Rand Paul is the Tea Party’s greatest American hero at the moment.

The pseudo grassroots movement is in 7th heaven. They got Scott Brown in the Senate, (and that’s been working out well so far.) and a handful of other anti-ginormous government takeover sentiment spewing folks. And they got another one. The Kentucky Tea Party candidate folded up and beat Kentucky Secretary of State Trey Grayson (and beaten fairly soundly) for the seat and the shouts could be heard from all over the country. This is the first step in “taking the country back” and returning the power to the American people. The only people in the world that know what’s best. What’s right and good. Small government. Obeying the constitution as it was written by the Founding Fathers. Don’t Tread On Me. Revolution in November.  So on and so forth.

Then he started talking……

When the New Year rings in, we all look at the next twelve months with fresh eyes, hopeful that this time life will be different.  We start our diets first thing Monday morning, buy a new gym membership, decide that this year we’re going to get our spiritual life together, balance our budget each month, make a healthy lunch for work…and on and on.  Notice the trend here?  It’s all about relationships.  Your, mine, our relationships with God, work, food, material things, other people, at the end of the day start with our selves.  What’s your life telling you right now?  Are you in a good relationship with your time, your money, your children, your spouse, your boss, yourself?   Are you beginning, in the middle of or ending another relationship with someone, and that person or the relationship you have with him or her bears a strong resemblance to the one you had before?

Perhaps it’s time to take a hard look at where you are, especially if you don’t want to end up in the same place, same time next year.  If you are at the end of a relationship or in the middle of a questionable relationship, postpone making any life-changing decisions, or initiating any new relationships – at least for a few days, while you read and re-read this article…and make a plan.  I want to share four key elements that will help change your game plan.  This article focuses is on your interpersonal relationships, yet impacts every other “ship” that is sailing through your life.

Au naturale typically means hair worn without having been chemically processed by products meant to alter its natural state. I decided to conduct an experiment & take things one step further. I decided not use anything besides shampoo & conditioner. No oil sheen & no hair lotion – nothing used to enhance it. I don’t wear weave & I haven’t had a perm/relaxer since I was 10. (It took out all of my hair & I decided I never wanted to go down that route again.) Ever since then, I’ve gone to hair salons & had them blowdry straighten it, followed by a flatiron. I always wear the same hairstyle -  a ponytail – unless it’s a formal occasion, in which I’ll wear it down.

[Let me just add that there's nothing wrong with using anything meant to enhance your hair's natural state. I just never did it because... well after having all of your hair fall out as a result of some idiot putting a foreign object in your hair, you tend to shy away from using any products.]

I’ve always felt self-conscious about my hair. I know that I’ve looked at people’s hair & allowed it to shape how I feel about them. (i.e. Cornel West vs. Henry Louis Gates. I’ve always respected the latter’s opinion more because I just can’t look at the former and take him seriously with his hair sticking up like that.) So, instead of being so judgmental, I decided to place myself in the hot seat and see how folks would react to my little experiment.

I washed my hair, combed it & let it dry.

First reaction was a delayed one. My aunt saw me, but said nothing. Finally when it was time for me to leave for work, she looked at me & said “You’re not going to work looking like that, are you?” She shook her head and walked away. She always perms/relaxes her hair, so I wasn’t surprised by her reaction, but it didn’t do anything to strengthen my resolve. In fact, her words made me want to run back into the bathroom and pour a bottle of extra virgin olive oil on my hair…

The only person to really challenge the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals? Vanessa Bryant.

The Los Angeles Lakers struggled at the close of the regular season and had to battle off a scrappy Oklahoma City squad (wherein Kevin Durant, fresh off a regular season scoring championship, totally dropped the mic at Kobe’s feet after rocking it in game 3) to get to the Western Conference semis against the Utah Jazz.  And then, as if fresh from the cool waters of Lake Minnetonka, the Lakers arrived at the 2010 NBA Playoffs.

