Monday, January 31, 2011

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Special: Weds. 2/2/2011 @ 9pm c/ 10pm e*A Hollywood Survivor: Willard E. Pugh aka "Harpo" From The Color Purple Tells All.

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February 2011 Theme: Telling Our Story...

Air Date: Weds. Febuary 02, 2011


Time: 9 PM C/10 PM E/7 PM P
 
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topic: A Hollywood Survivor: Willard E. Pugh aka "Harpo" From 'The Color Purple' Tells All.

video promo:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm8qxrt2dWI

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 About The Show
 Willard E. Pugh is one of the most underrated and underutilized character actors of his generation.   You probably recognize his face in some of your favorite actors' favorite movies...Whether he is playing the seemingly emasculated yet likable Harpo in the classic The Color Purple, the nefariously comical and audacious record exec Trustus in CB4 or the bombastic, corrupt and audacious Mayor Kuzak of Detroit in the Robocop movie franchise, Bro. Willard proves time and time again in his invaluable sliver of time shared on the silver screen that it is the quality of the performance and not quantity of lines that wins over an audience and that separates the amateurs from the immortals.

In our nearly marathon conversation conducted on Christmas 2010, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio discussed his rise from his humble beginnings in Memphis, TN and into the stratosphere with the chance of the lifetime he got when he was picked to act in arguably one of the greatest African American themed films ever created with a tour de force ensemble cast, a cast which also featured a relative newcomer and a popular regional Chicago talk show host at that time, Oprah Winfrey.

Willard E. Pugh leaves no stones unturned and no bridges untorched in discussing the triumphs and disappointments of his career...The highs are really high while the lows are really low...He mercilessly offers with brilliant comedic timing and riveting social commentary, insight that Richard Pryor or a Chris Rock could enjoy, his thoughts on some very touchy and controversial subjects including...

* A scathing critique of the Hollywood Machine
* The real truth about the Oscars

*The disturbing things not shown on the The Color Purple 25th Anniversary Special produced by The Oprah Show

*The Backlash from the African American Community concerning The Color Purple release and the short term and long term consequences of that the backlash.

*The movie Precious 

*Tyler Perry and his business practices 

*The State of Black Hollywood 2010
 
*The history of Black entertainment in America

*Pres. Barack Obama

 *His Dream Movie Project

AND SO MUCH MORE!!!


And check out the filmography of this unsung acting legend...He got cred yo...


Tha Artivist

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"Real Talk With Tha Artivist" TV Show On Memphis Comcast Channel 17








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WRUG Radio: The Literary Archive Of Henry McNeal Turner With Dr. Andre E. Johnson

WRUG Radio: The Literary Archive Of Henry McNeal Turner With Dr. Andre E. Johnson

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Sunday, January 30, 2011

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: All Eyes On Mississippi...Min. Abdullah Yasin Muhammad On The Frederick Jermaine Carter Hanging

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: All Eyes On Mississippi...Min. Abdullah Yasin Muhammad On The Frederick Jermaine Carter Hanging
 

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Interviewed The Honorable Min.Abdullah Yasin Muhammad, The Son Of The Honorable Elijah Muhammad, About The Frederick Jermaine Carter Hanging case. To Listen to the entire interview please click on the following link:

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: Suicide Or Strange Fruit? You Decide. A Bro. Frederick Jermaine Carter Update.



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Saturday, January 29, 2011

"War Is A Racket" By Gen. Smedley Butler

   



    USMC, Retired

   

CHAPTER ONE

WAR IS A RACKET

WAR is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of the people. Only a small "inside" group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

In the World War [I] a mere handful garnered the profits of the conflict. At least 21,000 new millionaires and billionaires were made in the United States during the World War. That many admitted their huge blood gains in their income tax returns. How many other war millionaires falsified their tax returns no one knows.

How many of these war millionaires shouldered a rifle? How many of them dug a trench? How many of them knew what it meant to go hungry in a rat-infested dug-out? How many of them spent sleepless, frightened nights, ducking shells and shrapnel and machine gun bullets? How many of them parried a bayonet thrust of an enemy? How many of them were wounded or killed in battle?

