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Back in my teens and 20s, I wouldn't have believed that I would feel so obliged or dedicated to people I wasn't related to or something I wasn't getting paid to do. But as we know, things and often attitudes and mentalities change with time. Now if I spend an extended amount of time away from AALBC whether it's a few days, a few weeks, or a couple months.....I feel OBLIGATED to go back and as best I can respond to all posts directed at me or about me. And also, if time permits....address posts that grab my interest even if they weren't directed at me. And it appears that most of you seem to feel the same way. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ And by the way let me thank @Troy for providing this space for us to do so. It's been a while since I sent a token of my appreciation because I've had new personal obligations to focus my resources on these past few years, but your treasures are building up. Trust me _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ I suppose it's just human nature; however knowing this makes me feel good, proud, and hopeful. Why? It shows me that there are certain feelings, emotions, and drives that are just innate in human nature that guarantees that no human society will degrade down past a certain level. We will never get so selfish and individualistic AS A COMMUNITY where we simply ignore eachother and focus on our own issues and promotions. Some will, but the vast majority will not. There are certain ways we relate to other human beings that seem to be "in" us; ingrained in our psyche. These are the traits a progressive well functioning society should be built on and modeled after. Characteristics that agree with basic human nature.

The Best way to destroy colorism is through Education Create systems that promote celebrate and reward all skin tones hues and shades... Accentuate the positive and ignore or confront the negative..... Saturate Mass Media with the Spectrum of all shades ....as equally as possible. Demonstrate the necessity of variety.. etc

I wrote that slave films aren't going to be very popular. Surely, some people will watch the films & enjoy them in one way or another. Otherwise, films, music, books & other forms of visual & literary art provides entertainment in different ways. Entertainment as escapism doesn't have to be negative in the form of self-hate or low self-esteem. Many people can watch a movie or listen to music & allow it to take them away from their reality for a few minutes up to a couple hours.

Well, if you dont want the 3 Presidents to talk politics at the funeral of a political figure, then don't invite them, just to show how important the deceased was. And Al Sharpton certainly didn't mince any words about what's happening in the country in his remarks. If you want a dignified funeral, don't invite a bunch of dignitaries to speak, and hold the services at a huge hall to accommodate all the public mourners you opened the doors to. You're just asking for confusion and resentment and that's what the Jackson family got. You can't have it both ways.

Jesse Jr, has his bi-polar panties in a bunch because the 3 US Presidents invited to the funeral of his father (a political figure in his own right who never missed a chance to speak about political issues) injected politics into their tributes to Jesse,Sr. at his funeral. Jesse, Jr.'s complaints have garnered very little support, with most people cynically speculating that he's probably trying to get on the good side of Trump in hopes of Trump pardoning him for his crime of misusing his campaign funds to finance a luxurious lifestyle and served time in jail for doing this. tsk-tsk. Also rumors floating around about Jesse having conned Trump into contributing to his presidential campaigns back when he ran for president twice. Whatever. As has previously been established, nobody's perfect.

Common ground achieved, arguably my most positively responsed post. I am very happy:) thank you again @aka Contrarian @Chevdove @Pioneer1 beautiful memories from you all:) thank you for sharing.

Interesting. Can't help but wonder if any of this astrological activity coincides with Israel and America's violent assault on Iran and what it portends for the future of the great American Empire and the orange tyrant who has crowned himself king of it.

Outside the Operation Push headquarters, Chicagoans assembled by the hundreds, the lines blocks long, beginning at 10 am this Thursday morning, all gathered to pay homage to one of their favorite adopted sons, Jesse Louis Jackson, who lie in state inside the building that was his domain for over 50 years. Dignitaries like Al Sharpton and commoners, old and young, mostly black, a smattering of whites including Chicago's Catholic cardinal made up the growing crowd expected to stream pass Jesse's casket for the rest of the day until 10 pm, the first of several ceremonies at various locations including Washington DC, and South Carolina, his birthplace. A few states have even ordered their flags to be flown at half mast. Jesse Jackson leaves behind a noteworthy legacy as a diligent civil rights warrior who twice ran for President, and who in 2008 stood in tears among the huge Chicago crowd gathered to celebrate Barack Obama's election victory. Jesse had his critics but few could deny his love for his people. He fought the good fight before passing at age 84. May he rest in power.

