BORN FREE by MIA

In light of the protest going on, I thought it'd be fitting to do a throwback to M.I.A.'s video 'Born Free.' The Militia State... is this a reality for the future?

WARNING: THERE ARE A FEW DISTURBING IMAGES.

State of the Union Address '11

For the most part, I enjoyed this speech. It solidified my opinion that the United States will now be taking pointers from other countries, as far as transportation and education are concerned, in future years. The summation of the Presidents words last night equaled to this: WE HAVE FALLEN BEHIND. I encourage the everyone to check out my friend's blog DON'T FORGET THE HOT SAUCE  for valuable opinion of the temperament of the room and the speech.

I hope y'alls also peeped something ODD. Why was McCain, Obama's past opponent, SO enthused through out the speech? Turns out...he's Obama's possible running mate for the 2012 election? (American Thinker) Interesting. Is politics just a puppet show? Sometimes, I wonder...

Watch the speech for yourself and form some opinions!

DADT Repeal Passes!

December 18th, 2010, marks a monumental occurrence in history. The Senate voted, 65-31, to end the 17 year ban on gays and lesbians in the military. I still feel like people are yet to realize what a rippling effect this will have on Civil Rights in our country. One hundred years from now, some child will be reading about this event in their interactive history classroom of the future and go, "wait...gay people couldn't fight in the army? why?" Very cool.

So, Obama is the figurative "man in the middle" in the debate over the tax cut deal that congress is set to vote on. Liberal democrats are upset, because the deal calls for a tax cut for the wealthiest americans. But it also could stop taxes from going up, if Congress votes in its favor. 

I say, regardless of how congress votes, the GOP is winning...

Once upon a time, American politics was very tied to the traditional party titles. These days, it seems there is no beating around the bush: politics is no longer SIMPLY about the different philosophies of running a free state, but more so a debate about the state of the economy. There is no denying the financial schism of the wealthy and the workers. 

On another note, Does Obama seem less smooth in delivering this address, or is it just me? I swear, it's more noticeable than usual that he's reading off of cue cards. That makes me feel nervous. Not only that,  he seems more "high-yellow" in this video than I've ever seen him look before. I want to say that his checkerboard anecdote was an allusion to a greater transition in the political climate, but I don't want to be negative lol. Watch the video! 

DAMN, IT FEELS GOOD TO BE A BANKER...

HAHAHAHA... Check this out. 

FIRE IN MY BELLY

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT IN THIS VIDEO!!!! 

Peep this HIGHLY controversial video art piece that was removed from HIDE/SEEK exhibition because it was offensive to some Christians...

"the Smithsonian would never have their little ants crawling all over an image of Muhammad."-Catholic League President Bill Donohue

It was later found that the video was meant to inspire AIDS awareness and prevention. 

POLITICS: NEW FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT

So, the senate has voted on a new Food Safety Act.

Here's the breakdown:

->The FDA would have recall power on tainted goods, but would not be able to sue individual producers for knowingly selling contaminated goods.

->Food producers would have to write safety plans for the government's records, in the case of an outbreak. (I wonder if the FDA will ask for a safety plan before or after a recall...)

Apparently, though, if producers sell directly to the people, they don't have to write a safety plan, because the consumer knows where the products are coming from. 

->The Secretary of Health and Human Services would be required to create a tracing system to identify and stop foodborne illnesses from spreading as efficiently and swiftly as possible.

-> Importers would have to verify goods with U.S. food safety standards.

Do you think the government should have that much foothold in the food industry? Does this affect Taco Bell in anyway? Lol

The Obama Administration: FEDERAL PAY FREEZE?!?!

Is anyone else ALARMED that the Obama Administration is putting a pay freeze on federal employees (Except for the military)? In theory, it's supposed to bring us out of the deficit.  In reality, it brings us one step closer to being a totalitarian militia-state!

The President is now  singing the same tune as his GOP opposition, with talks of "fiscal responsibility," and things of that nature, but all it sounds like is a money hungry, small powerful government that would rather see a pay freeze than a tax cut for the exceedingly wealthy. SMH. That's a mess.