Out of war nations acquire additional territory, if they are victorious. They just take it. This newly acquired territory promptly is exploited by the few – the selfsame few who wrung dollars out of blood in the war. The general public shoulders the bill.

And what is this bill?

This bill renders a horrible accounting. Newly placed gravestones. Mangled bodies. Shattered minds. Broken hearts and homes. Economic instability. Depression and all its attendant miseries. Back-breaking taxation for generations and generations.

For a great many years, as a soldier, I had a suspicion that war was a racket; not until I retired to civil life did I fully realize it. Now that I see the international war clouds gathering, as they are today, I must face it and speak out.

Again they are choosing sides. France and Russia met and agreed to stand side by side. Italy and Austria hurried to make a similar agreement. Poland and Germany cast sheep's eyes at each other, forgetting for the nonce [one unique occasion], their dispute over the Polish Corridor.

The assassination of King Alexander of Jugoslavia [Yugoslavia] complicated matters. Jugoslavia and Hungary, long bitter enemies, were almost at each other's throats. Italy was ready to jump in. But France was waiting. So was Czechoslovakia. All of them are looking ahead to war. Not the people – not those who fight and pay and die – only those who foment wars and remain safely at home to profit.

There are 40,000,000 men under arms in the world today, and our statesmen and diplomats have the temerity to say that war is not in the making.

Hell's bells! Are these 40,000,000 men being trained to be dancers?

Not in Italy, to be sure. Premier Mussolini knows what they are being trained for. He, at least, is frank enough to speak out. Only the other day, Il Duce in "International Conciliation," the publication of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said:

"And above all, Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace... War alone brings up to its highest tension all human energy and puts the stamp of nobility upon the people who have the courage to meet it."

Undoubtedly Mussolini means exactly what he says. His well-trained army, his great fleet of planes, and even his navy are ready for war – anxious for it, apparently. His recent stand at the side of Hungary in the latter's dispute with Jugoslavia showed that. And the hurried mobilization of his troops on the Austrian border after the assassination of Dollfuss showed it too. There are others in Europe too whose sabre rattling presages war, sooner or later.

Herr Hitler, with his rearming Germany and his constant demands for more and more arms, is an equal if not greater menace to peace. France only recently increased the term of military service for its youth from a year to eighteen months.

Yes, all over, nations are camping in their arms. The mad dogs of Europe are on the loose. In the Orient the maneuvering is more adroit. Back in 1904, when Russia and Japan fought, we kicked out our old friends the Russians and backed Japan. Then our very generous international bankers were financing Japan. Now the trend is to poison us against the Japanese. What does the "open door" policy to China mean to us? Our trade with China is about $90,000,000 a year. Or the Philippine Islands? We have spent about $600,000,000 in the Philippines in thirty-five years and we (our bankers and industrialists and speculators) have private investments there of less than $200,000,000.

Then, to save that China trade of about $90,000,000, or to protect these private investments of less than $200,000,000 in the Philippines, we would be all stirred up to hate Japan and go to war – a war that might well cost us tens of billions of dollars, hundreds of thousands of lives of Americans, and many more hundreds of thousands of physically maimed and mentally unbalanced men.

Of course, for this loss, there would be a compensating profit – fortunes would be made. Millions and billions of dollars would be piled up. By a few. Munitions makers. Bankers. Ship builders. Manufacturers. Meat packers. Speculators. They would fare well.

Yes, they are getting ready for another war. Why shouldn't they? It pays high dividends.

But what does it profit the men who are killed? What does it profit their mothers and sisters, their wives and their sweethearts? What does it profit their children?

What does it profit anyone except the very few to whom war means huge profits?

Yes, and what does it profit the nation?

Take our own case. Until 1898 we didn't own a bit of territory outside the mainland of North America. At that time our national debt was a little more than $1,000,000,000. Then we became "internationally minded." We forgot, or shunted aside, the advice of the Father of our country. We forgot George Washington's warning about "entangling alliances." We went to war. We acquired outside territory. At the end of the World War period, as a direct result of our fiddling in international affairs, our national debt had jumped to over $25,000,000,000. Our total favorable trade balance during the twenty-five-year period was about $24,000,000,000. Therefore, on a purely bookkeeping basis, we ran a little behind year for year, and that foreign trade might well have been ours without the wars.

