Posts tagged Obama

Washington Post troll Joseph Curl decided to take it upon himself to use the death of Hip Hop’s Adam Yauch aka MCA of the pioneer group the Beastie Boys to take a jab at Obama. All class indeed. This is a glaring example of the fuel that feeds the fires of today’s highly polarized society, vitriolic commentary, and racially divisive and bigoted speech. How it must feel to live as a hate monger. I can’t imagine waking up thinking about how to use the recent passing of someone to take someone else down a peg and at the same time bring down the deceased at the same time. That’s very special.

Curl took to the Post to call out Obama for not commenting on the death of MCA. He cites some celebrities that spoke on the passing of Yauch and even a shout out from Senator Chuck Schumer. Yes THE Chuck Schumer. From New York state like MCA. Born in Brooklyn, like MCA.  Seems like there might be a bit more of a connection between the two of them. I just can’t pinpoint it. Shout out to Schumer though for the recognition. Good ol’ Joe also compares statements made by the White House on the passing of Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston while defiling them as well to make a point. His point?

The president took time from his busy schedule to comment on the passing of black musicians.

I see what you did there Joe. Now let me try. Ch-Check It Out. So Obama didn’t speak on the passing of MCA because he wasn’t black? Did you or any of your brood comment on the passing of important Hip Hop figures like Heavy D (2011), Guru (2010), Grandmaster Roc Raida (2009), or Mr. Magic (2009)? All very important Hip Hop figures, legends and icons. All the real deal. All died while Obama was in office. I don’t remember them getting any mentions from the White House, Obama, or You. Oh wait, I wasn’t following the rules of your game. I’m sorry, they are all black. Ok how about Nujabes (2010). Perhaps that Hip Hop icon doesn’t count because he’s Japanese. Well what about Eyedea (2010)? Did you give your condolences to him? The point is you are yapping about something you know nothing about in an attempt to make a bigoted and very stupid point.

Let’s play your game and take it a step further. Your by line says you covered Washington for a decade for the Post. So you would have covered it when there was a white president. Ok now to find a black, Hip Hop legend that passed away during that time. I think Jam Master Jay (2004) of Run DMC fits Hip Hop Legend in every sense of the phrase. Uh oh Joe, I’ve googled “Jam Master Jay” and “Joseph Curl” and there is only one single result that has the two names even together. Google. It. Yourself. If you are the Joseph Curl mentioned in the summary of that one result, you’ve got some explaining to do. In the meantime, you better check yourself before you wreck yourself. You have offended my family, and you have offended the Shaolin temple.

[caption id=”attachment_780” align=”alignnone” width=”500” caption=”Ain’t nothing to f*ck with!”][/caption]

A few of Curl’s highlights of the trolling of Obama are to point out his half white status. Yes I said status, as he didn’t acquire that honor in the eyes of those like Curl, the Republican party and the rest of the conservatives until it looked like he was going to win the nomination and had a shot at winning. In a country historically known for a strict adherence to the one drop rule, Obama suddenly became “half white” when there was value to him apparently. Curl apparently wants to milk that value for whatever he can get out of it.

Now on to this disrespect to MCA himself. As a Hip Hopper, icon and humanitarian, one could easily make the assumption that Yauch would be uncomfortable with you using him as means to make a racially divisive and unnecessary point to get attention. You put a man that MSBC wrote “brought social consciousness to the Beastie Boys”, who MTV noted was “passionate about the cause of Tibetan freedom”, who the Huffington Post stated is “Remembered For Tibetan Activism, Freedom Concerts“ and NPR recognized as “the group’s most outspoken member on social justice issues”, in your twisted sense of smug vitriolic hate filled righteousness. According to Politico, you have reduced this man’s status to that of a “political football”.

Joseph Curl. You sir, are what the Internet calls a Troll.

[caption id=”attachment_781” align=”alignnone” width=”500” caption=”Not even a little bit.”][/caption]

Dammit, I’ve just broken the first rule of not feeding them. Again. Le sigh.

