Not Feeling the Bern: Who's Fault is That?

Let's get to business. I am two things. I am a Black nationalist and I am an American economist. As an economist, I lean towards a structural view of the economy. That means I'm closer to being a socialist than anything else. As a Black Nationalist, I know that neither candidate will do much for the Black community. I don't bemoan The Clinton Crime Bill because crime has to be addressed and its flaws are in the execution which means the bill was not dumbed down enough for law enforcement to properly execute it. 

I am an independent. I haven't decided who I'm going to vote for in the primary. It will either be Hillary or Bernie. (As an independent, my ballot will have both Democrat and Republican nominees on it.)

In May, Hillary Clinton was halfway to the nomination and Bernie was splitting delegates along the way. At best he slowed Hillary down but had no chance of stopping her. Hillary Clinton is going to win the nomination as long as it's close. The Democratic nominee will win the general election. I still have questions. Hillary Clinton has a strong reputation. She also has a short resume. She gets things done but I don't really like her as a person. Bernie Sanders has a long resume. He also has a strong reputation. I mostly wonder why Bernie Sanders hasn't been more successful as a politician. 

To be clear, he's known as the king of amendments. He does get bills passed with little support from Democrats or Republicans. I'm measuring political success as moving forward in your career. So, I'm asking, why so long (six presidential elections) before running for president. Even failed elections succeed bringing agendas to national attention. That's why small party candidates even bother.

That's it. I like Hillary as a politician. She's pragmatic. She's tough. She's moderate. No matter how far to the left or right our friends try to pretend they are, most people are moderate. They are conservative about some things. They are liberal about others. Take an older Black church goer. They are surely generous with social entitlements and they support civil rights. But they are usually economically conservative. They are pro-life. They are against planned parenthood and contraception. I know gay black men who will find at least one issue they're conservative about.

I really like Bernie! He has a strong personality that grows on you quickly. His campaign has a lot of energy. I do wonder though why all that energy and youth in his campaign hasn't manifested a Rock The Vote type push to register new voters and make sure people vote. To be fair, neither has Hillary's campaign but her campaign doesn't have the same energy anyway. And I lean more towards a Socialist perspective than a purely Capitalist one. However, I know that the revolution will not be televised. especially not on a debate stage during the Democratic Primaries...

I am extremely hesitant to jump on the Bernie Sanders bandwagon. The peculiarity of the situation is that it has nothing to do with Bernie Sanders and everything to do with his fans. This is the same everything from Kim Kardashian to Black Lives Matter. It's more apparent because I really do like Bernie Sanders whereas I've been mostly ambivalent to everything else. In short, it's you, my so smart friends, who are turning me off. I am repulsed by the #FeelTheBern political revolution and its implementation. 

During this primary season, some of my smartest most intellectual friends have ignored logic and reason to fully embrace Bernie-mania. He was never meant to win with or without intervention on behalf of Hillary Clinton. He was virtually unknown to most of America. His name was even absent from the mouths and timelines of some of the most gung-ho supporters I know before 2015. COMPLETELY absent. Some of those supporters might say that's OK because they were equally unaware of President Obama before 2008. However, as someone who was aware of Barack Obama in 2004 and Bernie Sanders in 2012, it's not the same. In 2004, Barack Obama gave a speech at the DNC that had Fox News pundits predicting he would win an election in 2008. (FOX NEWS...) Barack Obama is a political insider. 

My final decision is coming down to the supporters. I have never been so ridiculed, attacked and talked down to when discussing politics than I have this year discussing the democratic primaries, with other democratic leaning voters. Correction, I've never been ridiculed, attacked or talked down to by other democratic leaning voters until this primary. I find that is the most ridiculous thing about this election. I say again and again, the Democratic nominee will win the general election. But these Bernie Sibs (Siblings/Bros and Sisses) have gotten crazy. THEY actually have me scared they will do something foolish (like not vote) in the general and give the election to the Republicans.

And that would be the end of the movement. I fear, the movement will end at latest after the general election. It will end because the Bernie Sibs are not the revolutionaries they are pretending to be in 2016. Those that I know are more capitalists than socialists. Firmly entrenched in the bourgeoisie class, they participate in a bit of social welfare but they aren't ready to give up their middle-class status for the revolution. But they're gone change the world in 2016!

...and change it right back in 2017...

