Insolent Politics

Sun-down towns still exist

2016-12-07T06:47:00.002-08:00

Sundown towns, sometimes known as sunset towns, are all-white municipalities or neighborhoods in the United States that practice racism a form of segregation by enforcing restrictions excluding people of other races via some combination of racial, discriminatory local laws, intimidation, and violence.

Eventhough this clip is 30 years old these type of towns still exist today but not a lot of media coverage talks about it. Well, after Donald Trump won the presidential election many racist incidents were taking place all over America simultaneously. These attitudes persist in the present times.

From Maine to California, thousands of communities kept out African Americans (or sometimes Chinese Americans, Jewish Americans, etc.) by force, law, or custom. These communities are sometimes called "sundown towns" because some of them posted signs at their city limits reading, typically, "Nigger, Don't Let The Sun Go Down On You In ___."

Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension
of American Racism by James W. Loewen

Some towns are still all white on purpose. Their chilling stories have been joined more recently by the many elite (and some not so elite) suburbs like Grosse Pointe, MI, or Edina, MN, that have excluded nonwhites by "kinder gentler means." When I began this research, I expected to find about 10 sundown towns in Illinois (my home state) and perhaps 50 across the country. Instead, James Loewen has found about 507 in Illinois alone and thousands across the United States. There is a book called Sundown Towns: A Hidden Dimension of Segregation in America by James W. Loewen that details in a sweeping analysis of American suburban residential patterns of strict racial exclusion which was the norm in American towns and villages from sea to shining sea for much of the twentieth century.

The video below is from 2016 present day and still look at the mindset of hateful racists. Warning: explicit language.

Insolent Politics
Sources: Sundown.tougaloo.edu, EncyclopediaOfArkansas.net

When white men taunt & cuss at police daring to shoot

2016-08-27T12:28:00.003-07:00

This is one of many, many reasons why America has failed and has fallen from being one of the best countries in the world to one of the most hated, abhorred, mocked and scorned especially with the recent 2016 presidential candidates like Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. The blatant attacks on police officers by white men happen almost everyday and the country turns a blind eye and does not report these incidents on major news networks while those same networks show the most heinous acts by police officers & white citizens shooting and killing UNARMED African American boys and men.

The following video is a traffic stop that goes wrong when Andrew H. Brannan pulled out an assault rifle and killed Deputy Kyle Dinkheller. Brannan left his vehicle and sarcastically prodded Dinkheller to shoot him, screamed that he was a “goddamn Vietnam combat veteran,” and then retrieved a rifle from his pickup truck, according to a police cruiser dashboard camera video later released. Brannan said he lost his temper with Laurens County Sheriff, Deputy Kyle Dinkheller, on Jan. 12, 1998, after driving 100 mph on a country road and getting pulled over by the officer.

The two men exchanged shots, with Brannan suffering one gunshot wound to the abdomen and Dinkheller getting hit nine times. The graphic video shows Dinkheller, a Laurens County deputy, screaming in terror and pain as Brannan closes in on him and kills him at point-blank range after reloading.

These type of incidents happened 16 years before the killing of Mike Brown Jr. The police officer on the scene was Deputy Dinkheller who was shot and killed after pulling over a man on a rural road about 6 miles north of Dublin, Georgia. During the traffic stop Dinkheller called for backup. Before backup arrived a white male shot Deputy Dinkheller with a M1 carbine rifle. The officer was able to return fire, striking the suspect in the stomach.

That's interesting how the suspect just went back to his truck, reached in to load his assault rifle with the police officer yelling at him to put the gun down. I'm not advocating violence but I think the Deputy should have not allowed the suspect to reach in the pickup truck. And I'm sure that Dinkheller had no idea what this madman had in mind to do but that's where the power of systemic privilege shows it awkward face.The deputy kept telling the man to "put the gun down" and no shots were fired at the suspect by the officer. Simply unbelievable right? Not if you are white in America. It is apparent that systemic privilege, class and racism is also to blame because if the suspect was african american the suspect would be dead on the spot with a dozen or more fatal bullet wounds. 12-year old Tamir Rice was a CHILD with a TOY GUN and was NOT told to "put the gun down!". Tamir was shot within two seconds after police arrival!

As a matter of fact, the white male suspect in the above video is told, what seems like 50 times, to "put the gun down". The white suspect even says “No” to the officer!
This video is an example of how certain groups of people in America have certain privileges and get away with it EVERYDAY with little to no consequence and because of this police officers lose their lives. This is why people hate America with its sick display of blatant racism, privilege and triple standards. Instead of shooting the suspect to wound him the suspect loaded rounds into an assault rifle and went after the deputy to kill him after the dangerous suspect was constantly told to "put the gun down" and the deputy paid for it with his life. Deputy Kyle Dinkheller gave Andrew Brannan several opportunities, more than necessary, to comply and put down the gun but this selfish Brannan guy took his privilege to the point of rage that led to murder.

Kyle Wayne Dinkheller was a deputy with the Laurens County Sheriff's
Office in the U.S. state of Georgia. After his death, he was named the 1998
Deputy Sheriff of the Year by the Georgia Sheriffs' Association.

Dinkheller's murder continues to get national attention (e.g., training in police academies) because the stop and shootout were captured on a personal video recorder Deputy Dinkheller had placed on his patrol car dashboard and activated when he stopped Brannan. Dinkheller was born on June 18, 1975 in San Diego, California. He graduated from California's Quartz Hill High School in 1993. He joined the Lauren's County Sheriff's Office as a jailer in March 1995 and became a certified peace officer with the State of Georgia in 1996. He was just 22 years old when he was murdered. Dinkheller is survived by his wife, Angela, and their children Ashley and Cody.
For the full description of the incident visit the article Officer down which is on the PoliceMarksman website.

There are hundreds of other incidents if not thousands of white suspects attacking and/or shooting at police officers and being treated with dignity and respect and not being murdered in cold blood. In fact, these white suspects were all armed with assault rifles or automatic handguns and are almost never killed on the spot but are brought down by tasers or bean bags which are non deadly ways to take down an armed suspect. Deputy Dinkheller fired back and tried to protect himself but the suspect's rifle was too powerful and Dinkheller was shot too many times to give good aim. But on the other side of things is the way that within two seconds of the police car’s arrival, Officer Loehmann shot Tamir Rice in the abdomen from point-blank range, raising doubts that he could have warned the boy three times to raise his hands, as the police later claimed.

