Morning drive radio dribble
Only further serves to cripple
Bombastic beats
And a 100 thousand watts of clear crystal
Mind numbing lyrics
That often belittle
Served up by mistral DJ’s on their Thizzell
What started as a drizzle
Has now exploded
Into a tsunami
Of radio foolishness
Modern day Amos and Andy’s
At their masters behest
Further the conquest
Cuz- if it’s said on Joyner or Baisden
Who among us will second guess?
In the 80’s we hailed BET as a critical success
Sleeping on the threat
As they poisoned the minds of our brightest and best
Only to learn it was just a test
Have it said on the “black” media, the Negro Wikipedia
And the rest of them follow like sheep
Furthering their propensity for self induced sleep
Like Pavlov’s dogs
Slumbering minds tend to repeat
Self fulfilling doctrines of doom and defeat
What we have failed to peep
Is how completely they’ve captured our behavior and tendencies
30 minutes in the morning
Thousands of heads bobbing to the same lower vibrational frequencies
Fulfilling negative prophesies
Downloading streams of hypocrisy
Whether is a belief in a Negro version of the blond and blue Theology
Or that now a man of color is in the white house
How we must imbibe from the cup of democracy
Yet the inner city atrocities
Mount at an alarming rate
And thousands of black children
Are primed
For generational insignificance
As parents, teachers and care givers
Are not able to rinse
Minds filled with ghetto garbage
We may as well prepare more young men to be targets
As Pac said
Teardrops and closed caskets
Become habits formed
Funerals and prison sentences become the norm
When POTUS speaks on that – if ever?
Do you hear much alarm?
Evoking the words of Marvin Paul Gaye
What’s going on?
I’m still blown any by the angst that surrounded the Jenna six
And the canonization of Michael Dwayne Vick
But I should know by now
When it comes to rationalizing plain black foolishness
We tend to pour it on thick
But forget
Those folks behind the mics are often tricks
What they spit
Sounds like we need to startin something
But it aint like we talking bout
Malcolm, Rosa, Harriet or Martin
So to borrow a slam I used in high school
I beg your ugly pardon
I walk down the street and see people starvin
Carvin
An existence out of the bleakest of circumstances
But we don’t give a fuck
As long as we can master the stanky leg
And the electric slide
And get choked off that good let me ride
We are happy to ignore generational suicide
What disguise as black pride
Takes us deeper in to complacency and assimilation
Pay attention! Don’t sleep on the sponsors of your favorite radio station
That’s how you peep the game of major corporations
It doesn’t take a whole lot of education
To see how others profit
From our inability to stop our self hatin
But I must give credit where credit is due
They may not have saw hip hop coming
With its latent power to reach masses
Give a neo soul voice to the lower classes
But they got up to speed hella fast
And when they did
They found way finance an ugly violent bastard
And they knew – they knew
If given the juice
The so called black media would blast it
So from every hood from BK to south central
It would be central
To create the illusion of black radio
Silliness in the same vein
As Moe Larry and Curly Joe
No longer did you have to be masters like mos def, and Talib with hella flow
Just get a dope beat
And call your women bitches and hoes
Your joint gonna be in Majic’s rotation
But what amazes me is to hear the sista’s rationalization
Well it’s good to dance to - I just ignore the lyrics
Are you sick?
We can’t have it both ways in 2009
We should be primed
To go to a much higher level
Not bow homage to
To the musiq of the devil
And then become bedeviled on why our children are confused
As long as we play by the enemies rules
Our schools will be battlegrounds and our neighborhoods killing fields
Kids emulating lil Wayne and TI
Hoping for record deals
Hoping their skills will get them paid
Parents seeing dollar signs
Become afraid
To emphasize higher learning
And development of self
So they become modern day strange fruit
With no roots
Banging in
Red and blue in communities that mimic Beirut
As Michael said
We need to look in the man in the mirror
If we are honest
Then it will become clearer
That we have become removed far from the greatness of the Nile
Or those who marched to freedom through hundreds of unforgiving miles
But, at least we have
Clear channel beats
And presidential smiles
Which overshadow the denial
As media madness dominates the radio dial
Sleepin on the genius of brothers like Bilal
Wack ass lyrics infecting another lost child
Another day another trial
And thanks to Clear Channel -
Another segment of black folks gone wild
Monday, August 31, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Bringing Closure to Camelot
Nine year old boys have a proclivity for making their mother’s nervous, but in the summer of 1968, my request not only made her nervous, but it gave her a headache. This nine year who was fascinated by the Kennedy’s, stunned by the recent murder of Robert Kennedy, and enthralled by the image of the eternal flame, demanded what we interrupt our Washington vacation to go to Arlington so that I could “bless” the Kennedy brothers. My mother’s first thought was “who does he think he is – the Pope?” Little did my mother know that at early age, I had developed an addiction for Camelot. Now with the last of the Kennedy brothers, Senator Edward Kennedy stilled after a battle with brain cancer, I begun to reflect not just on the life of Senator Edward Moore Kennedy, but on the impressions and impact that America’s last political dynasty had on me, my politics, and my view of America, race, and power.
By age 13, eighty percent of what I know today about the Kennedy’s I already knew. For example, I knew that Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. born two years before John was their father’s first choice to be President, and how the mantle passed to Jack, only after Joe Jr. was shot down and killed during World War II. I knew about the lobotomy of Rosemary, and was versed in the stories of colorful grandfather Honey “Fitz” Fitzgerald. By sixteen, had read most of Theodore White’s Making of the President series and learned how the Kennedy’s as far back as 1958 begin mapping out a national election strategy, and how John Kennedy dealt issue of his Catholicism in 1960. I also read how Robert Kennedy struggled to make the final break with Lyndon Johnson and challenge him for the Presidency. I knew about their love for touch football, about their Hyannis port compound, and names like Sergeant Shriver, and Ted Sorenson were familiar to me as my own family’s names. Although I was too young to remember the murder of John Kennedy, I will never forget the 2 am call June 5, 1968 that my mother received which sent her screaming. It would not be until the election of Barack Obama forty years later, that I felt America had earned her redemption.
After the death of Robert Kennedy in 1968, like many Americans, I realized that the torch of the Kennedy family had passed to “Teddy”. Like many Americans I was hurt and disappointed that his personal choices would ultimately deny him what many of us thought was rightly his. As such, many who mourn the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy today, mourn the elder statesman who is now spoken about with the same reverence of past Senatorial giants like Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, of another age, or his brother’s political rival Senator Adlai Stevenson, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan of more modern times. Yet Edward Moore Kennedy made himself a great Senator by the sheer force of will and determination – he surely wasn’t born one. Let’s we forget, he became a Senator by succeeding his brother John, and for many of those years was viewed as a political lightweight, whose sole asset was his last name. Often over that same tumultuous period, he was seen as a caricature of himself, often featured in political satire as overweight, and drunk. His public personal has always been a mess as he crafted an image of a train wreck and for many years it didn’t appear he would do much in the way of personal rehabilitation.
Then something changed, as the country mired in the malaise of the post Vietnam 70’s, Senator Kennedy found his voice - at least his political one. But was it too late? In November of 1979 saying “The country is ready to advance, it is willing to stand, and so am I”, Senator Edward Kennedy announced that he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination. And in doing so, like his brother Robert, he was taking on an unpopular sitting President of his own party. It was a high stake political calculation that would either bring about the restoration of the Kennedys to the nation’s highest office, or be vilified as an insurgent candidacy that would divide the party and hand the White House to Ronald Reagan. Ultimately, the Kennedy campaign failed yet, seemingly undaunted by what could have been his political Waterloo, Senator Kennedy seemed to grow in front of us. He roused the audience at the 1980 Democratic Convention, in what may have his most defining moment. It seemed like at that moment, Edward Moore Kennedy was liberated, freed from having to seek what appeared to be the family birthright, the Presidency of the United States. At that moment, Senator Kennedy seemed to realize, history would now define him as a United States Senator – not as President. As such, Edward Kennedy begun amassed his own legacy, using his influence, his oratory skills, his legislative clout, to speak on behalf, of the underserved, and underclass.
His 2008 endorsement of then Senator Barack Obama was a game changer, and in doing so, put the nail in the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, wife of long time political rival former President William Clinton. Now with Richter scale irony, Senator Kennedy’s death comes at time a man of color is in the White House, and as his dream of universal health care lies in the balance. Nearly fifty years ago on the eve of his inauguration, John Kennedy gave his youngest brother an ash tray that had carved on the bottom “the last shall be first”. That gift seemed to be prophetic. As in the end, Edward Moore Kennedy reluctantly took the baton from his more celebrated brothers, with a whimper - but finished the race with a roar. As the Lion of the Senate lies in repose, a remarkable chapter, of American power, American triumph, and American tragedy that we knew as Camelot comes to a close.
Well done Senator Kennedy.
Rest in Peace.
By age 13, eighty percent of what I know today about the Kennedy’s I already knew. For example, I knew that Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. born two years before John was their father’s first choice to be President, and how the mantle passed to Jack, only after Joe Jr. was shot down and killed during World War II. I knew about the lobotomy of Rosemary, and was versed in the stories of colorful grandfather Honey “Fitz” Fitzgerald. By sixteen, had read most of Theodore White’s Making of the President series and learned how the Kennedy’s as far back as 1958 begin mapping out a national election strategy, and how John Kennedy dealt issue of his Catholicism in 1960. I also read how Robert Kennedy struggled to make the final break with Lyndon Johnson and challenge him for the Presidency. I knew about their love for touch football, about their Hyannis port compound, and names like Sergeant Shriver, and Ted Sorenson were familiar to me as my own family’s names. Although I was too young to remember the murder of John Kennedy, I will never forget the 2 am call June 5, 1968 that my mother received which sent her screaming. It would not be until the election of Barack Obama forty years later, that I felt America had earned her redemption.
After the death of Robert Kennedy in 1968, like many Americans, I realized that the torch of the Kennedy family had passed to “Teddy”. Like many Americans I was hurt and disappointed that his personal choices would ultimately deny him what many of us thought was rightly his. As such, many who mourn the loss of Senator Edward Kennedy today, mourn the elder statesman who is now spoken about with the same reverence of past Senatorial giants like Henry Clay, and Daniel Webster, of another age, or his brother’s political rival Senator Adlai Stevenson, and Daniel Patrick Moynihan of more modern times. Yet Edward Moore Kennedy made himself a great Senator by the sheer force of will and determination – he surely wasn’t born one. Let’s we forget, he became a Senator by succeeding his brother John, and for many of those years was viewed as a political lightweight, whose sole asset was his last name. Often over that same tumultuous period, he was seen as a caricature of himself, often featured in political satire as overweight, and drunk. His public personal has always been a mess as he crafted an image of a train wreck and for many years it didn’t appear he would do much in the way of personal rehabilitation.
Then something changed, as the country mired in the malaise of the post Vietnam 70’s, Senator Kennedy found his voice - at least his political one. But was it too late? In November of 1979 saying “The country is ready to advance, it is willing to stand, and so am I”, Senator Edward Kennedy announced that he was a candidate for the Democratic nomination. And in doing so, like his brother Robert, he was taking on an unpopular sitting President of his own party. It was a high stake political calculation that would either bring about the restoration of the Kennedys to the nation’s highest office, or be vilified as an insurgent candidacy that would divide the party and hand the White House to Ronald Reagan. Ultimately, the Kennedy campaign failed yet, seemingly undaunted by what could have been his political Waterloo, Senator Kennedy seemed to grow in front of us. He roused the audience at the 1980 Democratic Convention, in what may have his most defining moment. It seemed like at that moment, Edward Moore Kennedy was liberated, freed from having to seek what appeared to be the family birthright, the Presidency of the United States. At that moment, Senator Kennedy seemed to realize, history would now define him as a United States Senator – not as President. As such, Edward Kennedy begun amassed his own legacy, using his influence, his oratory skills, his legislative clout, to speak on behalf, of the underserved, and underclass.
His 2008 endorsement of then Senator Barack Obama was a game changer, and in doing so, put the nail in the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, wife of long time political rival former President William Clinton. Now with Richter scale irony, Senator Kennedy’s death comes at time a man of color is in the White House, and as his dream of universal health care lies in the balance. Nearly fifty years ago on the eve of his inauguration, John Kennedy gave his youngest brother an ash tray that had carved on the bottom “the last shall be first”. That gift seemed to be prophetic. As in the end, Edward Moore Kennedy reluctantly took the baton from his more celebrated brothers, with a whimper - but finished the race with a roar. As the Lion of the Senate lies in repose, a remarkable chapter, of American power, American triumph, and American tragedy that we knew as Camelot comes to a close.
Well done Senator Kennedy.
