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Recent Posts from lhumphrey

Indy Mac, WaMu, Wachovia — bank failures are on the rise. The credit and liquidity of the U.S. economy is bone dry. The $700 billion bailout plan was defeated by House of Representatives on Monday.
I don’t know about you, but I’m starting to believe the end of the world is nearing. Oh my! History is frighteningly repeating himself while many media outlets are focused on pig lipstick and hoping to hear Gov. Palin mispronounce Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (LOL).

Seriously, in the late 1920s and 1930s bank failures were a common occurrence as desperate bankers called in loans which the borrowers did not have time or money to repay. The Great Depression was caused, as many economists agree, by debt. After the panic of 1929, and during the first 10 months of 1930, 744 U.S. banks failed. (Over 9,000 banks failed during the 1930s). Sound familiar? Today, banks are dying in a way we could not have imagined. More than ever, let us all be wise on the status of our current personal cash flow.

Great Depression by izeemoretti=)
Blacks in the Great Depression

What is so intriguing is the root cause of what’s happening today. The Federal Reserve Bank System, a private corporation that produces currency for the entire nation, is why we are in this potential Depression. The Federal Reserve Bank System controls interest rates and the money supply (inflation). They regulate the value of currency. They loan the government money with interest. It is theorized that your taxes pay back this interest and not necessarily socialized programs. Every dollar loaned has immediate debt; therefore, debt becomes inevitable. To pay the debt, new money has to be created. It’s an ongoing cycle of debt. All of this is deeper than the subprime mortgage crisis. All of this is crashing in front of our eyes.

Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago by SK Photography
Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago

According to some and in basic terms, your money (dollar currency) may soon be replaced by the amero. Besides the Lou Dobbs show, you may not hear too much about the amero and the North American Currency Union. The North American Currency Union is a theorized economic and monetary union of the three principal countries of North America: Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. The union would insist all three countries giving up their current currency units (Canadian dollar, U.S. dollar, and Mexican pesos) and adopting a new one. The unnoticed, unregulated agreement was sign by Pres. George W. Bush without congressional approval. Conspiracy theorists contend that the governments of the United States, Canada, and Mexico are already taking steps to implement such a currency.

Amero Coins by AMERO
Amero Coins

All of this stems from how the Federal Reserve Bank System was founded (at a time when banks were being closed). There is a documentary outlining the creation of the Federal Reserve Bank that you must watch to get a feel for what is REALLY going on. One world-one economy. This Michael Moore-esque film is mind blowing as it touches on the U.S. banking system, wars, Prescott Bush, 9/11/01, the New World Order and how they all may relate.

This isn’t Cracker Barrel going out of business y’all. This is serious. Things are happening just too fast.

What are your thoughts on the documentary?
How does this affect your current view of the U.S. Federal Government and our economic woes?

A letter to the Republican nominee:

Dear Sen. John McCain’t,

Good day! Let me first introduce myself. I’m an American, period. Yes, I was born and raised in the good ole U.S. of A. I have been pretty happy here, but can’t necessarily say that I am consistently “proud” of my country. It’s cool, though. I must say that I have been following this election from it’s birth (actually conception, but metaphorically, I fell asleep for awhile).

You've got Mail!
You’ve Got Mail!

Congratulations on reaching puberty! Boy does time fly! I do feel like I’m in junior high with the class presidential election in full swing! By the way, your running mate sounded like Summer from Napoleon Dynamite in her convention speech and I was feeling like Obama was Pedro. She was really obnoxious. You really know how to pick ‘em! I really didn’t gel well with the popular crowd and pom-pom girls, even in my small town. I can’t wait for Obama’s ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ to bust a move and get the crowd fired up.

I must say that I am terribly shocked that you ended up being the Republican nominee for President of the United States. I, for sure, thought Huckabee would get the anointing. I really just wanted to pass out laughing when Katie Couric said, “Today President Huckabee announced…” President Huckabee, that’s hilarious. Well, you have prevailed. You are the ‘Big Elephant Maverick’ and could possibly be my next president.

Are you serious? Really? Why do you want to do this to the country that my ancestors built? We have had a 3rd grader’s life of policies that just did not work for 98% of Americans. They failed us. Why do you want to make us even worse off? You voted with the current president over 90% of the time. You graduated third from the bottom of your naval academy class. You, and the departed Jesse Helms, voted against MLK day. You dumped your physically challenged wife for a barbie doll beer heiress. Additionally, YOU didn’t love your country until you were deprived of her company. Again, are you serious? Do you think you can win by suddenly hijacking Obama’s “change” anthem or appealing to small town America? I admit, it’s clever. This ’small town America’ thing may get you some votes (and boy have those people been duped).

Well, I assume that no matter what happens, half of America will be depressed on November 5th. I think I will be numb for several years if you do slide in. However, if you do slither in, please ask Colin Powell and Condi Rice to help you out. Put Denise Huxtable’s Navy hubby and that Steele guy from Maryland in your Cabinet. Find a way to “abolish” Clarence Thomas (and O.J. if you can) and include your “black” child in family get-togethers and family photos. Give us something to smile about.

