Now the mainstream media is announcing what we have known over here at Notes of This Native Son for quite some time. Colin Powell is set to announce his full fledged support behind Barack Obama at the Convention in Denver. Team Obama YES WE CAN!

Hopefully what this endorsement will show is that Conservatives do not believe in John McCain and his supporters will convert over to Team Obama. While watching CNN I saw a statistic that claimed that McCain has a 9 point lead with Americans feeling he would be better quipped to handle international conflict.

What I just saw from this past Russia - Georgia conflict is that McCain is a real tough talker. So tough in fact, that someone will call his bluff. Why do we feel safer with a person who seems more trigger happy, that trigger happy feeling is what has so many Americans dead in Iraq now. I would take sound judgment over a trigger happy fellow any day.

here’s the link

Many don’t know but the thriving reason behind this is to build a network of young people who want to get to know God and dialogue about spirituality without judgment. A good friend of mine started sending me daily gospel songs that would compliment the daily spiritual message in Pardon me. Her unyielding effort to provide me with inspirational songs has inspired me to share those same songs with everyone who comes into contact with this site. Today’s first installation is Heaven by Mary Mary. I hope you enjoy!

I can’t call it people. Everywhere we turn we are confronted with race issues. It’s really sad that racism plays such an integral role in our lives but I guess when you live in a country founded upon racist principles this was bound to happen. Walmart shows good judgment I think by removing this comic if they are receiving backlash from people of color who feel it is offensive. Have you ever been to Walmart; I know in Philadelphia if they lost the support of their black customers they would go broke! LOL!

To me there’s a deeper issue here; I am not familiar with this comic book and obviously not familiar with how Mexicans perceive it. However I am familiar with the controversy over black and brown relations. I’m appalled by it because I feel all people are created equal no matter what their race, religion or any other affiliation that may make them different may be. It hurts even more when you see two groups of people who are constantly oppressed and instead of binding together, building an alliance and attacking systematic ills of our society. I often hear things that contradict such a beautiful plan of action.

A few nights ago I was watching the Michael Baisden show on TVOne and George Wilborn was asking black people on the street if they would be mad if Latino people had more positions of power. Some of the answers were ignorant in my opinion and they sought to create a divide between these two ethnic groups. Do blacks and browns not know that they are both derivitives of the African Diaspora and are one in the same?

Please do not take that comment as disregarding the rich cultures that both of these particular groups have to offer but I am merely talking about their ancestry. The conditions for both groups here in America are very similar, both groups are losing their young men to gang violence, prisons and the drug trade. Both groups are losing their young women to sexually transmitted diseases. Women of color whether they are Black or Latino are disrespected in the media and often unfavorable images are shown of them. Mistreated in the workplace, a severe housing dilemma and the similarities go on and on. Where does the divide stop? When do we as a people living in this land together, praying to the same God begin to follow those words in our dear Holy books and bind together to create a better future for our children. When?

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said on Wednesday it removed the comic book “Memin Pinguin” from its stores after receiving complaints the popular Mexican character was a racist depiction of blacks.

The series started 60 years ago in Mexico, and the main character, Memin Pinguin, is a black Cuban-Mexican boy with enlarged lips who often gets into mischief.

Wal-Mart recently started offering the Spanish-language comic in parts of California, Texas and Miami, where the giant retailer serves large populations of Hispanic customers.

“We understand that Memin is a popular figure in Mexico. However, given the sensitivities to the negative image Memin can convey to some we felt that it was best to no longer carry the item in our stores,” said Lorenzo Lopez, a spokesman for Wal-Mart.

“We apologize to those customers who may have been offended by the book’s images,” Lopez added.

A black woman in Houston told the Houston Chronicle this week she complained about the comic books after seeing them at a Wal-Mart.

“I said, wait a minute: Is this a monkey or a little black boy?” Shawnedria McGinty told the newspaper. “I was so upset. This is 2008.”

Many Mexicans argue Memin Pinguin is misunderstood in the United States and that he is a lovable character and not a racist depiction of blacks.

Memin Pinguin was at the center of a controversy in 2005, when the Mexican postal service issued a series of stamps featuring the character.

President George W. Bush called the stamps offensive, which put him at odds with Mexico’s then president, Vicente Fox.

Link

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”- Ephesians 3:20-21

Do not say that you do not have time for God. The busiest of men will have the most leisure, and the laziest will always be short of time, for the former utilizes time and the latter only wastes it. If you really want God, you will find time for Him. - Hinduism

I’ve said many times that I respect people of all faiths and I admire the passion and faith that resides within people who live spiritual lives no matter what their affiliation. Often on my website I quote members of other religious affiliations but I have always wanted to show here in the pardon me message how similar the teachings of these different religions can be. Today I included words from the Hindu culture, Islamic faith and my own faith of Christianity. The messages are so similar in nature in that they ask us to love God, to make time for God and honor his words.