Rest in Peace.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Beyond Vietnam Speech - Dr. King the Radical
EXCEPTS FROM THE SPEECH
“Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns, this query has often loomed large and loud: "Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent?" "Peace and civil rights don't mix," they say. "Aren't you hurting the cause of your people?" they ask. And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.”
“There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war”
“So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.”
“If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read "Vietnam."
“They must see Americans as strange liberators.”
“I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and dealt death and corruption in Vietnam.”
“If we do not stop our war against the people of Vietnam immediately, the world will be left with no other alternative than to see this as some horrible, clumsy, and deadly game we have decided to play. The world now demands a maturity of America that we may not be able to achieve.”
“As we counsel young men concerning military service, we must clarify for them our nation's role in Vietnam and challenge them with the alternative of conscientious objection.”
“A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, "This is not just." It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, "This is not just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.”
“These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wounds of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We in the West must support these revolutions.”
Martin Luther King Jr. April 4, 1967
“The Americans are forcing even their friends into becoming their enemies. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom, and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism.”
“Over the past two years, as I have moved to break the betrayal of my own silences and to speak from the burnings of my own heart, as I have called for radical departures from the destruction of Vietnam, many persons have questioned me about the wisdom of my path. At the heart of their concerns, this query has often loomed large and loud: "Why are you speaking about the war, Dr. King? Why are you joining the voices of dissent?" "Peace and civil rights don't mix," they say. "Aren't you hurting the cause of your people?" they ask. And when I hear them, though I often understand the source of their concern, I am nevertheless greatly saddened, for such questions mean that the inquirers have not really known me, my commitment, or my calling. Indeed, their questions suggest that they do not know the world in which they live.”
“There were experiments, hopes, new beginnings. Then came the buildup in Vietnam, and I watched this program broken and eviscerated as if it were some idle political plaything of a society gone mad on war”
“So we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.”
“If America's soul becomes totally poisoned, part of the autopsy must read "Vietnam."
“They must see Americans as strange liberators.”
“I speak as a child of God and brother to the suffering poor of Vietnam. I speak for those whose land is being laid waste, whose homes are being destroyed, whose culture is being subverted. I speak for the poor of America who are paying the double price of smashed hopes at home, and dealt death and corruption in Vietnam.”
“If we do not stop our war against the people of Vietnam immediately, the world will be left with no other alternative than to see this as some horrible, clumsy, and deadly game we have decided to play. The world now demands a maturity of America that we may not be able to achieve.”
“As we counsel young men concerning military service, we must clarify for them our nation's role in Vietnam and challenge them with the alternative of conscientious objection.”
“A true revolution of values will soon look uneasily on the glaring contrast of poverty and wealth. With righteous indignation, it will look across the seas and see individual capitalists of the West investing huge sums of money in Asia, Africa, and South America, only to take the profits out with no concern for the social betterment of the countries, and say, "This is not just." It will look at our alliance with the landed gentry of South America and say, "This is not just." The Western arrogance of feeling that it has everything to teach others and nothing to learn from them is not just.”
“These are revolutionary times. All over the globe men are revolting against old systems of exploitation and oppression, and out of the wounds of a frail world, new systems of justice and equality are being born. The shirtless and barefoot people of the land are rising up as never before. The people who sat in darkness have seen a great light. We in the West must support these revolutions.”
Martin Luther King Jr. April 4, 1967
“The Americans are forcing even their friends into becoming their enemies. It is curious that the Americans, who calculate so carefully on the possibilities of military victory, do not realize that in the process they are incurring deep psychological and political defeat. The image of America will never again be the image of revolution, freedom, and democracy, but the image of violence and militarism.”
Monday, August 17, 2009
Women's Health Pamphlet
Introduction
Believe that everyone has a life purpose. I discovered much of mine later than most. In 2001 it became clear that wellness, fitness and nutrition was a subject that I need to learn about, both for my personal health, as well as to share with others. In 2001 I fasted for 10 days subsisting only off of juices from a juicer, smoothies, green tea, and water. Before my fast, I ate only live or raw fruits for three or for days. As a result, I lost about 20 pounds. During the fast I continued my everyday life, and maintained my workout schedule and my creativity and clarity increased exponentially. Prior to the fast, I had a complete physical to make sure I was up to it. Fasting while a very healthy and cleansing approach – and for most – very safe - may not be for everyone. I mention it only in the context of how important wellness had become to me.
My life destiny was to be raised by two women, my mother and grandmother. As such, I developed a profound respect for women in general, and black women in particular. During my study of wellness it became clear that the physical issues of black women were linked to spiritual and emotional issues. I also learned that excess weight has a spiritual and emotional component. Often the weight of emotional issues manifest in the physical body, it is almost as if the body feels as if it needs the extra weight to carry the emotional burdens that women often bear. It is in this vein that I developed this pamphlet.
My goal is not to change anyone’s belief system, or to convince anyone to my opinions, and beliefs, however it is my goal to provide what I believe to be information that is useful, positive, and true. Wellness is spiritual, as well as physical. Ancient cultures understood the concept of “as above – so below” meaning how you felt spiritually impacted your physical body. The origin of disease is dis-ease, meaning that the spirit, your divine self, is uncomfortable with the choices of the physical body. Hence the body is out of alignment with the true purpose of the spirit. This is not a religious document, nor do I advocate any particular religious belief system, but I do endorse the concept that our overall wellness is linked to our spiritual selves – however we define that concept.
I started this document with a discussion on Visualization for a reason. The Gospel writer Luke wrote about the Parable of the Good Sower. The essence of that story was - unless the word of God has fertile grown, it can not take root. The same can be said for wellness. In order for wellness to be a part of our lives it must be rooted in fertile soil. For us it begins with visualization. In Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People he discusses the concept of “beginning with the end in mind” – that too is visualization. There is a visual image of you being the picture of health. Embrace that vision, put a picture of it in your room so you see it when you go to bed, and when you wake up, give that vision a name, talk to it, journal about it, and make affirmations to support it. In that manner you are the “good sower”.
Let wellness begin in your mind’s eye, without that, like the word of God, it will not take root, it will give way to doubts (either yours or others), it will give way to deception, and misconceptions, impatience, and the desire for instant gratification. You will need clarity in mind, body and soul to make any radical life changes.
Often when people make life changes their worldview changes – what they found funny becomes inane, people who they used to value they now have little use for. You may develop a new circle of friends, discover hidden talents, and engage in new activities, while discarding old outdated habits, thoughts and emotions. With the clarity of wellness, your entire life is subject to review.
You will find that you have new sources of energy and focus, the ability to set goals – and reach goals, develop greater discipline, and create new boundaries for yourself. Your ability to create, dream and visualize will expand exponentially. In essence wellness creates a new you. The world doesn’t change, but your perception of the world, what is possible will change.
One of the great examples of growth through change and wellness was a man named Malcolm Little. Mr. Little was a pimp, and hustler who ended up in prison. Had he died in prison, or resumed his prior life after leaving prison he would just been another lost black man. Even during his years of crime, he was well aware of racism in America – but something happened – he evolved and became el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz – better known as Malcolm X. America had not changed an iota with respect to racism, or injustice, but Malcolm changed, his evolution continued until his death. Brother Shabazz embraced wellness, and as he embraced wellness, he evolved into his true self, and discarded the unevolved imposter that was Malcolm Little.
What is possible for Malcolm X and others is possible for you. Wellness is your birthright – your physical body has all the tools within to heal itself, prevent disease, and provide you with the energy needed to live out your dreams. Allow your mind’s eye to create the live that you deserve.
Peace
Phillip W. Johnson
March 12, 2009
This document is dedicated to the memory of my Maternal Grandmother Estella Mae Perkins
November 24, 1903 – March 18, 1999
The Power of Visualization
Every thought ripples throughout the body. Scientists nowadays are well aware of the connection between mind and body. The storage of memories in the brain is a mind-body phenomenon. Say you went on a first date and had a wonderful time.
On the way home you feel in love. You replay the evening over and over in your mind. You even make stuff up, maybe even imagining the wedding day in the future, or the proposal. You’re not alone. We’ve all done it.
Scientific studies have shown that the consistent replaying of bits of the evening over and over again in your mind will mean that the memory is strongly encoded in your brain. When your feelings are really strong you will actually grow brain cells in what is known as neurogenesis.
Here’s the thing: Before you replayed the evening over and over in your mind – what is known as creative replay - there were no brain cells in a specific area. After replaying it several times there were. You have created matter where there was none before. Think about it. That’s the biological power of visualization. It is also one of the reasons why visualizing yourself well when you are sick can speed up your recovery.
Many scientific studies have actually shown that the mind can speed up recovery from illness. Placebo studies clearly show that a belief in wellness results in healing. Some scientists believe this is how visualisation heals. When you visualise, and believe in what you are doing, then healing takes place. There are many seemingly miraculous stories of people who have done so. But it’s more than just faith.
There’s a well-known story of a man who damaged his liver beyond repair in an accident. After spending a while in hospital he was sent home with a contraption that had tubes going into and out of his body. This was for life. But he learned a technique known as ‘creative visualisation’ where he would spend hours visualising his damaged liver cells being repaired.
At first, he saw the cells in his mind as black, shrivelled, damaged prunes, but he took an imaginary toothbrush and imagined cleaning the cells, one by one. As he did this he saw them turn a healthy pink colour.
After three months of visualisation he had an accident at home and one of the tubes was torn out of his body. He was rushed to hospital and x-rayed to survey the damage prior to an operation. But the doctors discovered that his liver was completely repaired.
Ultimately, I don’t really think that the actual image we use in visualising is too important. Otherwise, we would all need to use the same ones. The visual image is merely a symbol of what you wish – you intend – to happen. It’s the keeping your mind on what you wish to happen that’s important. The visual image just helps you keep it there.
Visualisation works in life too. Visualising your dreams coming true is one sure fire way to make them happen. The Law of Attraction operates here. That which we focus on most of the time is attracted into our lives.
Say you wanted a new house. Visualising the house you want will immediately begin to move you in the direction of getting it. You get inspirations to turn left instead of right and you seem to just say the right things at the right time. This is the influence of your intention on your brain.
‘Stuff’ also begins to happen and people come into your life who can help you. Scientific studies spawned out of cutting edge theories of quantum physics have revealed an interconnectedness to all things. In other words, every thought resonates at the quantum level absolutely everywhere. If that sounds like too much to get your head around, just trust the physicists and mathematicians who have proven it.
In other words, when you visualise your new house, the thought goes outwards from you in all directions – like the way a radio station broadcasts a signal - and resonates with everybody else. Then people are drawn to you – usually in coincidental ways – who can help.
I often describe it using the metaphor of a spider’s web. How does a spider know that a fly is trapped in its web? It feels the vibrations. So in the same way, people feel the vibrations (at a deep unconscious and quantum level) of your dreams, as you do theirs. This is why statistical studies have shown that we are usually able to sense who it is when the phone rings far more than the law of averages would suggest. It is also why studies of cats and dogs show that they instantly know when their owner has left work. They feel the vibrations.
So if you want to heal your body, visualise! If you want to live your dream, visualise! If you want inner peace, visualise! And be open-minded to the possibility that what your thinking about might just happen.
We usually do the opposite. A person wishing for a new house will usually do far more complaining about the house they currently have, and that they don’t have enough money to get the house they want, and that their husband leaves the toilet seat up, etc, than imagining what they actually want.
Where’s most of their attention? On the opposite of what they want? They want a new house but they are focusing on the one they have. Think about it! So what are they going to get? More of what they already have. They’ll prolong their stay at their current house.
Instead of sending out vibes that attract people into their lives they’ll send out vibes that keep them away. It’s the same with all aspects of our lives. So here’s the experiment: Notice how much attention you give to what you don’t want and change to thinking about what you do want. See what happens.
With such great power at your hands – that what you focus on comes into your life – try to be responsible. What you choose to create defines who you are. The world would be a better place if we choose, as some of our creations, some things that might benefit others, and make a positive difference in the world. So what do you choose?
http://www.healthandgoodness.com/Self-Help/power-of-visualization.html
FAT TOXINS AND CANCER
The debate of genes versus environment as the cause of cancer has been debated for decades. It turns out that inherited genetic factors are a minor contribution while environment plays the principal role in causing most cancers.1 So what are the environmental factors which cause these cancers and what can be done about their prevalent existence for the prevention of cancer?
It has been well documented that environmentally induced cancers are a product of the amount of consumption or exposure to the negative externalities that we confront everyday in our individual environment. These negative external factors in our environment consist of air pollution, water pollution, chemicals in the work environment, and exposures from personal choice such as diet, drugs, drinking, and smoking.2 Exposure to toxins and chemicals in the diet from water and food contamination, the type of diet one consumes, working with toxic substances, and breathing toxic substances have shown to be the biggest contributors to environmental cancer. However, once you understand the concept that toxins and chemicals are stored in fat cells, my whole theory outlining the cause of cancer and how to prevent it begins to surface.