Bill Gates States That We Can Decrease Population With Vaccines

Check out this video of BILL GATES talking about the excess of CO2 that human beings put out into the atmosphere. MORE IMPORTANTLY, hear for yourself how he states that we can control/decrease population with vaccines...

Anderson Calls Mich. Asst. Attorney General Andrew Shirvell A "Cyber Bully"

 

Mich. Asst. Attorney General Andrew Shirvell has been bullying a gay student council President, Chris Armstrong. Stalking, slandering, and all that. This nonsense needs to stop. Check it out, smh.

Notable Reads: White House Diary by Jimmy Carter

Former President and Nobel Laurette, Jimmy Carter, has released a new book, White House Diary,  that is sure to be a best seller. This isn't just any book. This is his own personal DIARY from his term in the Oval office! Originally 5000 pages long at the end of his presidency in 1981, President Carter chose what he felt were the best entries and compiled them into a book.

President Carter was on the Larry King Live show and stated that the book touches upon some illuminating beats to his Presidency, including forceful advocacy for nuclear containment, sustainable energy, human rights, and peace in the Middle East (not to mention, some not-so-nice remarks about the late Senator Ted Kennedy). He also includes some retrospective commentary in annotation form for a comprehensive "then and now" look at the state of American politics. This is sure to be an AMAZING read!

What's Next? A Brief History of Generation X

Where did we come from? Where are we going? Where are we now? These questions have plagued mankind for many generations, and yet, it seems, questions of time and place have never been more relevant than this day and age. Ironically, existential questions are now intrinsically intertwined with those of the collective consciousness (i.e. how did "I" become "we"?). How did we, the generation of great change, arrive at this point in history? Let's site the temperment of this point in Time. We are living through what feels like the craziest times EVER. The word "conflict" is a universally understood term and many people are conflicted. Many things are at odds. But history is a chain of events and the present does not exist without the past. Our generation is a RESULT of the choices and circumstances made by those who made decisions for our parents. Every generation is a solution to the previous generation's limitations.

The Baby Boomers were limited in their scope of vision for the future. Their lack of vision foresaw the invention of madness. The Vietnam War, the Housewife, the Ghetto, the MAN, the Hippie, the Cold War, the advertising, the toys, the sex symbols were all resulting factors of their generation and contributing factors of madness. They severed the very essence of togetherness that  many policy makers had worked so hard to uphold. The "Golden Age of Television" played a destructive game of show and tell with the American people, who, again, found themselves conflicted. Are we the democratic robocops of the world or the intrusive judgmental eye on differing ways of life? Is a soldier a hero or a villain? Is perspective everything? The Baby Boomers were torn apart by the dangerous double edges of such rhetorical questions, but CONTINUED to digress from REAL resolution. 


They had seen too much. Their bubbles had been "POP"-ed by the mainstream. "Popular culture," as it became known, took a note from "the hippies" they once ostracized.The youth started dancing their stresses and pain away with the arrival of the MTV Network and the advent of the music video. Of course, once an independent lifestyle becomes mainstream, it becomes detrimental. The glorification of the vices of "Miami life" confused the first wave of the "MTV generation." They began abusing drugs and desensitcizing relationships by romanticizing romance wiith larger than life stars and surreal movie scenes. It seems that after the war, everyone went "fucking" nuts! The G.I. Joe Act from decades before had created a schism between suburbia and the inner city ghetto, and the affects of popular culture on low-income "hoods" created several subcultures to perpetuate the vicious cycle of capitalism. They overpopulated the already over-crowded inner city and masked the problem by distorting hip hop culture, BLACK culture into something gaudy and materialistic. Meanwhile, the upper class increased their wealth. Big Businesses were on the rise again after an industrial collapse. And together, the classes, with their varying institutions of thought, continued to increase the birth rate...

And birthed GENERATION X. The most CONFUSED generation to date...

