teach to achieve good marks on the next test, they'll be fired. They want to do more, be more for the children, but they are on a leash. I've seen the TV ads. They must be for somewhere else. Talking about someone else's mayor. Mike's a billionaire. And he's squeezing us to death while his ads say he's concerned about the middle class and working people. Hypocrite!

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

Upsetting the Balance

2009-08-26T11:27:00.000-07:00

I am one of the countless numbers of Americans who do not have health insurance. I am one of the countless Americans who struggles to stay afloat in this economy. I am one of the countless optomists who believed that our government with a new President could work wonders in righting so many wrongs. I also believed that we, as a people, had sent our representatives to Washington with a mandate for change. We, the people, had spoken. Obviously, some people were not listening to what Obama said about health care reform on the campaign trail.
In recent weeks I have seen more of the ugly truth than I thought existed. I have seen viciousness from a whole new angle, but with the same old purpose...rancor sown for the sake of division and anger shown for the sheer intimidating effect of it. The spindoctors are busy painting their objections with an altruistic brush, but peel off the layers and it is about the division of money and how much of it they may be forced to share with you!
Health care...a right or a privilege? If it is a right, then every vested legal American should have access to it. If it is a privilege, then it is as it is now...only for a privileged few. Don't forget what happened the last time a President dared to challenge the status quo. President and First Lady Clinton made health care reform a priority. Their adversaries made their destruction a priority with Whitewater and Monica Lewinsky. And Health Care was quickly and permanently shifted to the back burner.
When I see and hear all the venom being hissed at President Obama from all the indignant Americans who are worried about the deficit, I wonder where these good people were for the past eight years when two terms of President Bush Jr took the biggest surplus in modern times and turned it into the biggest deficit in history. And during that time, a bogus war was started which resulted in the deaths of innocents who were American, Iraqi and Afghani. These same righteous, indignant Americans were not in any Town Hall meetings, they organized no big protests, there were no petitions, letter-writing campaigns or anti-war email campaigns. The truth is you can send soldiers off to war with no exit strategy and faulty intelligence, you can strip the mortgage industry of all regulations, you can ship jobs overseas and bring illegal workers in...but you can't propose health care reform. If you want to 'let the dogs out'...try to strike a better balance between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. The snarling dogs will come after you if you upset the balance that they've come to expect; the one that ensures that the majority of the money and profits are weighted in their favor.
I am not saying that I want the government to take over health care, but if the insurance companies are busily bankrupting people and deciding who gets health care and who doesn't, I do want the government to fill in the cracks, close the loopholes, and rescue so many of us from an uncertain future with no health coverage in sight. Perhaps the proposed plan is not perfect. But sit down, stop screaming and playing to the cameras, and come up with an alternate plan. We want reform. We need reform.
Finally, I find it disgusting that Sen McCain, of all people, whose limitless health coverage is a perk of being a Senator and whose wife has googobs of money, would dare to tell the rest of us how he is concerned about how much money the reform would add to the deficit. Again, where has he been for the past eight years? He should be ashamed that the very people he is talking to are in his age group and are the most vulnerable. He is part of a Congress, the majority of whom are privileged, that had no problem funding war, but gags at the prospect of keeping its citizens well. It's obscene that we spend billions killing, but balk at a further deficit to keep people alive. I would say it's sickening...but I am uninsured and can't afford it.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
http://www.nativeintelligencethebook.com/
Producer: http://www.culinaryhightv.com/

