Inhumanity: A Prayer

I received an email with a picture of a famished toddler in Sudan struggling to make it to food, with a vulture some yards behind her,waiting for her to die. The point of the email was that we cannot ignore the plight of others. After the photo it had a supposed diary entry that seemed too contrived so I decided to look for information on the photographer. The photographer, Kevin Carter only scared off the vulture after waiting to get a perfect shot, he did not help the girl. Kevin Carter won a Pulitzer for this photo, and a few months after receiving the award he committed suicide.

I understand that for a photojournalist there is a fine line they must walk. Often they are witnessing history. Do you get the shot or do you intervene? But we are all human first. I do not fault him for getting a heartrending shot. The fault is that he did not see his subject as human, just as a shot. The fault is in not reacting to that which is heartrending. If you see her struggling to get to food that just might keep her alive another day, would you turn your back to her and leave her to muster the strength on her own?

My focus is not on Kevin Carter, he has been dead since July of 1994. The point is to look at it, frankly and honestly. What could you do to help her if you were a witness to her struggle? Can you even see her as being just as human as you? Would you help your daughter, niece, cousin, sister, a stranger? Is she less worthy of life because of where she was born, because of the color of her skin, because she cannot call out to you?

Bless us all. I pray that I never walk by someone who is mustering their last to just get through the day and fold my hands rather than offer some help. I pray that I am aware enough to see.

Lord, Please bless us all.

Peace.

Tom Delay...

I borrowed this from Carlagirl.net

http://www.campusprogress.org/features/838/in-his-own-words

King Kong ???

Before I start, I am not being paranoid, racist, or inflammatory. I don't think a movie is just a movie when there is such a racist vein, that saying 'vein' is an insult to the intelligence.
Are they serious? Just in case systematic racist agendas aren't enough, let's re-produce one of the most blatantly racist movies ever: King Kong. You know the one where the Virginal White Woman goes off into the jungle among savages and they fall in love with her. They are so in love that they know for sure that the Big Black Jungle Ape is gonna go 'bananas' for her. He's so gone for her that he gets lured out of his element, where he is trapped, kidnapped, and then lynched, er, conquered. The Virginal White Woman is saved from the Big Black Jungle Ape and place back upon the pristine pedestal she deserves.
So, black men, understand, the white woman will be your undoing. You will die if you tread those waters.
White women, you can't go playing in the jungle, you'll become soiled. We cannot stand for that.
Black women, surely you know that you could never be what a white woman is to the world. Look at the hold she has over all mankind.
White men, take back and keep control of your women.

We don't need this kind of crap. It is bullshit. It is unnecessary. We should be beyond this, but then again, why not go back into the jungle. If the film makers go into space, they just come back with Jar-Jar Binks. The bull just never ends. What year is this?

What the hell am I thinking?

You know what, I guess I have to take off my rose colored glasses and just chill. I want to be like GW. No, I am not going Republican, and I have no desire to become a cocaine sniffing idiot. I want to be just damned ruthless. Chris Rock said that GW is straight gangster, and he's right. I mean, this little swaggering brat, went to war without the backing of anyone in the world. After all, Saddam tried to kill his Daddy. Yes, Great Britain came along for the ride, but after Tony Blair's arm resembled a Monterey Cypress. He was then used as an example for the rest of America's friends. So, Georgie had a trantrum, bullied and got his way. He lied, cheated, and no one's gonna do a damn thing to him.
I mean these bastard watched people drown for days in New Orleans and waited for 5 days before they decided to help. Hey, fuck 'em, they're not republicans anyway (there aren't any poor republicans)! Then they remind Georgie that he IS the President, and it looks bad that the government watched all those people drown and starve. So Karl Rove had the brilliant idea for him to go to the undestroyed part of town and use lots of resources to light the pretty park and show Georgie strutting around. I guess our heads are supposed to screw off.
And about his boy, Karl Rove, who acted like a bitch by exposing that CIA operative. Why did he do that. Because her husband had the integrity to tell the world the truth about Georgie's Revenge War, and what happened to Karl as a result? He's in charge of the reconstruction in New Orleans. Doesn't sound like Georgie is planning on cutting him loose anytime soon. So all of America, and the rest of the world, is theirs to rape and rob and pillage. I wonder if Cheney is going to talk Karl into steering one of those contracts Haliburton's way? It's just a thought.
These mo-fos are a trip. I think we all got shit wrong. This do unto others, and turn the other cheek shit is out the window. I wanna be like Georgie. I wanna be straight gansta.

Peace.

I think the National Black Caucus got it wrong.

During the NBC's press conference the media was corrected for using the term refugee in reference to the thousands of victims of Hurricane Katrina. These citizens, who had to evacuate their homes with precious little besides their loved ones, are living in substandard conditions for six says now. The media has taken sinful delight in showing a civilized people's descent into hell. But the media got it right, these people are refugees. By definition, a noun, meaning one who flees in search of refuge, as in times of war, political oppression, or religious persecution. I would dare you to see the melee and say it is not a war zone on the ground there. And, wouldn't there have been faster response from our government if the socioeconomic conditions of these victims were different. I mean, this is a city that is 66.6% African-American. (you know, blacks, Negroes, niggers, coons: all of those names that people mistakenly assume aren't harmful if they are only used in the comfort of their homes ) The city flooded on Tuesday, and the first real sign of relief did not show up until Friday. It didn't take the U.S. government four days to respond to the Tsumani, they are also poor. So what's the difference. New Orleans is a tourist spot also, but....oh most of the people who actually live there are inconsequential to the government. I mean, did you hear the head of FEMA, they didn't have "confirmed" reports of the conditions on the ground. See. don't further insult us, a city below sea level is 80-90% flooded, I would guess they'd need SOMETHING, even if the first reports were unconfirmed, the situation was grim from the start.

Our President is very protective of his "daddy", I wonder, if George and Barbara had to steal from Kennebunkport's Wal-Mart to survive, would FEMA have moved faster? He needs to pretend every American is George and Barbara. Were fight a war, because Saddam tried to kill his "daddy", so imagine all the ails that could be corrected with a different perspective. But Americas dirty laundry had been brought to bear. Yeah, I'm proud to be an American........

A friend of mine gives a "soundtrack" to accompany the theme of the days' entry, so I am going to borrow from her every now and again. Maybe New Orleans can adopt it as a temporary Theme Song, it fits. Today's song is Subcity by Tracy Chapman.

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People say it doesn't exist

'Cause no one would like to admit

That there is a city underground

Where people live everyday

Off the waste and decay

Off the discards of their fellow man

@

Here in subcity life is hard

We can't receive any government relief

I'd like to please give Mr. President my honest regards

For disregarding me

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They say there's too much crime in these city streets

My sentiments exactly

Government and big business hold the purse strings

When I worked I worked in the factories

I'm at the mercy of the world

I guess I'm lucky to be alive

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They say we've fallen through the cracks

They say the system works

But we won't let it

Help

I guess they never stop to think

We might not just want handouts

But a way to make an honest living

Living this ain't living

@

What did I do deserve this

Had my trust in god

Worked everyday of my life

Thought I had some guarantees

That's what I thought

At least that's what I thought

@

Last night I had another restless sleep

Wondering what tomorrow might bring

Last night I dreamed

A cold blue light was shining down on me

I screamed myself awake

Thought I must be dying

Thought I must be dying