It would have been far cheaper (not to say safer) for the average American who pays the bills to stay out of foreign entanglements. For a very few this racket, like bootlegging and other underworld rackets, brings fancy profits, but the cost of operations is always transferred to the people – who do not profit.

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Islam – African-American Style

 
Islam – African-American Style
By Jason Johnson 
01/6/2011

“I will do all I can to break down the wall of political correctness and drive the public debate on Islamic radicalization.”

Congressman Peter King (R-N.Y.) Dec. 20, 2010

The incoming Republican Chairman of the Homeland Security Committee in Congress has thrown down the gauntlet against Islam. The problem is that the “Islam” question in American politics has for too long been muddied by international fears, racism, nationalism and a general lack of education in the American public.

So, when a prominent American politician declares that he’s taking an entire religion and its followers to task, the question is what are Muslim Americans going to do about it?

Over the last decade, whenever there have been political questions about Islam in America, the answers have often come from Muslim immigrants, the nation of Islam or even leaders from abroad; seldom from homegrown African-American Muslims. This is strange considering that African Americans make up over 25 percent of the eight million Muslims living in America today.

In the face of more aggressive Transportation Safety Administration pat downs, (news analyst and commentator) Juan Williams claiming Muslims on airplanes frighten him and other discriminatory acts, African Americans who happen to be Muslim are finally letting their voices be heard. And unlike some other groups, the unique history of African Americans means they aren’t taking “Islmaphobia” lying down.

A clear example of this new discrimination and the voices speaking out against is the case of Basheer Jones, who is about as African, and American, as apple pie and he’s Muslim. Jones, a Morehouse alumni and former Cleveland radio host, planned to put on an end of Ramadan celebration last fall with a business partner at the famed Fox Theatre in Atlanta. The event was to feature poetry, dance and musical acts but was cancelled by Fox at the last minute.

Why?

According to emails sent by employees of the theatre to the businessmen their event “…was a Muslim event and it just falls too close to the anniversary of 9-11!” The story became huge news in Atlanta but received little national attention.

A couple of months later Jones is the spokesperson for the Islamic World Conference to be held on January 14th in Atlanta. The conference is meant to promote the idea that Islam is a religion of peace but with a new twist. The passive voice might be a thing of the past.

“Most media focuses on Muslim immigrants who just want to come here and be accepted, or the nation of Islam that has its own agenda. But Black Americans, we have our own story to tell and we’re not just going to sit back while our rights and dignity are taken away,” said Jones.

Political and religious leaders have been waging war against Islam for almost a decade now and all too often some of this behavior is promoted and tolerated within the African-American community. From barbershops to pulpits to Congressional podiums a sort of “Islamaphobia” has been fomented that does this nation and its future no good.

I am generally loath to use the suffix “phobia” on any word as it suggests an irrational fear of a particular people or idea. There are legitimate reasons for Americans to fear extremists and some of those extremists are Muslim. However, Christian Nationalists groups have been sprouting up all over the United States since the Clinton administration and you didn’t see Republican members of Congress saying they were going to stamp out the radicalized Christians who were involved in the Oklahoma City bombing. When we conflate religion, nation and a race of people no good can come of it for public discourse or American policy.

The Islamic World Conference looks to be quite a show. There will be a showing of the new film “Mooz-Lum” by Qasim Basir, starring Nia Long and Danny Glover. There will be Muslim Ambassadors from South Africa, there will be music, and there will be dance. But most importantly there will be dialogue, and there will be voices from the African-American community that are seldom heard and even fewer times respected.

We are looking at the prospect of a Republican Congress that plans on stirring up whatever hostility they can against the fastest growing faith in the United States. Therefore it is in the best interest of all patriotic Americans to support any attempt to set the dialogue and policy discussion in the right direction. There are a lot more Basheer Joneses than Timothy McVeighs in this country and that’s something we should celebrate no matter what Congressman King wants to promote. 


