Nope, the title of this post isn’t the name of one of the next up and coming soon to be defunct R&B group by my man Diddy. It actually represents just how many days (as I type this post) that that oil is being dumped into the Gulf of Mexico. And the big question on the minds of everyone, is when will it all end?

Now the president has been taking a beating from just about everybody on this one; similarly, BP has as well in the court of public opinion. But, just as you and I know, every “disaster” has to have a face. And in this case, that face just happens to be Barack Obama’s.

Getting in on the act recently was one of his unlikely supporters, Colin Powell:

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday that President Barack Obama has moved too slowly in asserting leadership over the Gulf spill response – and the time has come for a “comprehensive and total attack” on the problem.

Powell, speaking to Jake Tapper on ABC’s “This Week,” said he believed the military could be deployed in greater numbers to help deal with the clean-up , but that they would be of limited help.

Powell, an Obama supporter in the 2008 presidential campaign said: “The president correctly said the other day that he’s been monitoring and following and has essentially been on top of it from the beginning, but that impression was not conveyed to the American people, and the comprehensive speech he gave the other day I think he would have been better served and the nation would have been better served if he had given it a few weeks earlier.”

“I have watched a number of these kinds of crises come and go…and in every instance what I have sort of learned from all these is that the national government the federal government, the president has to get involved as quickly as possible,” Powell added. “If you don’t, public opinion starts to drag you, the media pushes you.” (source)

I firmly respect Powell, and I always have. And on this one – unlike some of the Republican nutjobs who  offer criticisms of Obama’s handling of this situation – Colin Powell makes a heck of a lot of sense.  The president has lost some political capital in the eyes of the public, and the folks over at Fox News. And it is for this very reason, that the president now has to “show and prove,” as we say in the streets.

The last thing I hate is for him to have to seize the moment and turn it into a political carnival. However, if there’s anyone savvy enough to pull it off, it is Barack Obama. Yep, all he has to do is call for the services of Jermaine Jackson, Aquaman, and MacGuyver, and this would be all solved, Yeah, I’m sure Jermaine Jackson wouldn’t mind the extra engine oil for his hairdo. and let’s be honest, Aquaman is due for a Summer movie blockbuster release.

As for MacGuyver?  Well, maybe he could get an official job with BP as a problem solver. I mean, the minute I heard their last attempt at success was called “Top Kill”. Um, I just knew it wasn’t gonna work. Sorry, but anything that sounds like the finishing move of a WWE or TNA wrestler can never be taken seriously, or real.

CHECK OUT BP’s NEXT PLAN

Now of course Obama won’t win everyone over, nor would he be absolved of any wrong doing in the eyes of many. Sure there’ll be the same clowns who are gonna say, “Dammit Barack, if this oil spill happened under George Bush, he would have invaded Atlantis already!” Which probably isn’t too far from the truth when you stop to think that the spill had to be the work of an underwater Jihadist bent on destroying America, and not through the purposeful incompetence and the greedy pursuit of the almighty dollar by British Petroleum.

Oh well, let’s all grab a ShamWow and get to work!

Umm, "reasonable suspicion" is...

So who is Kris Kovach? Well, he’s not only an attorney for the anti-immigration hate group FAIR as pointed out by the Southern Poverty Law Center. He’s also a former Bush administration lawyer. In the wake of 9/11, he crafted the “National Security Entry-Exit Registration System,” which required fingerprinting and monitoring of visitors from Muslim and Arab countries. A system which as Race In America points out, profiled and registered, 83,000 people; and, the arbitrary detention of 1,000 of them. Of course it is also important to point out that as a result of this practice, or exercise in “effective policing”, not a single terrorist was identified.

More to the point, and for the intents and purposes of this post, Kris Kovach is the man behind Arizona’s anti-immigration law, SB1070. And as a post at Mother Jones points out, his reach extends way beyond the state of Arizona, as he is now assisting other states in implementing similar laws. And get this! As the GOP chair in Kansas, he once bragged about illegally blocking minorities from voting, because they tend to overwhelmingly vote for Democrats. Hmmm, but yet there are people in this country who are in support of Arizona’s new law? Yep, and some of them just happen to be blissfully ignorant Black people?