I watched the "Hunger Games" TV series and I don't remember them eatin' any niggas. It's been reported that Epstein's girlfriend who did the recruiting of the female nymphets to be served up to the perverts, was instructed to bypass black girls. They were not the object of fantasies. Racism reared its ugly head (pun intended) even in this sordid area. The men only wanted innocent-looking goldilock types to molest and rape. I doubt if black meat was considered a gourmet meal...but there is no accounting for taste.

ProfD I don't know WHAT Cynique was talking about. You were posting messages a day or 2 before she made the thread. It wasn't like you were gone for a week or a month....lol. Dang...... Any playa is entitled to a break from playing every ONCE in a while.....lol. People got business to 'tend to. But like Troy, if you DO go for an extended period of time your presence would be truly missed around here. However we're used to Troy dipping out for weeks at a time and so it doesn't hit as hard....lol. Besides being one of the few people who agree with me from time to time......lol...your wit, intelligence, and insight is invaluable. Play on playa.

@ProfDWell, everybody knows I'm fading away, but you're the one constant - the nucleus, always unphased and on point, tongue-in-cheek, as regular as clockwork dispensing your updates on what's current. The sporadic coming and going of others isn't really as impactful; they haven't taken a leadership role, and I've come to know their patterns.

In the mean time, silky-voiced Nat Cole, a Chicago product, enjoyed tremendous popularity among his own people. He put out a lot of single 78 vinyl records in the '50s as I recall, and they were all hits! We loved us some Nat "King" Cole. Back in the day, a lot of - perish the thought - colorist negro women used to pay him the left-handed compliment by declaring that "the only thing they liked black were Cadillacs and Nat Cole". To this day, like one of his best sellers, he remains "Unforgettable".

Sure. Entrenched blue states do not make as much of a difference in the POTUS election. Same goes for red states. Swing states flip-flopping play a huge role in determining POTUS election outcome. Those are the states that Democrats need to pour the most time & energy convincing folks to "vote blue no matter who".

I would still teach the basics of computing. No different from teaching alphabets & words to children. They'll figure out soon if/when they need to use a dictionary or library or internet. AI (Artificial Intelligence) is another tool in the box. Folks wil use it to get things done faster &/or more cost effectively. Surely, some folks will use AI to enrich themselves & put others out of work. Such is life especially when it comes to technology.

Exactly. That is why I created Huria Search I literarily brought it back yesterday. It was down for several years, but as I'm revamping the site I'm bringing back features that I abandoned -- even if a few people will use and benefit from it. It took me all of 5 minutes to bring it back. AI made this possible. AI is reminiscent of the early days of the web. This time around fewer people will take advantage of it and the benefit to individuals will not be very long.

@Troy thanks I never heardo f the african american golf digest

That last for a few minutes relatively speaking. Just long enough for me and many others to get excited about the potential only to have it usurped by the folks maniacally fixed on money. The same thing will happen with AI; money will be the only motivator in how it is used and criminals will have unfettered access to use it to fuck over the world. Today I resurrected a Search Engine, Huria Search, which only queries Black-owned websites. There are hundreds on Black owned sites that are indexed. It uses Google's tech in the way it was originally designed -- just to direct you to websites. It used to sit on it's own domain huria.org, but I allowed the domain to lapse. I have pulled the search engine it back into AALBC.com. I naively thought Black folks, especially the website owners themselves would support the search engine -- maybe embed it into their own sites. That never happened website owners actually stopped linking out to other websites as Google told them it would potentially hurt them in search -- as a result it became virtually impossible for people to discover another website from a website. I have NEVER stopped linking to other website because, despite what Google says that was the beauty of the web. I sure you will not find ANY Black site that links to more Black sites than AALBC.com.

To get the nation out of the Great Depression, one of my favorite Presidents.....Franklin D. Roosevelt......implemented community service projects and conservation and agricultural project to employ low skilled and unskilled people by the millions and used government funds to pay them decent wages and raise them out of poverty. My Father remembered some of these projects. There were "work camps" all around the nation, including down south....employing a lot of Black folks.

For you Bible believers out there (and you know who you are...lol), when you read about someone being called a "son of man" in the Old Testament. When you read that term in the original Hebrew or Aramaic....it literally means the "son of Adam". Why is this important? The Hebrew word for man (mature male) is "ish" The Hebrew word for humanity is "inoshut" Adam doesn't mean "man" nor does it man "humanity".....it's a SPECIFIC TYPE of person.