Insolent Politics
Sources: Countercurrentnews.com, WashingtonPost.com, PoliceMarksmen.com

Racist imagery at Joe's Crab Shack in Roseville Minneapolis upsets two visiting patrons

2016-03-13T17:02:00.000-07:00

Blatant racism, racist imagery and racially charged incidents are running rampant in America. Being that it is the 21st century it sure seems like the United States of America is moving backwards when it comes to race relations.

Lynching is the practice whereby a mob--usually several dozen or several hundred persons--takes the law into its own hands in order to injure and kill a person accused of some wrongdoing. The alleged offense can range from a serious crime like theft or murder to a mere violation of local customs or from false accusations. So how can a company such as Joe's Crab Shack publicly display such a heinous act in 2016? The answer... blatant racism and disrespect for African Americans. The U.S. is still divided on race, what a shame.

A mob of white americans smiling, grinning and enjoying
the lynchings of two black american young men. Notice the
man in the center pointing, he has a look of hate in his face.

America is a cultural melting pot where people from all walks of life should have an equal opportunity to good education, healthcare, living conditions and financial resources but that is only a dream for people of African descent who were born in the United States which is an unfortunate circumstance for the country and is the SOLE MAIN down fall of America. Celebrating and/or promoting the cruel death of a person by lynching because of the color of their skin is an inhumane and animalistic behavior that mentally sick human beings participate in.

Racial profiling example: Studies show that police are more likely to pull over and frisk blacks or Latinos than whites. In New York City, 80% of the stops made were blacks and Latinos, and 85% of those people were frisked, compared to a mere 8% of white people stopped (1). The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics concluded that an African American male born in 2001 has a 32% chance of going to jail in his lifetime, while a Latino male has a 17% chance, and a white male only has a 6% chance (2).

In Roseville Minneapolis a historical photo of a black man getting lynched was used as decoration on a table at Joe’s Crab Shack. After an offended patron posted it on social media, the restaurant released an apology.

Tyrone Williams of Minneapolis stated, “We just felt sick and confused, it was just sickening. It was disgusting." Mr. Williams and his friend Chauntyll Allen saw the photo embedded under laminate in their table. It seemed to capture an image of a public hanging of Richard Burleson in Texas. The sentence at the bottom of the photograph reads, "Hanging at Groesbeck, Texas on April 12th, 1895". The photo below was taken by Tyrone Williams.

In the top left corner of this pic is a picture of a black man
being lynched with a balloon caption saying, "All I said was
I don't like gumbo".

Chauntyll and Tyrone did not find the racist image amusing. After documenting the photo on their cell phones, they complained to management and left the restaurant without eating. Williams and Allen were joined by the NAACP in condemning Joe’s Crab Shack for allowing such imagery in their national chain of restaurants.

David G. Catalano has been the Chief
Operating Officer and Senior Vice President
of Ignite Restaurant Group, Inc., since
April 17, 2015.

David Catalano, Chief Operating Officer of Ignite Restaurant Group, released a statement to Fox 9 on Thursday apologizing for the "unacceptable" photo: "We take this matter very seriously, and the photo in question was immediately removed. We sincerely apologize to our guests who were disturbed by the image and we look forward to continuing to serve the Roseville community."

I respect the decision of David Catalano to not only remove racist imagery from that one franchise in Roseville but to remove all racist imagery from all of the Joe's Crab Shack's across America.

The City of Roseville issued a statement saying, "The City of Roseville was shocked and saddened to learn of the racist imagery being openly displayed at the Roseville location of national restaurant chain Joe’s Crab Shack. The city condemns this type of display in the strongest possible terms and calls on Joe’s Crab Shack to remove any and all racist imagery not only from its Roseville location, but all of its restaurants nationwide.

Insolent Politics

Sources: Fox9, CNBC, CivilRights.org, Bureau of Justice Statistics

(1) - 2 U.S. Department of Justice. "The Reality of Racial Profiling." The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights. Accessed March 1, 2014, http://www.civilrights.org/publications/reports/racial-profiling2011/the-reality-of-racial.html.

(2) - Bonczar, Thomas P., and Allen J. Beck, Ph.D.. "Lifetime Likelihood of Going to State or Federal Prison." Bureau of Justice Statistics. Accessed March 1, 2014. http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/Llgsfp.pdf.

Unarmed Black Teen Shot to Death by White Homeowner

2016-03-01T16:15:00.000-08:00

The death of Renisha McBride, a 19-year-old African-American woman, occurred on November 2, 2013, in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Renisha McBride had crashed her car and then walked to a neighborhood in Dearborn Heights where she knocked on the door of a house. The homeowner, Theodore Wafer, shot McBride with a shotgun. Wafer contended that the shooting was accidental and that he thought his home was being broken into after he heard her banging on his door at 4:42 in the morning. Renisha's family believes she was knocking on his door for help. An autopsy found that she died of a single gunshot wound to the face.

19-year Renisha McBride was fatally shot in the back of
the head when knocking on a homeowner's door seeking help.

Defense attorney Cheryl Carpenter reminded the judge that this was not a premeditated murder. A recording of the 911 call Wafer placed after the shooting offered no clarity as to why he shot McBride.

“Uh, yes.... I just shot somebody on my front porch with a shotgun, banging on my door,” he said. He then gave his address, and, sounding a little confused, thanked the dispatcher and hung up.
Wafer lived in Dearborn Heights, a middle-class, predominantly white suburb west of Detroit. He testified during the trial that crime was rising in his neighborhood and said he “didn’t want to cower” in his own home. Tensions between neighboring towns and counties and the city of Detroit have been running high for as long as the city has struggled economically.

Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 17 years in Wafer’s case. He was found guilty of second-degree murder, which carries a minimum sentence of 15 years, and two additional years were sought because a gun was involved.
Insolent Politics

Sources: The Huffington Post, The L.A. Times

Martin Scorsese promotes Polish cinema

2016-02-24T16:21:00.000-08:00

Academy award winning movie director Martin Scorsese has taken patronage over a Polish cinema film festival organized by the National Audiovisual Institute (NInA).

During the festival, National Audiovisual Institute will project 24 movies by Kieślowski, Zanussi and Wajda chosen by the American artist and under the name Martin Scorsese Presents: Masterpieces of Polish Cinema. “The festival features lots of great pictures, and regardless if one is familiar with them it is a distinguished opportunity to discover the greatness of Polish cinema on a big screen,” Scorsese said.

