Rappers Catch heat for Inflammatory Words, Why Shouldn't Palin?

I have a few questions that have been nagging me about all the issues falling out around this past weekend’s tragedy in Tucson?

First, there’s been a lot of talk about how accused Tucson shooter Jared Lee Loughner is mentally unstable, crazedand out of his mind. People are looking at his smiling/ smirking mug shot and concluding that only a genuine psychopath would display such demeanor after killing 6 people in cold blood and injuring 14 more.

Personally I don’t know.. I never been around anyone who’s killed 6 people so I have no idea how they would act. I would imagine if it was me I’d be remorseful, but when I watch folks like Fox News commentator Glenn Beck telling us he wants to kill filmmaker Michael Moore or Bill O’Reilly saying he thinks Washington Post columnist Dan Milbank should be decapitated ,they seem to be jovial. They seem to relish in the idea of ending someone’s life.

Is that the mindset of a violent person? Are they all smiles? Is that why Loughner was smiling?

Accused Tucson Massacre killer Jared Lee Loughner smirking

When I heard former governor Sarah Palinunapologetically use gun rhetoric in describing how she wanted to eliminate her political opponents, she seemed pretty gleeful even after receiving complaints. One of those opponents who voiced concern was shooting victim Gabrielle Gifford, but Palin paid her no mind. She never stopped smiling.

Noting that a smiling Jared Lee Loughner indicates craziness, my question is; ‘Just how crazy is he?’

Is he too crazed to hold a political opinion? Does he know the difference between a socialist and a communist? Is he discerning the difference between a commentary from MSNBC host Keith Obermannand one by radio hosts Rush Limbaugh or Michael Savage?

Perhaps a mentally unstable Loughner reacted and followed the leads of the loudest most ruckus voices around. After all, all the tough talk about ‘don’t retreat and reload’ is not hidden. It’s pretty much mainstream.Such rhetoric along with footage of angry Tea Party folks showing up to rallies with guns threatening to take their country back are shown on the highest rated news stations like Fox. Inflammatory rhetoric expressing violence comes off the mouths of some of the country’s most visible hosts, Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity and Rush Limbaugh.

In a staunchly conservative state like Arizona it’s almost impossible to escape a steady of diet these loud, in your face personalities and their violent rhetoric. Whether he leaned to the left or to the right, there’s no doubt he was exposed right-wing, Fox News-like pundits routinely denounce civility in both words and actions. There’s no doubt in mind that had an influence.

580 Freeway Shooter claims he was inspired by Glenn Beck

Now some folks reading are thinking what I’m saying is a bit far-fetched. The argument they’ll try to put forth is it’s not about the speaker it’s about the listener. They’ll insist that the person on the receiving end of a political tirade needs to be RESPONSIBLE for their actions. In other words, a pundit like Sarah Palin is not responsible for the way someone reacts to her public utterings?

A guy like Glenn Beck who fantasized about killing Michael Moore and crusaded against the Tides Foundation is in no way responsible for the near deadly actions of would be mass murderer Byron Williams, the 580 Freeway shooter who went toe to toe with police while en route to the Tide headquarters where he planned to lay in wait?

I asked these questions because some of the same people defending this violent rhetoric from political pundits and politicians weren’t too kind when it came to rap artists who invoked violent imagery to make a political point.

The most famous among these is Public Enemy who 2o years ago did the song ‘By the Time I Get to Arizona‘. Here, they wanted to bring attention to the fact that there were certain politicians who were refusing to allow the state to recognize the Dr Martin Luther King holiday, so they did a song that spoke to it.

Chuck D

In the accompanying video, the group showed black and white re-enactments of Civil Rights demonstrations which were juxtaposed with images of Chuck D and his armed crew the heading to the office of one of the Senators opposed to the holiday where they handed him a box of poisoned chocolates. As the video ends we see Chuck D blowing up the car of an unnamed elected official.

Needless to say folks went nuts over the video. Chuck D and Public Enemy were accused of fostering violence with some critics stating that there would be blood on their hands if anyone resorted to violence as a result of this video.