The key to understanding my general theory of the cause of cancer, therefore, lies mainly with the concept of fat since toxins are stored in fat tissue. Once inside the body, these typical toxins and chemicals become cumulative in ones fat tissue. Therefore, the more fat one has on their body,3 the greater the capacity to store toxic chemicals and come down with cancer4 because the human body is reaching the point of diminishing returns. In the field of economics the point of diminishing returns is the point at which when one more unit is introduced, the system fails.
This cumulative factor of stored toxins or chemicals in fat tissue becomes a greater threat when we eat animal products. When you eat an animal, you consume all the toxins which that specific animal has consumed in its lifetime and of which are stored in that animal's fat tissue originating from the air it breathed, from the polluted water it drank, and from the polluted food that it consumed. These toxins and chemicals, stored in the animal's fat tissue, now become stored in your fat cells when you consume that animal. If you are going to consume animals, obviously it's best to consume smaller animals which have less fat like chicken and fish so as to minimize the consumption of stored toxins and chemicals from the animal's fat cells although some fish can possess large amounts of toxins depending on the environment of the fish and the toxicity of the water in which they have lived. The safest fish are obviously deep sea water fish.
Larger animals like cows and pigs possess greater amounts of fat and hence, transport more toxins. It is no secret that those people who consume more fat are coming down with cancer before those who consume less fat. Fat is needed for the body but obtaining fat from plant sources is a much better choice due to the fact that it is a cleaner fat with little or no cumulative toxic effect.
What is the theory behind this cancer dilemma that no medical authorities seem to be able to figure out. It is really quite simple. Here is Healthyguy's general theory of environmentally caused cancer. It is the only general theory of cancer that makes any common sense.
Abuse from high fat intake, consuming large amounts of toxins from the environment, and lack of fiber are the main culprits. As more and more toxins from our individual environment are stored in our body's fat tissue, our body eventually reaches the point of diminishing returns in specific concentrated and sporadic areas of the body. The body is literally so satiated with toxins throughout its fat cells that these specific areas of the body are unable to reproduce or regenerate normal cells.
Normally, cells multiply every 60-120 days. At the end of that cycle, new cells identical to the original cells are produced and regenerated for the purpose of survival of the species. However, when the body reaches diminishing returns and is so saturated with toxic chemicals, it cannot reproduce identical cells any longer. It now starts producing a mutant cell which is NOT identical to the original cell. Ironically, a mutant cell is nothing more than a cancer cell due to the fact that it is NOT an identical cell anymore. Therefore, preventing cancer should be quite easy assuming there is a decent amount of self-discipline in ones life. It is simply a matter of limiting the amount of exposure to toxins and chemicals, limiting the amount and type of animal fat which store chemicals and toxins, and concentrating on the concept of purity in regards to the body's intake in order to avoid reaching diminishing returns and over saturation of toxity.
The importance of the body's fiber intake is crucial for preventing cancer. Eating fiber is one of the most important things that you can do to keep toxins out of the body. Fiber consists of cellulose which is not digestible. Therefore, one of the important functions of fiber is to remove toxins and fat from the body. When fiber enters the body, it enters the stomach and the small intestines where water, vitamins, and minerals are extracted from the indigestible cellulose. As the fiber eventually enters the large intestine in preparation for exiting the body, it starts absorbing and swelling up with toxins and fat from the body for the mere purpose of cleansing the body.
So how do we reverse the growth of cancer cells or prevent cancer in the first place? The theory is self-explanatory. Keep what comes into the body at its purist state by eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, drink plenty of pure water or fresh juices, eat foods which are low in animal fat and high in fiber, breathe clean air, stay trim and fit, and exercise regularly to keep everything functioning properly. This will minimize the ability to store toxic chemicals in our body's fat tissue and promote the regeneration of normal cells.
REFERENCES
1. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 343, No. 2, July 13, 2000.
Bull Cancer 1977;64:365-84.
3. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 53, 1064S-1067S, 1991.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 50, 551-556, 1989.
http://www.healthy1.org/200011_cancer.htm
Liver Health
You may wish to explore liver cleansing—a natural complement to colon cleansing. A liver cleanse helps cleanse and detoxify your liver; it is one of the most powerful procedures you can do to enhance your body's performance. It can significantly improve digestion, regularity, transit time, and energy levels, which is the basis of your health.
Forget about gallstones and surgery! "Cleaning the liver bile ducts is the most powerful procedure that you can do to improve you body's health," says Dr. Hulda Clark, author of The Cure of All Diseases.
A sluggish liver can lead to serious fatigue, weight gain, water retention, and a host of other health woes. A liver cleansing can help with a fatty liver, cirrhosis of the liver, or elevated liver enzymes, and save you thousands of dollars and months of pain by facilitating the avoidance of needless surgery for gallstones. Liver cleansing diets and liver support supplements can help you avoid possible subsequent complications from liver disease, and the development of other afflictions related to an unhealthy liver.
But before you consider maximizing your liver function, be sure to cleanse your colon first. Why? A major function of the liver is to clean your blood, and the best way to make it as easy as possible for the liver to do this is to cleanse the colon first, so the blood that comes to your liver is as toxin-free as possible.
If your colon is obstructed with years of accumulated debris, the massive amounts of toxins to be eliminated from a liver cleansing cannot easily be evacuated from your body if your colon is blocked. Therefore, it is imperative to cleanse the colon before beginning your liver cleanse.
The Liver Functions- A Vital Organ
The liver is a complex, unique organ serving many functions crucial to sustaining life. From circulation to digestion, it is constantly processing blood for use by the rest of the body. Weighing three to four pounds, the liver is the largest internal organ in the human body. It is glossy in appearance, and dark red in color from the rich supply of blood flowing through it. Sometimes called The Great Chemical Factory, your liver neutralizes harmful toxins and wastes, stores glycogen (a blood-sugar regulator), amino acids, protein, and fat.
In today's world, our liver – all of our organs, in fact – are at great risk of contamination from environmental toxins and over-processed foods infused with many unnatural chemicals. If your liver is not functioning well, a hazardous buildup of toxins may occur.
The liver performs many important functions to keep us healthy. It removes harmful material from the blood; it makes enzymes and bile that help digest food; and it converts food into substances needed for life and growth. From its sheltered position in the abdominal cavity, the liver filters blood and performs many functions vital to health. Our bodies depend on the liver to regulate, synthesize, store, and secrete important proteins and nutrients.
The Liver Functions - over 500, including:
• Filtering blood
• Purifying and clearing waste products, toxins, and drugs
• Regulating and secreting substances important in maintaining your body's functions and health
• Storing important nutrients (such as glycogen glucose), vitamins, and minerals
• Metabolizing fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Creating bile
• Metabolizing hormones, internally-produced wastes, and foreign chemicals
• Forming urea
• Assimilating and storing fat-soluble vitamins
• Synthesizing blood proteins
The liver is the most resilient body organ. It is capable of regenerating itself, and is able to recreate lost tissue in order to help maintain its essential functions, even in the face of moderate damage.
When part of the liver is removed, a healthy organ may grow back to its original size. But its capacity to repair itself can be exceeded by repeated or extensive damage. Keeping your liver as healthy and cleansed as possible with a liver cleanse supplement or liver cleanse diet, offers many health advantages.
Why Liver Cleanse?
In our industrialized developed world, we are immersed in a sea of toxic chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that half-a-million chemicals are in use today, and over five thousand new chemicals are introduced yearly. Some researchers believe up to twenty-five percent of these may be carcinogenic. This is why it is crucial to employ a liver cleanse supplement and/or diet to cleanse your liver of the toxic waste of twenty-first century living.
Dr. Hulda Clark, PhD, ND, in her groundbreaking bestseller, The Cure of All Diseases, dramatically describes the gallstones and cholesterol that can choke the liver biliary tubing in many people, including our children.
"Imagine the situation if your garden hose had marbles in it. Much less water would flow, which in turn would decrease the ability of the hose to squirt out the marbles. With gallstones, much less cholesterol leaves the body, and cholesterol levels may rise."
"Gallstones, being porous, can pick up all the bacteria, cysts, viruses, and parasites that are passing through the liver. In this way, nests of infection are formed, forever supplying the body with fresh bacteria. No stomach infection such as ulcers or intestinal bloating can be cured permanently without removing these gallstones from the liver."
If your liver becomes overworked, it can become congested. Toxic compounds and impurities may get trapped in deposits of hardened bile. Pollutants may not be flushed out of the body, and can back up in your blood stream.
A sluggish liver can lead to serious fatigue, weight gain, water retention, and a host of other health woes. Detoxification that targets the liver can help remove these unwanted poisons and enable it to function properly. A healthy liver will increase your energy, improve metabolism, and help you burn excess fat.
Do You Need A Liver Cleanse?
Ailments that indicate you may need a liver cleanse include:
• Allergies
• PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
• Chemical sensitivities
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Obesity
• Low metabolism
• Fatigue
Happy Liver Cleansing Results
Testimonials from those happy with their liver-cleansing results include:
Eliminated Gallstones the Size of Grapes
A patient described the unhappy situation of having his liver full of gallstones, a digestive system working inefficiently, and kidneys that were full of toxins and stones. All of this was affecting his adrenal glands, resulting in low blood pressure, hypoglycaemia, and fatigue. After liver cleansing and avoiding too much fatty food early in the day, he was able to work again without feeling exhausted.
Shed Sixty-one Pounds
After suffering from intermittent stomach problems—bloating, painful cramps, food intolerance, constipation, fluid retention, etc., a liver cleanser elatedly reported she had shed 6l pounds, lost an incredible amount of fluid, and gained significant energy.
Young Girl's Energy Restored
A thrilled mother shared that her daughter's health, after a liver cleanse, had dramatically improved; her stomach pains were gone, her energy levels were soaring, and her waist measurement had decreased by five inches as a result of losing over fourteen pounds without dieting or exercising: "I was amazed and relieved to see my fifteen-year-old daughter's health improve in such a short time."
Precautions
If possible, do not take any pharmaceuticals during your liver flush. If you are under a physician's care, consult with him or her prior to your cleanse, and follow your doctor's instructions concerning your medications. Remember, when you are detoxifying your liver, you will not receive full benefit from any medication because they may be flushed out with the cleanse, reducing their effectiveness.
STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN
BENEFITS
* Enhanced bone modeling to increase bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
* Stronger connective tissues to increase joint stability and help prevent injury
* Increased functional strength for sports and daily activity
* Increased lean body mass and decreased nonfunctional body fat
* Higher metabolic rate because of an increase in muscle and a decrease in fat
* Improved self-esteem and confidence
* A number of factors may reduce or eliminate these benefits, including the exclusive use of weight training machines, training with loads that are too light, and not progressing in resistance or intensity.
Bone and soft tissue. Women, more than men, need to meet the minimal essential strain required for bone modeling to occur and ultimately for reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Prevention of osteoporosis requires above-normal axial skeletal loading (7,8). The strain tolerance for skeletal bone is believed to be more than 10 times the typical load that humans bear in daily activities (9). Since bone modeling is proportional to the degree of overload (the amount of stress applied beyond the normal load), the greater the overload—within limits—the greater the amount of bone modeling. Bone modeling helps prevent fractures and insure against osteoporosis.
Cartilage, tendons, and ligaments also have minimal essential strain requirements. Optimal strength development requires loads and intensities that progressively increase the training stimulus or stress. Strong cartilage, tendons, and ligaments are essential for joint integrity, stability, and injury prevention.
Lean body mass and fat. Strength training also increases lean body mass and decreases fat; this results in less nonfunctional fat to carry and a greater proportion of lean body mass, which can provide functional strength. Compared to fat, muscle is metabolically active and increases metabolic rate, fat oxidation, and calorie consumption. Increased muscle mass and muscle cross-sectional area also correlate with increased strength. Participation in “functional” strength training exercises will develop functional strength and most likely improve performance, whether it is an increased ability to spike a volleyball or pick up a child.
Psychological well-being. Finally, studies (3) suggest that women who engage in strength training benefit from improved self-esteem. Female athletes appear to be able to balance strength and femininity; according to one survey, 94% of the participants reported that athletic participation did not lead them to feel less feminine. Strength training also appears to give women a sense of personal power, especially for women who have been raped or abused.
Such psychological benefits arise from the physiologic changes that occur as a result of strength training and from the process of encountering and mastering physical challenges. Thus, both the process and the outcome of strength training benefit women (3).
STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES
Since well-designed strength training programs include exercises with free weights and dumbbells and exercises that use body weight resistance, both women and men should include these in their training, and women should train at the same intensities as men.