We may have discovered AOL and advanced technology, but the Baby Boomers saw TRUE LOVE. For that, they forever have one up on us. Generation X, the "Second Wave" of the MTV generation, is also the ADD generation. We can't focus on any one thing for too long because we have too many options. The Vietnam War, the first televised war, made the parents of Generation X insane. Women were fighting to get out of the kitchen and into the work force. Pedophiles moved into the neighborhoods. Veterans were drinking in cardboard boxes on street corners, raving mad about a system that had forgotten about them. Overworked fathers, still clinging onto the American Dream, became alcoholics. Psychology and Sigmund Freud began diagnosing after the fact. The time span of wars became highly concentrated and people lived in fear of the Soviets, of Communism, of Atomic Energy. Generation X was birthed into a world that worked on fear. Kids were kept indoors and in front of a TV, being programmed to obsess about "things" they didn't need to boost the suffering economy.

The parents of Generation X were being swindled by prospering "Mad Men." The TV became a baby sitter. The baby sitter became a gossip, attentive in all the wrong ways. And the advent of Home Entertainment became a new psychological addiction. Video games, Teen Dramas, Wrestling, Commercials, Hollywood...The Industry! Big TVs, big stereos, COMPUTERS! The Patriarchy, once upheld by the nuclear family, was now upheld by a new type of "digitized" Matrix! Sound waves and high frequencies from all directions blocked people from thinking on their own. Subliminal messages were everywhere and inescapable and the media, with it's negative overcast, pretended to be confused about Columbine, JonBonet Ramsey, Anorexia, armed robbery and unabombers when they perpetuated the insane images to begin with!

And so, Generation X, a generation born into fear, clung onto the fairy tales that the "Disney World" provided them. But cartoons "stopped being polite, and started getting REAL." Then violent. The "anti-hero" was placed on a pedestal as a protagonist, while supermarkets profited. Cartoons were used to advertise foods lacking nutrients and kids were more concerned with the toy in the happy meal than they were with the fat saturated burger. GENERATION X became obsessed with bringing to life a fantasy that wasn't real to begin with. We started making barbies and robots out of ourselves, without even realizing what we were doing! Divorce rates sky rocketed. It seemed the parents of the era of the first wave were late in concluding that fairytales don't exist. They were stubborn and couldn't give up on their American dream. They fooled themselves into believing they were making progress, despite the fact that their minds and their spirits were conflicted.


With depleting resources and down sizing, the Middle Class and their youth became the topic of debate. Politics became entertainment as Liberals and Conservatives took the stage, playing two sides of the same coin. And here we are, the second wave of the final current. A generation with so much potential for change, but no direction. We have no definitive stand points but progression at any cost. Knowledge, science, numbers, are the only universal truths. Religion is not the crazy glue for most families and communities that it once was. 

Today's youth barely pray and are desperately searching for their spirituality, often turning to basic Astrology as means for knowledge of self. So NOW... our generation faces our own set of double-edged questions. Do we progress in an unhealthy direction or regress to aid those suffering at the hands of neglect? Do we continue to seek enlightenment, perhaps to the defeat of morality, or do we remain ignorant behind the veil of comforting fairy tales?

We don't know. We don't give a fizzuck. "SHOTS,SHOTS, SHOTS!!!"

So, we smoke more potent marijuana then the hippies did. So much so, its legalization has become politically debated as a solution to yet another recessing economy.  We self-medicate worse than the first wave so we can escape the fact we're feeling pressured by the uncertainty of the future. And because its fun. Middle school students are drinking. High school students are fainting from intoxication. College students are dying, for the relationships they wished they had or that their parents had. We party to the beat of hypersexuality. Contraception is wide spread and necessary. It's also unhealthy and unnatural. And scientists are claiming that the end of the human being is close, with the nearing of the next stage of our evolution...Homo Evolutus. The World is over populated. China instituted the "one-child rule." Other countries let people STARVE. Water will soon be an expensive commodity and, if we are not careful, the endangerment of the middle class will be REAL. Socialism is coming to America and it's not coincidence that music videos have begun portraying the militia-state.


Learn from your past. We are NOT exempt from drastic change. We are change.... A beat poet was handed a lobotomy for dishing out the truth about the Vietnam War and politics. Now, the beat poets are heroes...and vegetables... Or dead. People should have heeded the warning of the concerned for the unaware.

