Marley's best known hits include "I Shot the Sheriff", "No Woman, No Cry", "Could You Be Loved", "Stir It Up", "Jamming", "Redemption Song", "One Love" and, together with The Wailers, "Three Little Birds", as well as the posthumous releases "Buffalo Soldier" and "Iron Lion Zion". The compilation album, Legend (1984), released three years after his death, is reggae's best-selling album, being 10 times Platinum (Diamond) in the U.S., and selling 20 million copies worldwide.
Wikipedia.com

I was excited about Bob Marley’s birthday, as I am every year. I have to say there are some artists/singers that are prophets with microphones. When I listen to Bob Marley, Al Green, and Sade or even right on down to our sister Jill Scott, I realize that some people have a gift with music that is straight from the mouth of God.

I could not believe the headlines when I read that Jamaica was canceling the tribute concert to Bob Marley that has been held every year there since 1992. The tribute is held all around the world. I thought to myself that I am not going to Jamaica until they respect Bob Marley for his contributions to a ghetto that is now considered a beautiful island because of his connection to it. The powers-that-be use his name and likeness to sell the vacation of a lifetime to tourists. Come on, you saw the commercials. I would not have ever wanted to visit this place had Bob Marley not sang about it. They cancelled the concert over a noise ordinance. Isn’t it funny how whenever Africans are doing something, celebrating us and having fun, the powers-that-be always make it out to be something negative. The OZ fest and those tired Grateful Dead concerts can be held anywhere and no one says anything. I know Africans can’t get Bob Marley to play loud enough for satisfaction no matter how powerful the sound system is, so who was complaining?

It would not be fair for me not to mention my favorite Bob Marley song and say I am writing a tribute. But to try and come up with a favorite song is just not fair to my readers or me. I love everything Bob Marley sings. My Grandmother use to say, “Al Green could sing anything and she would by it.” I feel the same way about Bob Marley music. I don’t have a favorite, but certain songs play in my head all the time, like, “Africa Unite” and “Black Survivors“. They say every hero needs a theme song, so if I were a hero, I would definitely want “Black Survivors” to be my anthem. I hear certain lyrics from him all the time, like “How long shall they kill our prophets while we stand aside and look? Some say it’s just a part of it, we have to fulfill the book.”

I think about Jamaica and how I was so disappointed when I got there. When I stepped off the plane, the first thing I saw was a big ass ‘stamp’ proclaiming Christopher Columbus as the founder. I thought to myself, you have got to be kidding me! This devil done stole the planet. I don’t know who really discovered America or Jamaica but I know if it wasn’t for Bob Marley I would not have been there. I dreamed of moving to Atlanta as a kid because I knew that’s where Black folks were. I then I matured and dreamed of going to Jamaica because it seemed like the closest thing to Africa for a cheap price. I got there and no one had locks and I quickly realized the powers-that-be just use Bob Marley’s name to attract tourists. The island is ran by Indians, not Native Americans, real Indians from India and of course the British and French are getting their pockets fat off of the island. I didn’t see not one Rasta and when I asked about them, I was told “They are up in the mountains and you don’t want to go there because the people are bad.”

I immediately thought about the south side of Chicago, where I am from, and how people would say the same thing about us. If you look at WGN, which is shown all over the country, you will think that to the people of Chicago, gang banging is their religion and the only jobs people respect is drug dealing. I have to say that, that is definitely not true. I have participated in both and I can tell you 99% percent of the people who actually do it would rather be doing something productive. I  immediately put together a team to get me up in those mountains to see my people. I got up there and all the Rasta’s had bald heads and they treated me like I was the one who was special. I couldn’t believe it because some Rasta’s in the states act like you are committing a crime if you growing locks and you are not Rasta. So to see them with bald heads looking like monks and being truly righteous, I was blown away. I realized how poor the natives lived and how they catered to Europeans all day begging for American dollars.

I thought to myself of how Bob Marley asking someone when the last time they have been to Jamaica, would be like asking someone when the last time they have been to Haiti before the earthquake. I love the fact that the Marley family is making some money off of Bob Marley’s name because the devils that run the economy on that island certainly are making a killing. When ever I go to these islands, like Jamaica or Mexico, I am amazed at how Europeans create playgrounds in the middle of other people’s misery. If you walk outside your hotel in Negril, Jamaica or Cancun, Mexico, and go into the city, you will quickly realize how the natives are thrown to the out skirts and the powers-that-be party and make all the money while the people as Bob would say “suffer and suffer in every way.” I look at the moving of Africans out of the inner city in every major city in America from New York (Harlem) to Chicago, where they have moved all of the African people to the suburbs and all of the Europeans back into the city and I think to myself, ‘Can this be what’s going on with all the taking over of the major cities? Will we all live on the out skirts in poverty while Europeans enjoy the access to the city and the right to vote for mayors and city officials because they are in the city?’ If you live outside of certain areas, you can’t vote for the Mayor of another city. People in College Park, GA found this out during this year’s mayoral election when they couldn’t vote for Kasim Reed over candidate Mary Norwood.