@Pioneer1 what if the influencer is the freedom of a woman to do whatever she wants with out having to worry about any penalty ? who is going to deny them their freedom to do what they want? what can deny them the freedom to do what they want?

richardmurray Entertaining old film, thank you for this.

Films depicting slavery aren't going to be very popular. Mainly because it does not make people feel better about themselves. Entertainment is a form of escapism not intended to cause depression.

i know this thread is about the late Rev. Jesse Jackson. I think we can take a moment to acknowledge that Rev. Al Sharpton looks like a Pez dispenser. Facts. The Jackson family should have laid out ground rules &/or talking points if they didn't want folks to speak politics.

@richardmurrayMarcheaux did utilize these stereotypes in his early films. He made 44 movies. He later responded to criticism and stopped doing so. These stereotypes, who were not panomimed, had to have originated with some one. Do you know how they came about?

I was deliberating whether or not to put a 'laughing emoji' or a 'heart emoji' because this post evoked two simultaneous emotions for me. Yeah. Me too. The clouds blocked it completely where I am. On this same wise though, there is supposed to be an upcoming celestial event that might be spectacular. A comet is suppose to come close to the sun in a few weeks and because of it being 'a sun grazer' though, it is difficult to know what will happen. Scientist say that it might explode or if it makes it past the sun, it might become bright enough to see.

So? Del and I are pretty much on the same page when it comes to you. I'm appreciationg how he so succinctly sums you up. Saves me the effort.

Lol..... Yeah, I did do a somewhat informal thread about it where I mentioned how much of a surprise it was. They got hit on an early Saturday mawnin'.....when a nigga still yawnin'....lol. But I took it down.

Actually I somewhat prefer that Talarico won. All of this crap with Trump is significantly a White Male Racist problem. Send in a White Male Democrat to cope with it.

I see that I have mellowed a bit, which is a a good IMHO.

@Pioneer1It figures that after your inept attempt to discredit and ridicule everything richardmurray had to say, you would then stupidly seek his advice on having me "put out of your tribe". Not to worry. As a seeker of the absolute truth, I am automatically disqualified from belonging to any tribe made up of lying, assisinine, windbags like you. Feel better now?

Not surprisingly we have the opposite feeling. I think my post are more concise and more reasoned. Growth implies change. I can't imagine something growing and not changing.

The melodic love ballads of my 1950s era, particularly the lyrics which were so exquisite in telling the stories of love lost, - and sometimes found, are something I still hold near and dear. Whether it's Frank Sinatra lying awake in the wee small hours of the morning, being "there if only she would call,", or Sarah Vaughn confessing to being "Misty, just holding you near" or the Platters assuring that they "only have eyes for you", this music never fails to bring a wistful smile to my face. Yeah, those were the days. How could you not be entranced by a husky voice caressing poignant lyrics like:"I get along without you very well...Of course I do...Except when soft rains fall...and drift from leaves then I recall...the thrill of being sheltered in your arms...Of course, I do...But I get along without you very well..." or - "Your lips were like a red and ruby chalice, warmer than a summer night. The moon was like an alabaster palace rising to its snowy heights. Each star its own aurora borealis, suddenly the sky turned bright. I could see the midnight sun!", - a melodic tribute to a love connection... Later, of course, there were plenty of R&B story tellers in the person of male groups like The Temptations singing about "Papa" being a "Rollin Stone", or Marvin Gaye, asking "What's Goin' On?" or Prince relating the "Sign of the Times". But even they are now relegated to "oldies but goodies" broadcasts that are few and far between. None the less, the Blues are still holding forth, thanks to every hoarse ol hoot who ever picked up a guitar to strum his mournful tale about "dat low down woman who done me wrong". Sigh. I agree, however, with ProfD that all these classic mini-operas will sadly fade into the dusty archives of bygone music. Gone. But, hopefully, not totally forgotten.

IMO, storytelling in music has been gone for a long time. The times we live in have a huge effect on songwriting & music. Storytelling through music has taken a back seat to making people move. Hip-Hop still has MCs who can be storytellers. Otherwise, Popular music usually caters to younger people. Their experiences & points of reference may not facilitate storytelling in their music. At least not anything older folks can relate. Hip-Hop is the final frontier where storytelling is still viable. Gotta dig to find it tho.

