I will continue to write about the same things. But perhaps more often. More efficiently, and more clearly. I will broaden the horizons as well. 

I hope my readers, like Demosthenes, will follow me to my new site, and new ones will discover it as well.

The site is now the title, which is much easier and is a much more credible title:

http://unbent.wordpress.com/

Sleep
Sleep tonight
And may your dreams
Be realized
If the thundercloud
Passes rain
So let it rain
Let it rain
Rain on him

            After the Troubles started in the 1960s, however, this important port in Northern Ireland took a drastic turn.  The already tense situation of British control of a predominantly Irish city burst into violence by terrorist groups of both sides, the IRA and the UVF.  Beginning in the early 1970s, the first “peace lines” or intra-city barriers were erected in Belfast.

            These walls have increased to more than 40 today, covering over 13 miles and segregating much of this once-thriving city.  Alternately built of steel, iron, and brick, these walls stretch up to 25-feet high and prohibit the movement of people from the Irish-Catholic parts of town to the British-Protestant sections.  Some are open during the day and closed at night; some are manned by police; all were intended to bring “peace” by segregating sectarian groups.  The most famous of these walls runs parallel to Shankill Road, a site of several terrorist attacks.  ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belfast_Peace_Lines)

            Today, some of the tension has lessened since the Belfast or Good Friday Agreement.  The walls still stand, though, and they draw thousands of tourists a year.  The “peace lines” are still eerie and haunting, stark in the way they divvy up houses and roads, slicing their way through what must have once been a beautiful city.  Unlike the walls of houses, and even unlike the colorful propagandist murals peppering the city, these walls stand ominous and dark against the city skyline.

            While some may argue the walls saved a few lives over the years by separating the citizenry of Belfast and Northern Ireland, in reality it was always the cooperation of the people that staved off violence and determined such compromises and peace accords such as the Good Friday Agreement.  The walls had nothing to do with peace, serving instead to segregate people further, reinforce rifts between families, and replace real negotiations and co-habitation talks with solid, uncompromising walls.  It was only when the Irish and the British met without walls and were able to dialogue that any real progress was made in the line of peace.

            We in the United States have much to learn from the island of Eire across the Atlantic.  For as much as we hope to bring about “peace” and homeland security by erecting a 700-mile border wall on our southern border as per the Secure Fence Act of 2006, it will never be more than a negative peace. This negative peace, defined by Dr. King as an “absence of tension,” is also an absence of progress, a stultifying of cooperative relationships.  If we further open up the lines of communication with Canada and Mexico rather than erecting walls and militarizing our borders, perhaps the symptoms of extralegal immigration and terrorism will be able to be mutually solved in the Americas rather than in a bubble between Ottawa and Oaxaca.  God forbid that tourists should one day board Black Taxis in Texas, listening as the tour guide speaks about the failed “peace line” of yet another border wall of segregation.  

How could anyone laugh after seeing this image? My friend and worship bandmate Jason Clark shared the story of taking his kids to the National Civil Rights Museum here in Memphis. Upon seeing this picture and having limited knowledge of the details of Dr King's death, one of the children hypothesizes "I know why Dr. King got shot!  He wasn't paying attention!" In the child's mind everyone else was pointing to the assailant and Dr. King didn't take the cue, leading to his demise. I don't mean to minimize the loss of one of the greatest champions for justice in our history, but that's just funny.

Lord forgive me...

I also have a deep admiration for Thomas Sowell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Sowell), economist, writer, and former Yale professor. He has a knack for explaining economics and the application of its principles in a way that even someone as math-challeneged as I can understand. In contrast, Robert Reich's socialist rantings about minimum wage never made any sense to me.

Also on my personal "most admired" list is Shelby Steele (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shelby_Steele), the historian who looks impartially at our past and writes about it with care and passion. There's Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Thomas), whose clear mind and integrity should be used as a model for all aspiring lawyers. There's Michael Steel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_S._Steele), the former Maryland lieutenant governor, whose reasoned positions on the proper role of government should be included in college texts. There's also Tony Evans (http://www.tonyevans.org/site/c.feIKLOOpGlF/b.2017593/), founder of the Urban Alternative, and Dallas pastor and teacher, whose biblical messages on society and relationships have inspired me and millions of others.