Eight games later, including a sweep of the aforementioned Jazz, an average margin of victory of nearly 11 points, the Lakers seem invincible.  Kobe has scored 30+ in eight straight games. Pau Gasol dropped 29 in Game 2.  A game after Amare Stoudamire called Odom’s Game 1 performance “lucky” (he had 19 pts./19 rebs) Ol’ Smashin-a-Kardashian poured in 17 and 11, respectively.  Other than Shannon Brown’s missed dunk (which wasnt challenged by Richardson as much as it was observed) …

Richardson: no this m#@$%f@#$% aint. oh s@#$ this m#@$%f@#$% is. Hope he miss … PHEW!

… really, who has challenged the Lakers thus far in this series? Other than Vanessa Bryant, that is, when she showed up wearing a T-shirt which read “Do I look illegal?” for Game 1 (for once, the $4 mil rock on her finger was overshadowed by another accoutrement).

Ms. Bryant, who is Chicana, as are her two daughters with Kobe, issued a clear challenge to the anti-immigration legislation adopted by Gov. Jan Brewer of Arizona.  Brewer, who collaborated with Rep. Russell Pearce (a white supremacy sympathizer) was looking for a poll bounce, considering her ~20% approval approval rating just months ago, and sought approval of the legislation which is actually at odds with federal law.  Though she has received that bounce, she, and her state by extension, have been vilified in the national media, hearkening back to the state’s tardiness at adopting a MLK holiday in the late 80′s (I’ve written about this here).

Her choice of attire ironically challenges the beliefs of Lakers head coach Phil Jackson more than it does anyone on the Suns’ team.  The Phoenix Suns actually side with Ms. Bryant on the issue, famously and controversially donning “Los Suns” jerseys for Game 2 of their series vs. the San Antonio Spurs in support of Latinos in the Phoenix community.  Jackson, who has a) come out in support of SB 1070 and, b) made other controversial and culturally insensitive comments about people of color in the recent past (and got that ass ethered by Scoop Jackson for doing so) has incensed Laker fans of every ethnic and cultural background by doing so.  And his comments regarding the Suns’ and Ms. Bryant’s expressions of dissent has done more to engender negative feelings associated with his ball club, including protests of their home athletic events.

In the end, Ms. Bryant has exposed Phil Jackson’s true colors. And none of them are darker than paper bags.

So during those long stretches of the Lakers v. Suns games, when the Lakers go on 15-0 runs, Kobe is hitting turnaround fadeaways for 2 sets of 10 while Steve Nash and Amare Stoudamire stand idly by, waiting to get back to AZ so someone can ask Pau Gasol for his documentos, take a minute to think about Phil Jackson’s effed up politics.  Imagine how someone who has spent this much time coaching and working with people from all over the world could so cavalierly criticize their culture, dismiss their humanity, belittle their existence.  Reconsider cheering for a man who sees no value in your affinities or expressions of heritage and tradition if you are black or Latino/Chicano.

I’m not saying don’t rock the purple and gold. I’m not saying boycott the Lakers. I am saying that if Phil Jackson doesn’t value the lives of black and brown and Latino people, he should also choose to start Luke Walton and Adam Morrison, and if that were the case, Laker fans wouldn’t even have a damn team to cheer for right now. Thanks for pointing that out, Ms. Bryant.

nota blacke: Word has it that in retaliation of the Los Angeles City Council’s decision to boycott Arizona’s passage of SB 1070, the anti-immigration/show me your papers/si se puede (vamanos) bill, the Arizona Corporation Commission is threatening to turn out the lights in Los Angeles, as it provides nearly 1/3 of the City of Los Angeles’ electricity.  Damn. Arizona wanna make erryone look illegal (if erryone is dark, do erryone go to jail?).

On the plus side for the Suns, maybe the Vegas odds drop to Suns +10 points if the lights are out in Staples.

Are you familiar with Dr. Rand Paul?

Paul, son of Ron Paul is currently the Republican Candidate for the Senate seat in Kentucky. Paul has become the center of a firestorm as of late due to a few comments he’s made concerning the Civil Rights Act.