@Pioneer1 Ending black history month with thoughtfulness:) hope #black327 is very eventful I have confused you. Black Americans is the root, these are all black peoples in the usa, gardless of ancestry, language, religion, this is all about the skin. Black Americans in the USA today is composed of two main groups, populaces not tribes. Black DOSers- descended of enslaved black folk which also includes those who willingly immigrated into the usa before the 1960s, like MArcus Garvey for example + Black modern immigrants - black people who willingly immigrated to the usa when Blacks achieved in the USA complete legal federal recognition which was with the Civil Rights Act of immigration act of 1964 and who came after the immigration act of 1965. Yes, black people did freely immigrate into the USA before 1964 or 1965 but before then the federal legal rights of Black people in the usa were simply not in any way even to whites. Now states laws would take time to change but by the end of the jim crow era, 1980, they did. Black Modern immigrants tribes are based on the countries they come from: jamaican/panamanian/south african/nigerian/indian/brasilian either their country is majority black and so they come from a tribe in their country of their country has a name for the black minority. Black DOSers have three tribes from the creation of the USA and none are based on geography , all are based on a philosophy toward the usa or the whites in it. Black Statians are black people who embrace the USA as their home, gardless of whites activity, gardless of the historic reality, gardless of most black peoples views towards the usa or the whites in it. . James Forten for example. WAs a businessman, fought for the USA, was a prisoner of war, and all of this is while over 90% of black people in the colonies were completely enslaved, and most who got freedom fought against the USA, yet he held firm. Black Statians are not about being in the majority, it is about the usa as their home , gardless of anything else. Black Militants - I want to say a caveat, militancy is really about wanting to go to war. But Black Militants are really about trust. Black Militants don't trust/will never trust the usa or whites of the usa and want the earned revenge. Now the earliest black militants fought for the english, whites, not because they trust whites, but because they distrust white statians the most, and want revenge. Black Freefolk- I use this term because, what many people don't seem to comprehend is when the USA was founded, over ninety percent of black people were enslaved to whites. What does that mean? That means when the USA was founded over ninety percent of blacks, had no allegiance or caring for the USA or for whites, so they weren't statians, even though many of them them or most their lineage would only know the usa as a home, it had no connection to them. But they weren't militants. Yes, they hated whites but they didn't want revenge, they only wanted away from whites. All they wanted was to be as far away from the colonies or the later USA or white people as possible. In them you find the back to africa movement, which at is heart to trying to get black people as far away from whites or the usa. Their influence is what made in combination side black statians the exoduster movement, which at its heart is an agreement between black statians + black freefolk. Essentially, one group says they embrace the usa, the other group says, they want as far away from the usa or the whites in it. So the middle ground is places as far away from whites in the usa. The problem is, white people historically, don't like black people to be undisturbed by whites wherever we live. whether an urban black region or a black town, whites have a heritage of negative meddling with blacks. Another subtribe for the the black freefolk are those Leaving the USA [which for the record always goes on among black DOSers every year, yes it has never bee n a majority act but people forget whites historically hated black people who spoke of leaving the usa. From most whites perspectives, histoorically, they wanted black people to embrace being enslaved as a positive, for white financial betterment... ]. Another subtribe are black individualism. It makes sense to me. how Black people descended from enslaved people who had nothing to do with the creation of the usa and were descended from people who wanted nothing to do with the usa or the white people in it would see themselves as individuals. Embracing a hard truth that, the usa is nothing to them , but since fate has placed them here, they just live, not because they are comfortable or love whites, but simply because like the ninety percent of our forebears enslaved in the usa when it was founded , they have no where to go or nothing to be apart communally. The slave quarter isn't a communal zone, it is pig pen for humans, so if the usa is merely a huge pig pen in a black person's mind, they why should they think communally. For me, I don't know either of you well enough to be sure of anything . But based on communications in this forum, I think, cynique like yourself are Black Statians, the tribe in the populace of Black DOSers. Both of you embrace the USA. You pioneer seem to have an exoduster mentality. You embrace the usa, part of you loves it. But what you want for its future is black solidarity + safety in the usa, not as indiivduals in a hyper mixed brew but in specific locals. It isn't impossible, to reach what you want. Nothing is easy. Cynique it seems, has a James Forten philosophy. She embraces not only the usa but the idea its white enslaving founders suggested , a country of humans, individuals who embrace the idea that each individual should be treated equally. Frederick Douglass/MLK jr/Barrack Obama all live their lives with this idea, started from James Forten's or similars example. Arguably, Black Statians like Cynique are closest to achieving their goal. because Black Statians like her were by default most willing to work with whites, they benefited them in the usa, where whites only started allowing the majority of the black populace equal status, 1980. to be blunt, if you aren't willing to work with whites pre 1980, while you live in the usa, you essentially have nothing. As black DOSers forebears were enslaved so they could provide no fiscal inheritance and as all know, over ninety percent of wealth in the usa is inheritance. Very few whites are willing to work with blacks who want away. Yes, Back to Africa movements occurred in the usa , but their white financiers were never representing a majority of whites. So, For me, both of you are Black Statians. The key for you to comprehend is Black DOSers relationship to the usa is historically not financial, it is pure philosophy, or vendetta based. This is why Black Modern Immigrants fit in so well with the USA, because their relationship is like all non blacks who aren't indigenous. It is, a financial desire to make money, to be better off. But, Black DOSers didn't originally have that desire, and even in 1865, when the enslavement era ends and jim crow begins. Black DOSers didn't come into the Jim Crow era thinking I want to be apart of the USA. Black Freefolk historically had to be convinced of the merit of the USA which many Black Statians have always had problems with ., ala the similarity of Frederick Douglass/MLK jr/ Barrack Obama who arguably all spent the latter years of their most potent time disliked by most Black DOSErs. Which makes sense, because Black Statians by default, embrace the usa no matter what. So faced with Black people with the same experiences who don't accept it at all, or who need convincing when whites make that nearly impossible, outside of faith based, it becomes a natural divide no bridge can cross.

