John McCain thinks so!

John McCain has no moral ground to stand on after his despicable portrayal of Barack Obama in his current ad titled “The One”. To call John McCain and his Campaign cohorts pathetic is an understatement. This idea that McCain will slide into the White House by making his campaign a referendum on Obama instead of his own credentials is preposterous. The American people are not as dumb as McCain thinks or would like us to believe.

The ad attempted to make you feel like you were being bamboozled by some televised church service. To claim to be a Man of God yet use people’s affinity with God to attack an opponent is down right disgusting. McCain should hang it up, I hope that he keeps this nonsense up into the fall so people can see him for who he truly is. A defeatist LOSER!

Here is an interesting article in TIME magazine about this nonsense.

There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time. - Malcom X

“It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again. Because there is no effort without error and shortcomings, he who knows the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the high achievement of triumph and who at worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows his place shall never be with those timid and cold souls who know neither victory nor defeat”. - Theodore Roosevelt

I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races - that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of making voters or jurors of Negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And in as much as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race.– Abraham Lincoln 1858

I remember sitting at my cramped desk at Deauville Gardens Elementary School more than 15 years ago. I was no more than 10 years old but I remember learning of “THE GREAT EMANCIPATOR” Abraham Lincoln. It was taught that Lincoln freed the slaves and being a young black child I should be forever grateful because if it were not for his actions many of my people would still be in chains. Those formidable years of education were filled with large fabrications. A growing amount of Americans never make it to college and thus are forced to mull around the lies and propaganda that our history books sell us, between them and these false history channels we are inundated with the winners version of history which can often be extremely flawed.

For years if you asked me who was my favorite President I would proudly state that Abraham Lincoln was the greatest President that ever lived. I was taught that he liberated blacks out of the chains and physical captivity of chattel slavery in these United States of America, that this man saw blacks as his equals and valiantly battled racist southerners and their disturbing opinions of people of color in this country and drove us to freedom. However as I read his quote above, it seems that Abraham Lincoln was quite the opposite, quite the racist, and very much an oppressor of people of color. He believed that people of color were inferior to whites, why was this quote omitted from my education, why is history painted in such a viciously false manner?

In law school the question to every answer is “maybe”. The teachers say maybe because there are always multiple different ways of looking at things thus giving us various outcomes, nothing is absolute. Did Abraham Lincoln free the slaves? Maybe!

As I look at several photos taken by up and coming Photographer Young District, who has a great eye for capturing the feeling of a moment. While shooting in the Abraham Lincoln Projects on 132nd and Madison in Harlem he manages to capture this historical relationship between people of color and Lincoln. A picture is worth a thousand words and when I look at this series so much comes to mind.

Look at how the sculptor chose to dress the young black man. Lincoln is fully dressed, bow tie included while the young man wears torn clothes with no shoes. He is visibly supposed to be portraying an enslaved young man, dressed in rags praising Lincoln and his fully suited self. The young boy is looking up to Lincoln, admiring him for his courage, his oh so noble character. The young man is forever in debt to Abraham Lincoln for without Lincoln this boy would still be a slave. Now he’s become a new slave, a slave to a warped view of history.

Look at Lincoln, his face is emotionless, in fact he stares past the young man, not even making eye contact with him. Lincoln is comparable to the Santa Clause who sits in our shopping malls during the holidays, it’s just a job and he really could care less about the wishes that the young man whispers to him because he has no intention of making those dreams come true. But that’s just it! Young District has captured the real intention of Lincoln. He’s looking past blacks but using them as a tool to preserve the Union, to preserve the United States of America. And where does this statute sit, it sits right in the heart of a housing development which is the home to many people of color.

Everyday there’s a kid just like me who walks by this statute and is proud. Proud that in a country who bears the dirty stain of slavery, that there was one man who defied the odds. One man who fought to make sure that blacks and whites were equal. The above quote is not found in history books, it’s not found near this statute. However it is found in the emotionless expression on Lincoln’s face. It’s found in the archives of his speeches that let us know that he had no intention on freeing the slaves. In fact Lincoln is quoted as saying “If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that.”

Another deleted quote from the legacy of Lincoln, another example of how we were used as pawns and firepower to defeat the Confederate States of America. Nowhere in this quote is this Great Emancipator championing our rights, speaking out against the destructive and oppressive system of racial inequality, yet he gets this great title in our history. He is known as one of the leaders of the Abolitionist movement, yet he did not believe in our abilities, intellect or right to be treated as his equals. So did Lincoln free the slaves, why of course he did, the Emancipation Proclamation and 13th Amendment tells us so. However, it was a mere accident. Thanks to Young District for allowing his lens to capture one of Lincoln’s greatest misnomers, that he actually cared.

Congratulations to Logan and Ryan Dawson; two young brothers who have graduated high school, escaped the trappings of the stereotypes of young black males, all the while earning a record number amount of scholarships from America’s top Universities.

And the young men give all of the credit to their mother, their original Queen who instilled a strong work ethic and sense of determination into the two twins. Penn State, Univ. of Chicago, Cornell and University of Georgia are just some of the schools that these two talented young men have been accepted into for the fall.

I am thankful for young brothers like these but because they defeated the odds that are some times so heavily stacked against minority men. Secondly I truly wish to commend their mother who raised these two young men as a single parent. Her tireless effort is paying off in the millions right now for these two young men. We often discuss when their are negative issues to report, today let’s celebrate our triumphs!