The use of strength training machines and abdominal exercises need not be discontinued, but emphasis should be placed on the use of free-weight exercises including foot-based lower-body exercises such as the lunge, diagonal lunge, walking lunge, step up, lateral step up, and squat. Women should also include upper-body exercises that employ multiple muscle groups such as the bench press, incline press, latissimus dorsi pull-downs, pull-ups, and back extensions. Finally, women who have developed a strength base should consider total-body exercises such as the push press, hang clean, power clean, clean and jerk, and snatch.
A training program should also stress multiplanar, multijoint, functional exercises because they develop intermuscular coordination, proprioception, and balance and result in strength that transfers to sports and daily activities. For example, the step-up exercise is superior to using the leg-extension machine because it offers functional strength for walking up a flight of stairs while carrying bags of groceries. For athletes who play foot-based sports such as basketball, the squat is superior to using the leg-press machine, since the squat is functionally more similar to the sport and requires greater balance and weight and body control in all three planes of motion.
DISPELLING MISCONCEPTIONS
Recent studies counter several widely held beliefs that may limit the physiologic and psychological benefits of weight training for women.
Myth 1: Strength training causes women to become larger and heavier.
The truth is, strength training helps reduce body fat and increase lean weight (1). These changes may result in a slight increase in overall weight, since lean body mass weighs more than fat. However, strength training results in significant increases in strength, no change or a decrease in lower-body girths, and a very small increase in upper-extremity girth. Only women with a genetic predisposition for hypertrophy who participate in high-volume, high-intensity training will see substantial increases in limb circumference.
Myth 2: Women should use different training methods than men.
Women are often encouraged to use weight machines and slow, controlled movements out of a fear that using free weights, manual resistance, explosiveness (high velocity, low force), or exercises that use body weight as resistance will cause injury.
In fact, no evidence suggests that women are more likely to be injured during strength training than men. Proper exercise instruction and technique are necessary to reduce the risk of injuries for both men and women. All strength training participants should follow a program that gradually increases the intensity and load.
Furthermore, sport-specific exercise should closely mimic the biomechanics and velocity of the sport for which an athlete is training (2). The best way to achieve this is to use closed-kinetic-chain exercise that involves multiple joints and muscle groups and the ranges of motion specific to the sport. For example, the push press—rather than triceps kickbacks—offers a superior arm extension training stimulus for improving the ability to throw the shot put in track and field.
Myth 3: Women should avoid high-intensity or high-load training.
Women are typically encouraged to use limited resistance, such as light dumbbells, in their strength exercises. Often such light training loads are substantially below those necessary for physiologic adaptations and certainly less than those commonly used by men.
Most women are able to train at higher volumes and intensities than previously believed. In fact, women need to train at intensities high enough to cause adaptation in bone, muscle, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. When exercise intensity provides insufficient stimulus, physiologic benefits may be minimal (3). To gain maximum benefit from strength training, women should occasionally perform their exercises at or near the repetition maximum for each exercise.
What Is A Raw Food Diet?
It is a way of eating that involves a huge dietary increase in the number of unprocessed and uncooked fruits and vegetables, as well as seeds, nuts, grains (mostly sprouted) and beans. A food is considered raw if it is uncooked or “prepared” below 116°F, as above this temperature range, food begins to loose its essential nutrients and enzymes, or its “vital life force.”
The more we can eat foods that maintain that aliveness, the more “life force” we ourselves will be able to embody. Remember Life=Life and Death=Death. More than half a century ago in his book Prescription for Energy, Charles de Coti-Marsh explained,
“By eating live foods you create a live body. Live foods contain essential nutrients the body needs to create and maintain energy. Dead foods advance age, decrease ability, and decrease energy … they are useless when dead…”
The best way to approach raw foods is to gradually incorporate more and more raw fruits and vegetables into your diet. A good start is to try to eat 75% raw and 25% lightly cooked (especially in regard to whole grains). More detailed information on a general daily raw diet plan can be found here. Although I personally do not condone eating meat, I have added the safest meats to eat (upon request from consumers) in this general raw diet plan so some people can make a gradual transition to a 100% raw diet.
http://www.brinkzone.com/blog/general-health/women-and-weight-training-debunking-the-myths/
Dangers of Cooked Food
When we cook foods, we inevitably destroy some of the enzymes, vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. If we eat too much overly-cooked, microwaved and processes foods, it can clog our colon, which may lead to a whole host of problems, including, cancer, heart-disease, diabetes and many other degenerative diseases.
Cooking may actually upset the natural structure of food, robbing it of its essential nutritional value. Ed Douglas, the director of the American Living Foods Institute, believes that the human body was never meant to eat cooked food. Stephen Arlin, co-author of the book Nature’s First Law: The Raw-Food Diet, even goes so far as to state that, “Cooked food is poison.”
http://www.ghchealth.com/natural-health/benefits-of-raw-food-diet/
Believe that everyone has a life purpose. I discovered much of mine later than most. In 2001 it became clear that wellness, fitness and nutrition was a subject that I need to learn about, both for my personal health, as well as to share with others. In 2001 I fasted for 10 days subsisting only off of juices from a juicer, smoothies, green tea, and water. Before my fast, I ate only live or raw fruits for three or for days. As a result, I lost about 20 pounds. During the fast I continued my everyday life, and maintained my workout schedule and my creativity and clarity increased exponentially. Prior to the fast, I had a complete physical to make sure I was up to it. Fasting while a very healthy and cleansing approach – and for most – very safe - may not be for everyone. I mention it only in the context of how important wellness had become to me.
My life destiny was to be raised by two women, my mother and grandmother. As such, I developed a profound respect for women in general, and black women in particular. During my study of wellness it became clear that the physical issues of black women were linked to spiritual and emotional issues. I also learned that excess weight has a spiritual and emotional component. Often the weight of emotional issues manifest in the physical body, it is almost as if the body feels as if it needs the extra weight to carry the emotional burdens that women often bear. It is in this vein that I developed this pamphlet.
My goal is not to change anyone’s belief system, or to convince anyone to my opinions, and beliefs, however it is my goal to provide what I believe to be information that is useful, positive, and true. Wellness is spiritual, as well as physical. Ancient cultures understood the concept of “as above – so below” meaning how you felt spiritually impacted your physical body. The origin of disease is dis-ease, meaning that the spirit, your divine self, is uncomfortable with the choices of the physical body. Hence the body is out of alignment with the true purpose of the spirit. This is not a religious document, nor do I advocate any particular religious belief system, but I do endorse the concept that our overall wellness is linked to our spiritual selves – however we define that concept.
I started this document with a discussion on Visualization for a reason. The Gospel writer Luke wrote about the Parable of the Good Sower. The essence of that story was - unless the word of God has fertile grown, it can not take root. The same can be said for wellness. In order for wellness to be a part of our lives it must be rooted in fertile soil. For us it begins with visualization. In Steven Covey’s Seven Habits of Highly Effective People he discusses the concept of “beginning with the end in mind” – that too is visualization. There is a visual image of you being the picture of health. Embrace that vision, put a picture of it in your room so you see it when you go to bed, and when you wake up, give that vision a name, talk to it, journal about it, and make affirmations to support it. In that manner you are the “good sower”.
Let wellness begin in your mind’s eye, without that, like the word of God, it will not take root, it will give way to doubts (either yours or others), it will give way to deception, and misconceptions, impatience, and the desire for instant gratification. You will need clarity in mind, body and soul to make any radical life changes.
Often when people make life changes their worldview changes – what they found funny becomes inane, people who they used to value they now have little use for. You may develop a new circle of friends, discover hidden talents, and engage in new activities, while discarding old outdated habits, thoughts and emotions. With the clarity of wellness, your entire life is subject to review.
You will find that you have new sources of energy and focus, the ability to set goals – and reach goals, develop greater discipline, and create new boundaries for yourself. Your ability to create, dream and visualize will expand exponentially. In essence wellness creates a new you. The world doesn’t change, but your perception of the world, what is possible will change.
One of the great examples of growth through change and wellness was a man named Malcolm Little. Mr. Little was a pimp, and hustler who ended up in prison. Had he died in prison, or resumed his prior life after leaving prison he would just been another lost black man. Even during his years of crime, he was well aware of racism in America – but something happened – he evolved and became el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz – better known as Malcolm X. America had not changed an iota with respect to racism, or injustice, but Malcolm changed, his evolution continued until his death. Brother Shabazz embraced wellness, and as he embraced wellness, he evolved into his true self, and discarded the unevolved imposter that was Malcolm Little.
What is possible for Malcolm X and others is possible for you. Wellness is your birthright – your physical body has all the tools within to heal itself, prevent disease, and provide you with the energy needed to live out your dreams. Allow your mind’s eye to create the live that you deserve.
Peace
Phillip W. Johnson
March 12, 2009
This document is dedicated to the memory of my Maternal Grandmother Estella Mae Perkins
November 24, 1903 – March 18, 1999
The Power of Visualization
Every thought ripples throughout the body. Scientists nowadays are well aware of the connection between mind and body. The storage of memories in the brain is a mind-body phenomenon. Say you went on a first date and had a wonderful time.
On the way home you feel in love. You replay the evening over and over in your mind. You even make stuff up, maybe even imagining the wedding day in the future, or the proposal. You’re not alone. We’ve all done it.
Scientific studies have shown that the consistent replaying of bits of the evening over and over again in your mind will mean that the memory is strongly encoded in your brain. When your feelings are really strong you will actually grow brain cells in what is known as neurogenesis.
Here’s the thing: Before you replayed the evening over and over in your mind – what is known as creative replay - there were no brain cells in a specific area. After replaying it several times there were. You have created matter where there was none before. Think about it. That’s the biological power of visualization. It is also one of the reasons why visualizing yourself well when you are sick can speed up your recovery.
Many scientific studies have actually shown that the mind can speed up recovery from illness. Placebo studies clearly show that a belief in wellness results in healing. Some scientists believe this is how visualisation heals. When you visualise, and believe in what you are doing, then healing takes place. There are many seemingly miraculous stories of people who have done so. But it’s more than just faith.
There’s a well-known story of a man who damaged his liver beyond repair in an accident. After spending a while in hospital he was sent home with a contraption that had tubes going into and out of his body. This was for life. But he learned a technique known as ‘creative visualisation’ where he would spend hours visualising his damaged liver cells being repaired.
At first, he saw the cells in his mind as black, shrivelled, damaged prunes, but he took an imaginary toothbrush and imagined cleaning the cells, one by one. As he did this he saw them turn a healthy pink colour.
After three months of visualisation he had an accident at home and one of the tubes was torn out of his body. He was rushed to hospital and x-rayed to survey the damage prior to an operation. But the doctors discovered that his liver was completely repaired.
Ultimately, I don’t really think that the actual image we use in visualising is too important. Otherwise, we would all need to use the same ones. The visual image is merely a symbol of what you wish – you intend – to happen. It’s the keeping your mind on what you wish to happen that’s important. The visual image just helps you keep it there.
Visualisation works in life too. Visualising your dreams coming true is one sure fire way to make them happen. The Law of Attraction operates here. That which we focus on most of the time is attracted into our lives.
Say you wanted a new house. Visualising the house you want will immediately begin to move you in the direction of getting it. You get inspirations to turn left instead of right and you seem to just say the right things at the right time. This is the influence of your intention on your brain.
‘Stuff’ also begins to happen and people come into your life who can help you. Scientific studies spawned out of cutting edge theories of quantum physics have revealed an interconnectedness to all things. In other words, every thought resonates at the quantum level absolutely everywhere. If that sounds like too much to get your head around, just trust the physicists and mathematicians who have proven it.
In other words, when you visualise your new house, the thought goes outwards from you in all directions – like the way a radio station broadcasts a signal - and resonates with everybody else. Then people are drawn to you – usually in coincidental ways – who can help.
I often describe it using the metaphor of a spider’s web. How does a spider know that a fly is trapped in its web? It feels the vibrations. So in the same way, people feel the vibrations (at a deep unconscious and quantum level) of your dreams, as you do theirs. This is why statistical studies have shown that we are usually able to sense who it is when the phone rings far more than the law of averages would suggest. It is also why studies of cats and dogs show that they instantly know when their owner has left work. They feel the vibrations.
So if you want to heal your body, visualise! If you want to live your dream, visualise! If you want inner peace, visualise! And be open-minded to the possibility that what your thinking about might just happen.
We usually do the opposite. A person wishing for a new house will usually do far more complaining about the house they currently have, and that they don’t have enough money to get the house they want, and that their husband leaves the toilet seat up, etc, than imagining what they actually want.
Where’s most of their attention? On the opposite of what they want? They want a new house but they are focusing on the one they have. Think about it! So what are they going to get? More of what they already have. They’ll prolong their stay at their current house.
