Pioneer1

Troy Is Green that Gen Z'er in congress. If so, this is what we have to look forward to. No. Congressman Green is "up there"...lol....at 77. I was not old enough to remember ( @aka Contrarian is), but my understanding is that in his day MLK was disliked by the majority of Black people. My Father...who is actually FROM Alabama...and lived during that time told me the same thing. Most people didn't care too much for what he was doing because they were afraid he was stirring up too much trouble and was going to get a lot of White folks mad and a lot of Black folks hurt. A lot of Black folks down South didn't like how a lot of Black folks up North would come down there on those "freedom rides" getting into the faces of White folks, organizing marches, and trying to get Black folks to vote. Not because there was anything wrong with those actions... But because they saw them as coming down there stirring up trouble only to turn around and LEAVE and go back up North and now THEY gotta deal with the shit.

frankster They reason is they only see that way out....so might as well die trying to get out - than just slowly waste away in suffering to death. When many of them say that, they're LYING and they KNOW they're lying. What they REALLY mean is, selling dope is the EASIEST "way out". They know that if they worked hard enough and saved their money and stayed out of trouble then it's POSSIBLE to get out of the ghetto. They also have heard that through sports or a good education they can get out of poverty. Most of those who come from poverty and sell dope have heard this countless times. But most of them aren't willing to put in the work or stay out of trouble or stay away from the lifestyle that selling dope often offers them. The work is too hard and the money doesn't come fast enough. Anyone below working poor is destitute That's not true. There are many people who live in poverty and don't work but are on welfare or social security....but they aren't destitute. Some may be close to it. But you're destitute when you...for financial reasons...lack the basic necessities of life. HOMELESS people are destitute. FAMISHED people are destitute. Surprising the average room cost more than the average apartment I'm not talking about a motel/hotel room. I'm talking about a room in somebody's house or apartment. Being a border. In that case it will soon be three four or five....none of whom are working. sitting on the government cheddar . Or "pimping" off of those who ARE working. Or engaging in illegal industries for income. A protocol is a CODE PRESCRIBING STRICT ADHERENCE.... Plus here is the rest of the meaning We don't need the rest. What I provided was sufficient to prove you wrong, lol. You said that protocols are not codes, I just showed you that they WERE, even if they must qualify first. Before I answer that.... Black wall st you know was just a extremely successful black town? How many black towns you think they burnt down? I'm not sure. But too many. Excluding Nigerian.....They all have a easier access to capital and are encourage to set up business in black communities I don't disagree. But again, you said that "they" make plans to destroy what our people build. I'm questioning why "they" don't destroy other communities of color...many of whom are Black too, like the Nigerian, Haitian, Jamaican, Somali, Ethiopian communities? Why do you think they "allow" those communities to exist around the United States but want to target the FBA AfroAmerican communities? Same difference....They own nothing and have no money - not even their own bodies It's not the same. It's like asking calling prison inmates "poor" because they live in small often shared living spaces, eat bad food, and live in otherwise poor conditions. Many of them are actually wealthy but were sentenced and have to live in those conditions despite their financial status. Being institutionalize takes you "out" of the economic status hierarchy so to speak. That is the trick they play..... A Culture based and founded on Violence Barbarity and Inhumanity is not a Civilization 1. Violence is a necessary part OF civilization. 2. To be truthful, White civilization is more than JUST violence but also literature, food, clothing, building structure, government codes, laws, ect... To say that this isn't or that Whites have no civilization is a bit juvenile...lol. Thats what the Nazi's did they got ordinary people to kill people Remember, I made an exception for the military and put a little asterisk next to it...lol. What I said is the truth And how do you KNOW it's true? but I do not agree with most African Communities being Chaotic Maybe because your computer is "acting up" you may have read what I said wrong. I didn't say that most African communities were chaotic. ProfD no matter how much wealth Black folks accumulate, most are not prepared to defend themselves in protecting it. While that is true, that still shouldn't stop us from accumulating it anyway and hope for the best. Even down to an individual level. Even if SOME or even MOST wealthy Black folks are targeted, if just a FEW can squeeze through the cracks and get away without being noticed....thank goodness for THOSE few. They went after Cosby. They went after Puffy. But they didn't go after Oprah or Magic Johnson. Find out what they're doing to keep the wolves of their backs But as far as Black Wallstreets... A lot of our people love to make excuses for being lazy. They'll say they don't want to open up a restaurant or grocery store because White folks will get jealous and close it down. But they'll go to WORK around jealous and angry White folks all day and put up with THAT madness. It's not racism stopping them, it's their own laziness and lack of ambition because they're comfortable where they are. And that fake ass weed so many young people of all races are smoking is making the problem 10 times worse!

One of the reasons I still rock with Dr. Umar Johnson is because of the powerful truths and insights he drops from time to time that you just don't hear from a lot of other speakers. One day during a lecture he said that you don't have a lot of Black leaders willing to die for the Black community because they have enough sense to realize that if they DO stand up and end up paying the price with their lives, a lot of our people will be indifferent to it and some will even look at their death with contempt and say, "Didn't nobody tell him to do that. Nobody told him to get himself killed like that." The mentality of so many of our people of just letting you "hang" by yourself. You call yourself "standing up" to racism or the system and expect a group of Black folks to put their shovels down and start backing you up....and them niggas are over in a corner grinning and twirling their fingers at their heads calling you crazy. Congressman Green put himself out there for nothing because nobody else stood with him to do.....whatever he was trying to do.

ProfD Nah, the Mayor is too young for my tastes. Too young? Man, she's only a few years younger than YOU, lol. Once a woman reaches past 50....she's not "too young" for ANYBODY, lol. Troy Did you, by any chance, shoot your shot and get nixed? Otherwise, what gives you that vibe I wondered that too, but then I looked at her bio.......... 52 years old and never been married or engaged or even known to have ever been in a relationship. ......as good as she looks, you KNOW men have been trying to get at that left and right all of her life, so this is a clear sign that something is going on. But I saw a quote from her saying that she was a proud STRAIGHT "ally" of the LGBT community. So she says she's straight, and I have no reason to doubt it. However she may be a-sexual and just doesn't have a desire for sex. But that body is voluptuous....straight up.