For more on this story check out
http://www.newhouse.com/super-students-offered-3.58-million-in-scholarships-2.html

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-15

Looks like I stumbled upon a jewel this morning. It’s amazing how when you are not looking for something, you find everything. I was thumbing through the Bible and I found the above scripture and the metaphors blew me away. Sometimes in life we see so much pain and conflict that it hardens us to the beauty within ourself. So the word compares us to salt, when we lose our taste, the flavor that makes us unique than we have just made ourselves worthless. And for what; everyday that we wake up is a new chance to create something beautiful and everlasting while we’re here on earth. Everyday is a chance to cultivate our flavor into the best flavor it can be.

The word compared us to a light, meaning that our mere existence can give sight to things. I see myself in these words; when I am doubtful and I take my light and put it under something so that it can’t be seen. I do it because of low self esteem, I do it because its easier to be mediocre than to really try and fail. No matter what the circumstance, the sun shines through the clouds and breathes life on the food that nourishes our body. If we only saw our true strength we would realize that God has given us a light that he wants us to shine. A light that can change my life, your life and touch lives that we are not even aware just through us shining our talents. This is a dope scripture because when we shine our lights, than others see the beauty within us and attribute them to the Creator who bestowed the blessing upon us. It’s not for those who don’t appreciate your light, and boy is that easier said than done but it’s not. Shine on, shine for those who will appreciate your light and allow others to benefit from you! Peace and Grace be unto you!

There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed, its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6: 10-12

A close friend of mine hit me up yesterday and said “can the next pardon me be about how much the devil is a hater”? To which my response was “well you know he’s a hater, he hates on me all the time; you just gotta ignore that dude”! But we can’t just ignore the devil; we cant feed his power either because he is a powerful being. Just look at all the evil and hurt in the world! What we must do is what the word above says; be strong in the Lord and his mighty power. While attending a church in Carol City, Florida; a section of Miami, the pastor gave three consecutive sermons about the full armor of God. The way he broke it down was so artful, essentially he spoke of our faith being the strongest part of this armor. We need this armor of God to protect us from the many ills of the world.

Look around at all the senseless killings, the molestation of our children, raping of our women; these are all acts of the devil, inspired by his evil schemes to corrupt us. The political climate; people rioting in Haiti, all across America people are losing their homes; the state of people’s lives is becoming chaotic. How many times have you heard; if your God is so good than why would he let you live like this. The movie “The Devil’s Advocate” displayed this lovely, they questioned our minds about the ills of this world and then threw it back on God as to say he was not protecting us, so he must not exist. That faith and the true armor of the Lord tells us this is not so. Don’t be fooled though, it should tell you something else. Its a war going on outside; the devil’s troops are strong in their conviction to collapse our faith, our good spirit and energy. Look at the spread of disease, drug epidemics, families turning on families. The media turning on the church; the church turning on the church and being more involved with numbers than wisdom and the word. You see it in your daily life, you find yourself struggling despite the fact that you believe you are doing right and being faithful to the Lord. These are all acts of the devil that we can not ignore. We have to suit up; get together and fight for our happiness, for the betterment of our families. We serve a higher power, we are playing for the right team so let’s acknowledge that we have some haters but be wise enough to know that we are blessed with the best protection and knowledge to defeat such clowns. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Snake at your feet a stick at your hand.

WHY boastest thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou lovest evil more than good’ and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. Psalm 52: 1-4

This scripture reminds me of being a little boy and my mother popping me in my mouth for saying something smart; I think I sat on her clothes for work and when she complained I said “I didn’t tell you to put them there”. Such a dumb kid to utter those words out of my mouth, but I am reminded of that story as I read today’s scripture. The first line blatantly mocks the man who boasts and considers himself mighty, or one who feels that they are great beyond measure. The line following pays more attention to the fact that it is God who endures, it is God who is ever present and affords us the happiness in our lives. We should never walk with our heads down, we should be proud without being boastful, confident yet humble. Humility is an attractive characteristic because while we know we are blessed with talent, and an abundance of love, the way we wear it speaks volumes to others who look on and how we exemplify the God within.

But back to a man or a woman’s words, how mere words can cut so deep baffles me. But the scripture tells us that words cut deep; the deceitful tongue causes problems and all type of drama in our lives. So how do we escape it; for starters, watch your own mouth, watch what you say, because you may bring trouble into your own house because of the negative things that you say. Furthermore, when you are confronted by people who use their mouths against you for disdain you must remember what these people are doing. Hating, simply put, a hating tongue is a deceitful tongue. We are too good of a people to be bothered by such nonsense, I fall victim to it, and i tell myself ” I don’t care what anyone says about me”. But when people spread falsehoods that attack your character it can be hard to turn the other cheek. I think today’s word makes it easier to turn the other cheek, to turn your whole body away because its not worth your time. The bible clearly ostracizes these people and their hating ways, so you are in the right and have to act accordingly. Focus on yourself and pushing your goals forward and please do not be concerned with the negativity, because when you entertain the negativity you give it life. Remember that goodness of God is everlasting, so you have some pretty good back up and some great company that you can easily turn the cheek and allow others to wallow in their deceitful pity while you Shine in God’s glory. Peace and grace be unto you!

Victory has a thousand fathers, but defeat is an orphan.