Instead of sending out vibes that attract people into their lives they’ll send out vibes that keep them away. It’s the same with all aspects of our lives. So here’s the experiment: Notice how much attention you give to what you don’t want and change to thinking about what you do want. See what happens.
With such great power at your hands – that what you focus on comes into your life – try to be responsible. What you choose to create defines who you are. The world would be a better place if we choose, as some of our creations, some things that might benefit others, and make a positive difference in the world. So what do you choose?
http://www.healthandgoodness.com/Self-Help/power-of-visualization.html
FAT TOXINS AND CANCER
The debate of genes versus environment as the cause of cancer has been debated for decades. It turns out that inherited genetic factors are a minor contribution while environment plays the principal role in causing most cancers.1 So what are the environmental factors which cause these cancers and what can be done about their prevalent existence for the prevention of cancer?
It has been well documented that environmentally induced cancers are a product of the amount of consumption or exposure to the negative externalities that we confront everyday in our individual environment. These negative external factors in our environment consist of air pollution, water pollution, chemicals in the work environment, and exposures from personal choice such as diet, drugs, drinking, and smoking.2 Exposure to toxins and chemicals in the diet from water and food contamination, the type of diet one consumes, working with toxic substances, and breathing toxic substances have shown to be the biggest contributors to environmental cancer. However, once you understand the concept that toxins and chemicals are stored in fat cells, my whole theory outlining the cause of cancer and how to prevent it begins to surface.
The key to understanding my general theory of the cause of cancer, therefore, lies mainly with the concept of fat since toxins are stored in fat tissue. Once inside the body, these typical toxins and chemicals become cumulative in ones fat tissue. Therefore, the more fat one has on their body,3 the greater the capacity to store toxic chemicals and come down with cancer4 because the human body is reaching the point of diminishing returns. In the field of economics the point of diminishing returns is the point at which when one more unit is introduced, the system fails.
This cumulative factor of stored toxins or chemicals in fat tissue becomes a greater threat when we eat animal products. When you eat an animal, you consume all the toxins which that specific animal has consumed in its lifetime and of which are stored in that animal's fat tissue originating from the air it breathed, from the polluted water it drank, and from the polluted food that it consumed. These toxins and chemicals, stored in the animal's fat tissue, now become stored in your fat cells when you consume that animal. If you are going to consume animals, obviously it's best to consume smaller animals which have less fat like chicken and fish so as to minimize the consumption of stored toxins and chemicals from the animal's fat cells although some fish can possess large amounts of toxins depending on the environment of the fish and the toxicity of the water in which they have lived. The safest fish are obviously deep sea water fish.
Larger animals like cows and pigs possess greater amounts of fat and hence, transport more toxins. It is no secret that those people who consume more fat are coming down with cancer before those who consume less fat. Fat is needed for the body but obtaining fat from plant sources is a much better choice due to the fact that it is a cleaner fat with little or no cumulative toxic effect.
What is the theory behind this cancer dilemma that no medical authorities seem to be able to figure out. It is really quite simple. Here is Healthyguy's general theory of environmentally caused cancer. It is the only general theory of cancer that makes any common sense.
Abuse from high fat intake, consuming large amounts of toxins from the environment, and lack of fiber are the main culprits. As more and more toxins from our individual environment are stored in our body's fat tissue, our body eventually reaches the point of diminishing returns in specific concentrated and sporadic areas of the body. The body is literally so satiated with toxins throughout its fat cells that these specific areas of the body are unable to reproduce or regenerate normal cells.
Normally, cells multiply every 60-120 days. At the end of that cycle, new cells identical to the original cells are produced and regenerated for the purpose of survival of the species. However, when the body reaches diminishing returns and is so saturated with toxic chemicals, it cannot reproduce identical cells any longer. It now starts producing a mutant cell which is NOT identical to the original cell. Ironically, a mutant cell is nothing more than a cancer cell due to the fact that it is NOT an identical cell anymore. Therefore, preventing cancer should be quite easy assuming there is a decent amount of self-discipline in ones life. It is simply a matter of limiting the amount of exposure to toxins and chemicals, limiting the amount and type of animal fat which store chemicals and toxins, and concentrating on the concept of purity in regards to the body's intake in order to avoid reaching diminishing returns and over saturation of toxity.
The importance of the body's fiber intake is crucial for preventing cancer. Eating fiber is one of the most important things that you can do to keep toxins out of the body. Fiber consists of cellulose which is not digestible. Therefore, one of the important functions of fiber is to remove toxins and fat from the body. When fiber enters the body, it enters the stomach and the small intestines where water, vitamins, and minerals are extracted from the indigestible cellulose. As the fiber eventually enters the large intestine in preparation for exiting the body, it starts absorbing and swelling up with toxins and fat from the body for the mere purpose of cleansing the body.
So how do we reverse the growth of cancer cells or prevent cancer in the first place? The theory is self-explanatory. Keep what comes into the body at its purist state by eating plenty of fresh fruits and veggies, drink plenty of pure water or fresh juices, eat foods which are low in animal fat and high in fiber, breathe clean air, stay trim and fit, and exercise regularly to keep everything functioning properly. This will minimize the ability to store toxic chemicals in our body's fat tissue and promote the regeneration of normal cells.
REFERENCES
1. New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 343, No. 2, July 13, 2000.
Bull Cancer 1977;64:365-84.
3. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 53, 1064S-1067S, 1991.
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol 50, 551-556, 1989.
http://www.healthy1.org/200011_cancer.htm
Liver Health
You may wish to explore liver cleansing—a natural complement to colon cleansing. A liver cleanse helps cleanse and detoxify your liver; it is one of the most powerful procedures you can do to enhance your body's performance. It can significantly improve digestion, regularity, transit time, and energy levels, which is the basis of your health.
Forget about gallstones and surgery! "Cleaning the liver bile ducts is the most powerful procedure that you can do to improve you body's health," says Dr. Hulda Clark, author of The Cure of All Diseases.
A sluggish liver can lead to serious fatigue, weight gain, water retention, and a host of other health woes. A liver cleansing can help with a fatty liver, cirrhosis of the liver, or elevated liver enzymes, and save you thousands of dollars and months of pain by facilitating the avoidance of needless surgery for gallstones. Liver cleansing diets and liver support supplements can help you avoid possible subsequent complications from liver disease, and the development of other afflictions related to an unhealthy liver.
But before you consider maximizing your liver function, be sure to cleanse your colon first. Why? A major function of the liver is to clean your blood, and the best way to make it as easy as possible for the liver to do this is to cleanse the colon first, so the blood that comes to your liver is as toxin-free as possible.
If your colon is obstructed with years of accumulated debris, the massive amounts of toxins to be eliminated from a liver cleansing cannot easily be evacuated from your body if your colon is blocked. Therefore, it is imperative to cleanse the colon before beginning your liver cleanse.
The Liver Functions- A Vital Organ
The liver is a complex, unique organ serving many functions crucial to sustaining life. From circulation to digestion, it is constantly processing blood for use by the rest of the body. Weighing three to four pounds, the liver is the largest internal organ in the human body. It is glossy in appearance, and dark red in color from the rich supply of blood flowing through it. Sometimes called The Great Chemical Factory, your liver neutralizes harmful toxins and wastes, stores glycogen (a blood-sugar regulator), amino acids, protein, and fat.
In today's world, our liver – all of our organs, in fact – are at great risk of contamination from environmental toxins and over-processed foods infused with many unnatural chemicals. If your liver is not functioning well, a hazardous buildup of toxins may occur.
The liver performs many important functions to keep us healthy. It removes harmful material from the blood; it makes enzymes and bile that help digest food; and it converts food into substances needed for life and growth. From its sheltered position in the abdominal cavity, the liver filters blood and performs many functions vital to health. Our bodies depend on the liver to regulate, synthesize, store, and secrete important proteins and nutrients.
The Liver Functions - over 500, including:
• Filtering blood
• Purifying and clearing waste products, toxins, and drugs
• Regulating and secreting substances important in maintaining your body's functions and health
• Storing important nutrients (such as glycogen glucose), vitamins, and minerals
• Metabolizing fats, proteins, and carbohydrates
• Creating bile
• Metabolizing hormones, internally-produced wastes, and foreign chemicals
• Forming urea
• Assimilating and storing fat-soluble vitamins
• Synthesizing blood proteins
The liver is the most resilient body organ. It is capable of regenerating itself, and is able to recreate lost tissue in order to help maintain its essential functions, even in the face of moderate damage.
When part of the liver is removed, a healthy organ may grow back to its original size. But its capacity to repair itself can be exceeded by repeated or extensive damage. Keeping your liver as healthy and cleansed as possible with a liver cleanse supplement or liver cleanse diet, offers many health advantages.
Why Liver Cleanse?
In our industrialized developed world, we are immersed in a sea of toxic chemicals. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates that half-a-million chemicals are in use today, and over five thousand new chemicals are introduced yearly. Some researchers believe up to twenty-five percent of these may be carcinogenic. This is why it is crucial to employ a liver cleanse supplement and/or diet to cleanse your liver of the toxic waste of twenty-first century living.
Dr. Hulda Clark, PhD, ND, in her groundbreaking bestseller, The Cure of All Diseases, dramatically describes the gallstones and cholesterol that can choke the liver biliary tubing in many people, including our children.
"Imagine the situation if your garden hose had marbles in it. Much less water would flow, which in turn would decrease the ability of the hose to squirt out the marbles. With gallstones, much less cholesterol leaves the body, and cholesterol levels may rise."
"Gallstones, being porous, can pick up all the bacteria, cysts, viruses, and parasites that are passing through the liver. In this way, nests of infection are formed, forever supplying the body with fresh bacteria. No stomach infection such as ulcers or intestinal bloating can be cured permanently without removing these gallstones from the liver."
If your liver becomes overworked, it can become congested. Toxic compounds and impurities may get trapped in deposits of hardened bile. Pollutants may not be flushed out of the body, and can back up in your blood stream.
A sluggish liver can lead to serious fatigue, weight gain, water retention, and a host of other health woes. Detoxification that targets the liver can help remove these unwanted poisons and enable it to function properly. A healthy liver will increase your energy, improve metabolism, and help you burn excess fat.
Do You Need A Liver Cleanse?
Ailments that indicate you may need a liver cleanse include:
• Allergies
• PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome)
• Chemical sensitivities
• Constipation
• Bloating
• Obesity
• Low metabolism
• Fatigue
Happy Liver Cleansing Results
Testimonials from those happy with their liver-cleansing results include:
Eliminated Gallstones the Size of Grapes
A patient described the unhappy situation of having his liver full of gallstones, a digestive system working inefficiently, and kidneys that were full of toxins and stones. All of this was affecting his adrenal glands, resulting in low blood pressure, hypoglycaemia, and fatigue. After liver cleansing and avoiding too much fatty food early in the day, he was able to work again without feeling exhausted.
Shed Sixty-one Pounds
After suffering from intermittent stomach problems—bloating, painful cramps, food intolerance, constipation, fluid retention, etc., a liver cleanser elatedly reported she had shed 6l pounds, lost an incredible amount of fluid, and gained significant energy.
Young Girl's Energy Restored
A thrilled mother shared that her daughter's health, after a liver cleanse, had dramatically improved; her stomach pains were gone, her energy levels were soaring, and her waist measurement had decreased by five inches as a result of losing over fourteen pounds without dieting or exercising: "I was amazed and relieved to see my fifteen-year-old daughter's health improve in such a short time."
Precautions
If possible, do not take any pharmaceuticals during your liver flush. If you are under a physician's care, consult with him or her prior to your cleanse, and follow your doctor's instructions concerning your medications. Remember, when you are detoxifying your liver, you will not receive full benefit from any medication because they may be flushed out with the cleanse, reducing their effectiveness.
STRENGTH TRAINING FOR WOMEN
BENEFITS
* Enhanced bone modeling to increase bone strength and reduce the risk of osteoporosis
* Stronger connective tissues to increase joint stability and help prevent injury
* Increased functional strength for sports and daily activity
* Increased lean body mass and decreased nonfunctional body fat
* Higher metabolic rate because of an increase in muscle and a decrease in fat
* Improved self-esteem and confidence
* A number of factors may reduce or eliminate these benefits, including the exclusive use of weight training machines, training with loads that are too light, and not progressing in resistance or intensity.
Bone and soft tissue. Women, more than men, need to meet the minimal essential strain required for bone modeling to occur and ultimately for reducing the risk of osteoporosis. Prevention of osteoporosis requires above-normal axial skeletal loading (7,8). The strain tolerance for skeletal bone is believed to be more than 10 times the typical load that humans bear in daily activities (9). Since bone modeling is proportional to the degree of overload (the amount of stress applied beyond the normal load), the greater the overload—within limits—the greater the amount of bone modeling. Bone modeling helps prevent fractures and insure against osteoporosis.