frankster The financial infrastructure....The tax base - loss of home ownership and residents income . So you're maintaining that you DIDN'T say that high interest rates and predatory lending institutions are the cause of poverty in many Black communities; but you're saying that they DID lead to a "financial infrastructure collapse". ...is my understanding correct? They were kept in poverty by Redlining and Banking Discrimination SOME were kept in poverty. Some got out of poverty through self-employment, relocating to greener pastures outside of the Deep South where they built all Black towns. This lasted through out the Reconstruction period. During the early 20th Century industrialization period in the U.S a lot of Black families GOT OUT OF POVERTY by going up North and out West to work manufacturing jobs which paid a good wage and provided a decent living. Check out Joy Degruy Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome....Trauma is Biological and past on - through famailia habits Modeling and traditions. here is a clip Why? The exception of a few proves the rule These aren't "exceptions". MILLIONS of Black Americans were solidly in the Middle Classes by the mid-20th century. That is where the attention needs to be...dismantling Racism This may sound like a shocker to some. Probably not to YOU coming from ME because of how you probably perceive me already...lol. You already accused me of being a "wigger" pretending to be Black or something like that, so..... Anyway, I don't think we as AfroAmericans SHOULD focus on "dismantling Racism". It's a problem, and anti-Black racism SHOULD be dismantled. I just don't think we as a group should FOCUS on that. It {decisions} plays a minor role as seen by the numbers who fail vs the numbers who succeed. Actually, if the truth be told....the decisions we as a people make could actually make us FAR more Successful than we are and racism wouldn't even be a factor. Infact, the ONLY racism we'd see is the JEALOUSY of Whites and others who see us Prospering and can't do a damn thing about it. @ProfD mentioned the Fruit of Islam (FOI) training in another thread. When you're getting TRUE manhood training, one of the FIRST things you learn is that your success...or lack of it....is YOUR responsibility. Both your successes and failures are YOUR responsibility to deal with and YOU are responsible for making the best decisions to deal with them. They may not be your FAULT. Meaning, you didn't INITIATE or CAUSE them. But it's your RESPONSIBILITY to rectify the situation you find yourself in instead of waiting on your OPEN ENEMY to "be nice" and stop being racist so that you can be more prosperous. Delano Being financially illiterate is probably the biggest factor next to systemic inequalities. I'm not going to "rank" it, but I agree that being financially ignorant is a HUGE problem.

frankster Well, you got me on that Philly video....lol. That's a sho'nuff slum. Nope..... they literally are trying to survive and not perish as many around them have Wait a minute? How is someone who engages in a lifestyle that will likely LEAD to their deaths (getting killed by a rival dealer or rival gang or during a robbery) is trying to "survive and not perish"??? No, they don't give a damn about living OR dying. Most just want to enjoy the fast life with the money, women, and quick riches until they meet their demise. You need both Money and an Opportunity to make money. Correct. I agree. Thats trying to survive.....Destitution is perishing. Destitution, in most cases...is trying to survive. Poverty isn't necessarily destitution though. Many people use those words interchangeably but they mean different things. Most people in poverty but who are NOT destitute have all of their basic necessities. They're struggling to maintain them...but they do have them. A person who is destitute DOES NOT have all of their basic necessities. They're lacking in one or multiple of them and in many cases do indeed stand on the verge of perishing. Thats what I said they trying to survive....thanks for coming around to admitting the truth. No, but they're not selling drugs TO survive. They're selling drugs to live a standard middle class life and in most cases live a LAVISH life. 1200$ a month is average minimum wage....a average one bedroom is 900 -1000 per month. They not surviving.....they are perishing slowly. 1. I said minimum wage in most places would atleast get you a ROOM to stay in, not necessarily an entire apartment. 2. Most people don't live alone but stay with family or sexual partners (wife/girlfriend/friend with benefits...lol). So it's not like they're footing the bills all by themselves. Most of the time every adult in the home is working or receiving some sort of income even if it's just Social Security. Yes they are Codes.....not Protocols PROTOCOL Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster Every time we..... build plans are made on how to destroy what we build and blame us for our condition. Speaking of which..... When was the last time we BUILT??? We can't keep using them burning down Black Wall Street as an excuse NOT to build 100 more Black Wall Streets in defiance; especially today. You say "they" make plans to destroy progress? Ok, so why aren't "they" destroying the Nigerian, Chinese, Korean, Indian, and other non-White communities that have been set up around the nation? They were penny less - destitute. I'm not sure I'd put most Slaves in the "destitute" category. Kind of like prison inmates, they are being held beyond their will. Whites do not have a civilization....so the example is not appropriate. Caucasians ABSOLUTELY not only have A civilization but have MANY civilizations. The West is one civilization. The Slavic one led by Russia, is another. Scams are proof that most people of any age can be tricked Not to the extent that they would be willing to kill somebody or even sell poison in their community. Most people have a moral compass that wouldn't allow them to do that regardless of the degree of influence. what i said is clear....most people are made dumb. What you SAID is one thing. The TRUTH may be totally different. I said I'm not sure how many were BORN stupid vs how many were MADE stupid by their environment. You...despite not being a psychologist...seem to be sure that most stupid people were MADE that way. Not sure how you "know" this, but I won't argue the point. No.... they mostly try to follow dogma Whatever they're following, it seems to work for most of them as they tend to have a clean and peaceful society as compared to a lot of African societies which tend to be very religious but still chaotic.

Mayor Muriel Bowser is one sexy woman! Man...that woman has a nice body and a cute face.

I agree. He got HIMSELF kicked out but just acting up and showing out. I didn't watch his speech so I heard about what happened the next day and got a little salty over it and thought about the White congressman who kept interrupting Obama and calling him a liar during HIS State of the Union speech and how HE wasn't escorted out and was allowed to stay. But after watching Mr. Green's performance....they were totally different. Like you said, they kept giving the brutha a chance to sit down and shut up but he just kept standing up point his cane and saying something that nobody except those sitting next to him could even hear anyway. The people on television couldn't hear what he was saying. He was just making a spectacle of himself because whatever he was trying to do was ineffective. On top of that....he stood by himself. Nobody else stood with him or took his place and heckled Trump after HE was escorted out, so what good was his stunt???

frankster I consider drug dealers from depressed inner city slums under (economic) duress and are in entrapment Come on man, America ain't had actual "slums" in a long time. Since almost the 50s. Most drug dealers/pushers come from WORKING CLASS families and neighborhoods. Not poverty. And most of them CHOOSE that lifestyle, it wasn't out of necessity. I stand by my word... You can STAND BY a damn garbage can, that doesn't increase the value of it's content. Black individual who are previously incarcerated cannot find a job that pays a living wage ....most places in the USA I agree. That's one of the reasons the Nation of Islam teach Black men to DO FOR SELF and open up their own businesses. So that they can not only work for themselves but hire eachother when others won't. If that where true there would be no ghettos Most people in the ghetto aren't trying to literally "survive". They are trying to stay on top of the bills to keep themselves out of destitution. There's a difference. It's not a HUGE difference between poverty and destitution...but there IS a difference. Subsistence and Minimum wages does to pay enough for and individual much less a family to survive. Most individuals can SURVIVE off of minimum wage in most places in America, depending on their health and medical needs...if any. Again, we're talking about SURVIVAL; not necessarily living an ideal or even standard life, which certainly should be the goal. I don't blame the drug pusher/dealer for wanting a standard or even ideal life where the can enjoy comfort. I'm just making the point that...it's not about SURVIVAL. They COULD get a small time job and SURVIVE without pushing "junk" if they really wanted to. Street codes are informal no quality control standards or oversight no uniformity or regularity or independent testing and safeguards...in short no institutional structure But they're CODES....full stop. That's my point, and it has been made. Can we move on please? I make no excuse I told you the truth.....No enslaved person when freed were give middle class money. True. They weren't given shit, but an opportunity to get from under the White man's thumb and DO FOR SELF. And guess what? That was ENOUGH for them to buy land and build cities of prosperity and wealthy, the likes of which most AfroAmericans aren't even doing TODAY. Were the enslaved paid?? Ofcourse not. The pain and suffering of majority so that a minority may have wealth and prosperity means it failed to achieved the goal of Civilization...achieving happiness for the majority. And I guess a society where MOST people are poor and many if not most are suffering from poverty, war, and famine is better than that? You want to talk about a minority prospering at the expense of the majority???? Many African nations are DICTATORSHIPS where an EXTREME majority are poor and destitute and a TINY minority are living large and being armed and funded by the West to maintain tight control over their population. The greatest good to the greatest number. Africans are founders of Civilization While that is true. Pushing that truth is like a man pointing at a woman who is laying in the arms of another man and saying, "She was MY woman first! I was her FIRST LOVE!" Yeah, but who is she with NOW...at THIS moment???? Who has the most prosperous society and nations NOW, at THIS moment? Most people can be tricked While this is true, most people can't be tricked to the extent that they are willing to sell drugs and KILL other people. Only a few people out of a given population is THAT gullible AND psychopathic (lacking empathy or a moral compass) that they can be convinced to kill other people for ANY reason other than direct self defense. *unless they join the military. Most were made dumb few were born so Which percentage are which, I don't know. I do know that some are actually BORN though. I say it is prove me wrong That could be done, but it would be very complicated because I would have to: 1. Find someone who is actually religious. and 2. Find the ENTIRE context of whatever scripture their religion upholds and show how they adhere to it. Again, it can be done but to PROVE it....thus proving you wrong...would be too difficult to do in this setting. Not the same as being able to do what they want I agree. They have Scripture.... But do most of them follow it?