We Have the Power...Part 2

2009-04-09T15:02:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it seems more difficult than it really is. The answer lies somewhere beneath a complicated mangle of thought which we have created. And all it really takes is the will to change.
For eight years, we've been drained by the Bernie Madoffs and the reversal of common sense advocated by the Bush regime. It can be summarized in four stages: greed, me first, who cares and we'll figure it out later. All of which led us into the economic quagmire we're in today. But can we really shift all the blame onto the government and lack thereof? How many times did we ignore the Made in China label and buy it anyway because it was cheaper? On how many occasions did we call customer service and connect to India? How much of our food is imported from other countries where the regulations are looser and the prices are lower? It's one thing to shop in the 99 cent store for discontinued items, but it's a whole other mindset when we buy everything we can from there regardless of where it's made.
This has been a vicious cycle which has caused us to spiral downward into mind-numbing fear. We make less, so we spend less. But can we have an impact with what we spend and where we spend it? Of course we can by using the power of consumer choice. Multiply yourself by millions of other consumers and you can see how we impacted our economy by saving a couple of dollars every shopping trip over the past few years! What about those bootleg CDs and DVDs? And you wonder why the cost of a night at the movies and the price of a concert ticket keeps going up. The producers have made a substantial investment and they know that a tremendous amount of revenue will be lost to the bootleggers. So, we go to the ticket window and get gouged. Okay, you saved a few dollors, but the rest of us paid for it. At the produce market, look for fruits and vegetables grown locally or at least in the United States. Our farms are disappearing and along with them generations of farming families. When shopping for clothing or other goods, look at the label of origin and help the American worker keep that job. If you have bought a new American product and need customer service, insist on speaking to someone here. Wouldn't you like to understand whatever directions the rep is giving you and don't you know anyone who needs a job? It's very simple...support your fellow citizens now, or support them later. In some ways we have exascerbated the problem by not thinking in the long term. When you opt to buy foreign products our money is going to support their citizens and boost their economy. Right now, China is holding notes on some of the loans we negotiated to rescue us. We gave them our money and now we have to borrow some of it back. It's a very painful lesson and we'd better get the answers right this time. But each of us can do our part. Let's think about each other, care about each other, help each other. Very simply...Buy American. We have the power to change some things and that may be enough to put us on the right path again.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

We Have the Power....Part 1

2009-02-19T05:52:00.000-08:00

By now, you have probably heard that a graphic passing as a cartoon appeared in the 'NY Post' showing two police officers standing over the body of a chimp shot the previous day in Connecticut with the caption "Now they'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus package" ! Both the cartoonist (I use that term loosely) and the editor (I use that term reluctantly) assert that it does not refer to our President in any way. However, given the long history of people of color being categorized and depicted as apes, monkeys, chimps, etc...it has a decidedly negative tone.
I am of dual heritage, Choctaw (Mississippi Band) on my mother's side and Black on my father's side. If you've read my blogs you know that my great-grandfather was Joseph. H. Rainey, the first duly-elected Black Congressman. From the time I was about three years old, I remember hearing stories of his efforts to bring change and dignity for all people of color and Americans from all walks of Life. He introduced legislation for Chinese laborers, Native American sovereignty/treaty issues and civil rights for freedmen. His speeches on these issues were both eloquent and scathing. The truth is sometimes ugly, but it must be told. Physical violence and death threats were constant and his status as an elected official made little difference. That was in 1870 - 1879.
It is appalling that in 2009, in what many view as the most progressive, educated, socially-interactive, influential city in America, a graphic calling for, condoning, suggesting the killing of our President could appear. I have analyzed it from all angles and there is no other conclusion to be drawn. Even should one be uninformed enough to dismiss that, at the very least, it is totally insensitive to the chimp's owner, who is clearly distraught over the death of her 'best friend' and the Life-altering injuries inflicted on her neighbor by the chimp 'gone wild'. Native people do not believe that animals were created for the entertainment of humans. If they are forced to be other than their inherent character, that is temporary, and they will revert to what they are and their nature mandates. That power over them is one which, I am sure, the Great Spirit never intended. Circuses, bullfights, creatures in captivity doing tricks...in my opinion, that is an abomination.
I went for breakfast at a restaurant nearby and they had copies of today's 'NY Post' on hand near the register. Had I seen them before my meal, I would have said something. But I did speak about it, in clear earshot, of everyone as I paid my check and remarked about it again on my way out of the door. The waitress, who knows me by name, promised to speak to her boss about continuing to carry the 'NY Post'. This 'rag' which did not endorse Mr. Obama for the Presidency, remarked in recent weeks how much of a boon his election has meant for the 'paper' which has printed special pullout sections, full page photo essays, inaugural coverage, Presidential memorabilia ads, etc. They have outdone themselves in trying to gain as much traction ($$$) as they could from his historical and remarkable journey to the White House. But obviously 'boon' still rhymes with 'coon' to them.
We must not allow this to continue. We must all use the power of our voices, our internet, our commonality, our vision for a new America and our money to make the changes we all want to see. Together, we have proven that we are a powerful movement. The time for apathy has passed. Put the hammer down and don't let up until they see that the 'good ole boys' network' is dead and real Americans are the ones killing it. The time (to stamp out racism) is now!