Here you go again...... Now what do you mean by "that particular" hot seat? Is there ANOTHER "hot seat" you're suggesting he may be in? Man, it's hard to believe it's been 13 years since I made those posts....lol. When I read those comments and the format they're in, I'm rather proud of myself because of my consistency. Some may look at their words or deeds from 13 years ago and lament if they don't see any change or "improvement". They look at being consistent as a sign of lack of growth. However I look at it as stability. I'm also glad I'm not a liar. I've said so much on this site over these past 13 or 14 years or so, if somebody were to dig around and compare my statements would they find any consistencies or how many....lol.

The craziest part is the BAFTA is pre-recorded prior to broadcast. They edited out anything political &/or profane. Yet, they did not edit out the supposed Tourette's Syndrome outburst. The guy yells out n8gger when the show is dead silent & at the moment 2 Black actors are onstage. Neither the guy nor BAFTA offered a real apology for the outburst. Black folks haven't demanded it. Just another reminder that we still have a long way to go when it comes to racism. Hope it is not being normalized & accepted.

As much as some are trying to perpetuate the skill of cursive penmanship, it is slowly sinking below the horizon of modern day communication and will soon become a lost art, I fear. Story telling might inherit a better fate and keep the fiction writer a float in the sea of imagination. I have no regrets about not being around to experience the brave new AI world of the future.

Most people consume the cheapest bottled water they can find on sale. However, there's still higher end bottled water on store shelves too. There will always be a few writers who can make money with their skill & creativity.

Ofcourse it's not UP for discussion......lol. We all know why you haven't chosen to leave...."robust invite" or not. You don't want to leave because you have several "addictions" keeping you here. Addiction #1: FOOD Addiction #2: HOT WATER Addiction #3: ELECTRICITY Addiction #4: WI-FI Addiction #5: CLEAN UNDERWEAR It's easy to trash America when you're sitting in a cozy room sipping on warm apple cider and tapping away on your computer keyboard....lol. But if you had to LEAVE America and live in a third world country........ It's hard to keep your focus when the only thing you have to eat is a can of sardines, the lights and electricity keeps flickering on and off, and General Bar-B-Que and his boys are kicking in doors and popping caps all around the hood and the sounds keep getting closer and closer.....lol. "Tribes? Oh.....you have...ehhhh..... tribe? So do I. I am....ehh...zehhh....Chief of my tribe. They call me Chief....ehh....Bar-B-Que. I shall show you why!"

As does your absence

@Pioneer1Your approval is the least of my concerns. That should've been obvious when I declined your olive branch which was nothing more than a sprig of poison ivy, befitting your rancid toxicity.

Hummm. I wish Tesa had ended her above quote attributed to "aka Contrarian" at the word "mediocre", because I didn't say any of what followed that word, which was a commentary that amounted to observations which were not my mine, and an opinion that I do not hold about a subject I have no knowledge of. Is she an AI creation??