Upon further study you see that the more spiritual members of these different faiths look to their word to live peaceful, love-filled lives and seek to help one another. At this very moment a friend of mine who shares a different spiritual background is ministering to me about the works of God. She could very well be the brother or sister next you in church who is praying for you but she is not because she follows the Hindu faith. Does that mean she does not have a true connection with God. Earlier today I was reading 2 Timothy and Paul was speaking of false teachings and people who will hold so fast to religion and doctrine and not the holy spirit and how this was not the way. This made me think of a question I asked a mentor of mine. I said “do you believe that Muslims are not God’s children, that people of other faiths are damned. I asked could it be possible that we all are praying to the same God and calling him different names”.

He replied to me that many of God’s people may very well be practicing in a different fashion than we are. He also said something to the effect that many who say they are God’s people are in fact not and will be judged on judgment day accordingly. I sat and I reflected on what he said, and today I am taking a step towards loving God’s people, all of God’s people no matter what race, religion or cultural background. Ask yourself this “are you God’s people because you call yourself a Christian or a Muslim or are you a child of God because you follow his commands and teachings while you spend your time here on earth? Peace and Grace be unto you!

The sun can give heat and light to the whole world, but he cannot do so when the clouds shut out his rays. When egotism veils the heart, God cannot shine upon you.

Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. Mark 8: 37-38

There is a conversation going on right outside of where you are or you may be engaged in the conversation yourself. There are people who become visibly disgusted when you speak about your faith, or you may not know it but they choose to tune you out for fear that you will judge them. There is a conversation going on amongst men, amongst women and amongst believers and non believers. I know this because my brother Darian and I have this conversation often. We talk about how it has become unpopular and uncool to believe in God. To know his name and to valiantly represent him while we live in the world. Not only do we struggle with our own sinful ways (Mega Margaritas on Thursdays) but we struggle with our peers who judge us or have a fear of us judging them.

Interesting how the same people who make these judgments are the first people to ask you to pray for them when something goes wrong. God has become a back up plan, an “if all else fails” type of plan. Less than plan B, more like plan E; our desperation plan when times get rough and we need a little bit more than what we feel we can offer. So I was looking on biblegateway.com and I found this scripture in Mark. If we are ashamed to be Christians, to believe in a higher being and represent the principles that God has laid for us then we will be denied later. And for what, for fear that other people will judge you, for a lack of understanding the long run and being content with the short term winnings of the world. I bring all this up because I struggle myself. People say “yo i heard you got religious” and by no means have I gotten religious, I am just finding a new side of myself. I ‘m still the same ole Ced, but what if I did get religious and I cut out all of my weekly shenanigans that find me on top of cars and other nonsense. Would I then be uncool, unpopular, if so I am sure those are the people I don’t need. In fact the person I do need has already warned me about being ashamed of him and failing to have a relationship with him. That is the friend I shall listen to. Peace and Grace be unto you!

Don’t worry, God’s got you!

A man’s conscience and his judgment is the same thing; and as the judgment, so also the conscience, may be erroneous. - Thomas Hobbes

More trash from the same exhibit! Nas said “I have a song called the ‘Fear.’ The full title of the record is ‘The Fear of the Black Man’s Dick.’ That’s some shit you can get comedy [from], or you can get some seriousness from it when you talk about the barbaric castrations that happened in our past … which is very serious, nothing to laugh at,” Nas explains.

Here we have more fear of the black man’s dick, more stereotypes, and an attempt at a political castration. Look at the title’s near what is supposed to be Barack’s anatomy. Once you Go Barack, clearly taken from the phrase “once you go black you never go back”. This gentleman was being creative and utilizing a play on terms representing how many feel that Barack is reaching a new audience. He is making Barack’s campaign comparable to the myth of large black penises. Simply that; a myth! Rather than looking at the wide amount of people that Obama is able to transcend. I know people who are die hard Republicans and they may very well cross party lines this November to vote for Barack because they inspired by his message of change and his sound judgment.

One thing this election process will be sure to show you is the little truck yard minds of many Americans. Stereotypes and biases will never have been so prevalent, code words and racial tensions will continue to be mounted by the ignorant.

“I’m, you know, not happy about the way the Chinese are treating the Tibetans, because I don’t think anyone should be unkind to anyone else. And so, I have been very concerned about how to think and what to do about that because I don’t like … that. And then I’ve been, this, you know, concerned about, oh, how should we deal with the Olympics, because they’re not being nice to the Dali Lama who is a good friend of mine. And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, is that karma? When you’re not nice that the bad things happen to you?” Sharon Stone

Thousands of people have died and Sharon Stone has the nerve to make such a statement. I am baffled by people’s disregard for tragedies and their lack of respect for the people who lose their lives to such conditions. The people of China do not deserve to be disrespected in this way, and we wonder why people hate Americans. This cocky way of passing judgment upon other nations and its people is disgusting!

