Hello...You're Welcome.: Politics

Can't stop the Geminis.

First, let me take a moment to say an ultra happy belated to songstress Sparlha Swa. I saw her when she came to LA last year and stopped in the Poetry Lounge. The second she hit a note singing, she completely captured the whole room. Her birthday was May 25th, and I didn't know til recently when I hit up her myspace page. PLEASE check her music out. Peep the vid.

Now, back to today.
Happy birthdays are in order to the following!:

Mark Wahlberg. Before Mr. Wahlberg was doing his acting thing, rackin up money at the box office and working with reknown directors, he was Marky Mark of Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. Here's his hit, Good Vibrations. SO DAMN 90S! ...I kinda hope this sound does NOT make a come back lol

Next, Freddie Stone, guitar player for Sly & the Family Stone. Co founder of the group, guitarist, and vocalist, and brother of frontman Sly Stone. Legendary group. Peep this gangsta ass video and learn somethin ya bums!

Next, Brian McKnight!
I decided to put up this here video with Justin Timberlake and another fellow Gemini (who celebrated a birthday recently) Wayne Brady. Pretty funny!

And lastly, and huge power fist soulful birthday shout to BOTH Gold medalist Tommie Smith and Bronze medalist John Carlos.
And if those names aren't familiar, then watch this video and learn.

Over and out.

I'm makin this quick because I have some VERY important thoughts to share.
I'm keepin all the music celebratory today!
Now, because this blog is mainly dedicated to musically centered things, I'm just gonna throw a shout to my fellow June Gemini sis Angelina Jolie!

Now...I need some HYPE shit on right now before I bust into my commentary...
Let's bring it on with some other fellow Gemini peeps having a birthday today...

First...Learn some Chinese with Jin

Next- Jazz saxophonist, clarinet player, and composer Oliver Nelson. I just so happened across his name in the Wikipedia search of this day...this song is beautiful! Stolen Moments

Next, singer Nikka Costa. This was the first song I heard from her and really the only one I knew of for a long while. She's actually been around for a quite a while. I expected her to be more of a recognized name. Like A Feather from her 2001 album.

And FINALLY...EL DEBARGE! Rhythm of the Night. All my 80s heads, GET HYPE!
One thing about 80's videos...when it was a party song, EVERYBODY is partying. Break-dancers, ballet dancers, mimes, random businessmen in the street....all of em! haha

And lastly, let's say farewell to legend and pioneer, Bo Diddley. The man who turned the Blues into Rock n Roll! He passed 2 days ago. He's in heaven having a party just like this...

And now, for my commentary.

Yesterday marked history. Barack Obama was nominated as the Democratic nominee to run as President of the United States of America. The highest a Black person has ever gotten to becoming president thus far.
Some years and years from now (I pray), those sentences above will be read with a smile, but with some slight confusion.
A smile, to the person who reads when history was changed...a dominating mental oppression was lifted from many. A collective consciousness of doubt was broken.
And the confusion...on why the hell it took so long for that change to come!

About a month ago I wrote my rant on why Jeremiah Wright was an idiot.
I was not mad because of the things he said, at least not entirely. Because he said many of the things that people in the Black community believe...the fear, doubt, and general distrust for the system of American politics.
But it was THE TIMING of when he said it.
It was clear that the media was linking all of Wright's words to Barack Obama in order to discredit Obama. And rather than being a player for the team, for the overarching goal of AT LEAST having a very QUALIFIED Black man to possibly reach office...instead of that, he decided to dance around and let the cameras shine on him, and say whatever he wanted, with complete disregard.

I volunteered a few times at some call centers for Obama to talk to undecided voters. And the only thing those people could debate with me on was Obama's affiliation with Wright. Otherwise, they could not cling on to anything else wrong with him.

Some of you out there may disagree with Obama's political stances on certain policies. I can dig that.
Some of you believe that as great of an orator Obama is, that does not necessarily make him qualified to be president.
...Ok.
Some of you may think that voting for him just because he is Black, or to get a Black man in office, is not a smart thing to do.
That is where I will have to draw then line. You're just wrong.
As I said before in my other entry, and as I told a friend:
There will be a Black child somewhere in this country that will say "I want to be the President of the United States." and that sentence will be completely legitimate and NOT A FANTASY or a WISH.
Black Americans, and actually Black people in many other countries, have never believed that a Black person could become the president. Such a title would NEVER be bestowed on a Black person, EVEN if they were qualified. There aren't a whole lot of things that are referred to in absolutes. One is that you have no choice but to die one day. The other, would be "A Black man will never be President." and just maaaybe a Black Woman would be before a male.

And before I start hearing anything from the ladies, I completely agree that there is a gender bias in this country and there is a deep layer of sexism in this country. But Hillary didn't lose by a blowout mind you. And, she didn't lose because she is a woman. In my eyes, she lost because...we'll...she's just not as dope as Barack! In the beginning, they were very formidable opponents to each other. And she even won the the actual popular vote. But Hillary stayed on fear, playing the old politics game, and not just backing on out of the race when people started getting tired of her. So please, don't use her as too definite of an example...cause she's good...but she's not as good as Barack!

But back to the self hate tip. We (Black people) are so used to oppression that we define ourselves by it. And in that mental slavery, we enslave others. We enslave each other by telling our children that they CAN NOT become president. We enslave each other by saying that in such a case that person would be killed immediately. We enslave ourselves in fear and ignorance and loss of faith.
I chose not to walk that path.
If I totally disagreed with his policies, I would never vote for him. Nor would most of this country. Other Black people have run for president before, but they didn't get far enough most especially because when it comes down to it, they just didn't have that extra quality of spirit that Obama has brought.
Today I felt a deep sweeping change of thought in this country happen.
When we have him in office, we will now say that while there are still problems, and certain problems may persist for a little while, but things CAN CHANGE.
No, Barack can not end racism by himself. He couldn't even get to where he is now just by himself. He got there through the strength and tenacity of millions of people who believed and had faith.
If we all moved like that more often to see things become different, just imagine how drastically and how fast it could turn.
Now let's turn those dreams into reality.
November will be here soon! Let's get him in there!
Witness history right here.