Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Fidel Castro - Hypocrisy, Lies, and Good Deeds
Sometimes in life there are moments or events that occur that remind me that I am entirely too comfortable with the status quo...with what my country’s government represents. For the past week, I have spent so much of my precious time defending my public support of Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz. It was to be expected, considering Castro was a controversial figure. And, I never shy away from a debate or a challenge to support my opinions and beliefs.
Admittedly, I know Castro was responsible for numerous acts that caused some Cubans a great deal of pain and discomfort. Some say he was personally linked to murdering those who did not accept his policies...dictatorship. Is this an accusation made without legitimate proof...an assertion created by the United States of America propaganda machine to benefit Her?
Conversely, others joyfully boast that Fidel Castro was a sergeant at arms world figure who positioned his country to safeguard its sovereignty and block Western imperialism. Perhaps, he feared the Westerners and Europeans would do what they have always done: Rape, Steal and Destroy. He is also a man who continues to receive praise in his death for his contributions to the political, social-justice and cultural landscape of Cuba and various countries throughout the world. Countless world leaders have issued poignant statements that support that he was a decent man...a man who did all he could for the Cuban people...a man who was the essence of social rebellion during a time when brute force was used by United States government to eliminate the Black Panther Party, MOVE Organization, SCLC and other bodies of righteous rebellion. The world leaders include the presidents of Mexico, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela and South Africa. The accolades continue with sentiments that echo Fidel Castro’s legacy. Should we write these leaders off as misguided or as men who have a grudge against the Western World? Should we not consider that Fidel Castro has received multitudinous decorations over a 50 year period?
Hypocrisy and Lies
It is simple to me, Fidel Castro was a man who did not own slaves, he was a man who did not state-sponsor programs to infect men with disease, he did not represent a country that used hanging as a killing contrivance to kill black people simply because the black men and women wanted to be free, he was not the the leader of a country that denied human beings civil rights for decades, he was not a man who ordered intelligence services to topple foreign governments only to expand neocolonialism, he was not the leader that with malice orchestrated civil wars in Africa and Asia, he was not the man who sanctioned illegal surveillance of groups that did not agree with racist governmental mandates, he definitely was not the man who intentionally flooded neighborhoods with crack cocaine…
Fidel Castro never blocked the bearer of life (women) to take part in the voting process, Fidel Castro never allowed people to die simply because they could not afford basic healthcare, Fidel Castro was not the head of a nation that flaunts itself as ‘The Best’ when in fact the country ranks significantly low in education. Unlike the US government, the Cuban government does not support institutional racism which has permanently crippled people of color.
Yes, Castro’s government was/is a dictatorship - but ironically it functions as a government that cares about its citizens. Yes, the United States government is a democracy - but ironically it functions as a government that does nothing when black men are shot in the back by overzealous police officers.
Good Deeds
Here are some truths...here are Fidel Castro’s achievements that many consider ‘Good Deeds’.
1. Cuba’s literacy rate at one point in history was extremely low. While Castro was president the literacy rate grew dramatically. He was a proponent of reading and learning for everyone including the poor. Sadly,, the United States government allows states to implement educational barriers (standardized testing) that further disenfranchises the poor and people of color. 2. The Cuban military bravely fought against Apartheid while the United States government did not lift a finger to lend assistance. 3. Under Castro’s leadership Cubans had access to free medical services. The United States of America have allowed men, women and children to die simply because they could not afford medical assistance. 4. The Cuban government ordered the construction of more schools to accommodate those who were without classrooms (mostly the poor). Inconsequently, the United States government continues to sanction state takeovers of schools because kids are failing culturally biased exams. 5. Under Castro, the ownership of land was limited to 993 acres per owner to prevent sole proprietorship of unlimited acres - and it was made illegal for foreigners to buy land. In the United States of America land was stolen by Her founding fathers, and never returned to the rightful owners, The Native Americans. 6. Castro's acceptance of environmentalism led Cuba to become the first nation in the world to meet eco-sustainable development standards. In the United States the environment is treated as an afterthought leaving lower socioeconomic communities barren. 7. The eradication of racism was a hallmark of Fidel’s government. They have done everything possible to remove race as a factor. Not in the United States. If you are a African American, Asian or Hispanic you are last to be employed in most white collar positions. 8. Castro ordered the dissolution of a capitalist system that allowed American-owned businesses to flourish while the Poor became what a capitalist economy dictates, poorer. This supports the truth that capitalism is not a ‘superior’ enterprise as the Americans swank.
I do not hold any misdirected allegiance to Cuba. I am a man who calls a spade a spade. The United States government is that Spade. She is the Snake in the grass. She is the Hypocrite that throws stones in the faces of its citizenry. She is the country that feeds lies to its people with the intention of demonizing those who do not Pledge Allegiance.
The Shadow
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
They Keep Killing Us
They Keep Killing Us
How much longer are THEY going to kill us, we are becoming dust. Brushed away...pushed aside as if we are decay. Rotten, Spoiled and Unwanted is what we are in the minds and hearts of the inaccurately Anointed. What makes THEM so much valued than us? In God's eyes we are suppose to be of the upper crust...Honorable and Humble we are apparently not. Because THEY keep killing us. -The Shadow
*The "they/them" are the men and women in Blue. The police who may just be afraid of You.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
No One is Right or Wrong...Freddie is Dead
Expressing your anger in the most violent form at your disposal is not right. We know that. Looting, trashing, stealing, or any other form of mayhem is recklessly irresponsible. Watts has never recovered. This behavior does not honor Freddie, Freddie is Dead. So says Curtis Mayfield. The destructive uproar continues the cycle of apathy that plagues the minds and hearts of a people that live in a World that can care less about them, Black Lives Don't Matter.