umbrarchist I would be more inclined to say deepen poverty than cause poverty. I agree. In many cases, they make things worse by increasing debt. But I wouldn't say it's the CAUSE of poverty. frankster I do remember saying they were the main or had major impact on the collapse of Baltimore black Communities/societies. When you say "collapse" of a community...what do you mean? Specifically, WHAT collapsed in those communities??? I said African Americans started out in this Country.....from Poverty I remember. And? Many STARTED in poverty but after a few generations, most worked their way into the Middle Classes...Working and Professional. But many WENT BACK into poverty because of poor decision making like drug use and criminal/gangsta behavior. Trying to keep up with their drug addictions or not being able to find jobs after felony convictions and incarceration can quickly lead to poverty and destitution. Again, we can't blame all or even most of the poverty in Black America today on the legacy of Slavery. It's like trying to blame today's broken families as a legacy of Slavery....which isn't true either. Too many come from solid middle class and even wealthy families and made poor decisions that landed them into poverty. Racism is the real cause of Poverty in most Black Communities For the most part, yes. The de-industrialization of most urban centers where the manufacturing jobs were removed making it harder to get jobs that pay a good wage certainly led to an increase in poverty in many Black American communities. But I still will not let "poor decision making" off the hook. Proper decision making is one of the weapons we can use TO defeat racism. Like Brutha Baines said in the Malcolm X movie: "Leave the White man's poisons alone. His dope. His liquor His women. His pork Stop putting that poison in your hair." ......lol. If you just make THOSE personal decisions alone. If you just do THAT, you've made strides in the war against racism!

ProfD It will take a miracle but the solution to their problems is for victims (poverty) to turn from their self-destructive behavior to wage war against the victimizers (greedy oppressors). You're right. In many cases, it WILL take a Miracle for some people to solve their problems because either they don't have the intellectual capability to do so OR the problems are too complex, OR both. However Miracles happen all the time, so there is hope for every problem. As far as calling those in poverty -victims.... SOME are victims, but others are in that condition by their own making. Again, most poorly functioning drug addicts in the United States who ended up in poverty PUT THEMSELVES in that position by fucking with dope in the first place. Being stupid or making a stupid decision doesn't automatically make you a victim anymore than a person who steals a car and ends up dying in it while trying to get away makes them all of a sudden "innocent" of the crime. It's helpful to know 1) how Black folks got the money and resources to build and 2) why white folks were so easily able to destroy it. I agree, it IS helpful. Especially if we plan on trying to improve on what our Ancestors started by rebuilding those cities and more and becoming an independent people again. Otherwise, it makes for a good read for a Black History buff...lol. umbrarchist Are you sure that it is not a bullshit superhighway? The noise to information ratio is pretty bad. And then there is the problem of judging the information. On BlueSky I had one man completely agree with me and start following and another say that I was full of crap and embarrassing myself on the same subject. I think the super highway is mostly good but I read a lot before it existed. I just regret the time wasted wading through obvious bullshit. Like I tell people.... There's a difference between INFORMATION and FACTS. You can find a whole lot of INFORMATION on the internet...people just typing up a bunch of shit and saying things. But what makes them FACTS is whether or not they're TRUE. frankster Nope... The CIA bought and brought the dope into the country. The CIA may have brought the dope to the country. But DeMario brought it HOME, cooked it up, and brought it to the party to distribute and make money. Both are guilty. Trying to survive and live Don't say trying to "survive". Say trying to live a moderately standard to lavish lifestyle. Back in the 70s, 80s, and 90s right up until now.... What city or county in the United States CAN'T an able bodied person get a job that pays enough for them to afford a room, 2 square meals, and some clothes? No, you may not have a car or your own house, but you CAN survive. Over 95% of people in the poorest areas can SURVIVE by legal means. Most of them just don't want to and would rather have an illegal hustle to live the type of lifestyle they want. Street code are informal....and usually involves illicit behavior A doctors protocol are formal Formal or informal...doesn't matter. Both are protocols/codes/ways of doing things. That is the point.... One has the approval and permission of state and or governmental authority to prescribe drugs the other does not. Not that's NOT the point. The point was that BOTH are pushing drugs on you and BOTH...for the most part...want to keep you as a life long customer. That's MY point. Most people go to doctors because of an illness they want to have treated or cured....Patients recieve care Most people go to the dope dealer to get high....Customers buy a good or service Thanks for the information. Again, MY POINT is that both are pushing drugs on you and BOTH for the most part want to keep you as a life long customer. Children are all about the future... YOU are the future, when you live from one moment to the next. Some parents out live their children. Don't look to your children, look to yourself to change things...if you want them to change. And I explain that already.....That most of the first freed black people started out in poverty. You didn't "explain" jack...lol. What you did was ATTEMPT to make excuses for those HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of people who came from solid wealthy and middle-class homes and ENDED UP in poverty because of substance abuse, criminal behavior, mental problems, and other dysfunctions. Yes the legacy of Slavery had lasting effects on our community, but I'm not going to blame Slavery on ALL of it. Show me chapter and verse.. 2 Timothy 4:1-22 I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, Revelation 20:11-12 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. Today......More wealthy and economically Europeans Ok. So what GOOD is quoting or even adhering to African basic philosophy if the European philosophy leads to more wealth and prosperity? If we are to say African philosophy is better, we need EVIDENCE that it is. Where's the wealth? Where's the healing? Where's the prosperity? What EVIDENCE is there that so-called "African philosophy" is better than so-called "European philosophy"? The need help Maybe. But what we DO know is that people who are easily tricked and influenced into killing others are dangerous and need to be kept AWAY from the general population for the safety of society. We can get into "helping" them later after they are in a secure space. Oh yes they did it is called the "dumbing down" of society Some people were "dumbed down" through diet and the educational system; others were BORN dumb/stupid/low intelligence. No person who practice religion followers scripture That's simply not true. Not True they can't do what they want.. They can do more than what they're doing. It shows that they die in order to keep slavery and racism alive That too. Yes....behavior prescribe by scriptures Some of it is just plain common sense. If you stop smoking, ofcourse you'll be healthier and have more money. If you stop using drugs, ofcourse your life will improve and you'll stop having run-ins with law enforcement. Millions of Japanese don't drink or use drugs and live healthy solid lives and don't need "scripture" to do so. They just naturally have sense enough to live a decent life and live in a society that encourages this. Ubuntu Ok, thank you.