Courier-Journal.com
The trouble with Dr. Paul is that despite his independent thinking, much of what he stands for is repulsive to people in the mainstream. For instance, he holds an unacceptable view of civil rights, saying that while the federal government can enforce integration of government jobs and facilities, private business people should be able to decide whether they want to serve black people, or gays, or any other minority group.

What view might they be speaking of? Take a listen.

• Rich Kids in Hip-Hop: Who Let the Gates Open = All Hip Hop
• Rove Rides Again – Rolling Stone
• Does It Even Matter If Elena Kagan Is Gay? – The Urban Politico
• Lesbians Can’t Hold Hands or Sing in Church – Change.org
• Dressing Modestly…or Else - Black in Cairo

This song came out about a week ago. I’ve been meaning to say something about it but my mind kept blocking out the fact that it existed. Before I continue…please, watch/listen for yourself…

Yes, that IS  the title of this post.

Please don’t get your panties/jock strap/some sort of nether region garment in a bunch. I’m not saying the Arizona Immigration law is the absolute equivalent of Jim Crow laws, but I did want to make a clear point. As it was pointed out on Crooks & Liars -”Polls on Arizona immigration law remind us of a historic truth: Discarding the civil rights of others is always a popular idea. Fox News has been having an #effing field day with the Pew Research Center’s poll which was as follows…

So of course this proves that Obama is an asshole right? Let’s ask Karl Rove and Bill O’Rielly

If you look beige, we get to question and detain you. Stop your belly aching. #NOTE:  I’m not blaming White America for this one. I mean, yes, they are the MAJORITY, but Black folk are on this band wagon as well. This seems to be a serious issue of screwing with the “Other” and its a bit disturbing.  What’s even MORE magical? Sarah Palin is trying to BLAME President Obama for the immigration problem.

“It’s time for Americans across this great country to stand up and say ‘We’re all Arizonans now and, in clear unity, we say Mr. President, do your job, secure our border,’” Palin said, standing beside Brewer at a Saturday afternoon press conference.

Yes, the immigration problem obviously JUST started when Barry arrived in the White House. Before that? Things were peachy. Awesome really. Good thing Sarah is around to explain these things to me. Other wise I’d have actual information.

When I was a child I often called my Mom “weird.“

My mother would go out of her way to include some sort of “Blackness” in my life. My mom had African poetry hanging on our walls and any possible bias that she would detect from me she’d quickly attempt to nip in the bud. 14 year old “me” took offense to this. I remember thinking my Mother needed to calm down. Why does it always have to be “Black?” Why can’t we just chill out and just be? I didn’t understand that my mother was keenly aware of American society’s natural inclination to create a bias towards whiteness. Lo and behold…

CNN
Nearly 60 years after American schools were desegregated by the landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling, and more than a year after the election of the country’s first black president, white children have an overwhelming white bias, and black children also have a bias toward white, according to a new study commissioned by CNN.

Renowned child psychologist and University of Chicago professor Margaret Beale Spencer, a leading researcher in the field of child development, was hired as a consultant by CNN. She designed the pilot study and used a team of three psychologists to implement it: two testers to execute the study and a statistician to help analyze the results.

Her team tested 133 children from schools that met very specific economic and demographic requirements. In total, eight schools participated: four in the greater New York City area and four in Georgia.

…

In the new study, Spencer’s researchers asked the younger children a series of questions and had them answer by pointing to one of five cartoon pictures that varied in skin color from light to dark. The older children were asked the same questions using the same cartoon pictures, and were then asked a series of questions about a color bar chart that showed light to dark skin tones.

The tests showed that white children, as a whole, responded with a high rate of what researchers call “white bias,” identifying the color of their own skin with positive attributes and darker skin with negative attributes. Spencer said even black children, as a whole, have some bias toward whiteness, but far less than white children.

Now here’s where it gets interesting…

“All kids on the one hand are exposed to the stereotypes” she said. “What’s really significant here is that white children are learning or maintaining those stereotypes much more strongly than the African-American children. Therefore, the white youngsters are even more stereotypic in their responses concerning attitudes, beliefs and attitudes and preferences than the African-American children.”