(Dr. Jason Johnson is an associate professor of political science and communications at Hiram College in Ohio, where he teaches courses in campaigns and elections, pop culture, and the politics of sports. He can be reached at johnsonja@hiram.edu.)

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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks Speaks.(Updated)


W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks Speaks.(Updated)
 

See Also...
W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks Speaks."

About Isadore Banks


(7/6/1893-6/5/1954)

 In June 1954, Isadore Banks, One Of The Wealthiest Black Landowners In Arkansas & A World War One Veteran, Was Viciously Beaten, Chained To A Tree, Castrated, Doused With Gasoline & Burned Beyond Recognition. His Family Had To Flee The State.  He Did Not Receive A Proper Funeral Service.  Over 2,000 Acres Of His Land As Well As His Other Holdings Including $93,000 Dollars In A Bank Were Illegally Taken By His Murderers. His Case Remains Unsolved To This Day.

W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Lest We Forget: World War One Veteran & Philanthropist Casualty In War On The Home Front. 
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2010/11/lest-we-forget-world-war-one-veteran.html

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: They Took His Land, Wealth, & Life: A  Isadore Banks Story.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2010/11/11/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

***

 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV Was Present To Document The Masonic Rites Administered to Isadore Banks...

Better Late Than Never, Paying Respects To The Life, Death & Legacy Of Isadore Banks: Masonic Rites Being Performed  For The Late Isadore Banks

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJTyrgxPQ4Q


***

CNN: 50 Years After He Was Chained And Set Afire, WWI Veteran Is Honored
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/06/isadore.banks.cold.case/

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Needs Your Support...Give To Grow The Movement! 
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W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks Speaks."(Updated)

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: "Never Too Late For Justice: The GrandDaughter Of Isadore Banks Speaks."(Updated)
 
  
See Also...

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV: They Killed My Daddy! The Daughter Of Isadore Banks Speaks.(Updated)
About Isadore Banks


(7/6/1893-6/5/1954)

 In June 1954, Isadore Banks, One Of The Wealthiest Black Landowners In Arkansas & A World War One Veteran, Was Viciously Beaten, Chained To A Tree, Castrated, Doused With Gasoline & Burned Beyond Recognition. His Family Had To Flee The State.  He Did Not Receive A Proper Funeral Service.  Over 2,000 Acres Of His Land As Well As His Other Holdings Including $93,000 Dollars In A Bank Were Illegally Taken By His Murderers. His Case Remains Unsolved To This Day.

W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Lest We Forget: World War One Veteran & Philanthropist Casualty In War On The Home Front. 
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2010/11/lest-we-forget-world-war-one-veteran.html

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio: They Took His Land, Wealth, & Life: An  Isadore Banks Story.
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2010/11/11/tha-artivist-presentswe-all-be-radio

***

 W.E. A.L.L. B.E. TV Was Present To Document The Masonic Rites Administered to Isadore Banks...

Better Late Than Never, Paying Respects To The Life, Death & Legacy Of Isadore Banks: Masonic Rites Being Performed  For The Late Isadore Banks

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SJTyrgxPQ4Q


***

CNN: 50 Years After He Was Chained And Set Afire, WWI Veteran Is Honored
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/06/isadore.banks.cold.case/

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Needs Your Support...Give To Grow The Movement! 
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My Take On The Busters *Cough* Oscars

My Take On The Busters *Cough* Oscars
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Friday, January 28, 2011

No ‘Both Sides’ To Tone-Down Rhetoric Call

 No ‘Both Sides’ To Tone-Down Rhetoric Call

 Dr. Jason Johnson
01/13/2011

One of the most interesting phenomena to watch as a political observer in this country are the vacillating narratives that occur when any tragic and unforeseen event happens. After the initial shocking event, you have the main facts that come out, then the right or the left attempts to define the event in terms that are most beneficial to their causes.

This happens with movies, (everyone was trying to explain “300” and “Avatar” as statements about the War in Iraq), sporting events (New Orleans Saints win Super Bowl and thus the Gulf is now fine) and yes, tragedies such as the shooting of Congresswoman Gifford in Arizona last weekend.

