Is it because he is a myth destroyer? The false notion that anyone considered black does not have the capacity to

understand and handle the magnitude of running a goverment. He cannot be American since he has risen to the status of President of the greatest nation on earth?

Official photographic portrait of US President Barack Obama (born 4 August 1961; assumed office 20 January 2009) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

He must have been born in another country. No black American can ever be President of these United States.

Are you saying that more than half of the voting public is dumb? What is it? Criticisms are a part of free speech. I feel that it’s time to drop this birthing nonsense and judge the president on his record.

     Diane found Ann’s dog at the pound and brought her home.  When Ann got out of prison, Diane was going to rent a van and take Ann to get her belongings.  We have a van and I volunteered to make the drive.  I am so grateful I did.  Ann turned out to be a very pleasant person.  She has been a truck driver for over 20 years.  Instead of being angry at the injustice accorded her in light of the other person not even being charged with anything, she was grateful for the chance to be in a new place and maybe start over doing something besides trucking.  Her note was a delight in thanking me and my husband for being kind to a stranger.  It’s tone and content was that of an educated person.  It hit me anew of the injustice she experienced.

     When I go to the prison each week, I meet with the hard-core men who have the misfortune to be there.  Of course some complain that they are innocent.  Once in a while I believe them, but not often, and most know they deserve to be in prison.  A really sad fact, though, is that most of the men in the 2 pods I go to are hispanic or black.  There aren’t too many white men there.  Is it a matter of racial profiling that makes for the lop-sided population?  I don’t really know, but there are more stories similar to Ann’s than I want to think could be true.

Then again Filipino is a nationality not a race but race has also been acknowledged as a concept with no more obvious purpose than to enforce inequality and control of others. It’s a concept best done away with.

The entire concept of “Proud Filipino” arrives as something that serves to be propaganda. A mere tool to gather nationalistic pride but in a world that is globalized where is the point, at some time one must consider the entirety of the human population to be integrated, the difference of nations is nothing more than pointless pride.At the truly mortifying point we could end up like the United States, not in the wealth but in the creation of a cultural melting pot. A cultural melting pot is not that bad, USA is not that bad but when all cultures dissolve into one and at the same time we lose everything, the identity of who you were and all the culture and beauty that was once “Filipino” becomes nonexistent. At the other end of the table we have the over nationalistic Nazi Germany. Nationalistic to the point of wiping out all that is not German, all that is less than their nation.

Even the popular site called “9gag” has been plagued with the idea of a “Proud Filipino.” Every time there is a post about the Philippines or a Filipino the term “Here comes the Philippine 9gag  army” or what not becomes apparent. Even the whole “It’s more fun in the Philippines” has gotten on people’s nerves. So again I ask is the entire concept of being a “Proud Filipino” good? We have at one end the loss of our culture and values, on the other the possibe propagation of racism and segregation. 

PRO:

Here are a few reasons why Affirmative action is justified.

1: Affirmative action provides equal opportunities for people with disabilities that otherwise would not be able to succeed on their own. These days, our society is more aware of those around us that have disabilities. However, this does not stop them from being discriminated against. According to the US department of Labor, 2/3 of all people with disabilities in the United States are unemployed, the largest unemployment rate of all demographic groups. Many companies have even expressed not wanting to hire employees with disabilities due to the extra costs of accommodating their needs. Without affirmative action, it would be virtually impossible for a disabled person to get a job and earn a living. Furthermore, it is often difficult for people with severe mental disabilities to achieve a quality education. Colleges often strive to choose the best students who are high achievers and show leadership and service in the community. Unfortunately, people with learning disabilities often struggle in school and find certain concepts difficult to grasp. It goes without saying that these students would be normally overlooked. However, affirmative action ensures that these students have the same chances as everyone else to succeed. Let’s be honest, a lot of occupations require a college education these days. You even need to get a major in Sanitation Engineering if you want to be a trash collector. Affirmative action gives people with disabilities opportunities that they would never have otherwise. Thomas Jefferson wrote these infamous words in the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among them are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”. It was with these words that our forefathers formed our great nation upon. Yet people with disabilities are denied these unalienable rights. They are discriminated against, are hard-pressed to make a living upon which they can support themselves, and are seldom happy with the way they are treated by these prejudiced groups. It is our duty as the United States of America to make sure that everyone is ensured these unalienable rights.

2: Affirmative action ensures that women have an equal opportunity to learn and prosper. According to the NOW organization, approximately 95-97% of all high level corporate jobs are held by white men. And this is with Affirmative action. Imagine how low figures would be without affirmative action. Despite civil rights laws, women still face discrimination. According to the US census bureau only 25% of all doctors and lawyers are women, less than 1% of auto-mechanics are women, and only 8.4% of engineers are women. For every dollar earned by men, women as a whole only earn 63 cents. Affirmative action levels the playing field so that women have a chance to succeed.