The festival has already visited Washington, Chicago, Philadelphia, Montreal, Los Angeles and some cities in Canada, Australia, China and the UK. The event launched on February 10 and will last until December.

Iranian Women Banned From Attending Men's Volleyball Game

2016-02-21T17:14:00.000-08:00

Iran banned women from attending the International Beach Volleyball Championships that ended Friday, the world volleyball governing body said.

The International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) said allowing women to attend the five-day competition at Iran’s Kish Island had been a condition of its decision to let the Iranian volleyball federation host the men's tournament for the first time.

Female fans in Iran are traditionally barred from attending male-only sports matches. In my opinion, it seems that at least men and women can sit side by side and cheer on their favorite sports team and/or sports player. I feel that if men and women can't sit side by side they should at least let the women have their own cheering section. I love, respect and cherish different cultures, religion and beliefs and the many rules that come with each. But in this modern age of the 21st century, men and women should be allowed to cheer together in the same stadium when the event is an international event. The following video is a depiction of Iranian women arriving at a sports complex but at the entrance is a large sign that displays, "No Women Allowed."

The ban on women's attendance violates the “Fourth Fundamental Principle” — on nondiscrimination — of the FIVB’s own constitution, Human Rights Watch said ahead of the beach volleyball event. Well, this controversy is a huge contradiction to the FIVB's own constitution! Typical behavior from people with money, power and influence.

According to Human Rights Watch, the 2012 ban on women's attendance at men's volleyball matches followed a decision by the Iranian Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs to extend the 1979 ban on women attending games in soccer stadiums. I wonder why they extended the 1979 ban? This ban seems to be unfair and outdated if you ask me.

An appeals court in Tehran has dismissed charges against an Iranian-British woman who was jailed for trying to attend a men’s volleyball game, meaning that she will not have to return to prison.

Ghoncheh Ghavami, a young Iranian-British woman who was initially
detained while trying to attend a men’s volleyball game in Tehran.
Photograph: AP

Ghoncheh Ghavami, a 26-year-old law graduate of Soas, University of London, was released on a £20,000 bail in November after spending five months in Tehran’s notorious Evin prison. She was arrested in June for taking part in a protest against a ban on female fans entering stadiums alongside men and subsequently sentenced to a year in prison.

Last summer of 2015, Ghavami stood outside Tehran’s Azadi stadium wearing a white scarf and holding up a placard. Along with a number of other women’s rights activists, she was demanding to be allowed to watch Iran’s volleyball team play against Italy. The Islamic republic has a longstanding ban on women attending big sporting events alongside male fans.

She was taken into custody that day and released several hours later but in late June 2015, when she went to collect her mobile phone, which had been confiscated after the protest, the authorities re-arrested her.

While in jail, Ghavami went on a hunger strike, refusing food and water, for several days in protest at her detention and the judicial uncertainty surrounding her case. Campaigners including her brother, Iman, and mother, Susan Moshtaghian, highlighted her ordeal and pleaded with the authorities for her release. Amnesty International also described her as a prisoner of conscience, arrested solely for participating in a peaceful protest.

Ghavami’s detention was an embarrassment for President Hassan Rouhani and his moderate administration, which has taken a softer stance on social freedoms. Rouhani supports the principle of women being allowed to watch games in stadiums, but says that a change of policy is not at his discretion.
Insolent Politics.

Sources: Voice Of America, TheGuardian.Com

Dr. Larycia Hawkins leaving Wheaton College after Islam-Christianity comments

2016-02-07T21:10:00.001-08:00

A U.S. college professor who wore a headscarf in solidarity with Muslims is leaving the Christian college where she taught, after a dispute over comments she made linking Islam and Christianity. Wheaton College is where she attended and associate professor, Larycia Hawkins, issued a joint statement saying they are parting ways after reaching a "confidential agreement."
I wonder why the meeting was so confidential?

Dr. Larycia Hawkins wearing a hijab in solidarity of
Muslims worldwide because we "worship the same God".

The Statement said both parties had a commitment to respectful dialogue with people of other faiths or no faith and those who are marginalized because of their religious beliefs.

Really? In my humble opinion it sure sounds like Dr. Larycia was trying to bring people of different religious beliefs together to make for a better overall American experience of freedom of religion. What's wrong with trying to make the the world a better place to live.

This midwestern college in the state of Illinois called Wheaton College, is taking steps to fire a professor who linked Islam to Christianity. In a December 10 Facebook posting, Hawkins, who is a Christian, said she stands in solidarity with Muslims because they "are people of the book" and "worship the same God." The administration at Wheaton College, which is a Christian evangelical university, has recommended associate professor, Larycia Hawkins, lose her tenured-track position.

There is a very informative blog called, The Gospel Coalition, that goes in depth about the whole debate about Christians and Muslims worshiping the same God according to the bible.

Wheaton College says Hawkins' comments violate the school's 'Statement of Faith' which all faculty members are obligated to sign. Hawkins also announced she would wear the hijab (Muslim head covering) in an effort to show solidarity for Muslims who have been under scrutiny since mass shootings in Paris and San Bernardino, California.

Not only is Larycia making a stand for solidarity with Muslims worldwide, she is also a pioneer and is a part of history in the making. Miss Hawkins broke down stereotypical barriers by being the first female African-American tenured professor at Wheaton College in Wheaton, Illinois. Wow, not that is saying something for someone who is using her platform to do the work of Jesus Christ.

Wheaton College Provost, Stanton Jones, issued an apology to Dr. Larycia Hawkins — the professor who had been put on administrative leave following comments that Christians and Muslims worship the 'same God' — the college and Hawkins released a joint statement announcing that they will part ways. - Read the statement.
Insolent Politics

Insolent Politics
Sources: Voice of America, Urban Christian News

West African country bans the sale of some popular music

2015-12-28T09:43:00.000-08:00

In Cameroon, authorities are banning the sale and/or broadcast of some popular music, including a new dance hit by the prominent Cameroonian rapper, Franko.

Jan. 4, 2013, in Yaounde, Cameroon authorities are banning
the sale and broadcast of some popular music including
a new dance hit by the prominent Cameroonian rapper, Franko.