Why? Because the Bernie Sibs ain't giving up their comfort! In fact, I had a Bernie supporter tell me they don't believe in the revolution. It's unfortunate that many more Bernie Sibs may feel that way about the revolution. Which makes me wonder why/how they become Bernie Sibs since the revolution is All that Bernie is about. Someone as politically intelligent as Bernie knows the President can do very little to affect the changes he wants. He needs at least 300 congressional seats, quite a few governors, and some major municipalities. That's at least two more election cycles away and half the Bernie Sibs have quit on the revolution and it's not even November.

It's a little discouraging when a general's army quits on him before the war even begins. That's my hesitation in jumping on bandwagons. It's not the driver of the wagon. It's the other passengers. I don't want to ride with yall because I don't trust yall.

Love Bernie!

Not feeling the Bern...

Malcolm X's Independence Speech and Black Nationalism Today

On March 12, 1964, after being censured by the Nation Of Islam, Malcolm X broke his silence with this statement on his beliefs and his plans for his community.

In 1994/5, I performed this speech many times at speech and debate competitions. Mostly I wanted to be different from the Martin Luther King crowd. back then, I thought there was a difference between Martin and Malcolm. I believed there was a split in the Black thought. I chose Malcolm. My journey showed me there could be split. Once I removed divisive thoughts from my perspective these words made a lot more sense.

After twenty years of forgetting theses words and not seeing them, today I am amazed at having developed a much deeper understanding of Black Nationalism that leads me back to these words...

This is everything I've learned and believe in as it pertains to Black Nationalism. It seems very timely given the atmosphere today...

Because 1964 threatens to be a very explosive year on the racial front, and because I myself intend to be very active in every phase of the American Negro struggle for human rights, I have called this press conference this morning in order to clarify my own position in the struggle, especially in regards to politics and nonviolence.

I am and always will be a Muslim. My religion is Islam. I still believe that Mr. Muhammad's analysis of the problem is the most realistic, and that his solution is the best one. This means that I too believe that the best solution is complete separation, with our people going back home, that is, to our African homeland.

But separation back to Africa is still a long-range program, and while it is yet to materialize, 22 million of our people who are still here in America need better food, better clothing, better housing, better education and better jobs right now. Mr. Muhammad's program does point us back homeward, but it also contains within it what we could and should be doing to help solve our own problems right now while we're still in America.

But internal differences within the Nation of Islam forced me out of it. I did not leave of my own free will. But now that it has happened, I intend to make the most of it. Now that I have more independence of action, I intend to use a more flexible approach toward working with others to get a solution to this problem.

I'm not out to fight other Negro leaders or other Negro organizations. We must find a common approach, a common solution, to a common problem. As of this minute, I have forgotten everything bad that the other leaders have said about me, and I pray they can also forget the many bad things I've said about them. The problem facing our people here in America is bigger than all the other personal or organizational differences. Therefore, as leaders, we must stop worrying about the threat that we seem to think we pose to each other's personal prestige, and concentrate our united efforts toward solving the unending hurt that is being done daily to our people here in America.

I am going to organize and head a new mosque in New York City, known as the Muslim Mosque Incorporated. This gives us a religious base, and the spiritual force necessary to rid our people of the vices that destroy the moral fiber of our community.

Our political philosophy will be black nationalism. Our economic and social philosophy will be black nationalism. Our cultural emphasis will be upon black nationalism.

Many of our people aren't religiously inclined, so the Muslim Mosque, Incorporated, will be organized in such manner to provide for the active participation of all Negroes in our political, economic, and social programs, despite their religious or non-religious beliefs.

The political philosophy of black nationalism means: we must control the politics and the politicians of our own community. They must no longer take orders from outside forces, and we will organize, and sweep out of office all Negro politicians who are puppets for these outside forces.

Our accent will be upon youth. We need new ideas, new methods, new approaches. We will call upon young students of political science throughout the nation to help us. We will encourage these young students to launch their own independent study, and then give us their analysis and their suggestions. We are completely disenchanted with the old, adult, established politicians. We want to see some new faces, more militant faces.

Concerning nonviolence: it is criminal to teach a man not to defend himself when he is the constant victim of brutal attacks. It is legal and lawful in this country to own a shotgun or a rifle. We believe in obeying the law. In areas where our people are the constant victims of brutality, and the government seems unable or unwilling to protect them, we should form rifle clubs that can be used to defend ourselves and our property in times of emergency, such as happened last year in Birmingham Alabama, in Plaquemine, Louisiana in Cambridge, Maryland and in Danville, Virginia. When our people are being bitten by dogs, they are within their rights to kill those dogs. We should be peaceful, law-abiding—but the time has come for the American Negro to fight back in self-defense whenever and wherever he is being unjustly and unlawfully attacked. 