 As more facts come out, sometimes the politics are put aside and the event is viewed as an isolated occurrence. This should not be one of those times, Jared Loughner is a murderer spurred on by right wing rhetoric over the last 3 years. Any suggestions otherwise are simply paving the way for the next tragedy.

Last Saturday, Loughner, an emotionally disturbed 22 year old opened fire on a community event sponsored by Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords in Tuscon, Ariz. He shot 19 people, killed 6 and opened up a wound that has been festering in America for since the election of 2008.

Various web postings by Loughner showed that he thought the government was evil, was engaging in mind control techniques and that he was fiercely against illegal immigration. While there are questions about whether or not he was liberal or conservative, his political leanings nor his mental illness should not diminish the fact that this was a clearly political act.

At first, the left wing pundits went to town on this issue. Blaming the harsh rhetoric of conservatives such as Sarah Palin, who one promoted a poster on her Web site with Giffords on crosshairs as a “targeted” Democrat for her votes on healthcare and immigration. Predictably the right struck back, claiming that none of their rhetoric should be held responsible for violence and playing the “we’re all victims here” game. Within 48 hours, public discourse seems to have settled on a narrative that Loughner was a crazy guy, and that while civility is important we can’t place too much weight on his politics. By the end of the week this will be a mental illness story, which is about the worst thing that could happen.

Loughner is crazy, but he was acting on his political beliefs in a way that has been fostered by the political right of this country since Obama got elected in 2008. When the dust settles in a week they’ll be right back to calling for armed revolution, “re-loading” and “taking their country back” whenever it suits the political needs of Republicans and their Tea Party surrogates. And they’ll deny any responsibility when the next tragedy happens.

A colleague of mine put it perfectly this weekend: this is about the language of legitimacy. It is one thing to say that Obama and Democrats are wrong on the issues, but since 2008 top Republican leaders and candidates have told their supporters that just about everything that Obama has done (including his election) is illegitimate. He’s not a citizen, he wasn’t really elected president, his healthcare plan is unconstitutional, he’s attempting to take over the country, and the list goes on and on.

When a political leader is just wrong, you fight within the law to stop them, but when a political leader is portrayed as illegitimate, then you are within your rights to do anything in your power to topple them. Why not? They aren’t there legally to begin with. This right wing narrative is not being pointed out and it is now and in the future going to open the door to even more violence against the left and the presidency of Barack Obama.  There is no “both sides” to this argument. You didn’t see liberals calling for armed revolution against George Bush, or death threats against Republican Congressmen who tried to privatize Social Security.

I, like all Americans, am saddened by the tragedy of the Tucson shooting and hope that the murderer Loughner is brought to justice. However, if we don’t want to see this happen again, it is time to finally call out the Republican leadership for their tacit promotion of this kind of violence. Eric Cantor, Sarah Palin, John Boehner and the rest will not stop using references to revolution and illegitimacy as long as they think it will get them votes. Nevertheless if the public starts to put blood on their hands maybe they’ll think twice the next time they pick up a microphone and talk revolution.


(Dr. Jason Johnson is an associate professor of political science and communications at Hiram College in Ohio, where he teaches courses in campaigns and elections, pop culture, and the politics of sports. He can be reached at johnsonja@hiram.edu.)

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An Immature Memphis Faces A Very Grown-up Discussion



An Immature Memphis Faces A Very Grown-up Discussion

By Tony Nichelson
Published on 01/20/2011

It seems as if God has intervened in Memphis to bring “pubescent” males and ambitious females in local leadership positions together on a collision course with the very thing they (and we) have avoided for so long.
Day of reckoning…

 Tony Nichelson

It seems as if God has intervened in Memphis to bring “pubescent” males and ambitious females in local leadership positions together on a collision course with the very thing they (and we) have avoided for so long. The discussions of race, class, education and economics in Shelby County have been glossed-over, avoided and postponed since court-ordered school busing led to a quick and dirty separation of half of our citizens in 1973.

Time literally stopped in this community between the years 1973-78, in the evolution of Shelby County as a cohesive community. This urban reality was, of course, not unique to Memphis, but our unique “differences” still have never been ironed-out, always lurking just beneath the surface of our skin color, our cultural fabric, and our fears of really coming together… or at least understanding the other side.