Cartilage, tendons, and ligaments also have minimal essential strain requirements. Optimal strength development requires loads and intensities that progressively increase the training stimulus or stress. Strong cartilage, tendons, and ligaments are essential for joint integrity, stability, and injury prevention.
Lean body mass and fat. Strength training also increases lean body mass and decreases fat; this results in less nonfunctional fat to carry and a greater proportion of lean body mass, which can provide functional strength. Compared to fat, muscle is metabolically active and increases metabolic rate, fat oxidation, and calorie consumption. Increased muscle mass and muscle cross-sectional area also correlate with increased strength. Participation in “functional” strength training exercises will develop functional strength and most likely improve performance, whether it is an increased ability to spike a volleyball or pick up a child.
Psychological well-being. Finally, studies (3) suggest that women who engage in strength training benefit from improved self-esteem. Female athletes appear to be able to balance strength and femininity; according to one survey, 94% of the participants reported that athletic participation did not lead them to feel less feminine. Strength training also appears to give women a sense of personal power, especially for women who have been raped or abused.
Such psychological benefits arise from the physiologic changes that occur as a result of strength training and from the process of encountering and mastering physical challenges. Thus, both the process and the outcome of strength training benefit women (3).
STRENGTH TRAINING GUIDELINES
Since well-designed strength training programs include exercises with free weights and dumbbells and exercises that use body weight resistance, both women and men should include these in their training, and women should train at the same intensities as men.
The use of strength training machines and abdominal exercises need not be discontinued, but emphasis should be placed on the use of free-weight exercises including foot-based lower-body exercises such as the lunge, diagonal lunge, walking lunge, step up, lateral step up, and squat. Women should also include upper-body exercises that employ multiple muscle groups such as the bench press, incline press, latissimus dorsi pull-downs, pull-ups, and back extensions. Finally, women who have developed a strength base should consider total-body exercises such as the push press, hang clean, power clean, clean and jerk, and snatch.
A training program should also stress multiplanar, multijoint, functional exercises because they develop intermuscular coordination, proprioception, and balance and result in strength that transfers to sports and daily activities. For example, the step-up exercise is superior to using the leg-extension machine because it offers functional strength for walking up a flight of stairs while carrying bags of groceries. For athletes who play foot-based sports such as basketball, the squat is superior to using the leg-press machine, since the squat is functionally more similar to the sport and requires greater balance and weight and body control in all three planes of motion.
DISPELLING MISCONCEPTIONS
Recent studies counter several widely held beliefs that may limit the physiologic and psychological benefits of weight training for women.
Myth 1: Strength training causes women to become larger and heavier.
The truth is, strength training helps reduce body fat and increase lean weight (1). These changes may result in a slight increase in overall weight, since lean body mass weighs more than fat. However, strength training results in significant increases in strength, no change or a decrease in lower-body girths, and a very small increase in upper-extremity girth. Only women with a genetic predisposition for hypertrophy who participate in high-volume, high-intensity training will see substantial increases in limb circumference.
Myth 2: Women should use different training methods than men.
Women are often encouraged to use weight machines and slow, controlled movements out of a fear that using free weights, manual resistance, explosiveness (high velocity, low force), or exercises that use body weight as resistance will cause injury.
In fact, no evidence suggests that women are more likely to be injured during strength training than men. Proper exercise instruction and technique are necessary to reduce the risk of injuries for both men and women. All strength training participants should follow a program that gradually increases the intensity and load.
Furthermore, sport-specific exercise should closely mimic the biomechanics and velocity of the sport for which an athlete is training (2). The best way to achieve this is to use closed-kinetic-chain exercise that involves multiple joints and muscle groups and the ranges of motion specific to the sport. For example, the push press—rather than triceps kickbacks—offers a superior arm extension training stimulus for improving the ability to throw the shot put in track and field.
Myth 3: Women should avoid high-intensity or high-load training.
Women are typically encouraged to use limited resistance, such as light dumbbells, in their strength exercises. Often such light training loads are substantially below those necessary for physiologic adaptations and certainly less than those commonly used by men.
Most women are able to train at higher volumes and intensities than previously believed. In fact, women need to train at intensities high enough to cause adaptation in bone, muscle, cartilage, ligaments, and tendons. When exercise intensity provides insufficient stimulus, physiologic benefits may be minimal (3). To gain maximum benefit from strength training, women should occasionally perform their exercises at or near the repetition maximum for each exercise.
What Is A Raw Food Diet?
It is a way of eating that involves a huge dietary increase in the number of unprocessed and uncooked fruits and vegetables, as well as seeds, nuts, grains (mostly sprouted) and beans. A food is considered raw if it is uncooked or “prepared” below 116°F, as above this temperature range, food begins to loose its essential nutrients and enzymes, or its “vital life force.”
The more we can eat foods that maintain that aliveness, the more “life force” we ourselves will be able to embody. Remember Life=Life and Death=Death. More than half a century ago in his book Prescription for Energy, Charles de Coti-Marsh explained,
“By eating live foods you create a live body. Live foods contain essential nutrients the body needs to create and maintain energy. Dead foods advance age, decrease ability, and decrease energy … they are useless when dead…”
The best way to approach raw foods is to gradually incorporate more and more raw fruits and vegetables into your diet. A good start is to try to eat 75% raw and 25% lightly cooked (especially in regard to whole grains). More detailed information on a general daily raw diet plan can be found here. Although I personally do not condone eating meat, I have added the safest meats to eat (upon request from consumers) in this general raw diet plan so some people can make a gradual transition to a 100% raw diet.
http://www.brinkzone.com/blog/general-health/women-and-weight-training-debunking-the-myths/
Dangers of Cooked Food
When we cook foods, we inevitably destroy some of the enzymes, vitamins and minerals necessary for good health. If we eat too much overly-cooked, microwaved and processes foods, it can clog our colon, which may lead to a whole host of problems, including, cancer, heart-disease, diabetes and many other degenerative diseases.
Cooking may actually upset the natural structure of food, robbing it of its essential nutritional value. Ed Douglas, the director of the American Living Foods Institute, believes that the human body was never meant to eat cooked food. Stephen Arlin, co-author of the book Nature’s First Law: The Raw-Food Diet, even goes so far as to state that, “Cooked food is poison.”
http://www.ghchealth.com/natural-health/benefits-of-raw-food-diet/
Community Empowerment
One of the most popular refrains that I have heard over the last twenty years with respect to community development from North St. Louis residents is “all the money goes to the Southside” That statement alone captures the essence of disconnect, and general lack of empowerment that many North St. Louis residents have as it pertains to community development. An empowered community understands the rules, the reality, and the regulatory processes that impact how city resources are allocated. Those are funds come from the federal government in the form of block grant money and they provide resources that generally go for vacant building demolition, sidewalk repair, new home development, and home repair. The manner in which these funds are used and leveraged to bring in more funds, can determine the sustainability of a neighborhood.
In the City of St. Louis, the Community Development Agency (CDA) is the custodian of that federal money. In October of each year part of the allocation process begins with CDA inviting 5013c organizations to come and make a case for funding. Those organizations must have the support of the Alderman in their ward to get funding. Thus the Aldermen in each of the City’s 28 Wards have almost total control over the winners and losers, a virtual fiefdom over how federal dollars are spent. What that effectively means with respect to development is the capacity of a community to grow and evolve is tied to the effectiveness and competence of their elected officials. Given the amount of money involved, and what is at stake I question if the current system truly represents best practices. From my perspective there should be more inclusion and more transparency in the allocation and spending process.
Yet, it is not the ward by ward allocation that is troublesome, it is the manner in which local Alderman use those funds. In over twenty years I have seen many community newsletters put out by Alderman, but not once have I seen one with an accounting on how they use tax dollars. A few years ago a Fox 2 News’s “You Paid for It” segment exposed that over two million Community Development Block Grant tax dollars went into the Ville community which resulted in the construction of less than ten homes. Those homeowners were promised a development of over fifty homes, and now live across the street from vacant and boarded up buildings. Now to be fair, in that segment in which former 4th Ward Alderman O.L. Shelton appeared to want to wash his hands of the mess, little was said on how Barbara Geisman in the Mayor’s Office signed off on the allocation. In preparing for this piece I contacted CDA to find out where could I go to see how block grant money was spent by ward, and I was referred to a four hundred page document, that provided a mountain of data but was not very helpful in understanding my central question. Clearly in the age of the internet, that information should be more readily available. An empowered community needs to be vested and informed stakeholders in how money is spent in their community.
A few years ago when I got involved in community development, one of my first objectives was to visit communities where they seem to be getting it right. One of my stops was to Forest Park Southeast Housing Agency headed by Irving Blue. One of the most impressive community tools was the existence of a community agreement system which effectively forced community businesses to be more accountable. Forest Park Southeast and area businesses would sign a “Good Neighbor” agreement that outlined the rules of the road that governed whether or not that establishment would be considered a community asset or liability. Imagine that! Suppose you were a community which had strong neighborhood housing or community nonprofit, that drafted a good neighbor agreement with businesses, and landlords, that make held them accountable for what goes on in their business or their property. Suppose you could go to a license renewal hearing with a document signed by the business owner, and make a case that they have failed to live up to their agreement, and their license should not be renewed. Imagine if you had the support of the Alderman! That’s empowerment! Holding businesses accountable is one of the pillars in having a stable community. Finally, imagine that same community group was empowered to meet with potential developers and as a result were able to negotiate a development agreement that included a commitment to support community schools, provide scholarships, and other community priorities – Again that’s empowerment.
Communities thrive when several things exists, a stable political infrastructure, inclusive decision making process, the capacity to hold business and landlords accountable, a willingness to draw in outside resources, and a holistic approach to development. Finally it needs a competent community nonprofit group which has competent and visionary board that can be a source of communication, and education, one that is independent of the political process. Our communities cannot grow when the political process gives rise to cronyism, back room deals that bring development and home repair contracts to incompetent friends. Our communities can’t grow when the investment community is turned off by a community’s history of in-fighting and dysfunction.
Last week in the 21st ward, Alderman Antonio French brought the Bosman Twins to a concert in O’Fallon Park only a few minutes from where the talented group played in the 70’s. For the last few years O’Fallon Park had the “rep” of a park to be avoided, for a concert to be held there is significant. In 2008 Barack Obama campaigned on the message of change. Having a concert in O’Fallon Park while not a “game changer” in North St. Louis, does provide a glimpse of what can happen. Alderman French seems to be not only engaged, but one who understands the modern world of relationship building, the power of the Internet, and understands how to connect on a variety of levels. That is encouraging. For those in communities in North St. Louis that don’t see the same level of engagement from their Alderman, you need to start plugging back in. Plugging in means asking your Alderman about his or her block grant budget, find out the renewal date of the liquor stores in your ward, getting involved in the nuisance process, inquiring about developing a good neighbor policy in your ward, and finally find out if there is a nonprofit housing/community development agency in your ward and ask who on their staff, and their board, when do they meet, where are their minutes, what are they doing? If there is not a non profit Housing Board, start one. Empowered communities are informed and engaged, knowledge is power. Those in the community who want change must be encouraged, empowered, and kept in the loop but more importantly those in the community who want change, must become engaged.
In the City of St. Louis, the Community Development Agency (CDA) is the custodian of that federal money. In October of each year part of the allocation process begins with CDA inviting 5013c organizations to come and make a case for funding. Those organizations must have the support of the Alderman in their ward to get funding. Thus the Aldermen in each of the City’s 28 Wards have almost total control over the winners and losers, a virtual fiefdom over how federal dollars are spent. What that effectively means with respect to development is the capacity of a community to grow and evolve is tied to the effectiveness and competence of their elected officials. Given the amount of money involved, and what is at stake I question if the current system truly represents best practices. From my perspective there should be more inclusion and more transparency in the allocation and spending process.
Yet, it is not the ward by ward allocation that is troublesome, it is the manner in which local Alderman use those funds. In over twenty years I have seen many community newsletters put out by Alderman, but not once have I seen one with an accounting on how they use tax dollars. A few years ago a Fox 2 News’s “You Paid for It” segment exposed that over two million Community Development Block Grant tax dollars went into the Ville community which resulted in the construction of less than ten homes. Those homeowners were promised a development of over fifty homes, and now live across the street from vacant and boarded up buildings. Now to be fair, in that segment in which former 4th Ward Alderman O.L. Shelton appeared to want to wash his hands of the mess, little was said on how Barbara Geisman in the Mayor’s Office signed off on the allocation. In preparing for this piece I contacted CDA to find out where could I go to see how block grant money was spent by ward, and I was referred to a four hundred page document, that provided a mountain of data but was not very helpful in understanding my central question. Clearly in the age of the internet, that information should be more readily available. An empowered community needs to be vested and informed stakeholders in how money is spent in their community.