The video for this song by Cameroonian rapper Franko has been watched more than two million times on Youtube. It is called "Coller la petite," which translates to something like "Stick to the girl." In the song, Franko urges men to hold their female partners tight. It is a runaway regional dance hit.

But Joseph Tangwa Fover, the most senior administrative official in the Mifi district of western Cameroon, has banned the sale and broadcast of the song saying it promotes public indecency.

Franko, a Cameroonian rap artist, has a smash hit
song called, "Coller La Petite", which loosely
translates to "Stick to the Girl".

"What is bad in the song is the message which changes the behavior of our youths. When you play it the dancing style changes and it leads to unwanted pregnancies. If a man brought good music saying that people should go to the farm, will I stop it? This particular song does not respect our normal behavior,” Fover said. “Our children should be responsible. Their parents should be responsible. Even those composing these songs should be responsible. The music that does not augur well to our own culture should be wiped out of the society."

One of Franko's managers, Atangana Parfait, said music should express reality in Cameroon. He said there are noise-making, self-proclaimed moral guides who are trying to blame all Cameroon's problems on music. He said they are wrong.

Detractors say youth are embracing Western attitudes and have lost touch with traditional values, like respect for elders and modesty. I would modestly agree to this statement. A prime example would be how hiphop was hijacked and turned into rap crap and the younger generations have lost touch with today's traditional values here in America as well.

Music video of "Coller La Petite"

Franko is not the only Cameroonian artist who has been accused of promoting immoral or illegal behavior. Veteran musician Lapiro De Mbanga was banned from state media for being critical of the government. He went into exile and died in America last year.

Pop artists and rappers like Petit Pays, K' Tino, Lady Ponce, Tonton Ebogo and Joceline Bizar have been accused of producing music that is pornographic in nature. State radio and television refuse to broadcast their songs but private media jam the airwaves with it.

Musician Ama Pierrot said banning music will not fix societal problems. This is not the first time the government has taken measures to contain what it calls a "social problem." In 2013, authorities went around arresting girls they said were dressed "indecently" in short skirts.

In my opinion, banning the sale of certain songs is not the answer to solve society's problems and ill wills. But, some music is a direct result of the problem's of society which reflect in a song's lyrics. I do believe that there is a market for adult music that promote foul language and adult dancing but it should be kept as adult. In non-western countries such as Cameroon, I think they hold a very high esteem about their spiritual traditions, dignity, self-respect, respect for women, morals and values. Just like the legal drinking age in America is 21 years old, Cameroon should have a music law that says a person has to be the age of 21 years or older to produce indecent, provocative and or violent song lyrics in their music. Just something to think about I guess.
Insolent Politics

Sources: Voice of America, OkayAfrica.com,

2015-11-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

Kyle Lydell Canty, 30, crossed into Canada in early September of 2015, telling border agents that he was here to visit and take photographs, but once in Vancouver he decided he would apply to remain as a refugee.

“I’m in fear of my life because I’m black,” he told IRB (Immigration Review Board) member Ron Yamauchi in a hearing on October 23rd in Vancouver. “This is a well-founded fear.”

Canty argues that black people are “being exterminated at an alarming rate” in the U.S. and included examples such as the shooting of Michael Brown in Missouri and the death of Eric Garner in New York City at the hands of police.

Kyle Lydell Canty, 30, is seeking refugee status in Canada.

As part of evidence submitted to the board, Canty edited together multiple point-of-view videos of his interaction with police, including one where he was arrested for trespass in Salem, Oregon, when he spent two hours talking on the phone and using free Wi-Fi at a bus station.

“I got bothered because I’m black,” he said. “This is a history of false arrest. My name is ruined because of the false arrest.”

In 2008, Denise Harvey was convicted of having unlawful sex with a minor. According to American media reports, the boy was 16-years-old and played on her son’s baseball team. As a Florida sex offender, Denise claimed asylum in Saskatchewan Canada and has been granted protected person status. Say what? She was granted protection person status and she was not in any danger for her life?

Denise Harvey, a registered sex offender in Florida, has been
granted protected person status in Canada.

Harvey fled to Canada in 2010 before she could be sent to prison. She was sentenced to 30 years in jail and is still wanted in the United States. Denise Harvey claimed her sentence was cruel and unusual punishment and after arriving in Saskatchewan, she asked for asylum. Her request for protected person status was heard by the Immigration Review Board (IRB) in July of 2012 and the IRB granted her request because it agreed her sentence was indeed cruel and unusual punishment and the crime she was convicted of is not a crime in Canada. So, is Canada insinuating that an adult having sex with a minor is okay in in their country?

To sum it up, I'm just a little vexed that Denise Harvey was granted protection person status and Lyle Canty is having such a hard time getting granted that same status when his life is in danger? Another example of insolent politics.

Insolent Politics

Sources: CBC.CA, Huffington Post

Fox again uses African American stereotypes to boost their ratings

2015-01-12T09:46:00.002-08:00

After struggling television ratings in the fall of 2014, Fox just received what they call "some very welcome news: Wednesday night’s hip-hop drama The Empire has opened strong." First of all, many African Americans who watched the premiere of The Empire viewed it just to see what the hype was all about including myself. I thought that maybe times have finally changed from the same ole epic about a rapper and record label. Myself like many others who know better watched this rap, not hiphop, drama to critique it. And once again the racist stereotypes of black people are exploited again. The only people in America who can save ratings are the stereotypical black ghetto record label drama. Don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the acting because Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson are acting their butts off.

Actor Terrence Howard getting photo bombed because
of the rap drama The Empire

You see, one has to read between the lines. When I googled The Empire I surfed a few social sites to see the results of the Nielson ratings and low and behold the station owners were praising this low-brow drama as if it were something to be proud of. For other races of people, I can understand why they praised this TV series. But from an African American perspective, this TV series is nothing to be proud of, nothing to be praised and nothing to look up to. They have the younger generation fooled but not the 35 year olds and up. I just kept shaking my head and saying, "Gyollie, this is a damn shame... the same wack ass narrative with new agendas."