Spencer says this may be happening because “parents of color in particular had the extra burden of helping to function as an interpretative wedge for their children. Parents have to reframe what children experience … and the fact that white children and families don’t have to engage in that level of parenting, I think, does suggest a level of entitlement. You can spend more time on spelling, math and reading, because you don’t have that extra task of basically reframing messages that children get from society.”

I find this argument interesting.

In the year 2010 our society still creates stereotypes that influence the YOUNGEST generation towards negative views of Blackness. In Post-Racial America “dark still” is bad. The study did mention the idea of a Black child thinking something was ugly because it was White, which sounds like the result of fighting  to counter the prevalent racial voices within America.

It’s often said “Why does it have to be about Race? Stop making it about Race? Leave Race out of it!” Perhaps we should be doing the exact opposite. It’s when you don’t HAVE to discuss Race that you can so easily float on by it.

Remember last summer when a group of summer campers were kicked out of a Private swim club because they…ahem…changed the complexion of the pool? If you don’t here’s a little reminder…

Well after all hell broke loose for this lovely little club, including the U.S. Justice Department filing a lawsuit back in January of this year, it seems that the the pool was SOLD in bankruptcy court.

PHILADELPHIA — A private suburban Philadelphia swim club accused of racial discrimination has been sold at a bankruptcy auction.

The Huntingdon Valley-based Valley Club was sold for $1.46 million Thursday. The club had filed for bankruptcy in November following discrimination lawsuits and a critical state report.

The gated club sits on a leafy hillside in a village straddling two overwhelmingly white townships. Last summer it revoked the memberships of 56 mostly black and Hispanic day campers, saying there were too many children and many couldn’t swim. It said the decision was made out of safety considerations and race had nothing to do with it.

The club’s bankruptcy trustee says once the sale is cleared by the court the money will be parceled out to the claimants.

What’s up with that? You mean there’s consequences for being  blatantly racist in this country? Someone should tell Arizona. And by “Tell” I mean “Sue the bricks off of them.” Now you may say “Elon, this story doesn’t really have anything to do with Arizona.” and I would say “You’re absolutely correct.” But I have every intention of pointing out the insane amount of stupidity that’s going going on down any time i have the opportunity.

Example of an opportunity:

Random Person: “Welcome To McDonalds, how may I help you?”

Elon: “I’m not sure yet, but I do know that canceling ethnic studies would totally NOT help.”

Random Person: “Um…What?”

Elon: “Fries, please.”

And lets be honest. Arizona leadership seems to be getting stupider by the day. I’m going to be mocking them for a LONG, LONG time…oh, and telling everyone I possibly can to boycott the place. You know how us Minorities are. Give us a little info and we become all pissed and stuff…

In the days since the absolute shit-storm erupted all over the media due to Arizona’s questionable new immigration law–which many feel is nothing more than government sanctioned racism—there has been many outspoken Negroes and Negro-based groups condemning Arizona, it’s Governor and all who approve this nonsense. With me using the word “nonsense” you can clearly see that I am one of said condemning Negroes.  MSNBC’s Black Friend “The Grio” has begged the question, are such outspoken Negroes out of touch with…well…Negroes?

The cameras honed in on the Reverend Al Sharpton as he led thousands to the Arizona state capitol building in Phoenix in an old fashioned, energetic, shouting, chanting, sign and banner carrying civil rights style march. The marchers demanded repeal of Arizona’s hotly contested, controversial immigration law.

Meanwhile, on the periphery of the march, a small band of counter protestors shouted, hooted, and hectored Sharpton and the other marchers. Their action drew almost no news mention. However, their counter-protest was different. They were mostly African-American. The temptation is to laugh off their pro Arizona immigration law countermarch as a comic, sideshow, media attention grab. After all Sharpton, President Obama, the Congressional Black Caucus, all major civil rights groups and nearly all local black Democratic state and local officials unequivocally champion immigration reform and oppose the Arizona law.