May our sista rest in peace and power

This belongs in the Black Excellence Forum

frankster Who Bougth or Brought the "dope"....? He who brought the dope is the Victimizer.....looking for the weak and vulnerable to victimize The dope DEALER literally "brings" the dope, to sell it to you...unless you go to the "dope spot/pet shop/bird house/trap house/crack house" to get it. Not "cold hearted"...oppressed young and hungry.. Willing to sell poison and kill is willing to sell poison and kill, regardless as to excuses you're making for them. Drugs dealers have no protocol.....they have street codes That's what a code IS...a protocol. Methodical ways of doing things, especially in a way that works. Yes....but one is considered Illicit I said both the drug dealer and the doctor are pushing drugs on their customers. This is a fact. Who is considered more "legitimate" isn't the point. Truth and Life is often humorus.. What I meant by "joke" is you claiming that the drug dealer wants you as a customer for life, but the doctor just wants to ease your discomfort...as if THEY don't want you as a customer for life also. The medical industry makes BILLIONS of dollars of keeping people dependent on them. Some are dependent from the time they're born to the time they die. Life long customers. They claim there's no cure for Diabetes. So if a Diabetic is taking medication, doesn't that make them a LIFE LONG customer for drugs? Those are the breaks....those payday loans only tends to make it worse Speak for yourself....Kurtis Blow. They may be "the breaks" from your point of view but it may have SAVED THE DAY and averted a catastrophe for somebody who needed some quick cash and didn't have anyone else to turn to. Having children by intention or accident is a sure sign of hope for the future These are YOUR assumptions, not necessarily those of all or even most of your Ancestors. Since they Inherited it....and remain in poverty - it never led to poverty When I said "led" to poverty, I was speaking of their parents and their behavior. Held accountable by whom??? According to the Bible, God and Jesus. Africans basic is philosophy Ubuntu....I am because we are - Shared Humanity European basic philosophy is.....I think there I am - Rugged Individuality Ok... And which group is the wealthiest and most economically stable? So then forgiveness is all but guaranteed Guaranteed by Whom or whom? A human being (those who wrote the scriptures) can't "guarantee" what the Divine will or will not do. A Catholic Priest can chant "your sins are forgiven" until his tongue falls out; that doesn't mean your sins actually ARE forgiven and that you won't have to answer for them. They are all Victims of Racism.. So if a Black man robs your home, you'll let him go because he too is a victim of racism? What if he assaults somebody you love? Will you excuse this and forgive him because he's a victim of racism? Come on man...... Yes Well if they were THAT easily tricked into killing people, selling dope, and bragging about it in prison then they SHOULD be institutionalized! They don't have enough sense to live independently. Too gullible. Too easily tricked and duped. We don't want people walking around who are so stupid that they can easily be "tricked" not only into selling dope but killing other people. Put them up in an institution somewhere. Most rappers will tell they did not undestand their contracts till years later....worst they never even read it You can blame racism for a lot of things, but White folks didn't shape their brains or make them stupid. They were born stupid and their stupidity was taken advantage of. They are Religionists by virtue of their parents.....practicing a religion Religionist do not follow scripture Sure, many if not most of them do. If Allowed by the Oppressor? Not allowed by the Oppressor, just DONE anyway...regardless if the Oppressor gives them permission or not. Many Native Americans live on Reservations where they can literally make their own laws and rules and teach their children whatever they want. 90% of the Whites who died during the American Civil War of the Confederacy.....owned no enslaved person - they simply could no afford one. What does that tell you ? It tells me that they WANTED Slaves too but just couldn't afford one. You don't get credit for not being able to AFFORD to practice your evil. Protection starts when it is a Way of Being Sounds to me that it's not the SCRIPTURE offering the protection but your CHANGE OF BEHAVIOR that is really protecting you. Western christians teach that religious use of scripture does protect you from the past... Africans Spirituality teaches that Past actions must impact Present and Future.... When you speak of "African Spirituality" exactly WHICH African tradition are you speaking of? What tribe/ethnicity and practice?

ProfD The information superhighway is available to everyone. Even thr poorest folks have access to comouters. They can seek put help. 1. No matter how much information is at a person's disposal, if they don't have enough intelligence to USE it..it's literally USE-LESS to them. Many people don't know how to use the information they're given to solve their problems. 2. As I said before, many poor people have substance abuse problems. They missed the "just say no" Nancy Reagan ads back in the 80s. So they KNOW they have a problem and they know the solution is to leave that shit alone, but they're addicted and THAT'S what's keeping them in poverty. The inability to solve problems constructively will always leave people in a vulnerable position. Destructive behaviors only make it worse. I agree. Which is why many if them can't solve their problems and WILL engage in destructive behavior. So who's the victim and who's the victimizer in these situations? A few issues there...1) Black folks didn't have enough resources to buy equipment and materials to build But we still built massive cities and towns all over the nation anyway. 2) post-slavery white folks weren't going to hire and pay Black folks to work for them We didn't need them. We were busy working and building for ourselves in the various Balck Wall Streets and Rosewoods scattered all over the Reconstructing nation. white folks weren't going to consume whatever Black folks produced. They sho' loved to consume the FOOD we cooked, lol. Post-Slavery Black folks were in a situation of not having...no job, money, housing, transportation, etc. It's hard to build from a net negative position. But they did it anyway. And...based on my limited knowledge...they actually produced more than most AfroAmericans have today! AfroAmericans may have more MONEY today than in the late 1800s. But we have less land, skills, and independence than the AfroAmericans had during Reconstruction. Chev I think that, because of Africa though, religion will always be a big topic and stumbling block for the western world. I don't think Africans will ever stop being religious. I also think that we need to look at religion from an historical point of view too, in order to understand why Africans, for the most part will never separate from religion, whether or not they agree with each others form of religion. Well, we are Spiritual and morally righteous people by nature. We WANT to do what we believe is right. The problem is, most religions are designed to BRAINWASH people into believe in THEIR versions of "right" and "wrong". So a good person who wants to do "right" may be deluded into thinking that what their religion TELLS them is "right"...actually is. I think that many Black Americans don't like religion because they don't understand what America did in exploiting it. Americans and certain ancient east world people are, by nature, Separatist. They Separated Church and State, but they did this after they did a 'bait and switch' deceptive programming in order to encourage their Blacks to separate from religion. They can easily separate church and state and compartmentalize religion AWAY from their business lives, day to day lives, and even their sex lives...because they don't really believe in it in the first place. Regardless of WHAT religion they claim, most Caucasians don't truly believe in their religion. They USE it for their benefit or as a weapon of control over others. Like getting power, wealth, sex, authority, etc... If they aren't getting this from it, most of the time they'll abandon it or just simply claim it IN NAME ONLY. Admitting that they don't believe in the tenants of that faith. First, they infiltrate. Then they act as if they accept the indigenous peoples religion, then they introduce ideas of opposition, then they introduce their fee way of thinking and believing and then comes division, and finally separation. That's another tactic. and most Africans are now aware of this deception, so they won't ever separate from their religion, imo. Well, let's keep this 100......... The fact is, most Africans are religious because they feel that their particular religion brings them CULTURALLY closer to whoever colonized them because they feel their colonizers are superior. For example..... If a group of Africans were colonized by Arabs for several generations; they will see the Arabs as superior. Many of them will join the Muslim religion as an attempt to be culturally closer to Arabs as an attempt to "improve" themselves and raise their status above the other non-believing Africans. We know a lot of Africans are typical Christians like Catholic, Evangelical, ect....but now even this isn't enough because too many other Black folks are in it so many of them are joining these "exotic" Christian subsets like 7th Day Adventist and Mormonism. They see this as culturally getting closer to Whiteness which they believe will afford them and their families more economic and social opportunities.