Director Lee Daniels

The creator of The Empire, Lee Daniels, seems to be taking Tyler Perry's spot for demeaning black people in movies and TV. If you ever heard of the movies Monster's Ball, The Woodman, Precious and The Butler then you have seen Lee Daniels work. Daniels has directed other films and you can check out his bio for the credits. It is a damn shame that there was a roundtable discussion Sunday night with the two lead actors, the director (Lee Daniels) and producers of the show saying how "great" and how "real" the show is. Where are the shows that show lynchings, police brutality and blatant racism in this country. Taraji P. Henson (actress/co-star), Brian Grazer (the producer), Danny Strong (executive producer/writer) and Ilene Chaiken (executive producer/showrunner) were talking like this was the greatest TV show for black people since The Cosby Show! The round table discussion was horrid at best. With movies like Selma, The Help, The Butler and Twelve Years A Slave African Americans still don't have ONE movie or TV sitcom that POSITIVELY describes sensible, educated hard working Black people in this country. "Empire was just some random idea I had," Danny Strong told The Wire at Fox's upfront after party. "I was literally driving in my car and I thought, I wonder if you could do King Lear in a hip hop empire. I literally was like: King Lear. Hip hop Empire and then my next thought was, 'I should call Lee Daniels.'" {read between the lines}.

According to InsideTV The Empire premiered to 9.8 million viewers and a 3.7 rating among adults 18-49. That’s Fox’s highest-rated series debut in three years (since 2012’s Touch)... {read between the lines}. All of the other shows that Fox aired were dismal at best until the saviors of TV ratings (Black folks) were once again exploited to save the ratings and this show called The Empire proves my theory. American Idol pulled a premiere-low 3.2 rating with adults 18-49. That's down significantly from the 4.7 rating it brought in last January of 2014. Still, American Idol had a slight edge in total viewers, averaging 11.2 million.

50 Cent isn’t a fan of the new hip hop drama “Empire” — but the show’s star Taraji P. Henson doesn’t seem to mind.
Taraji P. Henson, Oscar nominee, responded to the rapper’s diss of her new Fox series on Twitter earlier this week, after 50 Cent claimed on Instagram that “Empire’s” marketing materials were very similar to the Starz crime drama, “Power,” which he produces.
“POWER Season 2 is unbelievably good trust me,” he wrote last month in a since-deleted post. “I have the best writers and show runner. “I like Terrence Howard and Taraji Henson. I don't like that they would copy the Marketing.”
After 50 Cent claimed that the Fox drama’s marketing materials were similar to his series "Power," Taraji P. Henson tweeted, "I pay attention to dollars not cents." In a recent interview, she also said that she didn't 'take offense' to his comments.

Empire ranks as the top-rated show in the demo, beating ABC’s Modern Family head-to-head, and grew from its Idol lead-in by 19 percent. Empire outperformed Fox’s heavily hyped Gotham premiere this fall, and managed to retain its rating throughout its hour (InsideTv call this a good sign... a good sign for who?)
Insolent Politics
Sources: InsideTV, The Hollywood Reporter, Deadline.com

Michael Brown’s Mother and Grandma Brawl Over ‘Don’t Shoot’ T-Shirt Cash

2014-12-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Michael Brown Jr's mother, Leslie McSpadden, grandmother and auntie actually brawled on a street corner in Ferguson over “I Am Mike Brown” and “Hands Up, Don’t Shoot” T-shirt sales, with Brown’s cousin having his skull fractured by a metal pipe. The brawl was captured by surveillance cameras.

I am Mike Brown T-shirts for sale

I was in a state of WTF when I came across this story. Some of you may have already known about this incident but for those who don't know.... well, it is a sad display of mental illness in the black community.

As FOX 2 reported:

(A)bout 8:15 pm in the parking lot of Red’s BBQ. It`s the corner of Canfield and West Florissant, just blocks from where Michael Brown was shot and killed….Police sources tell us Brown`s Grandmother, Pearlie Gordon, along with Brown`s Cousin Tony Petty, were selling t-shirts and other Michael Brown merchandise. A police report describes a car pulling up and several people getting out. One of those people, was reported to be Michael Brown`s Mom, Lesley McSpadden. A witness described McSpadden yelling ‘You can`t sell this s%$&” One of the relatives, who was selling, reportedly demanded McSpadden show a document proving she had a patent. Say what?

The police report says that`s when an unidentified person with McSpadden assaulted Petty so violently that it resulted in a 911 call. A witness tells Fox 2 that the weapon was a metal pipe or pole. The suspect reportedly struck Petty in the face. Medics then took him to Christian Northeast Hospital with a reported partial skull fracture. The witness said the assault suspect grabbed merchandise and a box of cash believed to contain about $1,400.

There is a song from 1973 called "For the Love of Money" by a group called The O'Jays that sums up this fiasco.
Insolent Politics
Source: Associated Press, Fox 2, Top Right News

African Dodger, a game also known as Hit the Nigger

2014-12-13T11:32:00.005-08:00

It's no wonder why America is still divided on the issue of race. All throughout the 1800's and the first half of the 1900's there were blatant racist carnival games that highlighted and exploited white people's hostility toward blacks. White Americans made their aggression and violence seem normal and legitimate.

Games like The African Dodger, also known as Hit the Nigger Baby or Hit the Coon, which used actual human targets, were commonplace in local fairs, carnivals, and circuses. Sometimes a picture or model of an African American was used instead, but the message was clear -- unprovoked evil violent aggression toward blacks was the social norm.


1911 photo of racists people playing a disgraceful game at a carnival.

In 1911, some carnivals ushered in a new game for the "progressive era" called the African Dip, the precursor to the dunk tank. The game was "arranged that every time a baseball hits the target a colored man, seated upon a bar, is thrown into a large pool of water. It's said to be lots of fun..." ("It's Called", 1911). This new game didn't entirely replace the African Dodger. Versions of the original African Dodger were still found in the 1950s. Some carnivals and fairs decided to use targets that resembled African Americans instead of using real people. Promoters sold entire family doll racks that were used as targets at Amusement parks (A. J. Smith Mfg. Co., 1914). The development of Amusement parks in permanent locations increased the popularity of the African Dip game because it was hard to travel with the African Dip dunk tank. Riverview Amusement park in Chicago Illinois, was well known for their popular African Dip attraction, which was a staple there until the late 1950s.

Fast forward to the 2000's and the police use black teenage boys and men as human moving targets.
Insolent Politics
Source: Jim Crow Museum of Racist Memorablilia

Widow of Eric Garner throws him under the bus on 'Meet the Press'

2014-12-12T09:07:00.002-08:00

I don't know about you but these situations where Al Sharpton is always sitting in with the families of deceased loved ones from police brutality that lead to murder just don't seem to sit right with me or the general public anymore for that matter. The widow of Eric Garner, Mrs. Esaw Garner, blasted New York City law enforcement Sunday morning, saying that her husband was "murdered unjustly."