3: Affirmative action is needed to make up for past racial injustices. Most of us have at least learned something about the American Civil Rights Movement. The prejudice that other races faced at the hands of our nation is unspeakable. During World War II, the United States forced people of Japanese origin to quickly sell all their property and report to internment camps. These camps were almost exactly like concentration camps (minus the mass extermination part). Many Japanese people lost their lives from being overworked and all the Japanese people within the camps had virtually no rights. And what about African Americans? Our country treated them as a dispensable labor force for centuries until the practice was finally outlawed, and even then, they still didn’t have equal freedom. Affirmative action is our nation’s way of giving these people a leg up in a world that oppressed them for so long.

CON:

Here are some reasons as to why Affirmative Action doesn’t work.

1: The concept of affirmative action does not promote equal opportunity. The original purpose of affirmative action was to promote diversity and racial equality in industry and education. However, this cannot be achieved with the current method of execution. Affirmative action involves preferring other races and minorities and races over white, Caucasians. This is simply a form of reverse discrimination. What affirmative action is trying to do is replace malignant racism with benign racism. The only problem is benign racism does not exist. Racism is an ugly matter no matter which way you look at it. Not to mention illegal. According to the 1964 civil rights act, no one shall be denied employment or education opportunities on account of race, sex, or nationality. However, this is exactly what affirmative action does. By choosing minorities over Caucasians, it is essentially denying those opportunities on account of race, and thus is illegal, unjust, and unreasonable.

2: Affirmative action does not cover all minorities and thus it does not promote equal opportunities. According to the US department of Justice, affirmative action pertains to Native Americans, Alaskan Natives, Asians, African Americans, and Hispanic individuals. However, two important groups aren’t included in this definition: Indians, and Arabs. Because affirmative action does not cover all minorities, it does not achieve its original purpose of promoting diversity. All affirmative action does is give special rights and privileges to certain minorities while ostracizing the rest and putting them at a disadvantage. Furthermore, due to the high rate of success of many Asians, they are no longer considered covered by affirmative action and are refused many education and employment opportunities. According to Asian-nation demographics and issues.org, recent data has shown that when California residents voted to end affirmative action, the number of Asians enrolled in California universities increased, demonstrating that affirmative action had actually kept many students from qualifying for admission to colleges. It is the stereotype that all Asians are successful that had alienated their equal opportunities, showing that America still has not learned its lesson. Even with affirmative action we are still discriminating against people.

So what do you think? Is Affirmative Action just or unjust? Only you can decide!

The second read was about another child, The Hailey Cummings tragedy.  I said it was a conspiracy and all in the news were involved.  The fact is, I always have been able to dream, and yes, see things before they happen.  My most common thing was to see a person walking down the street and mistake them for an old friend. Later that day, I would bump into that person I knew from long ago.  I also get feelings which are usually right. So what I am about to tell you came to me in a dream.  Fact or fiction, only time will tell.

My dream starts out seeing a baby.  This baby was born in Kenya, but the family situation was not a happy one.  The father was overbearing, and the mother was unhappy.  They soon changed their location and moved to  Indonesia, south of the China sea.  The father was rarely seen, maybe once a week or so.  The mom would seek happiness elsewhere.  The child now a teen, graduated school and somehow ended up in the States.  This part only took a few seconds in my dream. 

The boy was taken in by a renegade, an outcast hiding in the shadows.  He would introduce this boy to the darker side where the boy met many characters of the same realm.  I flash back to 911, watching as I did from across the river.  Those thugs were groomed as Americans, schooled as Americans and landed American jobs.  Then a montage of a million pictures flashed in my mind to the music of The Beatles.  It was the ending of “A Day in the Life.  Then I woke up.  Bin Laden said, “The next hit on the United States would be financial.”  If you hit the economy just right, it will topple like domino’s.”

I was in a sweat.  That dream was intense and the whole picture scared me.  I see Obama as being groomed specifically for the Presidency back in the mid to eighties.  Connections would place him strategically in places anyone else would have to work for.  He had a force backing him and he would win a senate seat for two years or so.  His backers would make sure George W Bush would become a joke to make their man look like a dream.  Obama runs for President to do the job his backers wanted him to do, the job they groomed him for, for so many years. 

Obama’s agenda seems to be, to do things that would help our economy fail.  He would spend like there was no tomorrow until we were so far in debt, we could ever dig our way out of it.  He would pit races against each other, he would pit woman against men, and divide the nation all under orders from his backers. He would let evil reign, as the innocent gets harassed. He would use keywords in speeches sending messages to all who follow him, the media, and the youth, etc.  He would go against allies, and welcome countries who hate us and wish us failure or death.  He would seek a second term which would give him the time to finish the job he started.  He will blatantly show his hand and by then it would be too late. 