ProfD There's other ways to get out of a bad situation. Drug and alcohol abuse has never worked. There's a solution to EVERY problem. Usually multiple solutions. But that doesn't mean that a person will live long enough to FIND that solution. Some people simply aren't smart enough or have others around them smart enough to understand and solve the problem they're going through. So meanwhile, they must cope...the best way they can. Whether it's through drugs, alcohol, music, sex, etc... That's why France has such a strong influence on ECOWAS. Not to mention the fact that France and pretty much all Western European nations (and their progeny like the U.S. and Canada) belong to NATO and stick together militarily. So when you're in conflict with France, you're also in conflict with the United States. Black people haven't avoided building factories and other infrastructure due to laziness or lack of knowledge. They keep sucking on the white man's ice believing it's colder. If they believe the White man's ice IS colder, isn't this a sign of ignorance or lack of knowledge? The fact is, a very great and industrious time for AfroAmericans was during Reconstruction right after Slavery. Why? Because we were not only ambitious and eager to show the world that we could be industrious and independent like other peoples...but coming right out of slavery where so many of our people were used to working hard FOR NOTHING. Now was our opportunity to put all of those manual labor skills and hard work to use FOR OURSELVES and for PROFIT.

ProfD The cancelation of Joy's show is a direct response to the reelection of POTUS OJ. Absolutely. Lester Holt "stepping down" probably is too. Cynique Also, Lester Holt, NBC's black evening news anchor is "stepping down". Don't know if it's voluntarily or not. I must admit, I always found Lester to be rather dull but I trusted him to tell the truth sooo - there's that. Heads are really rollimg. Woman I gotta give you credit. For somebody in their 90s, you sho' is up on thangs...lol.

I'm no gigolo, but I'm rather proud to say that I've actually been paid money for sex directly by women on MULTIPLE occasions. I'm talking about giving me straight up CASH. It doesn't happen ALL the time, but it has happened. And no, I don't ask for it...they just DID it. The first time it happened, I was 20 and the woman was only a few years older. She wasn't bad looking but wasn't too attractive either. And I was 20....lol. And she was available...lol. I spent the night with her and when I got up that morning to go to work and leave she was laying in bed and told me to hand her her purse...lol. I thought to myself, "Nooooo....she's not about to do THAT. She wants to get some candy or something. She wants to give me her card to where she works with her number on it. I'm not sure WHAT she wants her purse for, but I KNOW she ain't going to.......nooooooooo." She pulled out a bunch of $20's and said to me, "Thank you thank you thank YOU baby. I usually don't do this.....give men money. Usually they better spend some money on ME.....but, I needed that!" We had a few more pleasant words before I left. We saw eachother and had sex a few more times after that and she DIDN'T pay me anymore, but...... Talk about an ego boost. Talk about arrogant. I couldn't wait to get to work to start bragging and glowing and gloating.....maaaaan.