Lucky for you, all of this you really don’t have to worry about because in the end, Pedro wins the election!

Best regards,

An American, period

P.S. You are Uncle Rico.

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As I think about those who recently mocked the term ‘Community Organizer’, the first thing that comes to my mind is Christian Conservative. I apologize in advance if you consider yourself one and are offended (note: I am a believer; a Christian).

I detest the phrase ‘Christian Conservative’. I think it’s an oxymoron and exclusive. Was Jesus Christ a ‘Christian Conservative’? Well, he wasn’t a Christian and I’d argue tooth and nail that he had conservative views. I think we get too caught up in “being” a Christian as opposed to being “Christ-like”. Additionally, conservative is defined as limiting change…hmmmm. If you did not know, Christ came to shake things up!

Jesus Christ was a Community Organizer

Community organizing is a process by which disempowered, disenfranchised people—most often low- and middle-income people—are brought together to act in their common self-interest (i.e, loss of jobs, poor schools, voting discrepancies, etc). Community organizers act as coordinators in an effort to meet community needs for purpose, dignity and prosperity. Didn’t Christ do this?

At the height of his ministry, Jesus Christ attracted huge crowds numbering in the thousands, primarily in the areas of Galilee and Perea (in modern-day Israel and Jordan respectively). During his sermons, he preached about service and humility, the forgiveness of sin, faith, turning the other cheek, love for one’s enemies as well as friends, and the need to follow the spirit of the law in addition to the letter.

Jesus often met with society’s outcasts, such as the publicani –kinda sounds like Republican–(Imperial tax collectors who were despised for extorting money), including the apostle Matthew; when the Pharisees objected to Jesus’ meeting with sinners rather than the righteous, Jesus replied that it was the sick who need a physician, not the healthy (Matthew 9:9-13). According to Luke and John, Jesus also made efforts to extend his ministry to the Samiritans, who followed a different formof the Israelite religion. This is reflected in his preaching to the Samaritans of Sychar. (John 4:1-42).

It sounds like Senator Barack Obama is more in line with Christ— universal healthcare, helping those who struggle to help themselves, service to others, bipartisanship, turning the other cheek, change we can believe in and meeting with those world leaders who are associated with wrong (sinners)—than his opponents and critics.

I work for a Catholic health system and had a meeting today with the SVP of Mission Services. That department’s goal is community outreach, help to those in need and caring for the physically sick. As an organization, we pray in the name of Jesus before meetings and yes, organize local communities as a our mission indicates.

For the pompous right who look down on community organizing and look up to the Son and the Father, you should check yourselves RIGHT now! God is watching and he really doesn’t like ugly.

HIV/AIDs is knocking on the door of black america and too many of us have let him in. We have been so worried about AIDS in Africa that we let that joker tip toe through the foyer. I certainly hope you and yours are not directly affected by HIV/AIDS, but if you are a black american, the likelihood is unfortunately high. The AIDS epidemic among African-Americans in some parts of the U.S. is as widespread as in some countries in Africa, according to a report out July 29 and reported by CNN.

Harlem.
Creative Commons License credit: Cpt. Obvious
The HIV Epidemic

Interestingly, the vast majority of black women with AIDS live in the South or Northeast. Our “go-to” for health-related statistics, the CDC, has “African-Americans” as the first topic on the HIV/AIDS website. Wow, what a reality check! Check out these CDC statistics from 2005.

What is going on with my people? How is this happening? AIDS researchers do not have strong evidence to support an explanation. What we do know is that one in every two people living with HIV is black! Peter Jennings reported in 2006 that black women are 23 times more likely to be diagnosed with AIDS than white women. In 2001, black women were 14 times more likely to die of AIDS than white women (We may be at 15 to 16 times in 2008).

Excuse my French, but what the hell?

Share with your friends and associates that AIDS remains the leading cause of death among black women between ages 25 and 34. It’s the second-leading cause of death in black men 35-44. This is all very alarming. What’s even more alarming is that some practitioners in the health care sector who don’t understand this epidemic are clueless.

Several years ago, I went to my primary care physician whose practice is affiliated with Duke University Medical Center. The physician is Asian and I had seen her once before for an internal medicine checkup. I like to get all my tests done — cholesterol, diabetes, thyroid, etc. — when I see an internist annually. I, matter-of-factly, asked her for an HIV test. She responded that she would not give me one because I do not fit the socioeconomic status of someone with HIV.

Yes, you read this correctly.

She was dead serious. She even indicated that my insurance would not pay for it because of that reason. I wanted to take her notepad and bop her over the head to knock some sense into her. Instead, I educated her on the aforementioned statistics. I took the test (insurance covered 100%) and am happy that I was persistent at a very vulnerable time. However, to this day I can not believe the ignorance related to black women and HIV. Remember when Dick Cheney and John Edwards were asked the question about the epidemic of AIDS among black women at a vice-presidential debate in 2004 and they looked like 3 year olds would look if asked to discuss the origin of monkeys. How insignificant and ignored did black women feel at that moment?