In this present “educational” crisis, it appears that no single board, agency or individual has the jurisdiction (or the gravitas) to make a binding decision. Nor do they seem to have a monopoly on ideas for solving one of this community’s most divisive issues ever. Race, class, economics and education in this community must now be viewed in light of a subtle shift in local politics, with “leaders” who have never proven that they can lead.  It is largely due to the short-sighted decisions of these people (the Memphis Council capriciously cutting $93 million from MCS in 2008), and the ambitious proclamations without forethought of those people (the Shelby County Schools Board seeking Special School District status) that we find ourselves coming to a day of reckoning for answers to “white flight,” urban crime, secession from Shelby County, and roughly eight percent voter turnouts for the past few elections.

The Charter-Surrender / Special School District issue is forcing the hand of fate, that Shelby County would now have to answer questions of civic responsibility, economic development for the “inner-city”, racial misunderstandings, small-time partisan politics, and last of all, separate-but-equal educational provisions and accommodations.

After all, what could the “differences” really be between City and County schools that are a scant 20 miles apart?  I’ll tell you the difference… people, politics, prejudices and personalities are the differences. And whether we like it or not, all of these things will be revealed as we make our way through this Charter-Surrender episode. It seems as if God has intervened in Memphis to make us all grow up a little bit.


(Anthony Nichelson is program director for the Citadel Radio Group and founder of the 110 Institute. 
anthony.nichelson@citcomm.com
110tasks@americamail.com)

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***W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Special***
Beyond The Mask: Uncovering The Truth About Domestic Violence 
Mid-South Men's Forum Preview Show:

Differences Aside, New ‘Men’s Forum’ Ready To Tackle Solutions:
http://weallbe.blogspot.com/2010/01/differences-aside-new-mens-forum-ready.html


April 13, 2008~The State Of Black America Part One*


April 20, 2008~The State Of Black America Part Two

April 27, 2008~The State Of Black America Part Three



W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News & Radio Special: Yes He Did...So Now What??? Defining The Obama Presidency...
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/weallbe/2008/11/16/Tha-Artivist-PresentsWE-ALL-BE-News-Radio


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Eagles QB Michael Vick Signs First Endorsement Contract Since Leaving Jail


Eagles QB Michael Vick Signs First Endorsement Contract Since Leaving Jail

By Rob Maaddi (CP)

1/26/2011

PHILADELPHIA — Michael Vick is back pitching products.

Vick has signed his first endorsement contract since his release from prison. The Philadelphia Eagles' Pro Bowl quarterback inked a two-year contract with Unequal Technologies, a provider of the football pads Vick wore most of last season.

The deal will be announced on Thursday.

"We're real excited about it," chief executive officer Rob Vito said Tuesday. "Michael is good people. He paid his dues. President Obama reached out to him. He deserves an opportunity. This is what makes America so great. He's moved forward. He's a whole other person."

Vito said Vick is the company's first corporate spokesman. Terms of his deal weren't disclosed. But Vito said it's a "sizable" contract.

"We believe it was worth it," he said, "because of Michael Vick and how he can shed light on the technology of our products."

Unequal Technologies makes several shock-blocking sports pads. When Vick returned after missing three games with a rib injury, he wore a vest designed by Unequal. He later wore shoulder pads and thigh pads made by the company.

"The Unequal technology is a part of my game now and I won't play without my Unequal," Vick says in a to-be-released statement. "Unequal's protective power gives me a whole new level of confidence in my game. It makes me feel invincible."

Vick was once the NFL's highest-paid player and he endorsed many products during his six seasons with the Atlanta Falcons. But Vick lost everything following his 2007 arrest on dogfighting charges, for which he served 18 months in federal prison.

He returned to the NFL in 2009 with the Eagles, and worked his way from a seldom-used third-string quarterback to the key cog on a division-winning team. He will start for the NFC in the Pro Bowl this weekend.

Vick appeared in a television commercial for a car dealership last month. However, he didn't get paid for it. He was compensated by having use of a Nissan sport utility vehicle.