Additional:
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/6/curl-hip-hop-legend-mca-passes-on-obama-says-not-a/
http://entertainment.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/04/11541676-mca-brought-social-consciousness-to-the-beastie-boys?lite
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1684520/beastie-boy-adam-yauch-career.jhtml
http://www.npr.org/blogs/therecord/2012/05/04/152053809/how-adam-yauch-grew-into-his-voice 
http://www.politico.com/blogs/media/2012/05/beastie-boy-adam-yauch-as-political-football-122660.html 
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/04/adam-yauch-dead-tibet_n_1478359.html

Original Article

I’m sure we’ve all seen it by now, President Obama on the Jimmy Fallon show backed up by The Roots band as they Slow Jam the news. It’s been hailed by supporters of  Obama and  panned by his critics. Personally, I thought it was funny, entertaining, and informative.

Before sitting down for a more formal interview, President Obama shocked the audience after appearing from behind stage curtains, ready to “slow jam” with Jimmy Fallon and his band (Philadelphia’s hip hop sensation The Roots). Obama sang then talked the lead role, while Fallon and The Rootsoffered back up, on the tune of his plan to freeze interest rates for student loans. They were not shy about criticizing filibustering Republicans for standing in the way of his plan.

The slow jam the news segment highlighted a critical point in the economic policies and ideologies being argued by Obama and the Republicans. The point is one that is often brought up in discussions between my peers and myself yet I rarely hear on the news. That point is that the Republicans who oppose repealing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy do so on the idea that basically they can’t afford to return to the previous tax rate they had even though they are the richest among us, Even though that percentage rate is about a 3% difference. But, apparently students and those with lesser incomes are able to afford increases across the board. This is a fundamental point of greedy and self interests that should be at the forefront of the discussion.

The reality in America and the discussion of that reality is the high cost of attaining a college education and the incredible amounts of debt students accumulate attaining their degree. Yet, with that very visible problem and common discourse being prevalent there is a proposal to increase the interest rate on student loans. It almost seems like it is a deliberate plan to hold down anyone other than the wealthy and at the same time America itself.

“Education is an economic issue when we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that countries that out-educate us today, they will out-compete us tomorrow.” -  President Barack Obama

However much you disagree with Barack Obama and his policies, that quote about education is an absolute truth. The United States cannot move forward by limiting or removing educational opportunities. By making education only attainable by the wealthy we are setting our country back and putting liberty on its knees.

How Am I Supposed To Pay All This Back They’re Coming For The Loans
What About My Future Family, Retirement And A Home
Come On Holmes, How Is Our Nation To Progress
If We Saddle The Hope For The Future With Crushing Debt
And No Way Out, With Jobs Going Overseas
We’ll Be So Played Out, A Country On It’s Knees
And We Can’t Not Be Educated It Works Even Less
So What Do We Do, Catch 22 With Worry And Stress
An Ignorant Population’s A Matter Of National Security
Which Makes This State One Of Irrational Absurdity
We Need Help Here, Like We Needed Healthcare
Or We’ll Have Bigger Problems In The Future With Welfare
Do You Care? - Timid - “I Want The Secret”

This is supposed to be the land of the free at the home of the brave not the land of greed at the home of those who can pay. The cost of getting an education should be going in the opposite direction. Education should be becoming more affordable. We become a stronger nation by having a more educated population. This fact is undebatable. The availability of education is the great equalizer of opportunity and progress. If this point has to be put in R&B form drummed out by ?uestlove, harmonized by Black Thought, narrated by Jimmy Fallon, and delivered by Barack Obama than so be it. It’s that important.

America is being outpaced in education. We were once among the leaders of education in the world and now we have fallen behind. As Obama pointed out, this is also an economic issue. As was referenced during the height of this recession and has been the case throughout, many of the available jobs are unfilled due to a lack of qualified candidates. If we continue this attack on education, that list of unfilled jobs will grow and eventually will have to be filled by qualified imported candidates or outsourced to other countries.

Yea I can dig it too.

Additional:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAFQIciWsF4
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/08/09/president-obama-higher-education-austin-we-are-not-playing-second-place
http://politic365.com/2012/04/29/why-republicans-hate-watching-obama-on-late-night/
Hip Hop artist, Timid, and Pace Professor offer tips to job seekers

Original Article

The world watched as the United States of America, land of the free, home of the brave, murdered a man against the very principles it tries to spread militarily to other nations. All while President Obama kept silent, who even though he had no jurisdiction in the case allowed what might not be appropriate be more important than wrongful execution of man. The amount of doubt in the Troy Davis case was more than enough to warrant a stay of execution and grant a new trial.