Yes, in my dream long ago, a young man was groomed to fit in and conquer.  This was a well consealed but orchastrated plot.  Obama, was he groomed by socialisy communism  to crush America and all its glory?  Will he succeed?  Time will tell.

There is nothing wrong with thinking or dreaming big. Lets face it, we only get one shot at life. Therefore, we shouldn’t put any boundaries on what we can accomplish. However, I feel the constantly thinking big state of mind often keeps us from getting started. It appears that most of us aren’t willing to put in the time and effort to get to where we want. The key word I want to stress in the previous sentence is “time”. No matter what our dreams or aspirations are, it takes time to achieve them. Now the amount of time can vary. Some things can be achieved in a matter of hours or days. Then there are goals that require months and years to complete. However, the thing that remains constant is that time is still required. Think about it; if you graduated from high school, it most likely took you twelve years to do it right? We had to start somewhere though didn’t we? The same thing applies to anything else we are looking to achieve in life. 

Starting towards a goal can be a daunting task for many of us. Just remember it’s important to keep in mind that all things come in time. I’ll use the 5K race that I ran in last month as an example. I didn’t wake up last year and decided to just run a 3.1 mile race. I had to plan, prepare, and go through a program that got me physically ready to comfortably do a 5K. That program required time and a lot of effort, but it was well worth it. That’s just one example of how we have to start somewhere. Lets continue to dream big and reach for the stars. However, lets not let the start hinder us from getting the things we want. Remember that slow and steady is what always wins the race. I leave you with a quote from a song called, “Tunnel Vision”. The group is named, “Collective Efforts”. There is a woman at the beginning of the song who says what I’m going to quote. I don’t know who she is, but what she says speaks volumes. Thanks for reading.

“Don’t be concerned about the struggle of trying to reach the thing that seems the hardest to obtain. Go ahead on and do the work and dance while you do it. Use your gifts” – Unknown

George Zimmerman will be monitored by a GPS tracking device so that law officials can monitor his where abouts. Zimmerman faces second degree murder charges. Question: is he really sorry for gunning down a 17 year old kid, or is he sorry for being the center of negative press? Many people will be upset if Zimmerman gets off. He must take responsibility for his actions.

Will this case and others cause a division of races? This case is worldwide. Zimmerman made a bad decision and now he must face the consequences. No one can predict the outcome of the case but if  he does not get any time than Justice was not served. It does not matter about race. No one should get away with committing a crime such as this should. This deserves harsh punishment. We have to believe that the Justice System will do the right thing.

   Pictures courtesy of the blaze.com

Nothing is more sour tasting and evil-sounding then the word gentrification. Even the people who practice it cringe when it’s mentioned. Gentrification is the process of renewal and rebuilding that accompanies the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas/communities, which often displaces lower income residents. When a person first thinks about, it doesn’t sound like it’s such a bad thing. Who wouldn’t want to renovate abandoned areas into something more useful and productive; Rebuild decaying, run-down communities and give them a more livelier and livable atmosphere? It all sounds pleasing, but the key word to why it is a social problem is in the definition- gentrification displaces lower income residents, who are disproportionally minorities such as women and people of color. Displacement in itself is a social problem that can be defined as a process whereby families and residents have their housing choices constrained by the actions of another social group. It is a form of modern day segregation.

Gentrification as a defined and measurable social problem:

Gentrification meets all the qualities of a social problem. It has been defined as a condition that threatens the values of minority groups, specifically cultural and social values. It effects a large number of people, with a conservative estimate of 2.5 million people being displaced in the U.S. per year (LeGates and Hartman, 1986 US). 

Where Gentrification Manifests & Who it Affects:

 Gentrification manifests in metropolitan cities such as New York, Philadelphia, London, Seattle, and Miami. Downtown Miami is a prime example of Gentrification; the Design District, Bayside, the Marlin’s Baseball Stadium, and Brickell have been or are going to be gentrified here in Miami, Florida. Low-income houses are turned into condominiums or luxury housing available for purchase, malls and high-end entertainment complexes are built, old buildings and residences are torn down, and the upper class begin to flock to these areas. Area property values skyrocket to the point that displacement occurs.

Those affected most are low-income families and residents, the elderly, female headed households and middle class blue collar workers. The extent to which those that are effected by gentrification and displacement is not limited to just the economic realm, gentrification often involves a change in a neighborhood’s racial and ethnic composition, which further alters a communities characteristics, leading to potential tension within the community. Those that are displaced may end up homeless due too harassment and eviction and lack of affordable housing.