Chuck pointed out it was basically political theater, but very few in the halls of power were trying to hear that. As far as they were concerned Public Enemy had crossed the line.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrFOb_f7ubw

Rudy Giuliani

Another group that caught heat was Queens based groupScrewball who had an issue with then Mayor Rudy Giuliani. In ’99 around the time that police shot and killed an unarmed Amadu Diallo 41 times, the group did a song called ‘Who Shot Rudy?’ The song was widely cheered and accepted throughout many of NY’s Black communities where residents were at odds with the police. Many in the establishment including the Mayor weren’t happy. The group got a visit from NYPD who confiscated their recording equipment and CDs. I recall the outrage that was voiced toward the group..

‘How dare they call for the shooting of a public official ‘? , is what critics howled.

Like PE Screwball was told there would be blood on their hands should any violence go down.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5b-gj0Amgc

We can list at least a dozen more examples where artists have caught heat over what was described as troubling politicized rhetoric. The list includes Sista Souljah who got a harsh rebuke from then president candidate Bill Clinton when she made racially charged remarks around the Rodney Kingriots. Clinton went after a Souljah as a way to prove to skittish voters he could stand up to Black leaders. When he heard that Jackson had invited Souljah to speak at his Rainbow Push convention, he dropped his harsh critic which is now known as Sista Souljah Moment.

Bay Area rapper Paris had his album delayed and he got a visit from the Secret Service when he released a song called ‘Bush Killa‘ which was featured on the album ‘Sleeping With the Enemy’. The track starts off with the mock assassination of President George Bush Sr . That caught folks attention. But what really made people angry and perhaps triggered the Secret Service visit was the inner sleeve album cover that showed Paris in a knit cap holding a rifle ready to shoot the President.

Paris described the song as a ‘revenge fantasy‘ and political art. All conversations along these lines went out the window as political pundits soundly rejected the political rapper accusing him of having gone too far.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhCD485TY-A

In June of 2001, Boots Riley and his group the Coupreleased an album called Party Music where they had the World Trade exploding. Boots explained that he wanted to show a symbolism of capitalism being destroyed to underscore the political content of his album. It was no different then the video released a few years prior during the East-West Coast Battles where Snoop Dogg was depicted knocking down a building that characterized the NY skyline. It was symbolic.

When the 9-11 attacks took place, the Coup, who weren’t on too many people’s political hit list, suddenly found themselves under the microscope. The symbolism was taken seriously in quite a few circles. Some wanted to know if this album cover would encourage other acts of terrorism. Words likeUnpatriotic and Treasonous were bantered about when referring to a group that had been consistent with their political views for almost a 10 years before 9-11.

One of the more infamous rap songs where an artist came under fire for ‘influencing’ the public into destructive action was Ice Cube‘s ‘Black Korea‘ . This was a racially charged song where Cube targets Korean merchants in the hood for not liking Black people.

Fresh in his mind was the shooting death of 15 year-old Latasha Harlins,a Black girl who was killed by a Korean grocer. It sparked racial tension between Blacks and Koreans in LA and the Black Korea took things to new heights.

Ice Cube

When the Rodney King riots occurred, many Korean merchants were on the receiving end of anger being expressed. Cube was caught in the firestorm and blamed for helping bring harm to innocent people.

Cube defended the song as being a reflection of the political and racial climate at the time. Many others including quite a few political types though Cube was irresponsible with his words.

The point being expressed by citing these examples is that law enforcement and many of these political pundits when on the receiving end of harsh words no longer wanna uphold the ‘sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me’ adage . Suddenly we’re not having conversations about listeners being responsible. Sudeenly we’re’ concerned about the influence of the artist.

Is the GOP and Right wing trying to have it both ways?

I guess if we had time and space we could have a lengthy discussion about the war around cop killer type songs. Numerous artists ranging from Ice T toNWA and Ice Cube to Mac Dre to 2Pac have all faced not just a firestorm of criticisms but saw their songs banned, concert venues stipulate they could not perform their respective songs, lawsuits, a stinging letter from the FBI, labels dropping them etc. The list is long.