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

www.youtube.com Type Lorna Rainey into the Search Bar

We've Tried Trickle Down...Let's Trickle Up!

2009-01-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

In spite of the financial dilemma swirling around us, we are optimistic. But it is this very financial dilemma which propelled our new President into the White House by a substantial margin. As he tries to push his stimulus package through the Congress with bipartisan support, many polititians are saying 'not so fast'. $850 billion is a number which does not roll easily off the tongue and that's just the start of the problem. In discussion with another ordinary American citizen yesterday, I was struck by the simplicity of something he said. Instead of throwing more good money at these bad money managers, why not give it to the people? At first, it might sound crazy, but is it? Let's examine the logic. As I write this, there are approximately 303,700,000 people in the United States. Suppose, instead of giving the money to the bankers, car makers, insurance giants, Congress were to give $100,000 (a random number) to each American adult citizen? Obviously, there would be some conditions...for example, no one making over $1 million, no legal or illegal immigrants, no waivers for the amount of children in a family, just a flat $100,000. One of the conditions could be that you have to spend at least half of it within the first three months of receipt. The major benefit would be that the recovery would begin right away from the bottom up. Here's how...
1. people would buy that new American car (one of the conditions)
2. the housing market would stabilize with new home purchases and payments on past due mortgages
3. the travel industry would benefit by people taking cruises, vacations, trips
4. restaurants would be full of people with money to dine out again
5. the entertainment industry, from commercial to Broadway would be strong
5. every business, from the Mom & Pops to the mega superstores would hear cash registers ringing again
And, best of all, even with the $100,000 per adult figure, we'd still be about $820 billion less than what they're looking to spend now.
Just like with the Obama campaign, we should make this a grassroots movement to get the money into the hands of the people. If the debt will be ours anyway, at least give us the chance to spend it the way we want and revive the economy in the process. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not against the President and I want him to succeed. He is one of the brightest who has surrounded himself with the brightest economic minds available. But has anyone looked at this from our angle? Citizens in danger of foreclosure, those in debt, those who are homeless, uninsured, and unemployed? People didn't think he could be a serious candidate, much less elected. So why should the 'out-of-the-box' thinking end with the election? This would be real change! Trickle down economics doesn't work. Let's try trickle up for a change.