The Consequences & Social, Psychological, and Health Costs of Gentrification:

There is a broad range of consequences that can arise from gentrification. Services that the displaced groups rely on are also at great risk of becoming overpriced or lost all together. Homelessness is increased as affordable housing disappears and unsustainable speculative property prices increase. Gentrification does not only affect the area which was gentrified. Gentrification of one neighbourhood can increase rent and prices and have other effects on surrounding neighbourhoods.

Gentrification also has a range of social and psychological costs. Gaps in mutual social support structures are left in the wake of displacement. The sustainability of community networks are threatened. There’s also a strong racial component as the majority of new, higher-income residents are white and the former, lower-income residents are racial or ethnic minorities. This change can lead to tensions along racial or ethnic lines in the gentrified neighborhood (Kennedy and Leonard 2001). With gentrification comes a huge loss of social diversity and mix and a very apparent segregation of classes, which causes community conflict & resentment, among other issues.

In terms of the health of a community, gentrification has a myriad of negative consequences. Socioeconomic status, land use, environmental injustice, and race/ethnicity all create disparities in the health of the community. Displacement in itself has many negative health consequences that contribute to disparities among member of racial/ethnic minorities, the poor, women, children, and the elderly (special populations). These members of special populations have an increased risk of health issues due to the negative consequences of gentrification. Studies show that they typically have shorter life expectancy, higher cancer rates, greater infant mortality rates, and more birth defects than non-vulnerable populations. They also have a greater incidence of diabetes, asthma, and cardiovascular disease.

Strategies to Minimize the Negative Consequences:

We must create a equitable living environments and communities designed with intention and the belief that communities are not just for residential/commercial use, but areclusters of opportunity. Affordable housing for all incomes must be available. Mixed-income communities can be developed, which would offer a range of housing prices. Incentives, such as tax cuts or breaks, could be given to developers, planners, and local governments who aim to minimize displacement. Inclusionary zoning policies can be enacted, which is a policy strategy that requires developers to make a percentage of the rental or for-sale units in housing developments for low- and moderate-income residents. Most importantly, we must engage the community. They need to be fully allowed to provide input into the design and redevelopment of their community. In this way, we can change the process of gentrification into the process of building just, equal communities of opportunity.

   Nowhere is this more evident than in the Trayvon Martin case. The national media had convicted George Zimmerman from day one without having a fraction of the evidence that the police originally had. They painted a portrait of racial hatred where there was absolutely no evidence to suggest this. They have tried to intentionally incite racial division the whole time. George Zimmerman had been a mentor to a black child. Hardly the actions of a racist, but this fact wasn’t mentioned very often.  Old photos of Travon were presented showing a young innocent teenager, while a mugshot of George Zimmerman was the only picture to be displayed. There were pictures of Zimmerman in a tie, but in no way could Zimmerman be presented to be a respinsible hardworking citizen. One thing is certain. Zimmerman has no chance at a fair trial. The only acceptable outcome for the media and certain minority groups is a conviction.  This is not the type of justice that this country was founded on, and it’s very frightening to think that it may soon be illegal to defend oneself against a violent attacker.

I learnt this morning that a white man killed three African Americans and wounded two in spell of just one hour in Tulsa Oklahoma, last Friday and the perpetrator is on the run. He is said to have walked over to two the black men and asked for direction. As the two men were busy describing to him direction, he opened fire on them shooting and injuring them mortally. Luckily, the two did not die, although they are in critical conditions. Not far from the scene of the first shooting, this same white man again gunned down three African Americans and took off.

The killer who is believed to have been driving a white Pick up is said to have done the shooting single handedly. The Police have put in place 25 investigators consisting of homicide detectives, the U.S. Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Investigation  to help track down the real culprit and bring him to book.

The Police Chief and Mayor of Tulsa  have also stepped up patrols in the affected neighborhoods to reassure the  frightened Tulsa residents that the authorities are in charge of their security. These racially motivated killings come only a year after the city of Tulsa commemorated the 90th Anniversary of the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921 with a commitment to more racial coexistence. 

Racially driven killings have been on the rise lately. Two white British University students were killed by some 17 year old black attacker only recently in Florida. We were also able to learn not so long ago how  a police man on duty recently short and killed black teenager walking back home in the evening. The reason he was killed clearly depicted racial hatred because the boy was unarmed and was just an innocent user of a public road. The Police officer who did the crime was not arrested immediately inspite of the widespread public outcry for him to be arrested. Normally authorities are deemed to be slow to act on white offenders which paint them as part and parcel of the systemic racial discrimination that goes on in the American society.

As America gets into the 2012 election campaigns, with the already many anti-Obama and racially driven sentiments in the wider American public, I want the world to pray for peace and racial harmony in America because unless God internevenes, come November 2012, America could be very bloody!