I woke up on Wednesday morning and the autopsy for Imam Luqman Ameen Abdullah, the Imam killed in Detroit, was completed and it stated that he had been shot 20 times and was also handcuffed when agents finally got to the scene to investigate. I thought of my brother Fred Hampton Sr. from Chicago who was killed in his sleep by authorities that shot him over 20 times. Then I thought of Bob’s words, “How long shall they kill our Prophets while we stand aside and look? Some say it is just a part of it, we have to fulfill the book.” I don’t know about the rest of the world, but I am ready for a new book and the first chapter should be about with whom we are spending our money and the second chapter should be about whom we are banning for exploiting our Prophets, Messengers and Messiahs. From Abraham to Jesus all the way down to Muhammad. I will be the first to say to all Rastas and people whom just love Bob Marley ban Jamaica until they respect the man who introduced the world to Jamaica and Rastafarianism. Until truth prevails my eyes will be watching.


Autopsy: Detroit imam shot 20 times during FBI raid - MLIVE.com

No 'Jamming' in Jamaica: Police call off annual Bob Marley birthday bash By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Google News

Bob Marley on Wikipedia.org

Bob Marley Website
 
Photo Christopher Columbus statue

History of Christopher Columbus

Photo Bob Marley

Photo of Luqman Ameen Abdullah - Racewire.com

The problem is clearly racial when you look at Cuba. Just go to Miami, you will not find many Black Cubans. Was it a coincidence that the Dominican Republic, a European colonized island, has enjoyed financial support from America and great trade agreements while Haiti, its neighbor, has not?

The hatred of Black people didn’t start in the U.S. and it is not contained to just these borders. The racism Blacks face in America is something Blacks all over the world experience and America has openly supported these countries that oppress Blacks. If you look at South Africa, the U.S. government supported Apartheid and F.W. de Klerk to the end. My proudest moment of Nelson Mandela being free was when President Clinton told him he couldn’t associate with Moammar Kadafi. President Mandela said “When you were supporting my enemies in apartheid, he supported me, so don’t try to tell me who I can associate with.” I stood proud with him on that day but then he dissed Winnie and that’s another story. Back to the Haitians, where are they going to go?

According to an Interview on Democracy Now when asked, ’What can be done?’  IRA KURZBAN: A number of things. First of all, we think they should bring many more people from Haiti, including all those people who had approved petitions by family members. We can do that. It’s about 70,000 people. Previously, we brought over 250,000 Cubans into the United States. We can certainly do that for Haitians here now.

I listened to the President’s State of the Union Address Wednesday, January 27, 2010 and for a moment I thought he wasn’t even going to mention the earthquake at all. I sat with my mouth wide open for at least an hour like, ’When is he going to take a moment of silence for the people of Haiti?’ He then finally mentioned Haiti, but from a stand point like America has done great things by this country in the last couple of weeks. He was giving kudos to everybody and talking about the work the troops are doing. What?

I thought about if a tragedy hit this country and everybody had to leave, where would African Americans go? What is the homeland of African Americans? I think this is why we have to be careful when we distance our selves from Africa and embrace America so strongly. I don’t feel like we need to go back to Africa because I don’t think it is the home of all of us now but it is the throne of all African people. Until we can have import and export with Africa, we will not be recognized as a nation and until Africa builds with its children abroad, we will all stay stuck under the foot of the European rulers that we serve today.

There is an organization called I.C.E. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) that regulates what is going to happen to people who are detained for deportation purposes. This organization is not regulated by anyone and is handing out pink slips to all those employees that come to this country to work and try to make a better life for themselves and their family. If you committed any felony of any kind or have two or more misdemeanors, you can be deported without question.

The war on drugs not only affected Africans in America but also those who come from other countries with African descent. I cringe when I talk about this war because the main culprits became heroes and the rest of them ended up in jail. Ronald Reagan and Oliver North are heroes to the right wing and President Obama seems to be carrying the torch with the policies he is setting and the cabinet he is building. I would like to take a moment of silence for all my Brothers locked up behind that foolishness and I would like to take a moment to salute at least one person that was able to change his life around and make a difference in this country only to be threatened with deportation after he paid his debt to society.

According to ”Democracy Now”  A prominent Haitian New York community activist has been released after being jailed for three weeks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Jean Montrevil was arrested last month for a twenty-year-old drug conviction for which he had already served eleven years. He hasn’t broken any law since.

Montrevil married an American citizen. He’s the father of four children who are US citizens. He’s a longtime community leader in New York City and active in a number of immigrant rights groups, including Families for Freedom and the New York City New Sanctuary Movement, as well as Detention Watch Network.

I love President Obama but I recognize we are not the same. I know most Black Americans will disagree with me but my bloodline is not connected to George Bush and Dick Cheney. The President’s Father is African and his mother is European. He is not like many Africans in America whose ancestral tree has roots of at least four generations of slaves and dehumanized ancestors. Some may say, “What does that have to do with anything because Blacks sell each other out?” I say if you are spiritual and understand we are spiritual beings, having a physical experience, you then start to live differently.

I know from my title, people expect me to have the answer but the question is more profound to me. The question really is, “What can we do for our own people after all the progress we have made and the election of a Black skinned man? What can we now do for self?” Until truth prevails, my eyes will be watching.