If the government thinks I am wrong for saying this, then let the government start doing its job.

Sloan Enterprises LLC Mission

A man named Jay Franklin planted a seed. A man named Albert Sloan watered that seed. A man named Jay Sloan took control; cultivated the soil, fertilized and grew that seed into a tree. Jay Sloan developed a vision of growth and giving that will certainly be the legacy of he and Sloan Enterprises LLC

A chess player sees three moves ahead. A chess master sees the whole game. Similarly, a master of life sees far beyond the next few generations towards eternity. From one generation to the next S.E.LLC seeks to grow and maintain traditions which will last until the end of time. 

Sloan Enterprises LLC's mission is to sustain a legacy of growth and giving to the next generation, eternally. 

Journal 9/11/15 - Cooperation

There is only one right way to do things and or get things done. That's cooperation. That's God's way. By connecting spiritually with others we see that although we may seem very different, we are all on the same team. Even if you know your way is God's way, "my way or the highway" will never work.

Cooperation means that God's way will look different in the hands of each different person.

We operate in the spiritual realm. We have no idea nor control over how that translates in the physical realm. The struggle is to look beyond what eyes see to the spirits of people.

In 2016, with all the various movements going on, the only thing missing is cooperation. Boycotts, marches, voter drives, schools, armed resistance and economic movements all fail because they work separately. In 1965, the opposite was true. Not only were all those movements working simultaneously, they were all cooperative. At best, organizations worked together and supported each other. At worst, organizations/individuals who disagreed stayed out of each others way.

Malcolm X, Dr. King and Huey Newton became threats because of their approaches to universality. Huey Newton made great strides for the Panthers being open to working outside organizations/movements. Malcolm X and Dr. King made great efforts to work together before X's death. Dr. King was, of course, the master of cooperation. His network eventually became too big and so he was too dangerous. BLM and Shaun King have nothing to worry about. Modern day activists never have to fear assassination because they're all one trick ponies who refuse to work with each other.

Maybe they know that and would prefer a weakened movement where they get to live. Maybe by living longer they can be more effective. Maybe a weakened movement will eventually erode the old institutions of oppression. 

Invasion of the Malcolm Flexes: Hotep in Jail, On The Streets and In Your Community

In Jail/Prison I call them Malcolm Flexes. In the "Freeworld," we have Dr. Umar Johnson...

I can talk about spoiled broke kids all day every day for twelve years straight and I will still be amazed when I see them in the flesh. 

I called him Malcolm Flex because he would talk like he was ready to incite a riot (certainly not a revolution) when he was around the inmates. "I ain't workin for free. They can just take me to the hole now!" but when he was around the guards, "Yessir! Right away sir!"

What Malcolm Flexes do is bombard you with topical analyses of Black people's status in America. They provide little additional insight or solution to the problems. In the rare occasion they do provide solutions, they are are usually poor facsimiles of failed plans. They're only update to regurgitation of past failures is to "Wake everyone up". People like that are dangerous because someone may take them serious. Worst of all, it's our young men (18-25) with all the energy and no direction who take that as guidance and head down the wrong road. The irony of it all is that all that flexin' is just a racket, a new way for spoiled broke kids to keep shirking responsibility past adulthood.

Back to this yahoo:

He came to the work pod on a Friday afternoon and spent the entire weekend telling any inmate who would listen that he wasn't going to work for a few extra sandwiches. He was going to tell them straight up "Buck this!" Come Monday, he was working like a champ. Come to find out, he was just waiting on his paperwork to clear anyway. He ended up only working two days before he was released. He still spent $38 on store (must not have been his money). He yelled at the store man because they wouldn't sell him Seven danishes. (Who needs seven danishes for two days?) I asked him if he got his money back. He did. I told him to go home and buy some danishes at the real store. The crazy man was still hoarding sandwiches and chips the day he got released. They called him to pack it up right after lunch, the day after he got his store. I'm sure he tried to take as much jail food as possible home with him.

In two days to go from rants about how Store is a rip off and the food in jail is poison to hoarding jail food to take with you out into the free-world is typical Malcolm Flex behavior. Their goals are both to hide within the safety of the conscious community and to profit from the continued discrimination and oppression of Black America. These men and women are the infiltrators. They are in our jails, on the streets, in our communities. We pay them to tell us what's wrong with our communities. They do little more than make us feel better about our suffering. The irony is that some of the biggest profiteers constantly attack the church for doing the same things they do. Pacify us so they can continue to profit. 