Of course since the story broke several weeks ago, and since “reasonable suspicion” is all authorities need to stop and demand documentation from suspected illegal immigrants. The running question (by opponents and people who care) has been: Just exactly what exactly is “reasonable suspicion”? Since this measure isn’t inherently racist by nature, just exactly does an “illegal immigrant” look like. Well, in the following clip to surface on the internet recently, Kris Kobach in a police training video lecture breaks it all down, in the following video:

WATCH IT HERE

So there you have it, folks. Yep, now when someone asks just what exactly is “reasonable suspicion”? Remember the fine points of this video that is being used as a training tool for Arizona police officers. Pretty technical stuff and tough to remember, I might add. However, you can skip most of it and refer to the very last two points. Which would be the attire worn by everyday Latino immigrants. Just remember, it is not racial profiling to remain vigilant for anyone wearing a Sombrero who looks and sounds like Speedy Gonzales. It’s actually effective government sanctioned, and encouraged ethnic cleansing policing.

RECOMMENDED READING: Anti-Latino Racism: A Pew Center report

Was it really worth it Mr. Jealous?

They say money can’t buy you happiness, but it can sure give you options. That said I guess there’s really no confusion as to the understanding of some of the things some do to get it. But even so, this next story I’m dropping on y’all kinda has me all confused. I haven’t heard much talk about it around the blogosphere; and to be honest, as much as “our people” takes offense to being played, I’m surprised more people aren’t fired up about it just yet. So what am I talking about? I’m talking about the nice and cozy relationship between the NAACP and Wells Fargo. You know, the same bank the NAACP brought a class action lawsuit against?

So, by now you probably know that Wells Fargo was involved in predatory lending practices which specifically targeted people of color. Well in 2007, the NAACP filed a lawsuit against the financial institution for their egregious and albeit racist practice. A practice which has had dire consequences for not only the economy, but for the countless number of people of color caught up in foreclosures. Now of course I’m sure you remember the Tavis Smiley-Wells Fargo connection as we debated that issue when I defended him on my blog, The Intersection | Madness & Reality. Yes, and I still defend him to this day; and, I still contend that he was played like a sucker, to reel black customers in. Well, this isn’t about Tavis, but to his credit, he has distanced himself from Wells Fargo. Instead, this is about the NAACP’s recent decision to drop its lawsuit against Wells Fargo.

So what’s the big deal about that you ask? Well, writer/blogger Faye Anderson of the blog Anderson@Large lays out a pretty tough to beat indictment of the NAACP. In her piece she breaks down the new symbiotic relationship forged by both entities. More to the point, the NAACP has dropped the three year old lawsuit, only to turn around and form a partnership with Wells Fargo, who is now the chief sponsor of the upcoming 101st NAACP National Convention!

Now look, I defended Tavis’ association because I’m of the belief that he was ignorant to the intent of Wells Fargo, who was also a onetime sponsor of his now defunct State of the Black Union convention. But as far as me defending the NAACP – an institution that I have stood up for in the past – I find it hard to do in this instance. In this instance, the NAACP comes off as suspicious, and questionable, as one of the few women who’ve accused Ben Roethlisberger of rape.  Only difference, is that in this case, there is no reasonable doubt as to the culpability of Wells Fargo.

In this case the only question is, “how many zeros are going to be on the check.” More significantly, this is about  the one institution that people of color has trusted to be in their corners when it comes to justice – economic, social and otherwise. And this is about them making a decision that they had to know would not be in the best interest of the people for whom they champion and serve. So that said, I beg the question:  Is this really how you’re about the advancement of colored people NAACP?

Of course not, but I’m just one guy with a blog and lots of opinions. As an organization, I will continue to support and advocate for the NAACP even in the eyes of the toughest critics and cynics out there. But I have to say, this latest episode has left me shaking my head in befuddlement. Now I’m not a street type cat anymore these days as I used to be. But somehow I can’t help but to remember one of the well known “hood rules” that cautions: “All money, ain’t good money.”

Yes, and even people who choose to dance with the devil, even the ones who think long and hard about the choices they make. Even they, at some point, realize fully well, that some things just aren’t worth it. It’s not worth it because at the end of the day, respect is the most valuable currency one has, and there’s no amount of money that can buy it back once you’ve lost it. But I guess in some cases, you just gotta do what you gotta do, no? I mean, haven’t we all sold out at some point in our lives? Or took the proverbial “one for the team?”

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