Democracy Now.org       

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Nelson Mandela Site

Nelson Mandela on FW de Klerk

LA Times Article - U.S. suspends deportation of Haitians 1-14-10

The Seattle Times – US Halts Deportation of Haitians for Now 1-13-10

Photo 1 - Obama State of the Union - from www.guardian.co.uk

Photo 2 Photo: MGN Online - From The Final Call Online



Is the HAARP project real? Does our government have a machine that they can use to manipulate the weather? These are questions being asked by plenty of citizens who had watched what happened in New Orleans with Katrina and now with the earthquake in Haiti.

HAARP is the High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program and is real and the government doesn’t deny that they have it. They do deny that it can be used to manipulate the weather and be used as a weapon.

 According to Wikipedia:  “The High Frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) is an investigation project jointly funded by the US Air Force, the US Navy, the University of Alaska, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Its purpose is to analyze the ionosphere and investigate the potential for developing ionospheric enhancement technology for communications and surveillance purposes. Started in 1993, the project is proposed to last for a period of twenty years. The system was designed and built by Advanced Power Technologies (APTI) and since 2003, by BAE Advanced Technologies.

The facility currently operates a VHF and UHF radar, a fluxgate magnetometer, a digisonde, and an induction magnetometer alongside the transmitter facilities. As of 2008, HAARP had incurred around $250 million in tax-funded construction and operating costs”.

The government doesn’t deny where the machines are located. In the United States, there are three ionospheric heating facilities: Fairbanks, Alaska and one at the Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico. The European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) operates an ionospheric heating facility near Russia.

Before you start trying to call me a conspiracy theorist, I have to ask, why are we spending so much money building on these kinds of machines? As a citizen of America and a descendant of Africa I have to ask why no African nations are being given the chance to test this instrument? If you know the history of this country when it comes to experimenting on people who are African like the Tuskegee experiment, you have to be leery of everything this government is doing.  I think as people who have been targeted for extermination on so many levels from drugs being put into our community to the creation of Planned Parenthood targeted toward Africans and other minorities as forms of population control, you have to think we will be the first target if such a machine can be used as a weapon. With the current earthquake that just almost wiped out Haiti and didn’t even budge the Dominican Republic next door you have to wonder. The history of Haiti is important because the goal of those who tried to conquer it has always been to stop the advancement of the Africans who were left on that island and defeated the French to obtain their freedom when freedom for Africans wasn’t even a thought. A lot of people don’t’ understand how America and other European countries put embargos on Haiti for over sixty years after the revolution. Did you know Haiti was ordered to pay reparations to the families of the French that died in the war that they fought trying to obtain their freedom? What?! But when I talk about reparations for Africans enslaved and dehumanized in America, my own people look at me like I am crazy.

 “My decision to destroy the authority of the blacks in Saint Domingue (Haiti) is not so much based on considerations of commerce and money, as on the need to block for ever the march of the Blacks in the world.” - Napolean Bonaparte

It is said that the Reverend Nat Turner and many more were inspired by this Revolution and it is the belief of many that they have always been hated by, and targeted by, European nations because of their history.

I think as a people, we have to start creating think tanks to investigate everything being done by this government. Out of all people, we need to think of the most wicked thing that can be done to a people and remember this country has proven to us that there is no limit when it comes to trying to remove us from the planet. Many on the internet and television like Alex Jones and Governor Jesse Ventura have had specials on this subject. I know they won’t be called crazy or racist. They believe the government is into population control and will use this machine to wipe out more than eighty percent of the population. When I hear white men nervous and worried about being wiped out, you know my lil black self from the south side of Chicago is nervous as hell. The Russians also questioned this technology when America first showed up with it.

Potential for use as a weapon

The objectives of the HAARP project became the subject of controversy in the mid-1990s, following claims that the antennas could be used as a weapon. In August 2002, a critical mention of HAARP technology came from the State Duma (parliament) of Russia. The Duma issued a press release on the HAARP written by the international affairs and defense committees, signed by 90 deputies and presented to then President Vladimir Putin. The statement claimed:

The U.S. is creating new integral geophysical weapons that may influence the near-Earth medium with high-frequency radio waves ... The significance of this qualitative leap could be compared to the transition from cold steel to firearms, or from conventional weapons to nuclear weapons. This new type of weapons differs from previous types in that the near-Earth medium becomes at once an object of direct influence and its component.

This high level concern is paralleled in the April 1997 statement by the U.S. Secretary of Defense over the power of such electromagnetic weaponry. Russia owns and operates an ionospheric heater system as powerful as the HAARP, called 'Sura.'

If everybody is questioning the use of this technology, trust me we are not crazy for thinking the same thoughts. What happens to us too much is we let race relations put us to sleep. We want to be friends with our open enemies more than we want to be family with our African brothers and sisters around the world. We are all still African no matter where we were left. Malcolm X once asked “If a cat has kittens in an oven, does that make them biscuits?”

