February 2009 represents one of the most memorable black history months I have observed.  This Black History month the President of The United States of America is a biracial man born of a white mother and African father.  Barack Obama 44^th President of America elected November 4^th 2008.  Who could have imagined that such a historically life changing event would happen in my lifetime? The sit-ins, boycotts, marches, demonstrations, beatings, and imprisonments could not and would not be shushed.  In one voice the many demanded equality and the opportunity to be the best they could be based on nothing but ability. The role models and leaders that represent every hue of the citizens of this country are testament that the sacrifices have been worthwhile. There is still much work to do to ensure equality in all areas of African Americans daily lives. But looking back to where we started and where we are today I say with up most optimism that the best is yet to come for African Americans and all the citizens of this country.  I am inspired to keep on pushing forward, contributing wherever I can to continue to lift this nation up to a higher standard and thereby lifting up the African American community. This 2009 Black History I commit my time, money and/or resources to supporting the presidents’ agenda, volunteering in local and state elections but most importantly, I commit to speaking and teaching about my history that is intricately woven into the fabric of this country and the world.  After all, those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Black History month began February 1926 by Dr. Carter G. Woodson the founder of Association for the Study of Negro Life and History.  Dr. Woodson communicated with other influential African Americans and settled on the second week of February to recognize the accomplishments of African Americans.  In 1972 the name was changed to Black History Week and to Black History Month in 1976. The Black History Month of observances has filled me with indescribable pride for the majority of my adult life.  It has given me an opportunity to honor those who have gone before me and teach people of all races about the accomplishments and sacrifices of African Americans.  There are so many heroes and heroines in our history, but for this column, I would like to single out the following five.  Four little girls died in a bombing by the Ku Klux Klan at the Seventeenth Street Baptist Church in Birmingham Alabama on September 15, 1963.

I was eleven years old and will never forget the horror and the sadness. I never want anyone to forget them and how their young lives changed all of us. I want to speak their names so we will remember that President Obama’s ascent to the highest office in the land came with blood that still dampens this land.  The four girls names were Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley and Denise McNair. The first three girls were fourteen and Denise was eleven.  They died for our freedom and the opportunity for us all to achieve our dreams no matter how lofty. We must keep their memory, so please, tell someone else about Addie, Carole, Cynthia and Denise.

The other name I would speak today is Congressman John Lewis. Mr. Lewis’ entire life has been committed to ensuring the freedom and equality of Black Americans. Mr. Lewis organized sit-in demonstrations as a student at Fisk University at segregated lunch counters.  In 1961 he participated in the Freedom Rides that challenged segregation at interstate bus terminals throughout the South.  He was severely beaten many times but that only slowed him down, he never gave in or gave up.  At 23 Mr. Lewis was one of the founders of the SNCC, Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and was a planner and speaker at the March on Washington in August 1963.  His energy and resolve were granite and on March 7, 1965 Mr. Lewis and Hosea Williams led 525 marchers across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama to advocate voter registration.  The scene that ensued is still a horrific reminder of the sacrifices of so many determined individuals that stood with Mr. Lewis and Mr. Williams. The day was known as Bloody Sunday and Mr. Lewis suffered a fractured skull. It too slowed him down but never stopped him from standing up and speaking out for freedom and equality.  I applaud and admire Mr. Lewis for all he has done and is still doing for our country. I was touched, elated and brought to tears when I saw President Obama embrace him before being sworn in as the 44^th President of these United States reminding us all that we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before us. There is not a day that I am not grateful and mindful that I must continue the tradition to teach one.

Black History Month in February is a cause for celebration and reflection on how we have overcome so much and though I have no illusions that there is still much work, today, this month I say well done -  the best is yet to come for us all.

I was amazed and proud as I took my place in line to vote early in Texas. Privilege is not a word I think of when I think of the state of Texas, but this year and this time it was, and is, a privilege to reside in a state where one can vote two weeks prior to November 4^th including weekends.