Unfortunately, it's about time for a civil war.It's about time for a renaissance. It's about time for a reconstruction of the system. It's about time for self-awareness. In 50 years, we will be history. What will they be saying about us? They'll say we lived through terrorism, lived through cloning, lived to see the first Black president. What's next for Generation X? Z...the end, because no one can figure out why.

Coming full circle, how did "I" become "we"? Group think. Help yourself and afford yourself a life. Social entrepreneurs will see the future. They handed you a dream but remember you have your own. Resist brainwashing.

Wyclef Jean Can't Be President of Haiti...

For Hip Hop News & Entertainment at DimeWars.Com

I guess he doesn't satisfy all the legal requirements. If he was legit, this wouldn't even be an issue...

Do You Know About Red Mass?

I remember learning in high school (actually middle school) that one of the reasons why people were so apprehensive and uptight about President John F. Kennedy being in office was religion. People were genuinely afraid that the Pope would eventually usurp the power from the government and that the Catholic Church would take on world domination. It goes without saying that separation of church and state has always been a major topic...

Well, why is there something called RED MASS, then, if that is the case? Red Mass is an annual Church ceremony that all political and governmental officials attend (a lot of times even the President of the United States) at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D. C. Every year they all come together and request guidance from the Holy Spirit and take the opportunity for reflection on what Catholics believe is the God-given power and responsibility of all in the legal profession. I think it's an interesting thing. One side of me says...YES, for ethics and a sense of morality in politics. The other side of me says...but wait...why is it a CATHOLIC Mass? Why is it a PENTECOSTAL Mass when Catholics don't believe in speaking in tongues? Isn't this a violation of separation of church and state?

Daily Rant: The News and the Negative Overcast

Do you notice that the news has a negative overcast these days? When was the last time you turned on the local news and heard news delivered with a positive tone? I took a class on Media and Politics...and learned the media intentionally delivers news with this tone...because Without conflict, there is no news!!

It speaks to our culture these days. Conflict and negativity heightens the sense of urgency. The Media doesn't want peace...they don't want people to COEXIST...there would be nothing to report! Politics, in general, is just for entertainment purposes. Disagree if you wish, but I'm just sayin'...

The Culture War Developing in Afghanistan

The New York Times blogged about the military's disapproval of the people who choose not to fight in the War in Afghanistan. It's interesting to me. Why would anybody be judgmental of citizens exercising their right to remain peaceful? If you ask me, it sounds like the military is picking up on the fact that the U.S. government is completely down with continuing the war for as long as possible. If that happens, the people who have already enlisted are stuck fighting...touchy subject. Read the article and see what you think about the matter.

Eryka Badu is Evolving...

Eryka Badu feat. D. Nito - Window Seat Remix from D. Nito on Vimeo.

You might have heard about it on CNN, or whatever your news provider of choice is, that Eryka Badu gets naked in her latest music video: "Window Seat".  There's a whole lot going on in this video. Perhaps we are getting a glance at Badu's true political views. Fined $500 for walking over JFK's grave...criticized for traumatizing pedestrian observers...viewers should ask themselves what Badu is trying to say as she bares all to evolve! Take a look. 

Foreign Policy: Tropical Contenders in Winter Olympics

Check out Foreignpolicy.com's Photo Essay "Olympic Outliers." Ghana, Ethiopia, and Jamaica are competing!

Khalifa Tower: The Tower of Babel?

1	"And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2	And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3	And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
4	And they said, Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5	And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6	And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7	Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8	So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9	Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth. -Genesis 11:1-9

Immediately following the dawn of the new year, the Khalifa Tower (the tallest man-made structure ever built) officially opened in Dubai, United Arab Emirates in the main business district. The tower itself cost US$1.5 billion dollars to make and recreating downtown Dubai cost an extra US$20 billion. In 2007, Dubai was considered the economic capital of the world. Recently in 2010 however, the completion of the tower coincided with a global economic slump and overbuilding, calling for a bank bailout in order to maintain stability in global economic recovery. (CNN Money)

The attention surrounding Dubai and the Khalifa Tower made me think of the tower of Babel. Is money the universal language of the world? The world shows more response to possible economic collapse then it does to extreme poverty on the immediate basis for fear that we, ourselves, will also become impoverished. Even with the recent event in Haiti, it became apparent that the most recognized response to tragedy always generates money. Are we obsessed with climbing new heights? Does money really talk?