The most Honored Elijah Muhammad teaches us that when the bible speaks of the destruction of the world it is actually speaking of a system being destroyed. He said in the book “The Fall of America” that the U.S would put together its best weapons in its war against God. He said this would be allowed so that God would be able to prove his power to the people and bring about the destruction of the devils as we know them today. So I say to my brother Malik and others who would allow fear to make them bow down, Allah (the all in all including us) is more powerful than the devil could ever be and if we continue to stick together and fight with God against this open enemy we possibly can be saved. Until Truth Prevails My Eyes will be watching

Video on Experiment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BR6O3kJTqaI&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/v/xhJfkh0e3l0&hl=en_US&fs=1&

HAARP Alaska Site

HAARP Photo Gallery

EISCAT Site

HAARP Arecibo Site

Wikipedia Info on HAARP 

Michel Chossudovsky is a Professor of Economics at the University of Ottawa and an editor at the Centre for Research on Globalization, www.globalresearch.ca  - Weather Warfare article  - http://www.globalresearch.ca/articles/haarpecologist.pdf

A Haiti Disaster Relief Scenario Was Envisaged by the US Military One Day Before the Earthquake  - http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=17122

Project Stormfury - http://www.aoml.noaa.gov/hrd/hrd_sub/stormfury_era.html

Details on Government Satellites - http://www.cdi.org/terrorism/satellites-pr.cfm

China rolls out the big guns, aiming for a dry Olympics  - http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2006-06-29-china-rain_x.htm

HOW SCIENTISTS PRODUCE RAIN - China's state news agency, Xinhua, says government rainmakers flew 3,000 cloud seeding flights from 2000 to 2005 and triggered rainfalls that dumped 275 billion cubic yards. That's enough rain to fill the country's second-largest river, the Yellow River, four times over.

Photo 1 - From the MindControlForums.com Site

Photo 2 - HAARP Alaska Site

Photo 3 - National Space Weather Program Image Info - "Image taken by the Spin-Scan Auroral Imaging instrument on board Dynamics Explorer - 1. Courtesy L. Frank, the University of Iowa, and NASA."

January 13, 2010

 ATLANTA FOR HAITI — As you can imagine, Wednesday starts one of the MOST DIFFICULT moments in Haiti’s history. In the process of cleaning up and helping families relocate, aid workers are going to need several items.

Over the next few days members Atlanta’s Urban Entertainment Community (some who have family in Haiti) will be collecting the following:

Water – preferably in cases

Medicine – ie, pain killers (Tylenol, Advil), allergy medicine, bandages, insulin, antibiotics, etc.

Clothing

Diapers , Wipes & Formula

Feminine Products

Shoes

Non-perishable goods

Think of everything you would need in the event that your home was completely destroyed. We will have more details over the next few days about drop off locations throughout the metro-Atlanta area, as well as a mailing address for those wishing to send in their donations from elsewhere.

You can also make financial donations directly to the Haitian Alliance via their website www.TransformHaiti.Org.

Updates are available via Facebook | ATLANTA FOR HAITI – Earthquake Relief Initiative.

Follow TaiSaintBoogie on twitter for Atlanta updates.  Use hashtag #ATL4Haiti when tweeting. For national news and relief efforts, follow Wyclef Jean @wyclef or visit www.yele.org

 ATTENTION: The Haitian Alliance is meeting tonight in Atlanta @ 7pm at Fishermen Missionary Church, 300 Merchants Dr, Norcross 30091 (404-324-1199); Please attend to find out what you can do to help; they will be sending a group of people to Haiti.

You can also text Haiti 90999 to donte $10,

"YELE" TO 501501 TO DONATE $5

You can also call 888-407-4747/800-257-7575

I hear and see so many articles and stories where people are debating whether or not the government had anything to do with the terrorist attacks on 9/11. I have heard scenarios about the government knowing what was going to happen and just allowed it to happen in order to create fear within the American public. Now why would the government want their citizens to be afraid? I have a lot of ideas myself but the question itself is more important than my ideas. Why have we been fed fear in everything from children fairytales, school books, to religion?

I remember when President Bush was asked why he thought we were being attacked. I thought he was going to say something really technical. I was ready, I had my pen and pad and I was going to investigate everything he said. But I was short changed like every American out there. I had hopes of making this my big story and becoming like the next Ed Gordon (ok maybe that didn’t make sense) but neither did the President’s reasons for the attacks. I was thinking to myself “Because of our wealth and prosperity?” I felt like the cat on Tom and Jerry when he realized he was just played like a sucker. I had the whole moment where I felt my body turned into an actual sucker and my face was all round and dumb looking. Wait, wait…that actually is how the President looked trying to explain how two planes crashed into the World Trade Center without being shot down before they hit their targets.

The craziest thing about terrorist talk is we have not gone after the leaders of any of these groups. I know some people will say “Well we did get Sadaam Hussein.” We have to ask though, if he worked for our government and then realized they were going to double cross him and enslave his people, even more than he had already done, does that make him a terrorist? I don’t think so. I don’t think Bin Laden is a terrorist either. I think he still works for the CIA and is somewhere vacationing with Sadaam, the Bushes and the Obamas. They all probably in Hawaii right now figuring out what next celebrity scandal to feed to the public so we don’t realize we are being controlled and enslaved by the same people who are claiming to be protecting us from the boogeyman, sorry, I meant terrorist.

When I was a kid, President Reagan was telling the people we were broke but that he was creating this whole Star Wars program that would keep nuclear weapons from ever hitting our borders. This concern of being attacked by people that, supposedly, we have never done anything to has allowed the government to do whatever they want to do. He told people about his war on drugs and how he was going to rid the country of cocaine and heroin. I thought the future would be so bright we would all be flying around like the Jetsons and riding Jet packs like they were motorcycles. The present, of course is nothing like that. We came to learn he actually helped bring cocaine into Black communities. He enslaved the poor with new drug laws that would lead us to where we are now with over 50% of Black folks locked up for selling something they still don’t know where it came from. I know somewhere the real Ricky Ross is shaking his head saying, “Wow what a price to pay to be a pawn.” I know Manuel Noriega is shaking his head at how stupid the American public can be.