From where I sit, if everyone from the FBI on down to law and order politicos feel that a rapper and his video have undue influence on the public then the same rule applies to these right-wing talk show hosts and politicians like Sarah Palin. Glenn beck himself said it best.. He’s an entertainer. Sarah palin says she uses colorful rhetoric to appeal to folks.

Well if they’re entertainers and choosing words to ‘appeal’ to folks why can’t the same criticism and censoring actions that that Ice Cube and other rappers had to endure not apply to Sarah Palin and her gun totting rhetoric. What’s good for the geese is good for the gander.Right?

something to ponder-

Davey D

Return to Davey D’s Hip Hop Corner

Martin Luther King: Black radio, Black Music & Words as Weapons

This weekend we’ll be celebrating what would’ve been Dr Martin Luther King‘s 82cd birthday and in doing so we should all be mindful of the power of his words. We should be mindful of King’s words as we continue to dialogue about what sort of responsibility those who speak to the public have especially via broadcast medium.

King who challenged Jim Crow laws and discrimination was considered by his enemies to be a rabble rouser who was creating a dangerous climate with ‘incendiary’words. His words were so powerful that former FBI headJ Edgar Hoover saw fit to follow him and try to disrupt his activities via a program called Cointel-Pro.

There were many including some Black preachers who did not want King to come to their towns and speak because he would stir things up. His ability to move the masses was threatening.

Now at the end of the day, King was able to help push through the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 which put an end to most Jim Crow Laws. He was able to help get the Voting Rights Act of 1965 passed which ended discrimination practices at the polls. At the same time Kings powerful words so enraged folks, that he was constantly receiving death threats. He also ruffled the feathers of powerful people including President Lydon Johnson after he spoke out against the Vietnam War.

If Kings words were seen as important weapons against discrimination, why are we not seeing the words of today’s far right punditry weapons to support oppression and draconian behavior and policies?

The other thing to keep in mind about Dr King was his shrewd understanding of media in particular radio and what a powerful tool it was. many do not talk about the special relationship King had withJack ‘Jack tha Rapper Gibson and the nations first Black owned radio station WERD founded in 1949 which was housed in the same building as King’s SCLC headquarters on Auburn street in Atlanta.

Gibson is credited with being the first to broadcast King and other Civil Rights leaders on public airwaves. There are stories about how when rallies and special events were unfolding, King would bang on the ceiling with a broom to the studio housed above him, the disc jockey would lower the boom mic and King would speak to the people via radio.

In 1967 Dr King delivered a rare and powerful speech in Atlanta to NATRA ( National Association of Television and Radio Announcers). The members of this important African American organization were very appreciative as King laid out the indispensable role Black radio had played in shaping and furthering the Civil Rights struggle. King names off some of the key unsung radio heroes who he says there would not have been a Civil Rights movement had they not reflected the mood of the people and brought critical information to the masses.

King also talks about how radio is the most important and predominant medium in the Black community. It has far more reach and influence than television. He also talks about how the music these Black radio announcers played. King asserted that it helped united people. King pointed out how Blacks and Whites were listening to the same songs and doing the same dances and that the Soul Music these disc jockey’s played had served as an important cultural bridge.

He also talks about how some of them were vilified for ‘creating a climate’ that led to the unrest in American cities. Most notable was the radio announcer namedMagnificent Montague who had coined the phraseBurn Baby Burn to describe a hot record, but was later used a rallying cry for the Watts Riots of 1965.

Montague who was good friends with Malcolm X who had been assassinated earlier that year, was on the air at KGFJ was accused of riling the people up and causing the mayhem. He had done no such thing, nevertheless LAPD paid him a visit. Montague was made to drop the slogan Burn Baby Burn to Have Mercy Baby.

Below is a special mix I did called MLK vs the Radio.. It contains excerpts from that rare NATRA speech..

I am also posting up the entire speech which is absolutely brilliant Dr Martin Luther King NATRA-Full speech

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHdnMfGtAxM

Living For 32: Colin Goddard's Virginia Tech Shooting In Wake Of Gabrielle Giffords

Living For 32, the Oscar-considered documentary of how Colin Goddard has worked as an advocate for gun control in the wake of the Virginia Tech shooting, gains higher attention after Saturday's shooting of 18 people by Jared Lee Loughner, killing six, and critically injuring U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.