A few years ago when I got involved in community development, one of my first objectives was to visit communities where they seem to be getting it right. One of my stops was to Forest Park Southeast Housing Agency headed by Irving Blue. One of the most impressive community tools was the existence of a community agreement system which effectively forced community businesses to be more accountable. Forest Park Southeast and area businesses would sign a “Good Neighbor” agreement that outlined the rules of the road that governed whether or not that establishment would be considered a community asset or liability. Imagine that! Suppose you were a community which had strong neighborhood housing or community nonprofit, that drafted a good neighbor agreement with businesses, and landlords, that make held them accountable for what goes on in their business or their property. Suppose you could go to a license renewal hearing with a document signed by the business owner, and make a case that they have failed to live up to their agreement, and their license should not be renewed. Imagine if you had the support of the Alderman! That’s empowerment! Holding businesses accountable is one of the pillars in having a stable community. Finally, imagine that same community group was empowered to meet with potential developers and as a result were able to negotiate a development agreement that included a commitment to support community schools, provide scholarships, and other community priorities – Again that’s empowerment.
Communities thrive when several things exists, a stable political infrastructure, inclusive decision making process, the capacity to hold business and landlords accountable, a willingness to draw in outside resources, and a holistic approach to development. Finally it needs a competent community nonprofit group which has competent and visionary board that can be a source of communication, and education, one that is independent of the political process. Our communities cannot grow when the political process gives rise to cronyism, back room deals that bring development and home repair contracts to incompetent friends. Our communities can’t grow when the investment community is turned off by a community’s history of in-fighting and dysfunction.
Last week in the 21st ward, Alderman Antonio French brought the Bosman Twins to a concert in O’Fallon Park only a few minutes from where the talented group played in the 70’s. For the last few years O’Fallon Park had the “rep” of a park to be avoided, for a concert to be held there is significant. In 2008 Barack Obama campaigned on the message of change. Having a concert in O’Fallon Park while not a “game changer” in North St. Louis, does provide a glimpse of what can happen. Alderman French seems to be not only engaged, but one who understands the modern world of relationship building, the power of the Internet, and understands how to connect on a variety of levels. That is encouraging. For those in communities in North St. Louis that don’t see the same level of engagement from their Alderman, you need to start plugging back in. Plugging in means asking your Alderman about his or her block grant budget, find out the renewal date of the liquor stores in your ward, getting involved in the nuisance process, inquiring about developing a good neighbor policy in your ward, and finally find out if there is a nonprofit housing/community development agency in your ward and ask who on their staff, and their board, when do they meet, where are their minutes, what are they doing? If there is not a non profit Housing Board, start one. Empowered communities are informed and engaged, knowledge is power. Those in the community who want change must be encouraged, empowered, and kept in the loop but more importantly those in the community who want change, must become engaged.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
From Victims to Empowerment
A few years ago I watched an extraordinary episode of NBC’s Dateline. It was called A Pattern of Suspicion. The producers of Dateline started out covering the death of a black man who was shot by the Cincinnati police in 2002. That shooting led to public outcry within the black community. But where the story took Dateline went far beyond the confines of Cincinnati. In covering their case, Dateline uncovered what the deemed a national pattern of behavior of racial profiling. Their efforts brought Dateline to St. Louis, where several African Americans of all ages, both male and female shared their experiences. Dateline producers then went the unprecedented step of getting over four million records of police stops for non moving violations. This is impressive, as well as illuminating. Non moving violations often include citations that were not visible to the police prior to the person being pulled over; examples are an expired inspection sticker, expired registration, no insurance, inoperable equipment, and so on. These records suggests that the police officer may have been “fishing expedition”, using race as the sole motivator for the making the stop. The recent arrest of Harvard Professor Gates, while not a “driving while black” scenario, presents another opportunity for black America to be proactive rather than reactive in dealing with a serious issue. An opportunity lost in the madness that followed the 1992 Rodney King verdict.
In the glow of the historic election of an African American president, one wonders if black America has latched onto the fool’s gold of complacency. If so that would be a big mistake. I have little doubt that the Justice Department under Eric Holder will be quite different from the one of John Ashcroft, or Alberto Gonzales, yet, in 2009 time has long passed where our only solution is to passively wait for the government to resolve our problems. The criminal justice system is a billion dollar industry and black men are disproportionately the largest member of that unholy fraternity. We as a community can no longer afford to have allowed the false hope that a political solution is the only solution. As I see it, challenging the status quo by engaging ourselves on a multitude of levels represents a paradigm shift from victims to empowerment. Empowerment works when a community is engaged, proactive, educated. The heroes that we celebrate every February during Black History Month names like Tubman, Douglas, Malcolm, and Dubois were symbols of black empowerment; part of the debt owed to those ancestors is to approach core issues facing our community with the kind of audacity that President Obama wrote about.
As a lifetime St. Louis resident, I have had the opportunity to see racial profiling up close and personal, and simply being angry about it, is a mentality that I can no longer support. As a result, I plan to work with others in the community who are active in this effort, as well as look at new approaches. This fall I will have a community showing of the Dateline episode and facilitate a panel discussion on the topic of racial profiling that will be aimed at taking specific action, reviewing all applicable laws so that we as a community are well versed in our rights, and legal options. Those topics could include but not limited to exploring “Sunshine Laws” to track if one’s plates have been “run” yet they were never stopped, getting clarity on what are the rules governing running license plates, and the ability to gain access to police reports that police use to stop black men. No longer should it be acceptable for a 5’10 black man weighing 200 pounds to be stopped on the basis of a report looking for a 5’5 140 suspect. But to address this issue without developing a comprehensive strategy aimed at both protecting and educating our young people would be a tragic mistake. Currently the NAACP and the ACLU have education programs in place hopefully this process will allow those outreach and educational programs to expand. Finally it is my hope that in 2009, the Internet becomes significant tracking and communication tool by using social networking websites like Facebook to monitor police actions, provide up to date information, and maintain a watchful vigilance. An empowered community has the right, and the choice to make the police accountable for their actions.
In the glow of the historic election of an African American president, one wonders if black America has latched onto the fool’s gold of complacency. If so that would be a big mistake. I have little doubt that the Justice Department under Eric Holder will be quite different from the one of John Ashcroft, or Alberto Gonzales, yet, in 2009 time has long passed where our only solution is to passively wait for the government to resolve our problems. The criminal justice system is a billion dollar industry and black men are disproportionately the largest member of that unholy fraternity. We as a community can no longer afford to have allowed the false hope that a political solution is the only solution. As I see it, challenging the status quo by engaging ourselves on a multitude of levels represents a paradigm shift from victims to empowerment. Empowerment works when a community is engaged, proactive, educated. The heroes that we celebrate every February during Black History Month names like Tubman, Douglas, Malcolm, and Dubois were symbols of black empowerment; part of the debt owed to those ancestors is to approach core issues facing our community with the kind of audacity that President Obama wrote about.
As a lifetime St. Louis resident, I have had the opportunity to see racial profiling up close and personal, and simply being angry about it, is a mentality that I can no longer support. As a result, I plan to work with others in the community who are active in this effort, as well as look at new approaches. This fall I will have a community showing of the Dateline episode and facilitate a panel discussion on the topic of racial profiling that will be aimed at taking specific action, reviewing all applicable laws so that we as a community are well versed in our rights, and legal options. Those topics could include but not limited to exploring “Sunshine Laws” to track if one’s plates have been “run” yet they were never stopped, getting clarity on what are the rules governing running license plates, and the ability to gain access to police reports that police use to stop black men. No longer should it be acceptable for a 5’10 black man weighing 200 pounds to be stopped on the basis of a report looking for a 5’5 140 suspect. But to address this issue without developing a comprehensive strategy aimed at both protecting and educating our young people would be a tragic mistake. Currently the NAACP and the ACLU have education programs in place hopefully this process will allow those outreach and educational programs to expand. Finally it is my hope that in 2009, the Internet becomes significant tracking and communication tool by using social networking websites like Facebook to monitor police actions, provide up to date information, and maintain a watchful vigilance. An empowered community has the right, and the choice to make the police accountable for their actions.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Raw azz shyte - U Dig!
From 2003
You fail to see this high achiever
Still duped by the deceiver
Blinded you non believers
Ignored my countless warnings
Now ten thousand or more mothers are in mourning
Dazed and amazed we consider
Joining
The military, mosque or the church
Minds poisoned by ministers who chase skirts
wearing their collars
To hide their dirt
Living in tax exempt temples thriving where the devil lurks
the truth hurts
but you see,
I walk the city streets on a daily basis
Watching brothers catching cases
As the parent of all human races
Seemed to have been tricked into switching places
The enemy remains faceless
And the invisible footprint of the beast leaving no trace
Descendants of kings accepting total disgrace
Great minds lost in space
Brainwashed by
Institutions of higher learning
Still can’t reach melaninated minds
Yearning
History books filled with images of Watts burning
It has my stomach churning
As historical deviations
Deleting volumes about the great Nubian nation
the illusion of integration
Masks the reality of segregation
as the ejaculated seed of the Caucasian
By way of force, by way of force
By way of force,
Its penetration
Forever Blemished mother earth
Now her sons and daughters gone berserk
And glory is promised on Sunday
Forgotten on Monday
Hoping for one day to be freed
And today more kings bleed
Can run a 4.2 forty, but can not read
I am IamWhoam1959
Who witnesses these last days and times
I shine
for those who reject
To swallow the illusion
Representing those who have
Come to the conclusion
That this present system
Offers no solution
Only more sell outs and collusion
Yet this revolution is not televised
It comes from inside
Resuscitate your sprit, activate your pride
For the billions of souls of black folks who have died
Tell us like 2Pac, and Mya
now we must rise, now we must rise,
now we must rise
but our Pineal gland has become far too calcified
By coca cola and McDonalds French fries
The book Nutracide,
I urge you to read
As it outlines the ingredients of a dying breed
black man oppressed and under siege
And mother Afrika dying out from
man made disease
death in a single sneeze
one insane moment
from a nuclear freeze
yet we still try to appease
NAACP, Jessie, Johnnie, and Farrakhan black man please
Not when young brothers getting bids for selling trees
while we start a war for some none existing wmd’s
why are we always on our knees?
perhaps because
brothas like Kobe still not paying attention
Ignoring 500 years of lynching
so all you whining ass negros stop bitchin
If it’s a white woman you hitten
the clan will start a convention
bringing out the new nigga killa invention
for instance
In the eighties with the inner city streets on life support
and Majic and Bird were ruling the court
Iran Contra delivered a coca derivative
Which made slaves, corpses or orphans out of a million black kids
While President Ronald Wilson Reagan hid
Behind diplomatic immunity
And CIA backed drug lords killed with impunity
Tech nines and A-Ks
Genocidal weapons for those enslaved
By their own failure to embrace their divinity
Thus drugs, guns, and money became the ghetto holy trinity
Fueling spending sprees
and it seemed
a third of the community
Now resided in penitentiary
Building a new slave industry
the other 2 thirds 2 numbed by Hennessy
is it our affinity
to allow others 2 define us
that has confined us
so without fuss we trust
accepting the phallic thrust
and venom on the radio spewed by a fool named rush
yet do we crush- him?
cuz it seems that when we aim and bust
the victims are always us
submitting ourselves to the beast
accepting only the crumbs from the feast
so called kings became bleached
while the rest of us huddle in retreat
but don’t get it twisted
Iamwhoam1959 accepts no defeat
I speak
For the
And all decendants of the middle passage
Depicted as savage, beat down and blasted
Buried sans caskets, or those with close caskets
Typecasted, miscasted, forced 2 be bastards,
And consumed in the slavery of drug traffic,
I speak for those
Dehumanized, marginalized, institutionalized
With no place to hide, and still search the sky
Seeking a man made god with blue eyes
I speak for those
Dispised, denied
Innocent but fried,
Hung but not tried
Convicted on the testimony a whore’s lies
I speak for the angels,
the one that cried, and the ones who died
for the pleasure of a lesser man
Whose plans, and scams
Have brought us to the brink of annihilation
So I close with this final verbal libation
Fueled by my self determined liberation
Mr. President
Before your next proclamation
More lies to a sick and dying nation
As your administration
Seeks to rebuild your reputation
I urge you to
Reopen the book of revelation
And witness the devastation
This time factor in that karmic equation,
If not, expect total desolation, worldwide conflagration, white flags will be raising,
A lot of us will be chillin and blazin, and when it’s all said and done,
it will be Allah you’ll be praising.