Wait…hold on, stop a moment…I need to get a hold of myself…

Are you implying…that Black LEADERS are not saying what BLACK PEOPLE are thinking? Crazy talk! Supposed Black Leaders are at all times directly connected to my MIND! I wake up in the morning with a taste for bacon and immediately thereafter I see Al Sharpton on the news calling for cheaper bacon for all! We are a part of a magnificent hive mind that always makes the folks who the media picks as our representatives…er…I mean BLACK LEADERS, say EXACTLY what we all think!

At what point are we going throw out the idea of BLACK leaders? I agree with Sharpton & Michael Eric Dyson–at the moment–and I STILL don’t think they represent ME.  When I write here, on “This Week in Blackness” and I don’t represent anyone (besides folks who enjoy mocking the stupid…I totally represent you.) I speak for me, who is Black, and at times (read: ninety percent of the time) I see things from a perspective of color, but that doesn’t qualify me, OR ANYONE, as representatives.

Now if you asked me do I think the majority of American-based Negroes are pro/against Arizona’s silly law; I could throw out a working guess. I would assume that people with a shared history and knowledge of oppression a mere few years ago would be sensitive to such things and wouldn’t want that type of policy placed on anyone. This is my  “theory.”  I can’t prove it. But since I’m piecing together theories anyway, I’d also throw out there that the percentage of Negroes that are PRO Arizona’s immigration policy are probably somewhere around the  same amount as White  America. So are White American Leaders out of step when they speak against Arizona?

Right. There is no such thing. My bad. Sorry…um…just move along…nothing to see here…except for the annoying day to day hypocrisies that the American  society is built on…seriously though, free Lil’ Wayne.

QUESTION of the DAY: Are you, personally, Pro/Against Arizona’s new immigration law?

Follow @ElonJames on Twitter

It’s official. Arizona doesn’t particularly care for minorities…

I jokingly said earlier this week that they sort of liked Black People due to their cool Negro Commission. Forget the fact that some years back they weren’t too hot (GET IT!) on the whole idea of Martin Luther King, I mean because really; Who was? But with Gov. Jan Brewer‘s latest decree, it seems that you can’t even be TAUGHT specifically about the differences in our culture & histories. Yes, the same country that was BUILT on DIFFERENT CULTURES, now has a place that won’t allow you to LEARN the stories behind said cultures.

(CNN) — Fresh on the heels of a new immigration law that has led to calls to boycott her state, Arizona’s governor has signed a bill banning ethnic studies classes that “promote resentment” of other racial groups.

Gov. Jan Brewer approved the measure without public statement Tuesday, according to state legislative records. The new law forbids elementary or secondary schools to teach classes that are “designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group” and advocate “the overthrow of the United States government” or “resentment toward a race or class of people.”

Um…what do you mean by “resentment?” Because lets be honest here. Slavery might cause a little “resentment.” The founding of this COUNTRY might cause a little “resentment.” The expansion of our country WEST might cause a little “RESENTMENT.” So exactly what are we going to teach the children of Arizona?

“Listen. America is AWESOME. We’ve always BEEN awesome. There is nothing different about any of you kids–What? Your uncle was just tackled this morning and asked for papers? Well…he might be different…but we don’t need to get into that.” – Arizona Teaching Syllabus

Here’s what pops into my head. Jan Brewer knew EXACTLY the outcry that would go down upon signing this into law. The buzz about Arizona possibly banning ethnic studies has been around for weeks. She KNEW what minorities–hell, even a crap load of NON-minorities–would think about it and basically said,

“I, Jan Brewer, sayeth unto thee…Go ‘eff yourself.”  - Gov. Jan Brewer’s inner monologue

Banning Ethnic studies means banning mostly all of the history that’s taught in America today. Can we honestly pretend that there isn’t a heavy skewing of perspective in what’s placed in front of kids today? The skewing, just so happens to be, as Michael Eric Dyson points out, towards White America.