Prior to the 2000 election I believed my vote counted and would be counted. Who knew there were as many ways to marginalize and bastardize the voting process, as there are states? Standardized voting should be the rule and not the exception. A process that protects the right to vote,  and encourages all eligible individuals to vote, must be established. The most important election in the past forty years is already rife with early voting woes. What in the hell have the election boards and officials been doing for the pass four year besides purchasing voting machines? Since early voting has begun there have been reports of voting machine irregularities, voter suppression, people standing in line to vote for up to five hours especially in Ohio, Florida and Virginia. Is it a co-incidence that these same battleground states plagued by voting problems in the 2000 and 2004 elections now exhibit the same problems this 2008 election? There are still no regulations in place or provisions made to insure that handicap or disabled persons and/or veterans be accommodated so they don’t have to stand in long lines. Why not? Shouldn’t voting be voter friendly? The expectation that the voting process run smoothly shouldn’t be something that I as a voter (or any voter for that matter) should be concerned about. Observing the process in action up to this date in fact is cause for concern. On October 26^th the NAACP initiated a lawsuit against the state of Virginia for not adequately preparing for massive voter turnout. Thank goodness they are being proactive instead of reacting to the same old political tricks that would hamper the voting process.

The tricks to change election results have become a business all to itself. Have you heard of the Man in the Middle? Basically it involves diverting election returns data through a separate computer located in a different place. It is supposedly something computer criminals or hackers do regularly within the banking business. The Man in the Middle is reported to be effective (and hard if not impossible) to detect as a way to change election results. In the past week I watched an evening news show that had a man who manufacturers voting machines demonstrate how to hack into one in less then eight minutes. I voted early but will my vote count? The fight to insure no voter is disenfranchised is a fight that must be won this time around. I believe my concern cannot be emphasized enough. Listen to or read the transcript of the October 22, 2008 cable news show Democracy Now. Amy Goodman interviews Mark Crispin Miller author of Loser Take All: Election Fraud and the Subversion of Democracy, 2000-2008. The conversation is chilling and reminds us that being a participant in the democratic process is a responsibility, and in these times imperative. Reports of voting machines that are switching votes and shortages of working voting machines in Democratic precincts, and misleading information about voting is only the tip of the iceberg as I question the outcome of this election. I voted early but will my vote count? I am but one of many voters concerned about the process. For the first time in Texas, poll watchers have been trained and are voluntarily policing the voting process. Apparently the lessons of the 2000 and 2004 election irregularities, missing ballots and disenfranchised voters was enough for many of us to realize the process must be policed by us the voter. Technology and time has changed the way we vote but it must not change why we vote. We vote for change so that the country we live in gives an equal playing field for all that seek the American dream. I voted early, and even if I am suspicious that it might be hijacked, it is not enough to squelch my dream of change. Vote early if you can, but by all means vote! Because YOU are the change you seek.

And in closing, with all the intensity of this election I sometimes forget to laugh. I hope this clip makes you laugh as much as I did.

I thought the column was ready until the wise woman that assists me with getting my words to this blog asked me a question. Her question changed what I was going to present this week, but most importantly, her question changed me. The question was in reference to the current conflict between Georgia and Russia that now includes Poland and the United States. She asked me if I knew all of the facts and had I researched sources outside of what we were being told by the mainstream media in this country? Chagrined, and with egg on my face, I reluctantly sought out other sources. Pissed would be the strongest word I can use on this blog, but that is exactly what I was. I was disappointed that I had (again) let my good sense be deceived by the propaganda channeled into my living room. We, as patriotic and decent citizens, are looking through a prism of lies and distortions from networks that don’t give a darn about the truth – or us.

There was a time when I was growing up that the news was respected and trusted. It was not uncommon in the community I grew up in for most of the families to sit down together after dinner and watch the evening news. It was the prerequisite to our evening television viewing. I remember looking forward to it because it was a another time that the entire family was together on a daily basis.  The news was serious business and the anchors reflected that.  When did the news become nothing more then fodder for fools?

In the 1976 film NETWORK, Peter Finch, a has-been anchor with poor ratings was called the “mad prophet of the airwaves.” Well move over Peter.  I am a madwoman blogging.  Peter Finch’s role immortalized the line, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take it anymore.” It has become one of my daily refrains. The time has come for all of us to seek and demand the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.