Copyright © 2011 The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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Keith Olbermann And The Death Of The ‘Left’

Keith Olbermann And The Death Of The ‘Left’
Dr. Jason Johnson
1/27/2011

Like many Americans, I was absolutely shocked last week when Keith Olbermann abruptly announced that he was leaving his “Countdown” show on MSNBC. With no advanced warning MSNBC’s highest rated show and most popular personality was leaving the small screen. Olbermann’s departure brings us some serious questions about the future of the MSNBC network but more importantly the future of the progressive left on cable news networks.

“Countdown” with Keith Olbermann premiered on MSNBC eight years ago and had steadily gained in popularity, viewers and influence from day one. Olbermann, who had previous stints at ESPN and MSNBC, seemed to have finally found his niche with a show that was political, witty and the most overused of commentary phrases ‘irreverent’. In all honesty, it was an irreverent show, with Olbermann doing something that no one had ever seen the left do before on a cable news network.

Bill Clinton once lamented that there really wasn’t a “Rush Limbaugh” for the left and he was right. While liberals have done a pretty good job in Hollywood and even on editorial pages in certain big city newspapers, on radio and television they’ve failed miserably. “The Daily Show” and “Colbert Report” are great but the hosts will readily admit these shows are comedy first and news commentary second.

Air America radio died a painful death a few years back after desperately trying to sell liberal talk radio to the masses. Any investor who thought Americans would want to listen to the nasal diatribes of Janene Garofalo and Al Franken deserved to lose their shirt. When it comes to television, Rachel Maddow and Ed Shultz have been able to keep themselves alive thus far on MSNBC, but they are really clinging to the anchor of Olbermann’s show, which not only was the ratings leader at MSNBC but transformed the network as a whole.

Why is it that liberals can’t figure out television in the same way the conservative producers have at Fox News?

The formula is simple, but not many people fit the bill. Like them or not, guys such as Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck are funny and creative in their shows. Whether through parody songs or out and out mocking, they give their audience something to laugh about. Olbermann was the only liberal commentator out there who could honestly make you laugh out loud while criticizing Bush for the War on Terror.

Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly know how to brand themselves as regular guys with predictable sketches, and Olbermann’s “Worst Person in the World” segments were some of the most memorable and relatable elements of his show. Most importantly, a good political commentator has to be willing to fight, to get dirty to speak truth to power and sneer in the face of criticism. Beck has no problem attacking Obama, not just on policy but his character and values. This may not always have been the most polite public discourse, but it’s catharsis for his fans and viewers.

Liberals are constantly frustrated that it seems like their leaders never want to fight. At every turn the Democratic-led Congress caved in to Bush’s war plans, and Obama is quick to capitulate to the right, but not Olbermann. He was the one liberal out there who was funny, passionate, informed and willing to fight. Whether picking a personal fight with Bill-O or counting down the days that Bush failed to end the war in Iraq, “Countdown” with Keith Olbermann was the red meat needed for a liberal crowd that was tired of going vegan when it came to political commentary.

It was Olbermann’s passionate defense of liberal views that finally gave MSNBC an identity, as the anti-Fox News. As his show rose to prominence, MSNBC overtook CNN as the second most watched cable network to Fox News during many time slots. So why drop the man who saved your network, gave it an identity and had your highest ratings?

Perhaps it is because MSNBC is being purchased by Comcast. Perhaps it is because Olbermann was a difficult guy behind the scenes,, or maybe reasons we haven’t heard yet.  Regardless of the reason, the left is now without a spokesperson, again, and no amount of stern lectures from Rachel Maddow or bombast from Ed Schultz can replace the wit, poetry and creativity of Olbermann.

While MSNBC casts itself as the Fox News antidote with their new motto, “Lean Forward,” they apparently weren’t willing to bend over backwards to keep their most talented personality. Proving once again why the conservatives will always win the air wars.


(Dr. Jason Johnson is an associate professor of political science and communications at Hiram College in Ohio, where he teaches courses in campaigns and elections, pop culture, and the politics of sports. He can be reached at johnsonja@hiram.edu.)

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Wednesday, January 26, 2011

W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Radio Video Promo: The Scott Sisters ALIVE & LIVE!


 


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