I have mixed feelings on the issue........... Like most philosophical concepts, you have the good with the bad. As it goes with the FBA movement. For years and years now I've been hoping for and looking forward to a movement that would be tailor made to fit and highlight OUR culture as AfroAmericans as well as give a little "pay back" to other minority groups who based on my observations tend to be more racist than White Americans themselves. This is one of the reasons I prefer the term "AfroAmerican" as opposed to simply "Black" or even "African American". Those terms aren't specific enough for MY lineage and group and culture. ADOS didn't really do that for me. Their focus was almost entirely on Reparations. FBA on the other hand is like a new found RELIGION with very zealot adherents. These cats are all over social media arguing, challenging, and asking where do WE as Black Americans fit in to whatever conversation is going on at the time and "if we don't benefit from it....we don't care" is the prevailing attitude. I'm proud of that. What I DON'T like is the colorism, anti-Africanism, and Trump-support that seems to be dominant among many of them. It started out as AfroAmericans highlighting our culture and lineage and delineating ourselves from other so-called "minority" groups who were in love with White folks and didn't want to associate with us in the first place. Today it has morphed (or been steered) towards targeting Africans specifically. Most of these FBA dudes talk about "tether this" and "tether that" all day long when it comes to other Black immigrants like Haitians, Jamaicans, and Africans....but won't say a word about the racist Hispanics and Asians who have been replacing many of our people on these jobs for years and have been far more discriminatory against AfroAmericans than not only Africans but even Whites! Some people like our great elder Professor James Small have even suggested that the FBA and ADOS movements are right-wing psychological operations designed to discourage Black people from voting and renounce support for the Democrat party. Regardless.......(richardmurray says "gardless".....lol)............... I'm both an AfroAmerican Nationalist AND a PanAfricanist....our collective African heritage is what ties all of our people together regardless of nation or culture.

Wow! These dissertations so enlightened me when it came to the existence of the different sects of Blackness whose existence I have, heretofore, been completely ignorant about! Finding a niche with those whose opinions I share on many issues was exhilarating, leaving me, at age 92, astounded to learn of the actual existence of an official movement I could identify with in many areas of thought, like slave descendants having their own unique culture and immigrant Blacks being my personal idea of black carpetbaggers - and a cynicism about the pseudo African affectations of certain black zealots who make claim to everything African and attribute everything everywhere as beimg black in origin, citing skewed history as their source. Not to mention exposing the dysfunctional compensation that takes the form of a black male machismo that is laced with misogny and homophobia. Still, I'm not totally captivated by the siren song of the ADOs, having never been an enthusiast of Reparations, and any taint of this group being "MAGA lite" inhibits my formal commitment to their doctrine. My gut always instinctively recoils at any hint of Conservative right wing white supremacy. In any case, at this stage of my existence, I don't have to make a decision or a choice about such matters, and I remain a spectator, ever aware of how Society evolves, inevitably subjected to the changes that Time brings - changes that I, in all probability, won't be around to witness...

@ProfD the promised land hilarious

IMO, the lack of leadership & organization within the groups is the bigger problem.

Black. Economics. - Where. Is. Black. Lives. Matter. With. All. The. Millions. Of. Money. They. Got. ? Is. Black. Lives. Matters. ,,Helping....Black. Farmers. Are They. Creating. Black. Businesses ?..Preachers. Steal. All. The. Church money. To. Buy. Cars. And. Houses ...Black. Unity. Is. Needed. For. Black. Economics. ..

Food shortages should be one of the issues voters put to politicians. NYC mayor Mamdani mentioned government-owned grocery stores & white folks nearly lost their minds. The people most under-served & suffering food shortages need to find a way to put it on the ballot.

The largest number of Vietnamese refugees came to the USA after the fall of Saigon between 1975-1980.