We flock to cities like Atlanta as the Black American mecca, but the invasion has made it's way there as well. Dekalb county is the epitome of a Malcolm Flex messing up the community. To be clear there are far more than one in Dekalb County. I've seen how corrupt officials are in this county from top to bottom. We could have a good thing in Dekalb. Crooks steal pennies instead of building wealth.

They get there because we don't vet leadership. They stay because we pay as much attention to them as we do the career congressmen who camp out for 20 years or more running unopposed, dependent on the laziness and comfort of the general public. Just like the raggedy assed relationships so many of us find ourselves in, they only had to make us feel good for the first two weeks. After that, they can ruin our lives with stagnation indefinitely. Like a parasite.

In this time of change, a time of growth, we must be careful of the Malcolm Flexes. They are indeed parasites. They know they cannot exist in the new world. That's why tend to have some extremely conservative views when pressed. They are unable to survive without our support.That's why they constantly try to distract us from their blood sucking. And they do little more than exist. All their talk is for naught. There is very little action. There IS a lot of "passion." Just think National Action Network and the charisma of Al Sharpton. What has the multi-million dollar non-profit produced in 40 years? Diddly squat beyond piss poor resolutions, a bunch of Jaw Jacking, and, of course, millions of dollars.

The bottom line is they can't come.

You want to spot a Malcolm Flex? Just do stuff. They won't be there. They'll talk. They'll talk. They'll talk some some. But when it's time to roll, they will not show up. Their actions will produce little in the way of results, if anything at all. You find yourself wondering, just say "Let's go!" They won't go. Want to get rid of them? Move. Grow. Create. Build. They are the easiest parasites to get rid of but the hardest to spot. If you find yourself in the middle of a potential Flex Plan, ask yourself "Is it working?" If not, do something that works.

Breaking the cycle requires real commitment to change. Be different. Do different things. Find things that work. Grow. Move. And shake the Malcolm Flexes. They hate it when you do stuff.

Journal 8/11/15

Among my friends, I am the mayor of LA. I take pride in that. Among inmates. I am not. I take pride in that. The difference is the context, the meaning of mayor and who my friends are. In jail, there's a general distrust of authority figures and especially politicians. People expect authority figures and politicians to lie. So, being called mayor in jail is an honor reserved for liars. My friends are more hopeful. Despite the corruption in politics, they see me as someone they can trust. I value that. I will water those seeds with more truth.

That's another reason to fully disclose everything that's happened recently. Honesty works. I'll stick with it. Everything else is dead.

Getting a complete story out of an inmate is hell. Like pull teeth or mining something as rare as coltan but as worthless as a used rubber. The worst part is when you don't even ask for the story. The inmates come to you. It's like they're itching to gossip then they remember they are snitching on themselves...

In LA, we say "Mind your own business." Inmates will start spilling their guts then clam up midstory and tell you to mind your own business. I'm like motherfucker you started talking to me! Interrupting my damned book so you tell me some lies I'm not even interested in...

Journal 8/3/15 - The Crossroads

It's been a long time coming, but I know a change gone come... 



I am grateful and hopeful. I notice when we arrive at the crossroads the distraction increases. The temptation to go down the wrong paths or keep straight when a change is necessary grows stronger at the crossroads. We tend to know the right paths but the appeal fades as we approach it. Most people keep their head down and stick with the status quo, letting change pass by. Their hope is that the next crossroads, if there is a next one, will be easier. It won't.

The choices get harder. You know you should leave your job but you boss gives you a raise, so you stay. The next time you try to leave bills come so you stay a little longer but the bills pile up, higher and higher. Before you know it, they're throwing your retirement party and you're wondering where the time went.

It happens with toxic relationships. It happens in business. It happens in so many instances where drastic change is the only option for growth. The key is to recognize the crossroads as well as the choice which leads to growth. It's usually not  the easiest road that leads to growth. It's often the scariest road that does. It's most likely the longest road that leads to growth. When you choose wrong, another crossroads will pop right up. You can usually see the next crossroads from the one you're at if you're looking down the wrong road. That's a trick. You'll think you have another chance real quick so you choose that road. The thing is, the next crossroad will take you further off course. The quick and easy leads you down a long string bad choices that'll take far much longer to recover from than the time you thought you saved by taking a shortcut.

The hasty man always works twice as hard.
That's because he will spend twice as much energy repairing the damage that is always done by haste.Avoid the damage, take your time, make the right choice