Lorna Rainey
Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

The Heart of the Matter

2009-01-02T08:12:00.000-08:00

Somehow we overcame it. Somehow in spite of all the spin, we divined the facts. Somewhere under all the subterfuge, there was truth. It was up to us to find it. The spinmasters were working overtime and pushing their versions everywhere. Hypocrisy was king and Sarah Palin was queen. But, little did they know that in this game, economy was the wild card, mortgage trumped all and the greatest poker face belonged to a man who refused to play by their rules.
Rule 1 : Accept government campaign financing.
Rule 2 : Say anything to get votes and worry about your credibility later.
Rule 3 : Attack your opponents with scandalous allegations.
Rule 4 : Play to the base instincts of voters.
Rule 5 : If you say it often enough and loudly enough, they'll believe it.
For sure, he broke all the rules and grabbed the brass ring. But in the background, the power-brokers were making a mockery of our system. And as we know now, they were lining their pockets with money and mortgaging the future of America for countless years to come. The worst irony is that they try to lay the blame on the homeowners, when in fact it is the greed of the deregulated mortgage industry. If you listen to the news media, the housing crisis was caused by hundreds of thousands of borrowers who knowingly borrowed above their means. From personal experience, I can tell you that is not true. Deregulation of the mortgage industry was the heart of the problem. No longer did you need a license to sell mortgages, just a connection with a mortgage banker who'd buy your paper. Ethics went out the window along with the regulations. I became a victim innocently enough. Good credit, upscale minority neighborhood, divorced single Mom combined to bring out the wolves in sheep's clothing. I signed with a mortgage person who was in NY and promised not to sell my loan. I found out my mortgage was bundled and sold the very next day. It was transferred three times within the same month and finally wound up in Texas. After paying my mortgage on time for months, my mortgage statement started including 'miscellaneous charges' which I refused to pay without explanation. I continued to send in my normal payment after requesting an explanation of these charges. After the third month of this, the mortgage company put me into foreclosure for non-payment since they refused to accept any more payments which did not include their undisclosed fees. For the next three years, I learned how low lenders would go to get you out of your home. However, I felt it was my duty to fight the system because I knew that if they were doing it to me, they were certainly doing it to others. I never imagined how many others. I was on the leading edge of the fraudulent activites and opened the eyes of Sen Chuck Schumer and then Attorney General Elliot Spitzer to the foreclosure scheme. Both of them tackled the situation with vigor and the full authority of their respective offices. Little did I know that I was a prime target because I took out a very small mortgage on a valuable property with no other liens against it. No matter what they would have been able to sell the property for, they would have made a quick and handsome profit. The lengths they would go to became even more obvious when I got a call from a real estate speculator offering to help save my home from being sold at auction in three weeks. Although there are strict laws in New York regarding both certified and regular mail notification of an impending auction, I had received neither. And, I was on the phone with these people almost every day, but somehow they neglected to tell me they were selling my house at auction? It was a calculated plan to surreptitiously sell the house knowing that once the sale was finalized there would be nothing I could do. It would have been too late when the new 'owners' showed up at my door with deed in hand and the sheriff in tow. I did not borrow above my means. I did not miss mortgage payments. I did not have an adjustable mortgage. I remembered that after the Civil War, 'carpetbaggers' would marry Choctaw women to become entitled to their land. And in a few months, the Choctaw wife would be dead under mysterious circumstances...her land now belonging to her husband. Our people lost much of their land that way. The only thing the mortgage company did not stoop to was murder, but their objective was the same. Get rid of the Choctaw woman. Our news media can be a clearing house for stories...not all of them fact nor informative. If you want to learn from real investigative reporting, go to www.gregpalast.com And, for the record, ACORN is not a cover for underground-subversive-liberal-money-laundering con artists, they are a community action group who had already compiled a list of bad lenders when I reached out to them in 2001. And yes, my lender was on their list. They were very responsive to my plight with the real con artists...the mortgage loan sharks.
Once and for all, put the blame on the guilty, don't scandalize the victims. With this bail-out comes accountability. The ones at the top have already been rewarded enough. Before we even knew there was a meltdown, they had the furnace on full-blast and we, the people, were the kindling. Perhaps the first, and best lesson from our President-elect is, don't let the spinmasters win. Know the truth, know your rights and don't be afraid to fight the system when you know it's wrong.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