Today I was watching the video below of a young girl who is using youtube to rile people up to help her. The video is really sad and it reminds me of a piece I wrote about how the court systems treat women like prostitutes and are not helpful to rape victims. The piece is below as well!

Sadly this young woman is looking for justice after dealing with this terrible ordeal and when the courts hear her they may not give her the justice she deserves. It’s a sad system!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfg3w11_A_E&hl=en]

Treat Her Like A Prostitute
Think of North Philadelphia, think of the abandoned row homes; already I can see the drug addicts standing around outside waiting for their daily fix. The cops aren’t paying much attention to this block; this is a typical block in the heart of North Philly where abandoned homes stand in desolate neighborhoods; a criminal’s safe haven. Inside this fateful house a young woman is being RAPED, she is being forced to have sex with four men at gunpoint. On this lonely block I can see this young woman fearing for her life. While in this house these men are beating her and taking her womanhood from her forcefully. Wait……. This story is biased, did I mention our victim is a prostitute! Does that matter? Or, because she is a prostitute is this merely an occupational hazard? Let’s take away our moral judgment and rely solely on the law, which is meant to protect the citizens of this country. Well according to Judge Teresa Carr Deni in Philadelphia, a woman who was raped in late September in North Philadelphia experienced such an occupational hazard. Things that make you go hmmmmmmmmmm…

So what type of message are we sending, I remember hearing NO MEANS NO! Rape victims are already not supported by the criminal justice system, which is why so many sexual assaults go unreported every year. Moreover, essentially what the courts are saying is that if you are a prostitute then you are not a credible citizen and your rights can be violated because you put yourself in that situation.

I am not here to defend prostitution as a viable means of income but I am concerned with how people are treated in this country. Now to give the whole story without any bias I will give you the information as provided to me by the local newspaper, The Philadelphia Daily News. As the story goes, the woman was working as a prostitute, she charged two men $200 to have sex with them. They refused to pay her, and here is where this story gets ugly. A gun then comes out and two more men rape the woman at gunpoint. The 5th man saw the woman crying and decided to help her get dressed so that she could leave the house without further harassment from the other individuals. Unfortunately, the judge said that she would not waste her time on such a case because there are real rape victims out there. Again I ask does No not mean No? I mean, I’m just curious, or are we letting our moral judgments affect who the law will protect and whom it will dismiss as this poor young woman was dismissed in Philadelphia?

It’s very interesting how we vilify the media, Hip-Hop, movies and all other proponents of misogyny when it comes to the mis-representation and treatment of women. However, here is our sacred criminal justice system picking and choosing who deserves to be protected under the law and who does not. I just wonder if this is a sign of things to come. A woman has one to many drinks, she’s forced to sleep with several men and the argument goes something like this; “well she’s normally a very promiscuous girl, she had on a short skirt, or the infamous, she wanted it”!

It’s our time to stand up and have our voices heard if only to protect our sisters, cousins and mothers and ourselves in the future. If we are outraged by the way women are treated in the media, we should be equally outraged at how women are being victimized by the criminal justice system. It is not ok for a man or a group of men to maliciously rape a woman no matter what her occupation is. If we continue to allow this type of behavior to persist than we will continue to get the same results that depict women as sexual objects who are not deserving of respect. We have allowed the media to say this for far too long, now it has spilled over into the law of our land. We can not allow our women and their presence to be belittled, lets fight to preserve their image and their constitutional right as human beings that deserve the right to be protected in this country. We can start by sending letters to our Congressmen and the Philadelphia Bar Association to let the powers that be know that we will not take this type of injustice sitting down. Let’s Make It Happen!

And I saw something else under the sun: In the place of judgment—wickedness was there, in the place of justice—wickedness was there. I thought in my heart, “God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed.” Ecclessiastes 3: 16-17

I attempted to start writing the Pardon me this morning at 5am. I was in a daze, and I felt that it was my way of speaking to God and channeling what I was feeling. Well it is now 1pm and I can’t even find that message which may be a good thing. I found this scripture below the scripture I originally intended to use. The last line spoke to me, it spoke of a blind faith to me. A blind faith that God will correct things, that he will make things right despite the negative we see before us. As I prayed for a friend of mine, I prayed with a belief that the Lord would bless this person and that although the path may be dark right now. I knew for certain in my heart that this person would be blessed beyond measure and the dark days would turn to well lit skies.

The bible talks about there being a time for everything. In the place of justice, in the face of doing right we can somehow be wronged. Immediately we will ask why would God allow this wrong but I believe despite the wrongs we call life. When we remain faithful to the Lord, he corrects the wicked and wrong that others try to impart on our lives. No scripture or words of encouragement seem to suffice when a tragedy hits. We all lose the ability to find words to comfort one. But we never lose the ability to support. We never lose the ability to be an ear, a shoulder to cry on, or just a friend when our friends are in need. God will bring judgment to the wicked and he will place justice in our lives as a blessing to us for being his faithful children. Peace and Grace be unto you.

Vengence is mine sayeth the Lord