When I heard President Bush call Reagan a great President, I knew then we were in trouble and in a flash – the country was back to being broke and we were back into Reaganomics and the goal of the government was to scare the public. People, we are all afraid of an army of terrorist that don’t exist. Like Bradley Birkenfield when he blew the whistle on all the rich folks hiding money in Swiss bank accounts and is going to jail. He is going to jail and none of the billionaires or millionaires he testified against are going to jail, even though they committed felonies by checking a particular box on their taxes. The government even protected their identity and will not expose them. The government is sending a message to anyone who is shining a light on the boogeyman -You will go to jail if you tell on the real terrorist.

President Obama just released his counter terrorism review (view it on the Media and Video Posts page on this site) on the 12/25/09 terrorist attack and in it he was really trying to understand how we had so much information and still allowed this man to get on a plane. I am sure he has to be asking himself why we didn’t move on the Doctor in Texas at the army base when they had years of history of him talking and acting like a nut. Why would America allow planes to just fly into the twin towers? Why are we made to be so afraid? If the President doesn’t know the answers to these questions, how should you? I do know this, if you read a book called “The Fall of America” or “Behold the Pale Horse” you will understand me, terrorism, and the use of fear a whole lot better. Until Truth Prevails my eyes will be watching.

Democracy Now! - The War and Peace Report site

Ronald Reagan's "Star Wars" Speech (Complete Text) March 23, 1983

Whistleblowers.org - More on Bradley Birkenfield

The Fall of America book

Behold A Pale Horse

(Photo 1 - Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America (Zimbio.com), 2)&3) Photos by Richard Shabazz)

"Thank you for allowing me the privilege of standing before you today as the 59th Mayor of the great City of Atlanta. This is truly the single most important moment of my life, and the gratitude I feel toward all of you who made it possible, is beyond measure. I will forever remember, and have my efforts informed and inspired by the knowledge, that I would not be where I am today, were it not for . . . the citizens of Atlanta. No man or woman is an island . . . and no one rises to leadership without being lifted to such heights by those around him. Such is the moral of my story. Along the path to this podium, I have seen the faces, heard the hopes, felt the disappointments, and found myself deeply moved by the dreams of the people in our communities. I carry those personal encounters close to my heart and will use the office you have given me to make a positive difference in the lives of all I can . . . for today, I am the recipient of a sacred gift . . . a gift of the public trust, and of its collective hopes for a brighter future. I assure you, I take neither that gift, nor its attendant responsibilities lightly. Stewardship of one of America’s greatest cities is now the mandate that has been bestowed upon me. I am deeply humbled by the call. And more than anything, I know that I cannot do it without you. I ask for both your prayers and your earnest efforts in making Atlanta that shining City on a Hill . . . it was always meant to be.

"I also know, as so many of the great leaders of Atlanta have known before me, that service is the tangible way we demonstrate our own acceptance of responsibility. Because when we put others in front of ourselves, when we sacrifice self-interest in the name of collective responsibility, when we stand with others rather than going it alone, we do so because we recognize that the responsibilities we have are greater than any one of us.

"So while I stand before you as a Mayor who has sworn to undertake those responsibilities as a servant of this City, I am looking out at so many of you who have also understood and undertaken those responsibilities in your service and your support of this City. Your service inspires me and will continue to inspire me as we face a set of responsibilities that call each and every one of us to the service of Atlanta.

"With that in mind, I would like to share with you my vision of the shared responsibilities that we face. That vision is of four responsibilities: our responsibility to our past, to our present, to our future and to one another.

"It is often said that to know where we are going, we must know where we have come from. And with that in mind, I believe we must understand and acknowledge that the Atlanta that we cherish today - - the Atlanta where a movement for freedom that changed the history of the world was launched, would have never come to be were it not for the combination of people and initiatives that have come before us. Great Mayors like Mayor William Hartsfield, who had the vision of an airport that has become an essential engine of our City and our gateway to the world. Mayors like Ivan Allen and Sam Massell who helped transform Atlanta into the capital of the New South, building infrastructure for business and bridges between people. Mayors like Maynard Jackson and Andrew Young, who helped create new public projects like MARTA and a modern airport, and who introduced Atlanta to the world stage by bringing unprecedented private investment into our City, while also making sure that men and women of every race, creed and color could succeed in pursuing their own business pursuits.

"And Mayors like my friend Shirley Franklin, who continued to make sure the state, the nation and the world knew that Atlanta was open for business, even as it made sure to care for those most in need. Those leaders helped build a city where business opportunity and growth became hallmarks of Atlanta, where barriers are not overwhelming, but are instead obstacles to overcome; a city where public works and good works go hand in hand with private investment and professional success.

"Those great leaders, and countless others who toiled quietly outside of the limelight with no expectation of glory or fame, have made Atlanta what it was always meant to be, a shining city on a hill.