But wait, she also said some very disturbing things as well such as, "I really don't feel like it's a black and white thing," Esaw Garner said on NBC's Meet the Press. "It wasn't like it was a shock ... They knew him by name."

Appearing with Rev. Al Sharpton, Mrs. Garner told Chuck Todd (the interviewer on Meet the Press) that she believes her husband's death was the culmination of prolonged harassment by police, adding that she fears for the safety of her children as well. "They harassed us," she claimed. "And I would just say, 'Eric, just keep walking. Don't say anything. Don't respond. You know? Don't give them a reason to do anything to you.'" Why in the hell is Al Sharpton the ONLY one to E-E-EVER be the one to sit with family members in all the TV interviews and council them as well?

Garner said that she purchased candy so that her youngest son would not go out on Halloween, and warned her older son at college to not attend parties. "I'm so afraid of what could happen to them in the street by the police," she added.

My thing is this, why should Americans of a certain racial group be stark afraid to go out to the store or a party in the first place? That's why I disagree that America is the greatest country in the world. The greatest country in the world would not have citizens afraid for their lives when they simply leave their homes. Sounds like a society in Germany back in the early 1940's.

Patrick Lynch, the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association president, commented last week by saying that Eric Garner's death came as a result of a choice to resist arrest. The Patrolmen's Benevolent Association of the City of New York is the largest labor union representing police officers of the New York City Police Department.

There is never any accountability. Police that claim that they have the right to bring you down forcefully and then later say, "It's resisting," even when the videotape shows it's not.
Insolent Politics
Sources: Associated Press, NBC News

Racial incidents at Oklahoma State University fuel Brown decision protests

2014-12-11T14:36:00.000-08:00

Oklahoma State University students joined the nationwide protests from the grand jury decision not to indict a Ferguson, Missouri police officer in the Aug. 9 shooting death of Michael Brown Jr.

Some students wrote “OSU Wants Justice” with chalk on the sidewalks around the classroom building. That statement was later defaced and changed to “Brown Got Justice.” Other chalk writing defacing was made to read “Justice was Served” and “Should Have Obeyed the Law.”

The de-faced chalk inscription at OSU

The chalk revisions fueled racial tension at OSU that came to light in October when racial slurs were added to a photo of an African American organization on an Internet application called Unseen.

The OSU demonstrations came after the holiday weekend and Monday saw hundreds of protests across the nation. The Ferguson National Response Network listed approximately 30 “HANDS UP WALK OUT” events Monday at universities across the United States.

Tuesday, OSU students didn’t wait for university administrators to speak up. Instead, they used the peaceful protests to explore the issue of racism on the Stillwater campus.

Students and at least one faculty member, Isabel Alvarez-Sancho, were outraged by some of the comments, written around the Classroom Building.

Students quickly Tweeted about what had happened. Alvarez-Sancho, Ph.D. and Professor of Spanish at OSU, said she saw the racist graffiti on the sidewalk before her 9 a.m. class Tuesday. She immediately reported the incident to Student Life, which had the chalk washed off the sidewalk sometime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

As of Tuesday, no reports had been filed with OSU Police on the incidents.
Patterson, who said she plans to attend law school, said she wasn’t satisfied with OSU’s response to racist comments made on Unseen.

“We say we are ‘loyal and true’ here,” Patterson said. “But we have seen how that isn’t true. Tonight, we are starting a peaceful protest with a prayer.”

One protester, 18-year-old Jazzmine Banks from Fort Sill, drew
a body outline to symbolize Brown.

“It is important for us in the black community to come together and acknowledge that racism exists when people say it doesn’t,” she said. “It exists in our government and law enforcement and we are not alone in the struggle. We may not be able to change the verdict, but we can change how people think about it.”

Insolent Politics
Sources: Reuters, Stillwater Newspress

Arizona cop punches 15-year old girl in face as mother begs her to stop

2014-12-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

An Arizona police officer punched a 15 year girl in the face knocking her down to the ground in Mesa Arizona Friday Dec. 5, 2014. A man and a woman caught the incident on camera from their car at a street corner where the incident occurred. The figures are in the distance, but the video clearly captures a struggle between the female officer and the girl, ending with the officer pinning the girl to the ground. The female officer continued to roughly subdue the girl even after the teen’s mother begged the female cop to stop saying that the girl is asthmatic and has emotional issues.

As teen's legs kicked and flailed, the girl told the officers she couldn’t breathe, screaming, “Stop!” over and over, but they continued to pin her against the pavement with force. In my observation of the video the girl had enough air in her lungs to continually scream at the top her lungs "I can't breathe" so she should not have used that statement in vain. The second officer said that everything his comrade did was according to police procedure and that if she was wanted the officer “could have shot her dead.” Really? ...

The mother of the teen had actually called the police for help but this isn't the kind of help the mom was expecting. The teen was a runaway but that's no excuse for the "overkill" behavior by police. Creating further injury is not helping.

Police told ABC News 15 in Arizona that the girl had run away in the past, and that her mother had called the police asking for help after the girl got out of the mother’s car and walked away. Esteban Flores, with the Mesa Police Department, told the news outlet that “authorities tried three times to convince the girl to stop before a female officer reached for the girl’s arm.” According to the police, the girl then kicked the officer and “punched her in the face.” After that, the female officer — a 12-year veteran on the force, according to Esteban — made the arrest, “which involved physical force by the officer.”

Insolent Politics.
Sources: Thinkprogress.org , Rawstory.com ,

Key Interview Missing from Ferguson Documents

2014-12-08T12:20:00.001-08:00

Along with the thousands of documents and transcripts of 24 witness interviews released after a grand jury decided not to indict a Ferguson police officer in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, a police interview with a key witness was not provided.

It is clear what is going on here. People clearly lie to get themselves out of trouble and police officers and prosecutor's are no exception. Prosecutor Bob McCulloch has not released transcripts on some 40 witness interviews, including the transcript of the two-hour interview by the FBI and a county police detective with Brown’s friend Dorian Johnson. If there was nothing to hide Bob McCulloch would release the transcripts of the 24 witness interviews. Mr. McCulloch was adamant about how all of the eye witnesses' accounts were conflicting and contradicting. So why not release the transcripts? McCulloch said he would release the full transcripts after the grand jury had reached its decision but clearly he lied and this isn't the first and last time that McCulloch will lie.