ProfD Depends om how lonfg they've been hobbling around on those crutches. Some folks have been drug addicts and/or alcoholics FOR YEARS Sometimes, this because the terrible situation they are trying to mentally ESCAPE from lasts for years. A victim of an abusive relationship that they are afraid to get out of may abuse substances to cope with their life while struggling to raise their children through the turmoil. Agreed. Mentally lazy people definitely need to be kicked in the azz. ALL laziness is mental. If someone is physically tired it's called LETHARGY. Laziness doesn't mean lack of energy or tired. It means lack of motivation or incentive to do what needs to be done regardless of your energy levels. The threat of a military is enough to keep a whole country full of people on stuck. When I said military, I was speaking of OUTSIDE nations forcing them to adhere to Western standard. Not the national military keeping their own people oppressed; which is often the case. Similar to the chained elephant that has been locked up for awhile. Even once the restraints are removed and the elephant is set free, it doesn't go anywhere thinking it's still in bondage. And that's the situation with many if not most of these African, Asian, and Latin American countries who are still MENTALLY colonized. Greed is heavily fortified. It will take a herculean effort to overcome it. Especially when people are relatively happy with their own situation It goes back to that laziness again. Many of them don't think beyond their immediate day-to-day lives. For example.... Think of a poor young brutha living in rural South Sudan. He wants a nice car to ride around in. Instead of thinking of building a factory so that he could actually MANUFACTURE many many nice cars and even get rich from this; he would rather wait on his sister or cousin in America to SEND him enough money so that he can save it up and eventually SEND an order to America or Europe and have one delivered. So now he rides around in dirt roads and live in a raggedy shack, but is driving a Lexus or Benz...and very happy and proud. That's the thinking of a lot of our people not just around the world but right here in the United States in the ghetto. Driving a nice car on nice rims but you're ducking and dodging potholes in the street as you pull up to your raggedy ass apartment building. frankster Then why not lay the responsibility where it belongs instead of on the victims? Because the so-called victims ARE responsible. The White man brings the dope into the hood, a bunch of greedy cold-hearted niggazs rock it up and sell it to anybody and their mamma, and stupid niggas who didn't pay attention to the "just say no" commercials buy it and smoke it. Which one gets to play "victim"? Doctors who prescribe drugs are following a protocol of treatment....it is not the same as buying illicit drugs on the corner. Lol, apparently you aren't familiar with Biggie Smalls' 10 Crack Commandments. "There's rule to this shit...I wrote me a manual". PROTOCOL Drug pushers ALSO follow a protocol, though less scripted. They find out what people want and sell it to them for profit and greed. If you cannot tell the difference between a Dealer and a Doctor ....it is sad. Well turn that frown UPSIDE DOWN, because I can tell you the difference! Doctors have Medical Degrees and a lot of college debt. Besides that, both are pushing drugs on their customers. The dealer wants you as a customer for life....The doctor wants to relieve your discomfort This joke tells itself....lol. Yes it is a form of Mental Prison indoctrinated on Black Inner city Youths Correct. Then get a second job. Sure... -And they should just forget about the children they have to take to and from school as well as take care of them at home; which is already hectic trying to do with ONE full time job. -Forget about that pesky drug addiction they're trying to feed which is why they needed the quick cash in the first place. -Forget about diabetes and high blood pressure and other ailments they're suffering from and just pretend they are as healthy as a 19 year old and CAN work a second job...though they can barely hold on to the one they have now. Life is so easy, when you live it through the internet. To each his own.... I am here because my Ancestors had hope and knew that life must continue and adapt. Slow down my brutha... Don't get too caught up in speculations and romanizations, lol. The physical you is here because one particular sperm was strong enough to fertilize an egg. I am around them everyday and every one said they grew up poor. Except those who are of European descent Ever thought about the possibility that just because they inherited POVERTY from their parents, they may have inherited the RECKLESS and IRRESPONSIBLE BEHAVIOR that led to that poverty also? Their parent(s) didn't save money and lived from day to day and ended up broke as hell, and they learned that shit from THEM and now THEY'RE broke as hell living from day to day. Victims who are Coerce do not bear the burden of Guilt What about the victims who IN TURN become the VICTIMIZERS of others? Same Christian Tradition says all they have to do is Ask for Forgivenness Regardless, those who CHOOSE to follow Satan aren't excused as mere innocent "victims" but are held accountable for their role in aiding and abetting the Devil and his work. Likewise, the dope dealer and gansta rapper MUST be held accountable for their role in the attempted genocide and mentacide of their own people. Only when they do not Confess their Sins and ask for Forgivennes Not only do Gangsta Rappers CONFESS their sins, they BRAG about them. For reference.... Run back up to the top of the post and check out Biggie's 10 Crack Commandments, lol. STOP.....blaming the victim! If you SEE an innocent victim in the writing, producing, and distributing of Gangsta Rap, please point them out. Did they know of the negative impact their raps was having on the community? Did they care? Were they tricked into making those Rap songs? Don't stop there..... Were they "tricked" into selling the dope and killing the people they are rapping about also? Were they tricked into bragging about their crimes to fellow inmates while they were locked up in prison? Silly wabbit'....your "tricks" argument is for kids or adults to dumb and inexperienced to know better. Primarily they have been targeted...... their parents are living in Gaza They are involve because of geographical proximity and blood relationships Again, how did the Scriptures PROTECT them. To every rule their is exceptions... The Rule is made to trap the most possible and as time goes on one improves on it The Trap is not going to catch everybody but it will catch more and more If I by escaping the trap think that it is because of my decision making....then I would be wrong So when you said, "You can not stay out of Trouble....When you are both being Program to Violent React and the Target of Oppressive Policies." That certainly didn't apply to you. YOU managed to stay out of trouble (for the most part) and you also said you weren't the only one. You think Europeans are going to teach Native Americans about who they are and whats best for them? Who suggested that EUROPEANS teach them? Certainly not me. They should be taught by those who are intelligent and knowledgeable among their own kind. When You say dumb shyte like this....makes me wonder - cause you should know better. Sends me into i am dealing with a racist mode....lets pull out the big guns type of shyte Now I am thinking you either not seeing the connection or you are a wigger Two Words - White Privilege....search it up Calm down man....lol. There MIGHT be a bit of a disconnect. When I say poor Whites aren't profiting, you SEEM to believe I'm speaking in broader terms. I was speaking SPECIFICALLY about profiting from the school to prison pipeline. Most poor whites don't profit from that except through maybe a few corrections officer jobs or being employed in the local service industry of whatever community that prison happens to be located in. Every black community or society has to deal with racism crime etc.....but in the case of Baltimore payday loan centers had a huge impact. There's a difference between something having a "huge impact" and actually DESTROYING a community. The homicide of a child has a HUGE IMPACT on a community. As tragic as it is, it doesn't DESTROY a community. ....not one child's death. No I am not.....I know about these Faith and understand and know these religion. Now about the individual persons belief that is an assumption on my part.. Now if the do not practice their faith the way prescribe by their religion then they are heretics and or an apostates....in short fake. So again, which among these actually FOLLOWS SCRIPTURE? What were they doing before the began following scripture? Ok, I understand what you're saying. What I'm not too clear about is at WHAT point does Scripture actually offer protection? You said that Scripture is here to protect you. If it's here to protect you, shouldn't it also protect you from the consequences of past behavior also? A seatbelt should protect a person in ALL car accidents. If a person gets into a wreck and goes flying though the windshield.....Biggie Smalls said: "CALL THE CORONER' " ..... the coroner doesn't assume that they WERE wearing a seatbelt like they were supposed to; but their death is "payback" for all of the times they neglected to wear one.

Even MORE impressive would actually be getting HER to pay YOU.