"Today, the torch has been passed to each and every one of us. Each of us has a responsibility to continue that legacy of past leadership by continuing to cultivate a culture of business opportunity, while also addressing challenges that limit our capacity to invest in our City, and to invest in one another.

"First, we need to recognize that our City must not only say it is open for business, but it must also act like it is open for business, helping create jobs and economic opportunities for all citizens of our City.

"I have said before, and I believe it now, in order for Atlanta to truly be great, it must be a city for all of us. While job creation with fair wages and opportunities for people of all backgrounds must be a responsibility of the private sector, we have a responsibility to create a culture in the halls of our government where the City enables businesses to rapidly respond to opportunity, not impede that response with red tape and red ink. We must recognize that creating a culture that is conducive for responsible economic development is a paramount function of city government. Starting right now, we will make sure that the women and men who have visions of opportunity have partners in City Hall, not obstacles. I will be known as the Mayor of the small businessperson; it is these people of vision that will employ our citizens, open new markets and take Atlanta to new heights in this new decade.

"We will create new opportunities in several ways. We will have the best and the brightest among us join the dedicated public servants in City Hall to work with business to develop the next engines that will fuel our City and region for decades to come. While the challenges that we face are unprecedented, so are the opportunities. We will make sure functions like the permitting process in this City are not a source of frustration, but rather a source of growth. That is why in my first year in office we will completely reform the City’s permitting process once and for all. It will be more efficient and easy to use. By embracing business and giving business the opportunity to embrace us back, we will take responsibility to continue the legacy of our past.

"As we strive to create a new healthy environment where entrepreneurs can flourish we must also take responsibility for and solve the unfulfilled challenges of our past, one of which is the City’s pension situation. Friends, the service that has been provided by every worker in this City has been with merit and is deserving of our appreciation. They have worked in our offices, repaired our streets and enabled our City to flourish. But the stark reality is that one out of every 5 tax dollars is currently going to fund a pension system that is strangling our City. We need to face this challenge head on, being mindful of the responsibility to taxpayers who fund that pension system, without breaking the faith with the public servants who have dedicated their lives to Atlanta. We must face this issue, with unyielding resolve, and we will do just that. Likewise, we will not be detoured from solving the City’s water issues, and making Atlanta a beacon to the world as a metropolitan city that not only respects, but nurtures its environment. For us to take on this responsibility for our past means we must also take responsibility to address those past decisions that might limit our future – and as your Mayor I will do so.

"The next area of responsibility we must embrace is our responsibility to the present. We know that the times in which we live and the economic hardships that we face have created, for many of our citizens, a sense of hopelessness; and when people are without resources to make ends meet, when the flames of their frustration are fanned by strong winds of hopelessness, these individuals may turn desperate and some may even turn to crime. Please know that we will not simply be tough on crime, we will be smart on crime.

"While I will be vigilant to stop crime and protect our citizens at every turn, I would not be satisfying my responsibility as your Mayor without also addressing the root cause of crime – without creating hope and opportunity for all of our citizens. This, I promise you, I will do.

"When women cannot walk to their cars at night without feeling safe, when students don’t feel safe walking to class, when convention attendees don’t want to stay downtown, we have failed to take responsibility for the most sacred obligation of our present – the safety of our citizens. We must undertake this effort with seriousness and severity. We must prevent crime, we must eliminate violence fueled by gang activity and we must reduce the types of activities like aggressive panhandling that frighten our citizens. We must treat our officers better by paying them a wage that allows them to support their families and to afford to live in the City they have sworn to protect. We must have more police officers walking and working amongst us, and in the next year I will honor this commitment. It should be so, and it will be so. The foundation of my campaign was built on my promise to attack crime in this City. The foundation of my administration shall be built on my fulfillment of that promise.

"We must take responsibility for giving hope to those who feel hopeless, to give opportunity to those who feel they have none. This is why as Mayor I have pledged, and I will keep my pledge, to open every single recreation center in this City and to find, raise and retain the funds necessary to keep them open. But more than opening them, we will turn them into what they must be – Centers of Hope, and from this day forward that is how we will refer to them and that is what they must be for the sake of our children.

"This value brings me to my third area of responsibility – the responsibility to our future. We are a City with one of the youngest populations in the nation, where our opportunity is limited only by our imagination.

"But we must take responsibility for that future by creating opportunities for each of our children to achieve whatever goal they set for themselves. A journey should be measured by the distance traveled and not by the heights reached. While my story is a simple one, my journey from Southwest Atlanta to these halls is one that should not be viewed as too far by the children of the Ralph Bunch Middle School, but rather a walk that each of them believes they can pursue and attain.

"My journey is one that is humbling and should serve as a reminder that ability cannot succeed without opportunity. My story must be one of thousands of stories told by the children of our City who embrace the opportunity to be all that their dreams and hard work can achieve. We must make helping create those stories our responsibility to our future. We will do this by continuing to support the schools of our City, and the opportunities they create each and every day.

"Our responsibility is to help every child take that next step into their future, and that is a responsibility which we cannot afford to get a failing grade.

"The final pillar of responsibility we must recognize is our commitment to one another.