Time and time again black and brown people around the globe are maligned or left out to die by God's climate warming inactivity (the Nepalese people are brown) which does nothing less than enrage the Browns and Blacks internally. This divine consequence becomes a Burning Spear that melts their souls. Imagine that, killed by the very weapon -the spear- that was no match for the European gun. The White Explorers won the battle. Harboring this rage is the equivalent to literally being on fire. You can't shake the pain. You can't stop the intense feeling of your skin dissolving.
The evaporation of the flesh is similar to watching a man rape your mother. Your mother fights but the rape continues until the end. Not an Endless Love, it is an Endless Rape. This rape...this stripping that the black human has endured is manifesting in Baltimore and simmering in an awaiting city. Nothing...will extinguish a fire that's not controlled. It is the Fire Next Time. James Baldwin shared years ago what needs to be understood by the white masses:
"You must put yourself in the skin of a black man. . ."
writes James Baldwin as he seeks to translate what it means to be a Negro in white America so that a white man can understand it.
It is not a fire intended for Purification. We all need that. The fire is the police's brutal and inhuman treatment of black men, Racial Injustice. The believed Right is represented in the images of black men and women who use their anger to dismantle their neighborhoods. The believed Wrong is the demoralization of what no black man/woman has ever obtained, Justice. Nothing is Just about integrating into a Burning House. Both, The Right and The Wrong are inflicted out of fear and corruptness. Both, The Right and The Wrong are outcomes that comfort and pacify the Looter. They are not thugs.
That identification should be reserved for America's Founding Fathers.
The looter is the Opportunist who prefers to be the mirror image of the policemen that did something so unconscionable a man's vertebrae was severed...completely broken in two. A duality that describes the United States of America, Two Different Worlds (http://revcom.us/i/318/BAsics-4-1.png). There is no Grey in this Anatomy.
Both, the Cops and Opportunist are one in the same. They are cheapen CO's, Correctional Officers correcting nothing! They -the police- are the Corrupt Cause and they -the opportunist- are The Erratic Effect. No one wins. No one is honored.
Freddie is Dead
"We're all built up with progress. But sometimes I must confess. We can deal with rockets and dreams. But reality, what does it mean? Ain't nothing said. Cause Freddie's dead!" -Curtis Mayfield ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0B6TKClPFQA)
The Shadow
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Eddie's Restraint
First, the critics (that includes you) said Eddie
Murphy bombed...they said he was unprepared. Some even said he did not have
'it' anymore. Now, we know what Eddie was dealing with...we now know why he
appeared to be discombobulated. He decided to do something that many are
describing as 'stand-up'. He in fact with his act of granting a comedic
reprieve spared Bill Cosby additional humiliation. Humiliation that's based in accusations that
have been substantiated by countless women from all walks of life. If Bill's accusers are found to be truthful,
Bill Cosby does not deserve the 'break' Eddie Murphy granted.
In the past, Murphy has been relentlessly Raw.
As far back as I can remember, Eddie Murphy has not
been the comedian that spends a chunk of his stage time directly making fun of
an individual. He has been known for mimicking several different personalities
- but he has not been that comedian that randomly selects a member of an
audience, and begin to make the comedy show-goer the butt of all his jokes.
The decision he made could have expelled him from
the Saturday Night Live 40th Anniversary show...who knows Murphy's act of
kindness may earn him a Macbeth tag. We know that decisions actors/celebrities
make can damage or enhance their careers. It was obvious that Eddie Murphy does
not give a damn. He is confident in that he will continue to get work. He is
confident in knowing that his reputation of an once potty mouth comedian turned
children's movie actor is intact.
One is able of doing this when he/she has cemented
their legacy. Our legacy is all we have when you strip away money, talent,
appearance and accolades. Bill Cosby's legacy should be rooted in The
Adventures of Fat Albert, The Cosby Show and all the other contributions he has
presented to the moral landscape of the world.
Eddie Murphy has helped us remember what it means to
be a Giver and not a Taker. He did not take away more of what Cosby has
lost...Respect. Murphy in this circumstance will be remembered for giving us
(the public) the opportunity to remember Bill Cosby as which he was before the
parade of women issued their accusations. Accusations that more than likely
have merit. Bill is not innocent in my mind. If he is, there is a hell of a
conspiracy that has been masterminded to malign him. And, we know that all those
women are not lying. He is sitting in guilt to some degree. Knowing this,
Murphy still gave Bill a pass. That should have been enough to prompt a
continuation of 'not kicking a man' when he is down. It was not.
Kenan Thompson, the less funny guy, went ahead and
gave the producers SNL producers what they wanted - an opportunity to make fun
of Bill Cosby. There will always be that one person who refuses to exercise
restraint. Kenan and Bill are two peas in a pod. They could not resist...they
had to satisfy their temptation and ego-centered desires. Kenan the comedian
who has to issue the last laugh and Bill the comedian turned Black Dad of
television had to conquer women in a way that does nothing for his mojo.
Thanks, Eddie Murphy, for doing what Cosby and
Thompson were unable to do.
The Shadow
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