Thirty years ago the idea of white men ranting on air was unimaginable.  Imagine no more since it is now a reality. All major network and cable news channels (other than alternatives such as Democracy Now, Link T.V., Public Television and NPR) are nothing more than talk shows.  The news leeched into our homes is empty of any information that would enable you to think for yourself. In fact, you are repeatedly told, with underlying bylines, what to think.  Friday’s news is recycled all weekend in case you missed your dose of trivial, trashy talk.  The number of commercials during broadcast news is a clear indicator of how much real and truthful information you will receive.  Do you actually believe that money grabbing advertisers, families and corporations that own the news networks and print want you to know the truth?  How appetizing would it be if you understood what was actually in the food you eat, if you knew how it was grown? How many gadgets would you purchase if you knew how many women and children are receiving slave wages or none at all? What congressman or presidential candidate would you support if you knew their true characters before, instead of after, elections? I surmise things would be a lot different if we knew the truth and if the news reported the truth. Misleading news and news spun out of control is showing up in our homes – that is if you still have one during this massive housing crisis. Self-serving, avaricious, venal, and mercenary corporations, companies, and a government working against instead of for us, are destroying this country. Beware and take notice that they are using the broadcast news and print media to do it.  It’s time to wake up and pay attention.  Day after day programs gorged with violence, prejudice and propaganda are shoved down our collective throats and up to our jellified brains. It has changed us. Cop shows, court shows, humiliating and dehumanizing jail shows, and reality shows have rendered us dispassionate, dumb, and dazed.

The caliber and the tenure of mainstream news and media in this country is broken. No number of women in stilettos, or people of color that speak correctly will cover the fact that they are lying.  Consciously, purposefully, intentionally or unintentionally, doesn’t really matter when the perspective of the new is representative of the people who own our news and media. “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take it anymore”…So I want you to get up now. I want all of you to get up out of your chairs. I want you to get up right now and go to the window, open it, and stick your head out and yell, “I’m mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.” When you are done with that, the next time you tune in to your favorite news station or read your newspaper of choice and you suspect you are being bamboozled, hoodwinked, or lied to, let them know. Write, call, e-mail then turn them off or unsubscribe. Whatever you do, make them accountable. We are the people, and it is we the people that insure that change will occur. Remember that one person can make a difference.  Let that difference begin with you.

Fourth of July was different for me this year.  Celebrating the independence of our country rang hollow. The liberty, justice and freedom celebrated since 1776 has lost its significant and magnificence. The pride and celebrations of prior Fourth of July celebrations compelled the patriot in me to stand at attention saluting my country. This year the fireworks and revelry fizzled in the darkness.  What I will remember this Fourth of July 2008 is the smear of oil that covers our flag and the blood dripping from it. What I will remember is the hurt and harm did to the thousands of troops and their families who have, and are still paying, the ultimate price.

I currently reside 16 miles from Fort Hood Texas.  The lives of troops and their families affected by this unjust war is collateral damage that is sucking the life out of them and out of this country.  My community is filled with children left parentless. There is no consideration given for them as they watch both parents sent into combat zones. The schools are wrought with emotional and psychological problems from once happy children now tormented by fear, anger and anxiety. Where is the independence in this? On any given day I meet someone who is now a widow or widower, a parent who has lost their son or daughter. Where is the independence in this? I pull into the gas station and see families of the troops who gave their limbs and life struggle to put fuel in their cars. Where is the justice?  I hear the stories of delayed benefits, substandard medical care and the stigma that haunts returning troops who dare to complain. Where is the freedom?  I walk down the aisles of the commissary and the PX and shake my head in shame at the continual increases in groceries and merchandise.  Once a star in the crown of the military these two places helped military families live a better quality of life.  The corporate practices of cutting hours and benefits of employees while rewarding management is now common practice. No regard for the customer or the troops that return with less then they left with. Where is the justice or independence?

This Fourth of July was different for me. Dependence on big oil, recession, cherry picking of my human and civil rights through the patriot act, desertion of the troops and their families who serve this country as they go without the basic necessities and the erosion of respect for America around the world has snuffed out the fireworks.

The memory of a holiday that stood for justice and liberty of all has been sullied by a rough administration and its policies. Will Fourth of July ever be the same?

What do you think and what do you think we can do to fill the skies once again with fireworks that set our hearts afire with freedom and justice for all?