"First for me personally, I recognize that I am part of a team of elected officials, especially my friends and colleagues on the City Council. We have a responsibility to work together, with honesty and transparency, to help make this great City thrive. To the Council President Ceasar Mitchell and members of this distinguished City Council, I say this, I am proud to be on your team, and I embrace the partnership that we have. To other elected state and local officials, I am proud to be on your team, – to work with you as we face the challenges of our region and our state. Let us partner together as if the future of our City and state depended on it, because, in fact, it does.

"Second, I want to acknowledge that the city government has a responsibility to its citizens to perform the business of government, in an open, ethical and professional manner. We must also create a culture of customer service that competes with the service quality of those stellar companies that call Atlanta home. It is not enough to say we must do better, we must actually do better. Whether it is taking care of that pothole in your street or answering your questions when you call, every encounter with an employee or official of the City of Atlanta must be one that inspires confidence and gets results.

"In my administration we will continue to develop a culture of excellence where performance is an expectation, not an aspiration. Yes, we will need to do this in an environment where resources are limited, but we are not limited in our ability and imagination of what a world class constituent-focused city government can be. This is a responsibility of a government to its citizens that cannot be forsaken.

"And third, we must recognize that we have a responsibility to one another; to transcend that which divides us and to respect that which makes each of us unique. The diversity of our gender, race, age, sexual orientation, religion, cultural background and personal heritage is what must bring us together, because the tapestry of Atlanta is a beautiful one and must be a source of strength, never of weakness. We should also be kind to one another. It is not a sign of weakness to be nice to each other and to treat each other well. We cannot face our futures together if we are facing-off with one another. In my Office and in this City I will strive to have every voice heard and every opinion respected. And I hope that you will join me in the discussions we need to have and the actions we need to take to come together as a city to take responsibility for one another. Because we need to be more than the city that is too busy to hate, we need to make sure that we are a city that isn’t too busy to love one another as well.

"Those are our responsibilities, to our past, to our present, to our future and to one another.

"I am reminded today of the biblical story of Joshua and the spies who Moses dispatched to the promised-land. After surveying the land that was promised, after seeking out the giant grapes and the land flowing with milk and honey, the spies returned to Moses to report their finding. And while ten of those spies were fearful of the land and the perceived giants they would face, two of them came back believing there was a promised land worth sacrificing for. One of those spies was Joshua, who went on to lead his people into the land of their future.

"Atlanta – we are all on the lookout for a brighter future, we are all emissaries of our own collective destiny. We can see that future and be fearful, or we can see that future and act boldly. I choose the latter and I ask you to join me. Because what I know without doubt is that the Atlanta that I know is worth sacrificing for, it is worth fighting for.

"Yes, we stand now in the midst of storm clouds of an economic recession that has challenged our ability to see the sunlight of our future - - and just as much, we stand in the valley between mountains of local and regional issues that stand so high that we are challenged to imagine what the view looks like from the mountain tops.

"We cannot ignore those storm clouds, and we cannot avoid those valleys. But friends, as your Mayor I share with you this:

"We will see the sunlight of our future and we will stand on the top of those mountains. We will be a city on a hill.

"We will embrace the shared responsibilities we have, and we must undertake.

"And together, in spirit and in service, we will succeed, we will win. Come with me. Our journey has just begun.

"Thank you. God bless you all."

Photo by: Richard Shabazz (from Hosea feed the hungry)

I then came back to Atlanta and focused on the mayoral race. I admired one candidate because he was young and very interested in bringing the arts back to Atlanta. The new Mayor of Atlanta Kasim Reed.

I was then invited personally by Julian and Michael Bond to cover Michael Bond's successful run for City Council Presidesnt.

I have to reflect back to Febuary just in time for Valentine's Day. I was invited to cover the Joyce Latell Valentines Day Poetry event with her special guest Marcia from Floetry. I took pics of everyone from Georgia Me to Jon Goode.

The summer was coming in fast and I had to cover the Malcom X, Marcus Garvey and the House In The Park events just to name a few.

Hosea Williams feed the Hungry

Fertile Groud Concert

Side Street Kids

Black Film Festival 

Alvin Ailey

                                                                    Sisters 4 Asata Shakur

                                                                     Malcolm X Festival

                                                                    Five Percent Harvest

                                                                Hank Stewart Chocolate Affair

                                                                  My personal favorites of 2009

We know Jesus was not born in the month of December because he was born, according to the Bible (Luke 2:22-38), during Yom Kippur between the months of August and September of our current calendar. I once heard a story, which actually has roots in the Turkey pagan diety Attis, that when Nimrod died, his mother told the people his spirit was in a pine tree and that if they worship the tree he would still protect them. This is why the pagans started chopping down trees and dragging them into their homes as part of their ritual. I can go on and on about how Constantine brought wicked holidays into Christianity and how Christmas was once outlawed in America 200 years ago.

The real question is, will you still participate in a ritual once you have learned it has nothing to do with Jesus? I hear people say it’s a time for family. Well now, if that is the case, why not celebrate Kwanzaa, a series of days created specifically for African Americans, Blacks, New Africans or Original people whatever you claim, it’s for you and your family. The celebration was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga as an African American and Pan-African, millions throughout the world African community, Kwanzaa brings a cultural message which speaks to the best of what it means to be African and human in the fullest sense. Given the profound significance Kwanzaa has for African Americans and indeed, the world African community, it is imperative that an authoritative source and site be made available to give an accurate and expansive account of its origins, concepts, values, symbols and practice.