-telling me more shit I already know. Minister Farrakhan has mentioned that back in the early 80s big time investor got together to discuss privatizing prisons and shortly afterward the distribution of Crack popped up in the ghettoes across the country and shortly after THAT...Gangsta Rap came on the scene promoting dope dealing, murder, and other forms of criminality that lead to high incarceration rates. Guaranteed profit for these private prisons. ProfD Replace the crutch with something constructive. That would be ideal, but if they DON'T HAVE anything more constructive at their disposal at the moment, or can't think beyond their crutch...then leave them with their crutch. If a person has a broken leg and they're on crutches, would you take their crutches away from them and demand they "walk" anyway? Or tell them they should use a scooter or electric wheel chair because it's faster and safer....even if there is not one in sight? In this case, crutches seem to be better than NOTHING. Nah bro. Trailer park folks aren't waiting on a condo or house. 400 years of slavery. Black folks can never be called lazy. Remember that laziness isn't physical, it's mental. Slavery is actually what PRODUCED the laziness. The slaves worked hard because they were FORCED to work under threat of the whip. Because of not seeing a reward or any sort of real compensation for the work he's doing, a slave will seek to get out of hard work it at every opportunity to get some relief and enjoyment in his life because his hard work only benefits others and not him. So that habit of avoid work unless necessary turned into a culture for many of our people. A legacy from the TransAtlantic Slave Trade. How did the country get locked into the western economic system? European colonization and imperialism. But today they are CHOOSING to stay in that system. Nobody is forcing them to militarily. Greed and corruption keeps the masses poor They're major factors, yes. You may not want to blame greedy and corrupt leadership and economic systems for keeping people poor. It's their reality until they decide to deal with those leaders and break free from those systems. I don't have to; most people already blame them. And they should be blamed to a certain extent because there is some truth to it. However it's not the ONLY factor keeping people poor. Those other factors...many of which are the fault of many of the poor themselves, is often more painful and shameful to admit and talk about. Poor decision-making will keep folks in poverty. Greed created the condition Poor decision making can both CAUSE poverty and MAINTAIN poverty. frankster Using Drugs as a crutch is not a viable or real solution.. It'll do, until a better one comes along. Why do you think doctor prescribe DRUGS for their patients until the depression or pain goes away? Some people need that crutch to get them through. Really Lol... Learned Helplessness True. They were taught to look to White men for their sustenance instead of doing for self. Get an advance from your employer???? Most employers don't offer that convenience. It is a Biological Imperative to reproduce....so regardless of the circumstances life must continue to strive thrive overcome.. That's not the proper way to look at it. If you can barely support yourself and you KNOW you can't, it's irresponsible and cruel to bring another life into this world. Few of the people in poverty are their because of reckless and illegal behavior.... I'm not sure of the percentage but a LOT of them are. Anyone who's been around people in poverty will recognize this. The Main cause of Poverty in the US among Non-White People is Institutional and Structural Racism.....From the Past to the Present I won't argue that. Especially since you said the MAIN cause, instead of the ONLY cause. Gangsta Rap that encourages violence and criminality is a result of Greedy Racist Music Producers and not Rap Artist.. They couldn't do so without the cooperation of the Rap Artists themselves who knowingly participate in mental genocide. According to Christian tradition, Satan tempts some humans and those who do wicked and follow him are sent to Hell. Notice that they don't just blame Satan but let the sinners he tempted go free. No. According to tradition, Satan AND those who were silly enough to fall for his temptations and do evil go to hell right along with him. Likewise, it's not enough to ONLY blame the greedy racist producers and owners, but you must also blame the no good sell-out artists who promote criminality and immorality to a beat knowing full well it's being used to destroy their community. The Police are doing the bidding of the Rich and Powerful Which is why we need to focus on not just being the police but also being powerful and rich! It is neither unethical or immoral...but a set of Rules implement by a board to Govern practicioners of the Profession. Yeah, a Board of "Ethics"...lol Because it's an ethical matter. If You were sleeping around for years and start following the scripture today.....you may still get clap back from things you did as a philanderer. But again, what about the little children and babies in Gaza and Ukraine who are killed? Most of them are from Muslim and Christian families. What did they do in the past (which is a relatively short time ago given their very young lives) that that may have contribute to them being killed by foreign weapons? No I am Not the only One to do so So just like YOU managed to stay out of trouble in part by making the RIGHT DECISIONS, others can too. So what you say about NOT being able to avoid getting in trouble because of how the system is designed isn't necessarily true. Alcoholism and Drug use is usually a sign of oppression and or depression... Sometimes. ...and sometimes it's a matter of genetics. Some people are genetically pre-disposed to being alcoholics and drug addicts no matter what their socio-economic status. Regardless of their original status, they can quickly end up in POVERTY from their addictions. Whose education??? First, a proper knowledge of SELF and who they are. Many Native Americans barely know their own culture or their own genetics and what works best for their bodies and intellect; which is one of the reasons so many of them end up alcoholics in the first place. I am leading toward Greed as being a bigger factor in the School to Prison pipeline than Race....Race is definetly a major factor Racism exist only because some groups of individuals are profiting from it Poor Whites don't profit from it, yet most of them are STILL racist as hell. Irresponsibility and recklessness is not the main reason why most black people are in poverty. Did anybody in here make that argument? I didn't. I name Balitmore Black Communities and provided a Video 1. That wasn't a SOCIETY but a community. There's a difference. 2. It wasn't destroyed because of Usury but MULTIPLE factors. Racism, crime, and substance abuse probably played much bigger rolls in the destruction of that community than high interest rates. If they are Christians and Jews they are Religionist Who may or may not be following scripture but instead follow dogma. You're guessing and making assumptions about their faith and belief. Are you suggesting that the people who called themselves Christians and Jews but still ended up being killed must have NOT been following Scripture? You said "may or may not". So what about those who MAY have been following Scripture but still got killed?