TO BE CONTINUED
IamWhoAm1959
You fail to see this high achiever
Still duped by the deceiver
Blinded you non believers
Ignored my countless warnings
Now ten thousand or more mothers are in mourning
Dazed and amazed we consider
Joining
The military, mosque or the church
Minds poisoned by ministers who chase skirts
wearing their collars
To hide their dirt
Living in tax exempt temples thriving where the devil lurks
the truth hurts
but you see,
I walk the city streets on a daily basis
Watching brothers catching cases
As the parent of all human races
Seemed to have been tricked into switching places
The enemy remains faceless
And the invisible footprint of the beast leaving no trace
Descendants of kings accepting total disgrace
Great minds lost in space
Brainwashed by
Institutions of higher learning
Still can’t reach melaninated minds
Yearning
History books filled with images of Watts burning
It has my stomach churning
As historical deviations
Deleting volumes about the great Nubian nation
the illusion of integration
Masks the reality of segregation
as the ejaculated seed of the Caucasian
By way of force, by way of force
By way of force,
Its penetration
Forever Blemished mother earth
Now her sons and daughters gone berserk
And glory is promised on Sunday
Forgotten on Monday
Hoping for one day to be freed
And today more kings bleed
Can run a 4.2 forty, but can not read
I am IamWhoam1959
Who witnesses these last days and times
I shine
for those who reject
To swallow the illusion
Representing those who have
Come to the conclusion
That this present system
Offers no solution
Only more sell outs and collusion
Yet this revolution is not televised
It comes from inside
Resuscitate your sprit, activate your pride
For the billions of souls of black folks who have died
Tell us like 2Pac, and Mya
now we must rise, now we must rise,
now we must rise
but our Pineal gland has become far too calcified
By coca cola and McDonalds French fries
The book Nutracide,
I urge you to read
As it outlines the ingredients of a dying breed
black man oppressed and under siege
And mother Afrika dying out from
man made disease
death in a single sneeze
one insane moment
from a nuclear freeze
yet we still try to appease
NAACP, Jessie, Johnnie, and Farrakhan black man please
Not when young brothers getting bids for selling trees
while we start a war for some none existing wmd’s
why are we always on our knees?
perhaps because
brothas like Kobe still not paying attention
Ignoring 500 years of lynching
so all you whining ass negros stop bitchin
If it’s a white woman you hitten
the clan will start a convention
bringing out the new nigga killa invention
for instance
In the eighties with the inner city streets on life support
and Majic and Bird were ruling the court
Iran Contra delivered a coca derivative
Which made slaves, corpses or orphans out of a million black kids
While President Ronald Wilson Reagan hid
Behind diplomatic immunity
And CIA backed drug lords killed with impunity
Tech nines and A-Ks
Genocidal weapons for those enslaved
By their own failure to embrace their divinity
Thus drugs, guns, and money became the ghetto holy trinity
Fueling spending sprees
and it seemed
a third of the community
Now resided in penitentiary
Building a new slave industry
the other 2 thirds 2 numbed by Hennessy
is it our affinity
to allow others 2 define us
that has confined us
so without fuss we trust
accepting the phallic thrust
and venom on the radio spewed by a fool named rush
yet do we crush- him?
cuz it seems that when we aim and bust
the victims are always us
submitting ourselves to the beast
accepting only the crumbs from the feast
so called kings became bleached
while the rest of us huddle in retreat
but don’t get it twisted
Iamwhoam1959 accepts no defeat
I speak
For the
And all decendants of the middle passage
Depicted as savage, beat down and blasted
Buried sans caskets, or those with close caskets
Typecasted, miscasted, forced 2 be bastards,
And consumed in the slavery of drug traffic,
I speak for those
Dehumanized, marginalized, institutionalized
With no place to hide, and still search the sky
Seeking a man made god with blue eyes
I speak for those
Dispised, denied
Innocent but fried,
Hung but not tried
Convicted on the testimony a whore’s lies
I speak for the angels,
the one that cried, and the ones who died
for the pleasure of a lesser man
Whose plans, and scams
Have brought us to the brink of annihilation
So I close with this final verbal libation
Fueled by my self determined liberation
Mr. President
Before your next proclamation
More lies to a sick and dying nation
As your administration
Seeks to rebuild your reputation
I urge you to
Reopen the book of revelation
And witness the devastation
This time factor in that karmic equation,
If not, expect total desolation, worldwide conflagration, white flags will be raising,
A lot of us will be chillin and blazin, and when it’s all said and done,
it will be Allah you’ll be praising.
TO BE CONTINUED
IamWhoAm1959
Monday, August 3, 2009
Mr. President its time for a new hand
On Washington Week in Review with Gwen Ifil, Washington Post Reporter Dan Balz made a very interesting and illuminating observation. In commenting on the obstacles that the Obama Administration faces as the Health Reform plan meanders its way through Congress, Mr. Balz opined that the Obama Administration underestimated the nature and quickness that the political climate in Washington “re-polarized” after the election. Mr. Balz went on to note that many within the Obama administration including President Obama had hoped that the winds of change that catapulted him to the White House would be the springboard for a new spirit of bipartisan cooperation. Immediately after the election Barack Obama began an outreach to Republicans, highlighted by his meeting with his defeated rival John McCain. Then as if on cue, President Elect Obama began to take flack from the progressive wing of his party for eschewing campaigning in Georgia for the runoff election, and his selection of many holdovers from the Clinton administration in his cabinet.
After the election ,President Obama’s steady move to the center brought on even more progressive complaints. Whether it was that Judge Sotomayor was not the perfect liberal Supreme Court foil counter to Anton Scalia conservatism, or President Obama’s unwillingness to go after the Bush administration with respect to war crimes, real and imagined, and how he backed away from his zeal on repealing the “Don’t ask - don’t tell”. But it President Obama’s apparent willingness to compromise key progressive priorities in health care reform that had many in the progressive wing of the party on the brink of all and out civil war. Former DNC Chair Howard Dean warned that there would be implications if the “Public Option” the sacred cow for the left was left on the cutting room floor. I have written often about the angst of the left, as it pertains to issues not central to the Obama campaign, as I contented that President Obama ought not to waste political capital on those the agenda items near and dear to the Arianna Huffington’s and Keith Olberman’s of the world. But with respect to health care, President Obama may need to dance with the ones who brought him. The core argument of the left with respect to President Obama’s approach to heath care is this: “sir you came here with a mandate, a majority in Congress, and a filibuster proof Senate, now stand and deliver on the change we voted on.”
To President Obama’s credit, he saw a country weary of divisiveness, polarization, and fear mongering, and he believed that a spirit of compromise, and bipartisanship was also part of the change mantra. I wholeheartedly agreed. At the beginning of the Health Reform debate, the Obama Administration was driven not to repeat the failure of the Clinton Plan. Instead of ramming health care down the throats of Congress, President Obama wanted a health care plan that everyone could support. However the Republican Party had other ideas, instead of being chastened by their November thumping, they made an early strategic decision to be “the party of no”. Nowhere on their agenda save a few clear thinking Senators, did the Republicans include a good faith effort to work with the Obama Administration. There contribution has been noted in the form of amendments, many have been included in several versions, however none have translated to votes or open support for the plan. Emboldened by the intraparty struggle within the Democratic Party between the left and the conservative “Blue Dogs”, the Republicans now plan a disruptive strategy designed to create fear among voters during the congressional break. By disengaging from real policy making, they have decided to abdicate from governance, by their disruptance they are playing their hand clear and simple, they plan form the bases of their 2010 off year election strategy as a referendum against the Obama domestic program.
One of the things about Barack Hussein Obama that I continue to marvel at is his political instincts, often they have been uncanny, and served him well. In what may be the defining moment of his young Presidency, I hope he can read the cards that are being dealt and realize he has to play to his strong suit. What is evolving is a high risk game of political poker, in this game the best hand that President Obama can play is to realize his outreach program is a losing one. NBC News White House Reporter, Chuck Todd mentioned a few weeks ago that whatever health plan is passed will have to be defended stridently by the White House. If that is the case, then it makes the most sense from a practical, political, and policy standpoint to push for the health care plan that most closely resembles the one “candidate” Obama ran on. There are at least five bills in the House of Representatives, and I am certain, during this “down time” the Obama team will be making a decision on which one to push. By the mere fact there are health care proposals floating around Congress brings America closer to comprehensive health care than we have ever been - to see it slip away because the President fails to leverage his historic mandate and Congressional advantage chasing the fools gold of bi partisanship would be an monumental failure. For once, I agree with those on the left, there will be other issues and opportunities for compromise, but on what may be the most defining legislation of your administration, this is not the time for dalliances with a recalcitrant Republican Party whose sole focus is to see you fail.
Then President Elect Obama turned heads with his appointment of Congressman Raul Emanuel but insiders knew that in picking Emanuel he had his inside the Beltway version of Luca Braci. Many members of Congress owe their seat to Mr. Emanuel who as the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised millions for House Democrats. Now the due bill is in. President Obama’s message to the Democrats should be simple, my flirtation with compromise is over, get her done. His message to the Republican Party should be equally as simple – deal with the political consequences of being on the wrong side of change – again. Finally his message to the American People especially the millions of Americans without health care - this health care plan - my health care plan is change you can believe in.
After the election ,President Obama’s steady move to the center brought on even more progressive complaints. Whether it was that Judge Sotomayor was not the perfect liberal Supreme Court foil counter to Anton Scalia conservatism, or President Obama’s unwillingness to go after the Bush administration with respect to war crimes, real and imagined, and how he backed away from his zeal on repealing the “Don’t ask - don’t tell”. But it President Obama’s apparent willingness to compromise key progressive priorities in health care reform that had many in the progressive wing of the party on the brink of all and out civil war. Former DNC Chair Howard Dean warned that there would be implications if the “Public Option” the sacred cow for the left was left on the cutting room floor. I have written often about the angst of the left, as it pertains to issues not central to the Obama campaign, as I contented that President Obama ought not to waste political capital on those the agenda items near and dear to the Arianna Huffington’s and Keith Olberman’s of the world. But with respect to health care, President Obama may need to dance with the ones who brought him. The core argument of the left with respect to President Obama’s approach to heath care is this: “sir you came here with a mandate, a majority in Congress, and a filibuster proof Senate, now stand and deliver on the change we voted on.”
To President Obama’s credit, he saw a country weary of divisiveness, polarization, and fear mongering, and he believed that a spirit of compromise, and bipartisanship was also part of the change mantra. I wholeheartedly agreed. At the beginning of the Health Reform debate, the Obama Administration was driven not to repeat the failure of the Clinton Plan. Instead of ramming health care down the throats of Congress, President Obama wanted a health care plan that everyone could support. However the Republican Party had other ideas, instead of being chastened by their November thumping, they made an early strategic decision to be “the party of no”. Nowhere on their agenda save a few clear thinking Senators, did the Republicans include a good faith effort to work with the Obama Administration. There contribution has been noted in the form of amendments, many have been included in several versions, however none have translated to votes or open support for the plan. Emboldened by the intraparty struggle within the Democratic Party between the left and the conservative “Blue Dogs”, the Republicans now plan a disruptive strategy designed to create fear among voters during the congressional break. By disengaging from real policy making, they have decided to abdicate from governance, by their disruptance they are playing their hand clear and simple, they plan form the bases of their 2010 off year election strategy as a referendum against the Obama domestic program.
One of the things about Barack Hussein Obama that I continue to marvel at is his political instincts, often they have been uncanny, and served him well. In what may be the defining moment of his young Presidency, I hope he can read the cards that are being dealt and realize he has to play to his strong suit. What is evolving is a high risk game of political poker, in this game the best hand that President Obama can play is to realize his outreach program is a losing one. NBC News White House Reporter, Chuck Todd mentioned a few weeks ago that whatever health plan is passed will have to be defended stridently by the White House. If that is the case, then it makes the most sense from a practical, political, and policy standpoint to push for the health care plan that most closely resembles the one “candidate” Obama ran on. There are at least five bills in the House of Representatives, and I am certain, during this “down time” the Obama team will be making a decision on which one to push. By the mere fact there are health care proposals floating around Congress brings America closer to comprehensive health care than we have ever been - to see it slip away because the President fails to leverage his historic mandate and Congressional advantage chasing the fools gold of bi partisanship would be an monumental failure. For once, I agree with those on the left, there will be other issues and opportunities for compromise, but on what may be the most defining legislation of your administration, this is not the time for dalliances with a recalcitrant Republican Party whose sole focus is to see you fail.
Then President Elect Obama turned heads with his appointment of Congressman Raul Emanuel but insiders knew that in picking Emanuel he had his inside the Beltway version of Luca Braci. Many members of Congress owe their seat to Mr. Emanuel who as the chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee raised millions for House Democrats. Now the due bill is in. President Obama’s message to the Democrats should be simple, my flirtation with compromise is over, get her done. His message to the Republican Party should be equally as simple – deal with the political consequences of being on the wrong side of change – again. Finally his message to the American People especially the millions of Americans without health care - this health care plan - my health care plan is change you can believe in.
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