The Ripple Effect of Self-Hate

2008-12-19T06:19:00.000-08:00

How many times have we looked at an alcoholic, a drug abuser, a homeless person, an abused woman and shaken our heads in disbelief? The numbers of people who exist this way are astounding. We see only the ones who present themselves, but how many more are there in bars, crack houses, alleyways, homes? What we think of them now is probably as important as what someone thought about them earlier in Life and shaped what they have become.
Every child is born with the potential to become anything they want. But we all realize that 'want' is not enough. As parents, teachers, mentors and elders we have a tremendous capacity to influence the Lives of the young. They are like sponges and absorb everything, whether positive or negative. Many adults think that children are not listening or watching. But they do and they are. Perhaps the complicated nuances of the conversation are lost on them, but the overall body language is fully translated. Attitudes toward our children are ingrained in them and they feel Love, resentment, indifference, encouragement, pride, anger equally.
A strong familial bond and support system is critical to helping our children deal with the disappointments and rejections they will face in Life. And there is something more...more detrimental, more insidious, more damaging. It's the 'naysayers'. The ones whose opinions you value who not only say 'No', but act to stop your forward progress (i.e. parent, spiritual guide, teacher, school guidance counselor, etc). The ones who say you're not pretty enough, not smart enough, not from the right area, family, or social-standing...that you could never be _____. The ones who constantly cause you to question your Life choices, as if you were somehow unworthy. The ones who keep the best of everything in a tight little clique and membership in that elite circle is, by some vague definition, unavailable to you. The saddest thing is that other people can make you feel inadequate if you are black, brown, red, yellow, short, or heavy. Most people revel in what they are...it's other people who try to make it a negative and strive to use it against you.
A minority neighborhood with one supermarket from a chain should expect to find the same quality of goods there. You would be mistaken. Some meat, dairy and packaged goods are sold with altered labels or with expired dates clearly visible. And let's not even discuss the produce. Streetsweepers never visit the neighborhood. It's the homeowners who sweep their own gutters. The schools are ones that most parents are trying to get their children out of and the better teachers are trying to transfer out too. The taxi that won't stop for you or take you to a certain neighborhood. All the popular, thin, pretty girls are going to a great place to have fun, but you're not invited. You're always chosen last for the sports team scrimmage. If people live with this all their Lives it's no wonder they begin to feel that they really are not worthy of better and self-hate takes hold. Women are victims in the cycle of domestic abuse, drug and alcohol abusers try to escape from their pain and the most hardened of self-haters turn to a Life of crime since no one expected them to amount to much anyway. Don't expect tears if they're mugging you to have any effect if their tears were met with indifference.
It is up to us to speak kindly, impart wisdom, encourage others and treat all people with respect at all times. We have much more in common than we might like to admit and during these trying financial times, many of us are a tiny nest-egg away from disaster. If we give a dollar to a homeless person, it is not up to us to decide what they'll do with it, give it with the thought that it might ease some pain. We see the after-effect, but what was the catalyst? No one is born with self-hate.

Author: "Native Intelligence"
www.nativeintelligencethebook.com

Abortion Distortion

2008-12-02T14:56:00.000-08:00

I suppose it's a double-edged sword to receive those phone calls. You know the ones...unsolicited, unwelcome and majorly inconvenient. But sometimes, you learn a thing or two about the undercurrent operating in our midst and they cause you to reflect in depth. On Friday, the call was from The American Bible Society (although I could have sworn they said the American Center for Law & Justice). I later dialed the number to see exactly who had called and the number said ABS.

What began with a cheery greeting soon turned into an onerous message designed to get up the hackles of the Right-to-Lifers. "President-elect Obama favors killing the unborn. He condones all types of abortion, even late-term and partial birth abortions", the caller said. My direct questions of, "Who said that? Where did you get that information?" were met with silence. It reminded me of how often people called in to C-Span during the election and cited how they would not vote for Obama because he was pro-abortion. Few issues stir up emotions like abortion. However, I clearly remember him saying he was "personally opposed to abortion", but preferred to let the people involved make their own decision. I have some major issues with these callers and their stance:

First of all, the American people rejected all types of 'fear-mongering' during this election process. In too many years gone by, we have been manipulated and whipped into a frenzy of voting with our emotions for other people's agendas. This time, thanks in part to the internet, people did their own research, digested the facts and made their own decisons. Distortion and omission of fact were shown to be what they were...baseless tools of the power-brokers to preserve the status quo.

Secondly, it seems that most of the people who are so stridently anti-abortion are conservative Christian Republicans and are equally vociferous in favor of capital punishment. That's only logical in one sense...that you can't forgive a woman who's made a bad choice and you can't forgive a prisoner who's made a bad choice. These are the same people who hate welfare and giving any types of tax-cuts to the middle-class and those in financial distress. They favor smaller, less-intrusive government, but if you're intruding into a woman's very body to force her to carry a baby to term...that's okay.

Thirdly, they're hypocrites. For all their feigned protection of the unborn, they do not really care about them once they are born. If that were so, there would not be any children up for adoption. They would take them all in, give them their names and share with them whatever they had. There would be waiting lists to adopt children instead of the other way around. They would be true examples of the Christianity they talk about, read aloud and recite, but rarely live. How many of these hypocrites, who believe it to be their responsibility to save the unborn, step up to be responsible for them once they are delivered? And those who do adopt go halfway around the world looking for a child. If the laws to adopt here are too complicated, then call your representative to get the laws changed. Don't call me. Put some Love where your mouth is. Adopt one of these American children who need your Love and concern, not only in the womb, but for years to come.