“Georgia has blood on its hands”

“Dating back to his time in the Illinois State Senate, President Obama has worked to ensure accuracy and fairness in the criminal justice system – especially in capital punishment cases,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. “However, it is not appropriate for the President of the United States to weigh in on specific cases like this one, which is a state prosecution.”

They aren’t the only ones.

Additional:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogBdP6INHlE
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2011/09/white-house-declines-comment-on-troy-davis-case/

Original Article

Update (02/05/12): There is a recent petition going around at Signon.Org, once again ,attempting to remedy the situation of having Michael Taylor, former Monsanto exec, in a high ranking position at the FDA. this position is intended to be deliver to President Obama. Taylor, nor any Monsanto employee, should be allowed to be FDA employees; it’s a very dangerous conflict of interest.

Actually this isn’t new news. Michael Taylor, ex exec for mega-evil genetic food modifier Monsanto was appointed FDA Food Safety Czar by the Obama Administration in 2009. Of course that is something that should never have happened as it’s a major conflict of interest. The reason the topic has come up now is that there is a petition circulating to try to get President Obama to fire Taylor by organizations like Change.org and Credo Action Network.

The fact that he was even hired at all for the position is even further reason the United States is going to lose in the long run and is no longer the sweet land of liberty. Corporate interest and takeovers of the government isn’t supposed to happen here. This is where the government is failing the people severely and the people are failing themselves by not reacting through action at such an injustice.

The Food and Drug Administration is running sting operations followed by “guns-drawn raids usually reserved for terrorists and drug lords” as part of a crackdown on unpasteurized milk. Meanwhile, the FDA is letting the highly consolidated industrial meat and factory farm industry off the hook despite growing problems.

Not surprisingly, the person responsible for prioritizing armed raids on small dairies over holding agribusiness accountable is a former Monsanto attorney and chief super lobbyist. Monsanto’s Michael Taylor is the second highest-ranking official at the FDA, and as Food Safety Czar is responsible for implementing the day-to-day policies that govern the food safety laws for the U.S.

Monsanto is attacking organic, family and generational farmers to put them out of business or come into the fold. By being allowed to patent genome of their genetically modified crops they invoke the wrath of patent infringement law upon farmers when the wind blows some of their GMO seeds into their fields. Farmers organic and non Monsanto crops become tainted with these frankenseeds. Since the farmer doesn’t have the right to produce product from the patented seeds they are fined and intimidated heavily. What’s more, Monsanto doesn’t allow farmers enslaved to them to keep their seeds to replant in the next season. They have to buy from them again. Did I mention that their Round-Up pesticide is destroying the soil all together as well so your farm will slowly become useless? How about that over 270,000 farmers have filed suit against Monsanto? Or that India took them to court for violations? In the midst of the Haiti earthquake destruction the farmers there told Monsanto to suck it when the corporation sent them free seeds as a donation. Yes that’s right, starving people with nothing left after the worst devastation their country has ever seen didn’t want Monsanto’s garbage. Yet the US government thinks they are capable enough to oversee your food safety. I could have sworn this was the type of practice Obama said he wasn’t going to do.

Maybe it’s me but when you are sued by 270,000 people I think the government should take a look at what you are doing instead of hiring you to do a job related to what you are being sued for. Petition signed.

Additional:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/fire_michael_taylor/
http://www.change.org/petitions/president-obama-dump-former-monsanto-lobbyist-as-fda-food-safety-czar
http://www.growswitch.com/blog/2011/07/270000-organic-farmers-sue-monsanto/
http://www.growswitch.com/blog/2011/08/india-takes-monsanto-to-court-for-biopiracy-over-development-of-gm-eggplant/
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2009/07/08/751167/-Obama-White-House-Appoints-Former-Monsanto-Lobbyist-to-FDA
http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm170842.htm
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/blogpost/post/monsanto-petition-tells-obama-cease-fda-ties-to-monsanto/2012/01/30/gIQAA9dZcQ_blog.html

Original Article