I use it for that exact reason. I just prompted a chat on how to provide clean water for a community that only has sewage backups, and the government has just taken away their grant because of "DEI". ChatGPT provided me with actionable solutions, including how to address laws that prevent ordinary citizens from tackling the problem when the government puts up roadblocks. *** Chat GPT said: Treat the problem like a high-stakes community project: minimize legal risk, build legitimacy, and move fast with pilots that are lawful, visible, and persuasive. Below is a practical, lawful playbook you can use to get clean water in your community while protecting yourself and your volunteers. 1) Immediate refusal of the illegal route Don’t undertake actions that: violate health/safety codes, tamper with sewage infrastructure, perform unpermitted construction in waterways, or create public hazards. Those acts expose you to criminal and civil liability and endanger people. 2) High-level strategy (mindset) Think like a scrappy micro-operator who: designs small, replicable pilots that prove solutions work, reduces legal/financial exposure up front, documents everything (photos, water tests, receipts, volunteer logs), partners with credible institutions (health dept, university, nonprofit), uses visibility to generate political pressure for system-level change. 3) Practical step-by-step plan Assess & document the problem (2–4 weeks) Collect photos, time/date stamps, testimonies from residents. Get simple water tests (bacterial and basic chemistry) — local health department or university extension can often help or direct you to accredited labs. SMART example: “Collect 30 household water samples and 20 resident testimonies by Nov 1.” Map stakeholders & legal landscape (1–2 weeks) Who owns the sewer systems, utilities, or storm drains? City, county, private utility? Which agency enforces water quality? (Health department, EPA/state agency.) Identify allies: neighborhood association, churches, school, local university, watershed groups, community health clinics. Design a low-risk pilot (4–8 weeks) Options (lawful, immediate relief + demonstration value): Community water station (bottled or filtered) in a public, permitted space. Point-of-use home filtration voucher program (buy certified filters and distribute with instructions). Temporary rainwater harvesting for non-potable uses (with proper signage and permits). Each pilot should have measurable outcomes (e.g., “Provide safe drinking water to 200 people/week; show lab-confirmed reduction in E. coli in 90% of distributed samples”). Legal protections & structure before operating Form an entity (a nonprofit or an LLC) to separate personal liability from project assets. Purchase insurance: general liability (covers bodily injury/property damage), product liability (if you distribute hardware/filters), and directors/officers (if you run a nonprofit). If you have volunteers, confirm Volunteer Liability coverage or use waivers where lawful. Get permits when needed (temporary events, signage, modifications to public right-of-way). Consult a local attorney for project-specific counsel — many law schools offer pro bono clinics. Launch pilot with partners & document impact (8–12 weeks) Partner with a trusted local org (church, school, clinic) to host the pilot. Publicize: press release, neighborhood socials, local reporters. Collect data: usage numbers, lab results, testimonials, cost per household. Scale, fund, and pressure for systemic change Use documented pilot results to apply for grants, municipal funding, or crowdsource donations. Present findings to the city/county with a clear ask (repair schedule, budget, policy change). If government inaction continues, use civic tools: public records requests, city council hearings, petitions, and coalition building. Legal enforcement routes (e.g., citizen complaints to regulatory agencies) can be powerful — consult counsel. 4) Risk mitigation specifics Insurance: shop for general liability and product liability; nonprofits often get discounted policies. Ask about volunteer liability and event insurance. Waivers & signage: have clear, plain-language signage and intake forms; do not rely solely on waivers to avoid negligence claims — they help but don’t eliminate risk. Permits: always check local codes before modifying streets, storm drains, or public infrastructure. Even “helpful” repairs done without permission can trigger fines and removal. Recordkeeping: keep receipts, vendor contracts, volunteer logs, and test results. This builds credibility and legal defense. 5) Technical quick wins you can pursue lawfully Distribute NSF/ANSI-certified point-of-use filters and train households on maintenance. Repair or replace household plumbing fixtures that cause contamination (privately funded). Deploy green infrastructure pilot(s): bioswales, rain gardens, permeable pavement demonstrations (with permits). These reduce sewage runoff into drinking sources. Launch community education on septic maintenance, proper disposal, and pollution prevention. 6) Power moves that shift the system Get credible third-party testing and publish results. Nothing shames a municipality more than independent lab data showing contamination. Mobilize a broad coalition (schools, faith groups, parents). When the issue affects children, public pressure accelerates policy response. File targeted public-records requests and use them in media and council hearings. Offer the municipality an “easy win” — propose a funded pilot they can co-brand and adopt. 7) When civil disobedience becomes relevant Civil disobedience has a long role in social change, but it’s risky and requires willingness to accept legal consequences. If you’re considering that route, consult experienced organizers and legal counsel first and plan for bail funds and legal defense. Quick checklist you can use now Take 20 photos of the runoff/contamination with timestamps. Contact local health dept to ask about water testing. Identify 3 community partners (church, school, neighborhood assoc.). Draft a 1-page pilot plan with measurable goals and budget. Look into entity formation and call one insurance broker for a quote. I ended the prompt here because it was a hypothetical situation. So many people think advocacy is doing something but I wanted to show a movement requires actionable goals and measurable results.