What about the release of the transcript of the 2-hour interview of Dorian Johnson? Again, something is wrong with this scenario. And anyone with common sense will know that it smells of police cover up. CBS did a report on this story at stlouis.cbslocal.com

McCulloch’s office said the FBI requested that some things not be made public because of the ongoing federal investigation. The main issue in question is whether Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson violated the civil rights of Michael Brown.

In spite of St. Louis County Prosecutor Robert McCulloch's promises to make all witness testimony in the Michael Brown shooting case public so he could show the process was fair and impartial, McCulloch's office now acknowledges that it kept some records secret at the behest of federal authorities who are still investigating the incident.

McCulloch's executive assistant, Ed Magee, said the office released everything it had when the case was closed, but had "turned over and relinquished control" of some FBI interviews conducted in connection with the shooting. Need I say more...
Insolent Politics

Sources: Associate Press, CBS, USA Today

A protester predicted the Michael Brown verdict back in August 2014... WOW

2014-11-26T16:27:00.000-08:00

This frustrated protestor gives his prediction of the verdict in the murder of an unarmed black teenager named Michael Brown Jr. in front of the Ferguson police department back on August 30, 2014.

At :37, "I think they workin right now to try to let him get off."

#AmeriCAN: A short film with an uncanny twist at the end that will make one think twice

2014-11-26T16:12:00.001-08:00

This is a short film that has an unexpected and uncanny twist at the end that provokes a sense of desolation of a country divided on racial lines. #AmeriCAN is a short film and public service announcement that comes in response to events that have divided Amerikkka over racial lines. The intention of the message, "all lives matter," is to pull people together from both sides of the racial divide and inspire the kind of empathy and mutual understanding necessary to promote meaningful discourse and domestic reconciliation. The goal is to bring all people together, without exeption to race, religion, gender or age and sends the message that all blood flows red.

Nate Parker - Director/Writer
James Lopez - Producer/Story by
Kay Madsen - Director of Photography
Valerie Bleth Sharp - Producer
Mo McRae - Producer/Actor
Hernany Perla - Producer

Featuring La La Anthony, Andre Royo, Affion Crockett, Brian White, Omar Benson Miller and David Franzoni.
Song by J. Cole - "Be Free".

Barack Obama impersonator

2014-11-19T08:32:00.001-08:00

Some light-hearted fun to break the monotony. President Barack Obama impersonator, Reggie Brown, talks about how he transforms from a regular guy to the Commander in Chief and how he shocks crowds wherever he goes. When Reggie does not want to be noticed he puts on what he calls his "Clark Kent" glasses.

This guy impersonates Obama so good it’s scary but he is hilarious.

NYPD Arrested Black Teen for Buying $350 Belt

2014-10-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

A young black man is suing both the NYPD and Barneys for wondering how in the world he could afford a $350 product, then harassing and arresting him. Trayon Christian, who was 18 at the time, bought a Ferragamo belt he'd been wanting from the department store after receiving a paycheck from his work-study job. "I wanted to go to Fifth Avenue, I knew exactly what I wanted," he told the Daily News. But on his way out, he was handcuffed. Two undercover detectives accused Christian of using a forged debit card after being alerted by the salesperson. Even after Christian showed identification, he was taken to the police station and held for two hours before being released with an apology. Really?? This is what America has stooped to and become.

The video below shows just how this country of America is still divided strictly on the bases of race. Since when in the hell does a retail salesperson have the authority and audacity to call the police of an unsuspecting individual buying an expensive article of clothing?

By the way, the female commentator, in my humble opinion, proved she is just as racist as the sales associate who called the police by trying to judge a young African American male about his decision to buy a belt for $350 at Barney’s. The young man worked legally for his money and can spend it anyway he chooses. Anyone who earns their wages legally can spend their own hard-earned money on whatever they want! That’s not the argument. I’m pretty sure the female commentator has spent well over $350 on a purse or a pair of high heel shoes or a dress or on some other article of clothing. Certain people always try to switch the argument around to something else when they are in the wrong. Insolent Politics.

Racism in this country of America has to be dealt with because the country has already fallen. Not fallen in a sense of war torn areas that are physically bombed and destroyed but in a sense that there are no more morals and values that the children can look up to and follow in a positive manner. The economy has crashed several times and the value of the dollar is steadily declining.
We live in a country and a society where the criminal justice system treat groups of people differently based on race and punishes them unequally which has a negative impact in that same society.

In a recent article in the Huffington Post there was an article written by former Attorney General Eric Holder, www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/05/17/eric-holder-racism-speech, which says that systemic subtle racism is much more damaging than public rants. “Racist rants are much less of a threat to equality than the more subtle, everyday racism of the criminal justice system,” Eric Holder said at a commencement speech at Morgan State University, a historically black college in Baltimore.

He goes on to further say, “For instance, in our criminal justice system, systemic and unwarranted racial disparities remain disturbingly common. One study released last year by the U.S. Sentencing Commission indicated that in recent years, African-American men have received sentences that are nearly 20 percent longer than those imposed on white males convicted of similar crimes. Another report showed that American Indians are often sentenced even more harshly. The Justice Department is examining these and other disparities as we speak and taking a variety of steps to ensure fair sentences that match the conduct at issue in individual cases. Like a growing chorus of lawmakers across the political spectrum, we recognize that disparate outcomes are not only shameful and unacceptable -- they impede our ability to see that justice is done. And they perpetuate cycles of poverty, crime, and incarceration that trap individuals, destroy communities and decimate minority neighborhoods.” Insolent Politics.

Sources: HuffingtonPost.com, TYT Network, Associated Press

A frustrated civilian confronts MO Highway State Patrol Captain Ron Johnson

2014-09-03T17:12:00.001-07:00

In front of the Ferguson Police Station a concerned and frustrated civilian confronts Missouri State Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson about the procedures of police officers when an unarmed civilian has his hands up in the air to surrender. (video courtesy of PB-TV)

This is some of the footage that FOX2, CBS, NBC, KTVI-11, CNN, MSNBC and Headline News don't want the viewers to see. Although Ron Johnson attempted to listened to this concerned citizen's point of view Captain Johnson didn't answer the one simple question, "What is the procedure when an unarmed civilian puts his hands in the air to surrender?". Missouri Highway Patrol Captain Ron Johnson did not answer this question but instead turned his back on the man. Insolent Politics.