My question is, what contributes to black women contracting HIV/AIDS at such an increased rate? Is it poverty, unprotected sex, lack of education about HIV/AIDS, low-quality health care, drugs, mulitple sexual partners, lack of morals, incarceration of black men, mate “on the down low”, or failure to use condoms? Why are WE getting kicked by the Black Ninja so hard? Haven’t black americans suffered enough? Here are a couple of things we need to contemplate:

Prevention is the solution for infection.

P1070674
Creative Commons License credit: Mayu ;P
AIDS Awareness Ribbon

We need to open up about the disease and talk to family and friends about this epidemic. We are too conservative when it comes to this disease. Yes, people are having premarital sex, sex outside of marriages and bisexual relations. Stop the stigma so people can get the support they need. We must have culturally specific prevention programs that are pervasive in our communities, churches, and health clinics. Tell our young boys to wear that raincoat…everytime!

An infrastructure for systematic testing should be implemented.

As we know, a disproportionate number of black men are in prison. Prisons have AIDS infection rates 5 times higher than the general population. Many men go to prison HIV negative, but come out HIV positive (the reason why is another lengthy discussion). A majority of these released prisoners do not know their HIV status. When these men are released from prison, they are welcomed by the women who waited for them and subsequently infect them unknowingly. There needs to be a comprehensive national testing and treatment for released inmates.

I can go on and on about remedies for what ails us as we confront this enormous challenge. Help me out, what can we do to save our sisters and brothers?

Let’s just reflect for a moment on the pride and affinity that we have for this country.

Okay, good. Depending on your life experiences, you may still need time or you were finished before I typed the word “country”. I’ll pray for the latter.

As we gear up for the July 4th holiday, we anticipate all that it means to be an American. We bring the flag out of the basement and hang it on the front porch.

America the Beautiful credit: Wikipedia

We buy $5 flag t-shirts at Old Navy for the entire family (they always seem to be marked down to $3 after the holiday). We plan a day at the beach or park. Let’s not forget the pride that captivates us as we watch the mass fireworks presentation and hear the symphony play the national anthem of the United States of America — The Star-Spangled Banner.

As a side note, Marvin Gaye’s 1983 rendition gives me serious goosebumps. How much pride do you feel when you see a photo of the two American athletes raising their fists in protest at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City?

Alright, side note complete.

The Black Power salute was a noted human rights protest and one of the most overtly political statements in the 110 year history of the modern Olympic Games. African American athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos performed their Black Power salute at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City.

The Black Power Salute

Mrs. Michelle Obama (my new role model) has been heavily criticized for her comments about pride and her country. She told a group:

For the first time in my adult life, I’m really proud of my country.

She has defended those remarks and clarified that she was referring to politics and government policies in America and not pride in the American flag (pin) so to speak. She claims that more people are becoming involved in the political process than ever before.

The new chronicle in American pride is a ‘Got-cha!’ The right and far-right (although near-right is probably as guilty) have been smearing Mrs. Obama as a “Mad Black Woman” who can’t see the opportunties that Lady Liberty grants. (Also, Sen. Obama has been criticized for not wearing a flag pin, yet he wears one now and the critics have been muted).

Here’s the “got-cha”: Sen. John McCain has been quoted on several occasions in print and live media saying, “I didn’t really love America until I was deprived of her company”. Say what?!! Check out this piece on Huffington Post. The saga will continue. Oh, but I wish it would end.

We all have a close “loving” relationship with this nation. The land is beautiful, but the policies (and the questioning of other Americans’ pride) must change.

Talk RadioI’ve been very thirsty for news and information (and commentary for that matter) that coincides with my thoughts, issues, and beliefs. We all like to be around those that support our views and convictions.

Let’s be real.

Watching corporate mass media is very painful and nauseating most of the time. I sit through it like I sit through a dental cleaning. Uggghh! I watch it because I want to hear a particular story, or may feel brave and want to hear the opposing viewpoints. All this just to go to bed mad.

I recently sought XM Radio 169 “The Power” as my first step. I learned a lot during my drive into work from the Joe Madison “The Black Eagle” Show. One thing that sticks out is the MLK 4/4/67 speech against the Vietnam War. Madison urged his listeners to read the speech before calling into his show and voicing an “educated” opinion on the topic of the hour.

Madison has been a force in the black community for years as an activist and talk radio host. Check him out via stream Monday through Friday from 6am ET- 10am ET. Also check out Warren Ballentine Esq. and Al Sharpton. Yes, I know…ole Rev. Al, but give the Rev respect as he goes toe to toe with the likes of Bill O’Reilly and other bobbleheads.

I miss the 11pm news on BET. It was the absolute best thing they had, but it was canceled in 2005. PBS and C-Span are also good outlets for news that isn’t sold for a dollar.

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