I interviewed Living For 32 director Kevin Breslin over Skype last month. The result is a 32 minute long, wide ranging talk about the film, Goddard, and life, including the New York snow problem.

Here are the videos below, parts 1, 2, and 3. This is a quick presentation: a more detailed sketch will come soon.

David Shaw Stanford Football's New Head Coach

It's rare that I get a text from my buddy and Stanford Football and Baseball Legend Michael Dotterer, but I got one for the third time in as many weeks.

The first one was regarding the Stanford Orange Bowl game; the second about Jim Harbaugh to the San Francisco 49ers as their head guy, now this one was about Stanford's new head coach, David Shaw. But it had some spice to it.

Press Conference at 1:30pm PST to announce Coach Shaw as our next Head Football coach!!!! Soooo excited!!!!!!!

Those of you reading this who know the former Stanford Fullback, are aware that Dotterer can get excited over a full moon, but in all the years I've known him, this is the first time he's expressed that much joy over a new Stanford coach. But this is for good reason.

David Shaw, the now former Offensive Coordinator for the Stanford Cardinal, is a brilliant coach.

ESPN tried, for some weird reason, to toss water on his selection - and I will state that out of 66 NCAA Division 1 Football Programs, Shaw is just the sixth black head coach - but the truth is that anyone who's followed Stanford Football, and you can't be a Cal fan and not do so to some degree, knows it has been coach Shaw who developed the Stanford passing game.  Plus, Shaw's title has been offensive coordinator for four years.

(Some reporters don't understand the difference between coordinator and coach.  A coach - like offensive line coach - directs what the players do on a person-to-person basis.   The coordinator is the overseer, who puts the players in positions to run the offense.  That's what Shaw did.)

Shaw has been praised in this space at Zennie62.com many times. In Harbaugh's first two years, Shaw was recognized as the Offensive Coordinator, and while the run blocking was different, the passing game was, and has always been, lethal. The only difference between 2007 - 2008 and 2009 to 2010 was the installation of zone blocking by Assistant Head Coach Greg Roman, who joined the staff in 2009.

That's what sprang loose Stanford Running Back Toby Gerhart, now with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings.

It's no trick for form a passing game around such a scheme, and that's what Shaw did. It's also not rocket science to teach zone blocking, and Shaw was able to learn from Roman, who came to Stanford from the Baltimore Ravens. So, yes, it can be said that Shaw's the heart-and-soul of what remains at Stanford after Harbaugh. Will he do well?

Cal aside, and for obvious reasons, if Shaw sets his objective as the National Championship, the answer's yes. Considering where Stanford has been in 2010 (the Orange Bowl and losing just one game), that's the next logical step.

Stay tuned.

Ines Sainz - Jets To Win Super Bowl; Jets Cromartie Calls Brady Asshole

Remember sexy, hot Ines Sainz? The female anchor who was the target of footballs thrown at her by Jets players and coaches? The same one who sparked an NFL investigation of the same New York Jets?

Well, she's picking the Jets to win the Super Bowl.

What's that all about? Well, Ines Sainz didn't complain about the Jets, another female reporter did. So that wasn't "about her;" she liked the Jets.

Meanwhile, Jets Cornerback Antonio Cromartie called Tom Brady an asshole. Why? It seemed a contrived reason from a player who's coach has been getting way too personal with opponents, as I say here:



The Jets winning the Super Bowl?  

Why do I have the feeling that would be the Devil's work?

Obama Tucson Speech: President Barack Obama Is Back

After a brief absence, he's back: President Barack Obama's Tucson Speech signified the President's return to that full-power greatness we'd not seen in a long while.

Obama's return started just before the end of Congress' last term, then in 2011 was growing. But it took the tragedy that was the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and 18 others to bring it to full strength.

The "it" is Barack Obama's unique ability to tap into the collective conscience of America at the very time it matters most.