Dr. Lorraine Monroe on 60 minutes

2013-06-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

DR. LORRAINE MONROE, President and CEO, of The Lorraine Monroe Leadership Institute (LMLI) was the founding principal of the renowned Frederick Douglass Academy, a highly successful middle and high school in Central Harlem. Dr. Monroe translates her extensive experiences in the New York City public schools-as teacher, dean, assistant principal, principal and Deputy Chancellor for Curriculum and Instruction-into the guiding set of principles that define the work of the Lorraine Monroe Leadership Institute. Dr. Monroe's groundbreaking work has been featured on 60 Minutes, Tony Brown's Journal, The McCreary Report with Bill McCreary, the Tom Snyder Show and in national and international print media including The New York Times, Ebony, The Reader's Digest, Fast Company and Parade magazines.

In 1991, Dr. Lorraine Monroe founded the Frederick Douglass Academy, a public school in Harlem, in the belief that caring instructors, a disciplined but creative environment, and a refusal to accept mediocrity could transform the lives of inner-city kids. Her experiment was a huge success. Today the Academy is one of the finest schools in the country, sending graduates to Ivy League colleges and registering the third highest SAT scores in New York City. The key to its success: a unique leadership method Monroe calls the "Monroe Doctrine," which she developed through decades as a teacher and principal in some of America's toughest schools.

Dr. Monroe's moving tribute to the power of education to transform children's lives- Nothing's Impossible: Leadership Lessons from Inside and Outside the Classroom-has been translated into Swedish, Finnish, and Taiwanese. In her book, The Monroe Doctrine: An ABC Guide to What Great Bosses Do, Dr. Monroe draws lessons from her experiences as educator that are applicable for leaders in all walks of life.

Dr. Monroe is a powerful keynote speaker and highly effective consultant who has shared her messages about how to educate all children well with tens of thousands of educators in almost all of the fifty states in the U.S. and also shared her experiences internationally in Jamaica and throughout the West Indies, Sweden, Norway, New Zealand, Tanzania, Canada, and South America.

Dr. Monroe has earned degrees from Hunter College, Bank Street College of Education, and Columbia University Teachers College . In addition, Dr. Monroe has received six honorary degrees from Trinity College, Hunter College, Mt. Holyoke College, Long Island University, Hofstra University and Brown University.

Sources:mtholyoke.edu, MSU.edu (Michigan State Univ.), Dr. Lorraine-Monroe Leadership Institute

3 teen girls forced into prostituition

2013-05-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

A 39-year-old man has been criminally charged with sex trafficking after St. Louis County police say he forced three teenage girls into prostitution in north St. Louis County.

Anton Mark Morris has a $100,000 cash-only bond

Anton Morris of the 11600 block of Fox Hall Lane was charged Monday (4/29/2013) with two counts of sexual trafficking of a child and one count of trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation.
Morris lured a 16-year-old girl into prostitution on April 15, and advertised her services on the Internet as a prostitute, according to court documents.

This is a disgrace to African Americans everywhere. There is no excuse for this middle-aged man to be hanging around and being involved with teenagers. Unless an adult is a chaperone there is no need to hang out with girls who are old enough to be his daughter. I am disturbed by this incident because I have an 18-year-old daughter who just went to prom this past April 27, 2013. My daughter did not get picked up by her prom date but instead she and three of her female friends were driven to prom by an adult chaperone and driven back home safely. Now, let's take a look at the Merriam-Webster definition of the word chaperone.

Chaperone - an older person who accompanies young people at a social gathering to ensure proper behavior; broadly : one delegated to ensure proper behavior.

For the full article (click the link) STLtoday.com

Drive-thru pranks

2013-04-27T14:00:00.000-07:00

This is something to lighten the day because it is not all that serious all the time (well maybe for some people). I think it is OK to get a good laugh in to lighten the mood every now and then.

P.S.
( This guy has a nice hidden camera! )

A slum in Nairobi, Kenya offers free schooling

2013-04-02T11:27:00.000-07:00

In Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum, residents struggle to afford food, shelter, clean water, proper sanitation and decent schools. Girls face the additional challenges of gender-based discrimination and violence. When money for school fees is scarce, parents and guardians usually withdraw their daughters from school before their sons.

The Kibera School for Girls, which offers classes from pre-kindergarten through the fourth grade, aims to help the community understand the value of educating girls. At this school, parents do not pay fees, but a family member must work at the school five weeks a year, as a way of supporting the child’s education. Students are selected based on the two criteria of academic potential and greatest financial need.

Helping women and girls carve out better lives for themselves is precisely why Kennedy Odede co-founded the school almost four years ago.

“Growing up in Kibera, we used to go to school [and] you’d find more boys than girls. And that’s something that I really hated, you know?” Kennedy confided. In 2004, Kennedy Odede started a grassroots movement that later became Shining Hope for Communities, a community-run organization in Kibera.

A teacher at the Kibera school for girls teaching students in Nairobi, Kenya, March 19, 2013 (J. Craig/VOA)

Jessica Odede, Shining Hope for Communities co-founder and chief operating officer, decided with Kennedy that the school would need to provide value for everyone, regardless of whether they had a daughter enrolled or not.

Today, Kibera residents can stop by Shining Hope to get subsidized clean water or to use a sanitary toilet. If they want to learn computer skills, they can sign up for training. When they’re sick, they can visit the medical clinic. Women suffering from domestic violence can come here for advice and assistance.

In my humble opinion, America should follow the model for the Kibera School for Girls here in the states and educate the children in low-income high risk communities to reduce crime and violence in those areas. Tuition can be paid by a family member working at the school for 5 or 6 weeks out of the academic year. This a marvelous plan to achieve success not only at the community level but at the national level as well. The unfortunate thing is that America is too concerned about corporate greed, closing schools in low-income areas and the dumbing down of kids and teenagers of all social and economic levels. There is the glorification of violence, non-marital sex, guns, mafia, drugs and gang life bombarding kids and teenagers every second in all media playing non-stop and not just on the TV.

Sources: Associated Press, Voice of America

Other related stories: Kenyan President-elect promises to improve people's lives