Question: What 's This Freemasonry/ Illuminati Stuff?

It seems awareness of the existence of secret societies in the world is more widespread, now, than ever. Talk of Masonry and Illuminati are circulating celebrity gossip blogs everywhere. But what are these societies anyway? What relevancy do they hold in popular culture and why should we even be concerned?

To begin:

"Freemasonry is the oldest and largest world wide fraternity dedicated to the Brotherhood of Man under the Fatherhood of a Supreme Being. Although of a religious nature, Freemasonry is not a religion. It urges its members, however, to be faithful and devoted to their own religious beliefs.

 The organization of Freemasonry is based on a system of Grand Lodges, each sovereign within its own territory. There is no central authority governing all Grand Lodges. However, to be acknowledged by others, acceptable traditions, standards and practices must be maintained." (Grandlodge).

So, basically, Freemasonry is just the oldest fraternity. Freemasonry, in and of itself, is not a bad thing at all and is a collection of powerful men above the age of 21 with various religious backgrounds coming together in the good name of brotherhood, charity and progression. But much like any group, whether it be religious or political, it's the extremist sects that branch from the ideas of a group that warrant any concern.

This is where the Illuminati come in. The Illuminati are completely independent of Freemasonry, although many powerful Masons are believed to be Illuminati:

"As far as history can suggest, Illuminati groups from Europe were some of the more advanced thinkers of the time period, reflecting humanism philosophy emerging at the time. They were opposed to power exerted by churches and by the nobility. The organization, as a secret society, was illegal. During its early years, this secret society may have had as many as 10 branches in Europe and 2000 members drawn from the intellectuals in Europe. According to historical sources, the Illuminati fell apart by 1795.

This is when speculation and conspiracy theory steps in to lend a hand. Conspiracy theorists assert that the Illuminati still exists today and has extraordinary influence over governments. One thing considered “evidence” of existence is the presence of the eye on the pyramid of a one US dollar (USD) bill. And most conspiracy beliefs held about the Illuminati consider the order as largely influential on the Freemasons.

Some believe that key members in the early formation of the US government, like Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin were members of the Illuminati, and that the group continues to influence world government. It is suggested that the Illuminati have taken an active role in most major events in history. Some theorists allege that certain Presidents and members of the British monarchy are Illuminati members.

The Illuminati has recently gained some popularity with the Dan Brown novel Angels and Demons. Brown is most recognizable as the author of The Da Vinci Code. He takes the Illuminati on as a subject of interest, suggesting that all major scientific thinkers from the Age of Reason onward have been secret Illuminati members.

Brown depicts a constant war between the Illuminati and the Roman Catholic Church, outlining the conflict between not only Atheism and Christianity but also specifically science and religion. His work, which many acknowledge advances conspiracy theories about the group, suggest the Illuminati is still in existence and in continued warfare with the Vatican. Brown also intimates that the Illuminati have infiltrated every powerful political organization, and is largely composed of the world’s scientific community.

Nonfiction works have made the same contention as Brown’s, that the Illuminati still exists today and is in constant battle with the Catholic Church. Some theorists believe that the Illuminati work toward establishing a New World Order and have influenced most world events in the 20th century. What can be verified is that there are several groups calling themselves Illuminati in the 20th century, based on the principles of the Bavarian and European groups. These include the German Ordo Illuminatorum, the Grand Lodge Rockefeller in the USA, and the Spanish Orden Illuminati" (Wise Geek).

Understand that the Illuminati is a group concerned with power and knowledge. Though it's believed that the Illuminati are no longer in existence, many think the opposite. Stars, like Jay-Z and Madonna, subtly and not-so-subtly allude to the group all the time. We being the second wave of the MTV generation are generally highly influenced by media and popular culture. The entertainment industry is the biggest reflection of a slowly corrupting culture. What do you think?

"Illuminati wants my mind soul and body? Secret society, tryna keep their eye on me"-Jay-Z