Obama did it with the "Race Speech: A More Perfect Union" in 2008, where then-Senator Obama, faced with a racist element in his own campaign that he had to bring under control, talked to America about race from his place as a bi-racial American.

Obama did it again in his first State Of The Union Speech, and yet again, in the first major speech delivered to the Muslim nations by a sitting President of The United States. Faced with overwhelming odds, and more often than not, a spot you couldn't send to the cleaners, President Obama delivered. And in doing so, again and again, reminded us of our own humanity.

When I first heard the Obama Tucson Speech, I'd just walked in and turned on the TV set.  The President was in the middle of his speech, and the crowd at the University of Arizona was just plain into it.  So much so, that I was drawn in, in just seconds.  The American Family was at the TV set, listening to our leader of the free World.

Obama spoke with such coiled emotional power it seemed as if he was trying to avoid crying.  That feeling came through the TV set and into my living room.   If you weren't moved by that speech, you were either not human or jealous that Obama didn't pick you to be in his administration.

I get that feeling from CNN's David Gergen, an advisor to past presidents, including President Clinton, and who more often than not struggles to praise President Obama.  Gergen tried to throw cold water on the impact of Obama's speech, but ended up sounding like someone still smarting from not being in this President's inner circle.

Gergen aside, everyone liberal and conservative and in between praised Obama's speech.  "Obama Tucson Speech" is one of the stop searches on Google.  And as we saw Obama walk with First Lady Michelle Obama to Air Force One, he bounded up the steps to the plane with a new energy and purpose.

He heeled America, and he knew it.

President Obama is back.

Gabrielle Giffords Oakland Candlelight Vigil Draws Rep. Barbara Lee

On the night of the Tucson, Arizona memorial for U.S. Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the 18 others who were shot and six killed by Jared Lee Loughner, the East Bay Young Democrats organized a well-done candlelight vigil in front of Oakland City Hall.

About 200 people came out by my estimate, and including U.S. Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, and Oakland Councilmembers Jane Brunner, and Rebecca Kaplan, and new Oakland councilmember Libby Schaaf.

Congresswoman Lee said she would support New York Congressman Peter King's proposal to ban guns from within 1,000 feet of any congressional event. A no-brainer there. Rep. Lee is against the use of guns, period and see "no reason why" anyone would want to bring one to such an event.

Amen.

It was great to see our Congresswoman at the vigil, but I felt the event should have been more about our support for her as much as for what happened in Arizona.  Regardless of what she says, Congresswoman Lee certainly has to now wonder what this all means for her safety.  Letting her know she's valued and protected should be an objective of her supporters, and that's us.

Mayor Quan Calls For Gun Violence Reduction

Mayor Quan said that she's committed to the reduction of gun use in Oakland, and an increase in police presence. Indeed, she said that there would be a return to "beat cops" in various areas of Oakland.  Mayor Quan noted that violent crime had been at lower levels over the last four years, and hoped the six homicides in the last 11 days were just a blip.

Councilmember Kaplan (At-Large) said we have to work to reduce violence both locally and nationally.  "I want to make clear that 30,000 people a year are victims of gun violence," she said, "We have a lot of work to do to make sure we're not promoting violence."

Councilmember Schaaf (District Four - Montlclair, Oakland Hills), an Alum of Emerge California in 2009, said that Gabrielle Giffords was one of the first legislators to join the Advisory Board of the Arizona chapter of the organization formed to bring more women into elected office, and has always been a strong supporter of it.

A Need To Connect

I think it's via tragedy like this that people need to connect with each other, or just escape the whole deal.  I've wavered between both feelings for this entire week.  For the most part, I've chosen the former.   As to where we go from here, we just have to be nicer to each other.   We also must crack down on hate speech, flaming, and Internet trolling.

Enough is enough.

Some argue for "free speech," but look, that's for a public place; the vast majority of Internet sites are privately owned.   So, "free speech?"  Think again.  We're in a position to curb hate speech, and we must do so before it destroys our society.

(As a note, for those not familiar with such things, the elected officials are presented in order of standard protocol: President, Senator, Congresswoman, State Reps, Mayor, Councilmembers, New Councilmembers.)