Do you understand how annoyed I am to have to sit here and AGREE with the Hip Hop Professor Michael Eric Dyson?!?!? Are you happy Jan Brewer?

Arizona school Superintendent Tom Horne quoted one his teachers as saying Chicano studies creates anger in students. Really? You mean when America took land from them and now requires their descendants to carry papers proving a right to BE here, on occasion, stirs a bit of vitriol for the o’ Red, White and Blue? Thats just CRAZY talk.  Superintendent Horne even went as far as saying that it was a DOWNER…AN EFFING DOWNER to teach those types of things.

Last year I pointed out that it felt like we were going back to 1952. I might have been wrong. Perhaps 1852…

Besides the fact that Arizona is now just plain ol’ scary, we really should be nervous about all of this. This doesn’t feel like just some crazy old crazies being crazy. This feels more like “The Beginning.” The line is being drawn in the sand and depending on how this plays out, we may watch the clock turn backwards on our supposedly “awesome” society.

Well, at least Gucci Mane is free…

After several marathon heated arguments on Twitter about rape and what constitutes “real rape”, a phrase I abhor, I find myself deeply disgusted with mankind. Particularly men. In 2010 I never thought I would see men try to argue that statutory rape isn’t real rape or that blackmailing a woman to have sex isn’t real rape either. Those statements are always followed by the cowardly (Yes, COWARDLY) caveat that “Well I’m just saying it’s a different type or degree of rape”. I find that a cowardly statement because if that was what was really trying to be conveyed, the phrase “not real rape” wouldn’t be used. 3rd degree rape is just as much rape as 1st degree rape. Might have different legal penalties but it is still rape. Also, what’s the purpose of pointing out that it’s a different degree? When someone kills someone, you don’t say “Well, it’s not real murder. It was only 2nd degree.” So why do we need to point out every time a rape occurred what degree it is? Sadly I think the answer is because most men don’t think anything less than a knife-in-throat- back-alley-stranger-rape is real rape. I find that incredibly disturbing. Particularly because that scenario isn’t the common rape scenario. Rape is having sex with someone without their consent. While physical force can be used to take away someone’s consent, that’s not the only a person can be forced to do something against their consent.

Ever think to yourself “I need up my Negro quotient.” Would you prefer more color in your day? Have you ever walked into a party and yelled “Where da’ Black people at?” Well maybe you should read this…

VIA The Huffington Post
In one of the greatest domestic population shifts in American history, African Americans poured out of the South in the early 20th century. The so-called “Great Migration” brought millions of southern blacks to areas across the country, including hundreds of thousands who came to Chicago. The city’s South Side quickly became the black capital of the United States.

Now, according to a new report, that same trend is operating in reverse.

“The State of Metropolitan America,” compiled by the Brookings Institute, shows that Chicago has been surpassed by Atlanta, Georgia as the city with the second-largest black population in America.

Pack your bags and head to ATLANTA. Chicago is still good coming in at number three. Now if you really want some Blacktasticness™ the number one place is pretty easy to guess. New York City Metro Area is still the number one spot for Blacks. Which I, as a New Yorker, I find hilarious because I still walk into parties and immediately attain rare collectible status since I might be one of three Negroes around. I think this study could be seen as less of a “Hey, this is where you can find them!” and more of a “Hey…this is where you might want to avoid if you have…ahem…issues…with…um, you know…”The Situation”…and we don’t mean a douche bag from Jersey…“

Want more options for hight doses of Negrotude?  Try Dallas, Houston, Miami, Charlotte, Phoenix and Tampa.

Contrary to ridiculous headline over at Urban Daily of “Gabourey Sidibe Is Letting The Fame Go To Her Head” (no question mark)  the video below shot by TMZ shows  Ms. Sidebe trying to exit an airport and paparazzi being…well…all paparazzi-like. It’s not like their known for being so awesome. One goes as far as to ask does she prefer to be called Gabby or Precious.

Um, what?

Would she like to be called the slim-witted emotionally, sexually, and mentally abused “Precious” or her own M’effin name. I wonder…