You may have heard in passing about Frederick Douglass (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Douglass), the former slave and abolitionist whose intellect stunned and shamed his contemporaries; and Martin Luther King, Jr. (http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=16500), whose prescient letter from a Birmingham jail still gives me goose bumps because of its eloquence and substance (inconveniently for current-day activists, he was a - gulp - Republican, and you can bet your bottom dollar that's one salient point never mentioned in liberal speeches). But you might not have heard of former ambassador Alan Keyes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Keyes), who has yet to be bested by anyone with whom he has debated, black or white.

These are all distinctive men and women with impressive credentials; they're role models for all Americans of every color who dream of living a good and successful life in America, and their names should be included on those February Black History Month lists of luminaries. The only name I ever see is MLK, because the politicians on the left have claimed him as one of their own. But the politics of these men and women were and are conservative, and most belong/ed to the Republican Party, so you won't hear much about them. If you do, the coverage will be negative.

It is shameful that these black public figures are condemned by their contemporaries for their divergence from liberal philosophies. (The Democratic Party slogan - "We believe in diversity. Unless your views are different from ours.") These conservatives are shunned by colleagues, are told they're "acting white" (which, apparently, must be something really bad), and are ridiculed for their political views. Their achievements are dismissed or ignored by members of their own race, liberals, and the media.

It is a disgrace that marginal and dubious characters like Angela Davis, Louis Farrakhan, Barack Obama and Jesse Jackson are celebrated, while people like the ones mentioned above are derided for their convictions and their courage, and undervalued as important contributors to our national heritage. When the next Black History Month rolls around in February, I'll be watching, as always, to see if these competent, and extraordinary individuals will be celebrated by our country. But I won't hold my breath.

In February I decided that in 2009 I would present lessons to our children about MLK, Jr. and use his biography a springboard to look more closely at some of the Old Testament prophets. On Saturday I purchased King's autobiography. I'm a third of the way through it and all I can say is that I'm deeply moved and inspired. I know there are some who point out his theological and alleged moral flaws. All I can do would be to point your nose to the Bible and remind you of the imperfections of Moses, Abraham, Jacob, and David.

Dr. King, in his own words, is inspiring me. His prayer life, his commitment to non-violent resistance, and his steel determination push every leadership button I have.

My goal would be to create two-three lessons to have ready in time for February.

On a side note, I had a hard time finding anything on MLK, Jr. at the bookstore, His works weren't in the American History section but in the "African American Studies" section. What a shame. MLK Jr. is not just a hero for African Americans, but all Americans.

How is that related to Barack Obama? Well, Barack Obama voted for the FISA Amendments Act. In fact, Barack Obama liked the FISA Amendments Act so much that he actually voted against the Democratic filibuster of the bill.

Barack Obama joined with the likes of Joseph Lieberman, Sam Brownback, and James Inhofe to cut off the debate and push the FISA Amendments Act through the Senate.

And what does the FISA Amendments Act do? Why, it brings back the kind of spy powers that J. Edgar Hoover used against Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. That's what Barack Obama voted in favor of.

Of course, there's a difference with the FISA Amendments Act. It doesn't just authorize telephone wiretaps. It authorizes physical searches of Americans' homes. It authorizes the government to read through your emails, and watch where you go and what you do when you're on the Internet.

The FISA Amendments Act puts the Attorney General of the United States - the head of the Department of Justice, which includes the FBI - the power to conduct any kind of spy program he wants. All the Attorney General has to do is to declare, without any proof, that some unnamed person somewhere might get hurt in some way if the spying doesn't take place.

But what if the spying against Americans is in violation of the law? Well, under the FISA Amendments Act, it's the Attorney General who is given the sole power to declare that all the spying that he has done is legal. He doesn't have to prove it. He just has to declare that it's so, without any evidence, and then that issue is over.

No court, not the FISA court, and not any other court, is given the power to stop the spying.

Yes, Barack Obama actually voted in favor of this terrible law.

Barack Obama has been an icon to American liberals this year. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., when he was alive, was something different. Dr. King was a leader.

Barack Obama has been nothing but show. He has betrayed those of us who believe in the Constitution.

The icon Barack Obama has proven to be just about as liberal as J. Edgar Hoover.

Join Progressives Against Obama - to let Barack Obama know that we're paying attention, and we don't intend to accept his betrayal in silence.