Give thanks we now have proper celebrations with the importance of principle over the materialist ideals of spending money.  You don’t have to go broke just to keep a capitalistic system going that works to constantly keep the poor and homeless in a less fortunate position, the very thing that Jesus taught against. I don’t want to be a bible quoting puppet but I do remember him saying something about ‘doing for the least of his people’ didn’t he? Until truth prevails my eyes will be watching.

Kwanzaa references per the founder Dr. Maulana Karenga:

To reinforce awareness of and commitment to the Seven Principles, using the greetings “Habari Gani?”  or “What’s the news?” introduces each prinicipal. All words are of Swahili origin. 

NGUZO SABA

(The Seven Principles)

________________________________________

Umoja (Unity)

To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)

To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

 Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)

To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)

To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose)

To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity)

To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith)

To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Provided by the Kwanzaa Founder - Maulana Karenga

Official Kwanzaa website 

Official Kwanzaa website Founders Message

Books on Nimrod

Websites on history of Christmas and Nimrod

http://www.annomundi.com/bible/christmas.htm

http://babylon-the-great.xanga.com/554683845/item/

http://www.wcg.org/lit/jesus/datebirth.htm



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stephen Biko
Born	December 18, 1946(1946-12-18) King William's Town, South Africa
Died	September 12, 1977 (aged 30) Pretoria, South Africa
Occupation	anti-apartheid activist
Spouse(s)	Ntsiki Mashalaba
Children	Nkosinathi Biko, Samora Biko, Bum Biko, Motlatsi Biko and Hlumelo Biko[citation needed]
Parents	Tina Biko and Sorny Biko

Stephen Bantu Biko (18 December 1946 – 12 September 1977)^[1] was a noted anti-apartheid activist in South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s. A student leader, he later founded the Black Consciousness Movement which would empower and mobilize much of the urban black population. Since his death in police custody, he has been called a martyr of the anti-apartheid movement.^[2] While living, his writings and activism attempted to empower black people, and he was famous for his slogan "black is beautiful", which he described as meaning: "man, you are okay as you are, begin to look upon yourself as a human being".^[3] Despite friction between the ANC and Biko throughout the 1970s^{[Need quotation on talk to verify]} the ANC has included Biko in the pantheon of struggle heroes, going as far as using his image for campaign posters in South Africa's first non-racial elections in 1994.^[4]

http://www.bookrags.com/biography/steve-biko/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Biko

http://www.zar.co.za/biko.htm

Do you believe in conspiracy theories? Most people do to some degree. I am not going to get too deep into that but what if a message was programmed in this entire Tiger Woods garbage making us less concerned about the war. I find it odd that people don’t have a problem with President Obama sending 30,000 troops into Afghanistan. If Bush was still in office and sending these troops, would we look at things differently? Is it an agenda already put together and no matter who gets in office, the powers that be are making sure their agenda gets carried out whether it’s a Republican, Democrat, Black person or White person? The goal of the powers that be, like the World Bank and all of the private elite clubs that we call secret societies, is for us to stay entertained and dumbed down so we will never question what the Government is doing.

I hear so many people saying the President doesn’t have any power. I ask why then did 97% Black people vote for him if you didn’t think he should do something specifically for Black People and he has no power? I wonder if a Mexican, Native American or a Jew was in office, if their people would have to question what their President was going to do for them directly? I also would like to add, what if their people were the ones with a 6% higher unemployment rate, a higher rate than other races of people. Let’s, just for laughs and giggles, throw in over 60% of the males in their race are in prison. I wonder what demands they would be making to the President if he were of their race?

I don’t advocate violence or taking up arms against anyone. I do believe as an American you should have a rifle in your home. I am always disappointed at how when I talk about the issues concerning my people, I am labeled an angry Black man or a reverse Racist. I am not a Racist because in order to be one, you have to have an entire country, educational system and financial institution backing your ideals. This has been the case for White Americans. I am, however, a little prejudice because I am an American and that’s what this country teaches. Everyone has prejudices to a degree and getting to know other people will help erase that. I think we need to understand that racism is difference and to erase it, we must destroy all of the institutions that support racism, starting with World Bank.

I would like people to think for a moment about certain times in history and what was going on during those times. Do you remember O.J.? This is when we were trying to hide the fact that we once employed Sadaam Hussein. Do you remember Bill and Monica? The stage was being set for a full war on the Middle East. I ask you now what is going on while we are engaged in Tiger Woods?  I know a few things like 30,000 troops going to Afghanistan. The President is now talking like he believes we are in danger of some boogeyman. The public option is off the table for Healthcare and the Medicaid extension to Americans under 55 is gone.

I will stop there because I think people need to read and research for themselves. I think people like myself and Alex Jones will not be considered angry if you stop watching TV and start paying attention. We will then just be like all the other Americans who have stopped being programmed to our little jobs, reality shows and constant gossip blogs.  Personally, I am very happy and at peace because truth and awareness makes you feel like that. I challenge anyone to read true American history and to study his or her religions to the root. I think if we do these two things, we will all discover something to stand for. The man the President tries to emulate (Malcolm X) once said, “If you don’t stand for something you will fall for anything.” Until truth prevails, my eyes will be watching.