What these people don't realize is that abortion is truly the act of a desperate person in an untenable position. That some people are careless and use it as birth control cannot be denied. But would it be better for these people to bring children into the world that they do not want?...that you do not want? And that is only the beginning. The human toll is staggering. That child who is unwanted and resented has needs which generally go unmet. An unprepared, perhaps single, mother may go on welfare, her child needs healthcare and schooling. Sometimes no one at home cares whether he/she does well in school. Who is going to teach him/her how to navigate Life and most importantly, who is going to shower him/her with Love?Can that mother get past the resentment she may feel? Will it boil over into mental or physical abuse? The child may well become a statistic. Now I am not advocating abortion. I personally am against it. But I understand that being a good parent is more than a nine month proposition. It is a lifetime commitment that some people realize they are not ready for.

A New Reconstruction

2008-11-19T18:20:00.000-08:00

Where are the leaders? Whom shall we follow? Who will set the example for us to emulate and lay down the footprints we will endeavor to fill?
Is it any wonder that those who step forward need to be double- armored? They need to be protected from the crackpot, crack-shots with the AK-47s as well as the opponents of the other party. One tries to destroy with physical harm, while the other tries to destroy with psychological advantage. Let us look at what we expect from our leaders and what we want them to be. We expect a spotless past...not one spotted with the foolish antics of youth and flawed judgement. We want them to be honest, but if they are, we seek to disqualify them on some minor point. If they are, we go to great lengths to prove that they are not.
Is it any wonder that most of our best and brightest do not voluntarily step forward to subject themselves and their families to the consequences of being in public service? As American citizens, we all wonder how the playing field is reduced to two players...the others having left the field while the ball is still in play. Most of those go off to their respective corners to regroup after having failed to change the rules of the game after the whistle signaled the start of play. The sore losers who then rally support to manipulate the next game.
Such was the case in Reconstruction when the first duly elected Blacks took their seats in Congress. My great-grandfather, the Hon. Joseph H. Rainey, was one of those history-making pioneers....the first Black Congressman. Although he realized what was happening during his tenure of five terms in Congress, he was powerless to stop it. While all appeared changed and progressive, the sore losers were in their dark corners changing the rules of the game. Up rose the KKK, the institution of the 'poll tax', intimidation and all forms of things dark and evil crafted to keep Americans away from the polls. After so much progress and promise, the Republican Party underwent a startling metamorphosis, relegating some citizens to mere bystanders on the field of American politics, and totally abandoned its traditional platform of diversity and forward thinking. This spelled the doom of Reconstruction.
With the election of Barack Obama, we now see the prospect of a new Reconstruction complete with the sore losers in their dark corners plotting ways to turn back time. There have been spikes in 'hate crimes' and related internet websites. The police and FBI have been notified of 'persons of interest' whose actions are threatening to put into action those things which their mouths have been heard to utter. A new 'supremacist' group (I will not dignify them by posting their name) actually killed a prospective member when he changed his mind about joining. Probably some misguided, brainwashed youth who heard one murderous threat too many and knew he was in over his head. He was, after all, just a college student...young and initially impressionable. The National Geographic just finished a documentary on these groups and their mouthpieces. The footage of their rallies and gatherings leave one shaking one's head in disbelief.
The venom-filled lyrics and steady barrage of anti-everything common sense 'songs' are so sad.
I cannot imagine a Life filled with hate...to wake up hating, planning what hate crimes I could commit today, go to sleep hating. Choosing to ignore the beauty of the world outside the self-imposed prison of hate is like choosing Jim Jones Kool-Aid over green tea.
Let us all learn from history. We, the people, have claimed this victory. We, the people, have chosen our new leader. A man courageous enough to expose himself to everything that his political foes and foam-at-the-mouth zealots have and will throw at him. It is our duty to be vigilant, to be supportive, to be certain that this time we will live the legacy of a new reconstruction which cannot be stamped out by steel-toed combat boots nor pushed back into obscurity by cowards under dirty white sheets.