Obecny był cały sepARTystyczny team - Marcin fotografował, Zbych pozował, a ja asystowałem im obojgu - Marcinowi przenosząc meble i ustawiając lampy, a Zbychowi - poddając pod nos wodę i paluszki ;]

Sesja nie odbyłaby się jednak, gdyby nie Ania Wasilewska(AW!), czyli Pani Szefowa, odpowiedzialna za aranżację, stylizację i produkcję tejże sesji.

Nieoceniona była też współpraca w projekcie Iwony Wróbel, szefowej gliwickiego salonu Crazy Head http://www.crazyhead.pl/, która to zmontowała dziewczynom te cuda na głowie i pilnowała, by wszystko pięknie się trzymało. Zaś za świetny make-up podziękowania kierujemy do Agnieszki Polak, także z Crazy Head.

Madzi i Alinie wypada pogratulować tego, że tak świetnie zniosły trudy całego dnia pozowania! Dziewczyny robią ciągłe postępy, zresztą sami to zobaczycie, gdy Marcin przygotuje już swoje zdjęcia.

Wielkie dzięki także dla całej ekipy Gramofonu http://www.gramofon-pub.com.pl/, a zwłaszcza dla managera Mateusza, który otwierał nam wszystkie klubowe drzwi, i dla Olka, który wspierał pomocną dłonią i humorem, gdy było już ciężko.

Nie mógłbym oczywiście nie wspomnieć o kolejnym asystencie, czyli Jasiulku, który razem ze mną dzielnie przenosił meble i lampy, by Pan Fotograf mógł sobie pozwolić na chwilę relaksu.

PS. Te foty poniżej to 'backstage by jdrq'.

Problem is you ain't been loved like you should
What i got to give will sure 'nuff do you good

~Chaka Khan, Tell Me Something Good~

Aussie cops thought this creepy realistic looking doll was an actual baby, so they busted open a car window to "save the unconscious baby." I'm sure the dollmaker is happy at least. ~AU~

MLK's youngest son talks about the lawsuit his siblings have against him. On a side note, he looks just like his daddy. ~BET~

Read about this awesome teacher and his awesome book. ~Detroit Free Press~

This Salon writer thinks that the outrage over the New Yorker cover shows that liberals can dish it, but not take it when it comes to humor and satire. *sigh* Can we stop pretending that there's no limit to satire? There is a such thing as going too far and you have that in this cover. Being offended by that crap does not mean someone does not "get" it or that we are just too sensitive when it comes to our guy. At the end of the day, the cover simply does not convey what the editors said it was intended to convey. At the very least that is an unsuccessful satirical effort. ~Salon~

]]> http://darthgrinch.wordpress.com/?p=11 Mon, 14 Jul 2008 15:33:10 +0000 Darth Grinch http://darthgrinch.wordpress.com/?p=11 What a bunch of spoiled fucking brats!  Their father is one of the most revered men in the history of this country and all they can do is fight over his legacy (i.e. money).  Nothing good can come out of this.  These spoiled brats are going to drag their father's memory through the mud and leave people with a bad taste in their mouths.

see http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/0711081king1.html

You three fuckers need to grow up and realize what you are doing.  Nothing good.

That's my rant.

Marvin Pentz Gaye was born April 2, 1939 in the country’s capital, Washington, D.C.

Marvin Gaye is one of the best musicians to ever live— his double Grammy-winning music with numerous hits to top the billboard charts in the 1960s and 70s is evidence through the better half of the Motown Era-- Detroit. Unfortunately, Motown’s move from Detroit to LA lost much of its essence and soul.  I personally think that lose of Marvin’s creativity during the LA- Motown years may have very well been a lost of Motown all together.

 Ebony Magazine named Marvin Gaye as one of the 25 Coolest Brothers of All Time:

Marvin moves us. Whenever we hear him, we feel. This complex artist, Marvin Pentz Gaye, sang about "The Ecology" when it wasn’t hip to be green--"Mercy Mercy Me"---and about trigger-happy policin' when cop brutality didn't make the news. Now when we get the "Inner City Blues", we all wanna holler and throw up both our hands. He fearlessly asked us "What's Going On," and his defiant declaration still resonates today--War is not the answer. He was vulnerable in love, willing to disclose his desire---"I Want You"---yet only going so far----I want you to want me too. And when his lady was hesitant, he insisted they not waste time together. "Let's Get It On," he urged----because after all, givin' yourself to me can never be wrong, if the love is true. Marvin, we still feel you.     ---Candi Mariwether