ProfD It can also be abused and/or used as a crutch. True. One person's poison is another person's medicine, depending on need and usage. But even if they're using sex (or drugs or alcohol) as a crutch, why take that crutch away if we have nothing else to replace it with at the moment? If a person is so stressed out that sex or dope is the ONLY thing keeping them from jumping off of a building, I say let them use that crutch UNTIL a more viable solution to their problems come. Why are they living in a trailer park? Most of the time they're just living there temporarily while they're condos are being carpeted or furnished. They're still not becoming rich or wealthy if impoverished. You're right for the most part, it's usually still not making them rich or wealthy (although furthering their education can often lead them out of poverty); but atleast it's not as destructive as engaging in criminality or addictions. Black people do not have a monopoly on being lazy and unambitious. Nobody said we did, but that problem is so self evident there's no denying it.. In one of the prayers in the Nation of Islam, a person seeks refuge from LAZINESS. They knew way back in the 1930s that our people had a laziness problem and had to drill it out of them. Too many of our people are at the point where they just want to lay around waiting on "Jesus" or a White man do to for them what they could have gotten up and did for themselves with ambition and unity. A country filled with resources shouldn't have poor people. That's like saying a country full of women shouldn't have gay men, lol. If those men are gay and don't want women, it doesn't matter HOW many women there are or how beautiful....women aren't their focus. The same with a lot of people when it comes to acquiring resources and wealth. If all they want is some dope to smoke and a square meal every other day...it doesn't matter how rich the nation is or what type of resources are available, THEY don't want them. As long as they can feed their addictions they will be happy as a sissy in a CC camp living on the streets. Yet, those countries are poor because a handful of greedy people control the wealth. Most of those countries themselves aren't actually poor. Like you said, they have a wealth of minerals, vegetation, and other natural and raw resources. One of the reasons they're considered "poor" is because they are locked into the Western economic system and rely on Dollars or Euros for their economies. If they got off the Western Grid and developed THEIR OWN INDEPENDENT economy with their own currency, they could literally be as rich as they want to be. Building a house or installing wood floors requires tools and materials. The people will do what they can based on access. What kind of society in 2025 doesn't even have hammers and nails and saws? Come on bro. I'm not saying those type of communities don't exist. I'm saying WHY DO they still exist? Why in the hell do you NOT have hammers and saws and nails and other simple tools in your society? What the hell are you busy doing with your time? Let me guess...their corrupt governments are preventing them from owning hammers, nails, and going to the woods to get wood and building floors for themselves. At some point, the excuses will have to be shut down. I can't blame the World Bank or Economic Hitmen on people who let their wives and children starve to death or resort to begging White men for food and aid, while....as Neely Fuller Jr. points out...the men are riding around on the back of pick-up trucks with automatic weapons going from one village to the next pillaging and killing people. Get off that damn milk crate, put the cigarette out, and get they ass in the woods and get to chopping and sawing if they want a floor. I know several people who grew up poor and now they own businesses...barbershops, beauty salons, general contracting and construction companies, dump trucks, tractor trailers, recording studios, etc. Yes! They made PROPER DECISIONS. This is what I keep trying to tell you brutha. Much of the poverty in America...among adults...is from poor decision making. Not all of it. I won't even say most of it....but a LOT of it. Not just any fool. He placed his bet with Diddy based on the work he had done with Andrell Harrell at Uptown Records. There was no guarantee he'd deliver though. So it was more than just "luck". It was a calculate investment in a young man he saw talent and ambition in. Proper decision-making allows one to maintain and grow wealth. It's not a prerequisite to obtaining wealth though. Some folks are born into it and others get lucky and there's the middle. I didn't say INHERITED...and said ACCUMULATED. Any fool can INHERIT money, but to actually come up with a plan to parlay it and generate more requires proper DECISION MAKING. Infact to just KEEP it and not LOSE it involves making a certain amount of good decisions. Of course they made decisions by aligning themselves with people who could help them get there. There you go. Proper decisions again. If amassing wealth was merely a function of decision-making, a higher percentage of the population would be rich or wealthy. Actually, yes....it is. AMASSING wealth is clearly a function of decision making. INHERITING it isn't...but AMASSING it is. Every move you make that gains you more wealth, was made from a DECISION you reached to make that move. Even buying a lottery ticket was a DECISION. You could have spent that money on a hamburger instead but DECIDED to take a risk by playing the lottery. Sometimes the decisions are a gamble and you don't know the outcome, but you still make the decision to go ahead and make that move and hope for the best. frankster The National Banks....of course - You work to get them to stop practicing Discriminatory Lending. In other word, you're saying CURRENTLY there is no other place for them to go. Because according to you the banks won't be ready for quick loans UNTIL (or unless) they stop practicing discriminatory lending, which is some time in the future. It is the national banks that support and supply these payday loan centers.....Purely as profit centers - In black communities. Payday loan centers are tools the national banks used to circumvent certain laws and regulations in order to charge up to and beyond 400% interest rate while most loans are ordinarily legally cap at around 36% nationwide Thanks for the excess information. But what you're saying is basically, there IS no place else for them to go for quick cash as of right now. That Maybe true in some cases. For Black Americans the vast Majority started out from Poverty....the government had only given a few their dued 40acres and mule and of that few the next incoming took back most. With Black Codes Jim crow Laws enacted accross most of the Country it was extremely difficult for Blacks to generate income much less generational wealth creation. Here we go now...lol. Now what does THIS have to do with parents who engage in reckless and illegal behavior and bring children into the world under such dysfunctional conditions???? I cannot see how oppressing disempowering and weakening one part of your citizenry creates strength??? Well, you said GREED on the part of one group leads to POVERTY on the part of another. Perhaps strength and weakness work on the same principle. Perhaps some people need to be MADE weak in order to you to BECOME stronger. At any rate...... I'm not suggesting that America should sacrifice the well being of her citizens for advanced weaponry and military strength. The fact is, America abandons much of her poor REGARDLESS as to how much she spends on the military. What is barbaric is not protecting the weak and volnerable. I wouldn't call it barbaric, but I'd call it callous and socio-pathic. That is not possible to the vast majority when their communities are Targeted and Overpoliced. The victims themselves making music ENCOURAGING criminal behavior and fighting with the police doesn't help either. I've said time and time again that instead of fighting with the police, Black people should BECOME the police and gain as much power and authority over our communities as we can. Morality is beyond and before religion....Religion only tried to organize explain capture and use it Morality is Right Action....it is not religious - Jeremiah 31:33 But your RELIGION often determines for you what IS "right" or "wrong" for the most part. Even things that we THINK are universally condemned as wrong like murder and theft....are often justified depending on your religion. In some religious scripture, believers are told to KILL people who haven't done anything to them personally. They are also told to plunder and take possession of land or things that didn't belong to them. Ethics is Right Behavor or Conduct. Ethics is appropriate behavior for a given setting. For example, although it may be morally fine for an unmarried doctor to ask one of his unmarried patients out on a date, it's unethical for him to do so. Nor am I saying if you follow scripture....no harm will befall you - what of what you were you before. So it begs the question, what good are they in this instance? Judges 1:19...... take the high ground and sue for peace. Is this not hiding or begging the enemy for mercy? I learned from my missteps and that of others close to me.....and was lucky And surely you don't believe you're the ONLY one fortunate enough to learn from other's mistakes and was "lucky" enough to escape the traps set to feed a mass incarceration? You and others are proof....living proof...that one CAN avoid the traps set by the system. Especially with proper DECISION MAKING. It is the Greed of men in power who refuse to pay the Native American a fair price for(or give back) their Lands.....which would lift the native American out of poverty. Most Native American communities suffer from high levels of alcoholism as well as suicide. Simply paying them more money for their land probably won't solve the problem and may even make it worse because of the current psychological condition of so many. They need to be properly educated FIRST. It is the Greed of wealthy men who make money from the school to prison pipeline why it is still being practice today....keepin many families in poverty. I'd argue that RACISM is a bigger factor than GREED in fueling the school to prison pipeline. They'd actually make MORE money investing in and educating Black and Brown students and ensuring that they don't end up in the streets or behind bars. But money isn't their biggest concern. OPPRESSION and MISTREATMENT are. Show me one of my answers that is wrong or off topic? Give an actual example from my post in response to your post....here in this thread. Provide the example Besides the example I mentioned near the top of this post about you going into another tangent about Black Codes and Jim Crow when I was talking about the irresponsible behavior of reckless parents....I'll give you 3 more examples from this thread alone: 1. When I said, "But is the person getting what they WANTED when they get the loan? Maybe they don't mind being in debt if it means getting a degree or a nice big house." Your response was, "That is them entering into "Voluntary Slavery" by going into debt to another....in some cases." Debt is NOT slavery. You aren't FORCED to work for another person to pay back their loan and in many cases you aren't even forced (legally) to pay back the loan. Their only recourse is to simply not loan or do business with you anymore. 2. You said, "Usury often destroys Societies as it does not add directly to GDP so to speak." You couldn't name me ONE society that was actually destroyed by Usury. Usury is practiced extensively through out the United States and this is one of the most prosperous and successful societies in modern history. 3. You said, "It is the Purpose of Scripture to protects from known risk...that we may be unaware of." I gave you examples of Christians and Jews who had and believed in scriptures but they still got killed. I'm still trying to understand how you square your statement up with these historic facts.

richardmurray Riker's island is legally a jail, functionally a detention center. 85% of those in Rikers are pretrial defendents. That's what I thought.

There is a lot being done by this Administration that I could care less about like removing DEI programs and targeting illegals. However this....like cutting Medicaid benefits....is one of the things this Administration has done that I CLEARLY don't like. Removing prominent Black men from the military. I don't like that at all and there is no spinning it.

ProfD Man, I was going to say (type...lol) the SAME THING. I'm not surprised. I expected a little right-leaning from most of the mainstream media simply because a Republican is in office and most of the staff in media outlets are White so they may feel a little freer to express how they really feel. However with the aggressiveness of THIS administration, I wouldn't be surprised if MSNBC did a complete 180 and gave Fox News a run for it's money. Infact, don't be surprised if you see the Huffpost huff and puff and turn into the New York Post in a few months....lol.