Category Archives: Socio-Cultural Commentary

Section for cultural views, critique, analysis

Human and Civil Rights, Socio-Cultural Commentary

100 Reasons why cops need policing!

February 8, 2014 admin Leave a comment

100 Reasons why cops need policing!

by: Staff

The abuse of authority by police is growing excessively, and on a national scale. Cops are shooting more unarmed individuals. Cops are shooting and fatally wounding individuals with their hands up and other vulnerable positions. They are framing innocent individuals to meet quota and arrest records. They are violating citizens civil rights, and their salary is derived from public tax dollars of the very citizens they violate. The ease in which cops beat the court cases makes it appear that there isn’t true justice.

Here are some links for you to review and judge for yourself. The negligent, and reckless behavior is compounded with brash obnoxious/ arrogant bully-like behavior. This has lead to an authoritarian mind state and a mob mentality among officers. Many cops have mutated into legalized sociopaths and co-conspirators in narcotics trafficking. Some officers have real psychiatric problems and engage in sexually deviant behavior behind the badge.

The sickening behavior of some, is ruining the image and integrity of many good cops that perform their duty with true honor, respect, and valor.

The judicial system and law enforcement agencies act as if we’re hallucinating when we tell our stories. So it’s best to conduct our own research, and collect our own data for the public to view. Decide for yourself.

Cops are supposed to enforce the law, so there should corruption should be a non-factor in law enforcement. Police should be held to a zero tolerance policy. Some of these cases will make “Training Day” look like Beverly Hills Cops.

What are your thoughts on all these cases?

http://www.wtop.com/109/3529074/DC-officer-charged-with-attacking-wife
http://www.wtop.com/120/3528787/Ex-Va-officer-loses-appeal-in-fatal-shooting
http://www.wtop.com/109/3527109/Officer-charged-in-prostitution-case-due-in-court
http://www.wtop.com/41/3526934/Officer-in-trainee-shooting-sentenced-to-60-days
http://www.wtop.com/58/3524854/Prince-Georges-police-Officer-shot-by-fellow-cop
http://www.wtop.com/41/3522188/Family-of-teen-to-sue-DC-and-police-officer
http://www.wtop.com/209/3521159/NM-police-officer-in-van-shooting-to-appeal-firing
http://www.wtop.com/41/3524520/Howard-County-officer-charged-with-DUI
http://www.wtop.com/109/3522446/Speculation-surrounds-man-pulled-from-water-near-Hains-Point
http://www.wtop.com/209/3521610/Chief-Fatally-shot-Texas-student-charged-officer
http://www.wtop.com/209/3522817/Another-man-freed-in-Chicago-police-torture-saga
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/files-dc-officer-accused-of-killing-ex-girlfriend-admits-to-meeting-with-her/2011/06/06/AGK5IbKH_story.html -DC police officer cheats on his wife, and kills his impregnated mistress, and allows the baby to die in the car from summer heat exhaustion
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/23/21105239-university-of-california-cop-who-pepper-sprayed-student-protesters-awarded-38000?lite
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/dc-police-officer-indicted-on-attempted-murder-charge/2013/12/20/06f868a2-6989-11e3-ae56-22de072140a2_story.html
http://www.businessinsider.com/cleveland-police-suspends-63-cops-after-deadly-car-chase-2013-10 -ohio car chase
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/15/justice/north-carolina-police-shooting/ -FAMU shooting
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/03/miriam-carey-capitol-shooting_n_4040115.html
http://graphics.latimes.com/christopher-dorner-manhunt/ – two innocent women shot in truck in search for Christopher Dorner
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/25/nypd-officer-gilbert-valle-attempted-kidnapping-cannibalism-cooking_n_2017108.html -cop wanted to cook and eat girlfriend
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/04/opinion/blow-the-curious-case-of-chavis-charter.html?_r=0 -CHAVEZ CARTER
http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/12/05/15702942-police-handcuffed-high-school-student-shoots-self-in-back-of-police-car?lite – another chavez carter case
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/06/nyregion/grief-and-anger-after-noel-polanco-is-fatally-shot-by-police.html -noel polanco
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/queens/police-involved-sean-bell-shooting-canned-article-1.1050169 -Sean bell
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/nyregion/amadou-diallos-mother-asks-why-officer-who-shot-at-her-son-will-get-gun-back.html -amadou diallo
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/08/09/the-abner-louima-case-10-years-later/ – abner louima
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/times-square-shooting-nypd-officers-shoot-two-innocent-bystanders-near-times-square/ -time square shooting
http://www.copblock.org/25561/macon-georgia-officer-slaughter-civilian-at-favorite-hangout/ -sammie davis junior
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/21/justice/michigan-police-shooting/ -saginaw michigan shooting
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-11-06/news/ct-met-chicago-cop-fatal-shooting-1106-20131106_1_officer-gildardo-sierra-flint-farmer-previous-shootings -chicago officer
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/05/oscar-grant-iii-fatally-s_n_155462.html -oscar grant
http://abcnews.go.com/Archives/video/march-1991-rodney-king-videotape-9758031 -rodney king
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/18/nyregion/officer-accused-of-civil-rights-violation-in-false-arrest.html?_r=0 -fried another nigger
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/05/04/nyregion/ex-officer-guilty-of-manslaughter-in-crash-following-drinking-bout.html – drunk cop kills entire family
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/14/nyregion/officer-pleads-not-guilty-in-ramarley-graham-shooting.html -ramarley graham
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/04/patrick-tuter-fired-garland-police-shooting-41-times_n_2805379.html – cop shoots man 41 times and reloaded weapon
http://rt.com/usa/man-duenez-shooting-video-012/ -cop shoots latino male in front of wife 13 times
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2384192/Police-officer-shoots-kills-unarmed-homeless-man-Hans-Kevin-Arellano.html
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/06/justice/new-mexico-search-lawsuit/ – anal cavity search
http://www.cnn.com/2013/10/02/us/police-beating-video/ – atlantic city officers beat and use K9
http://articles.latimes.com/2013/oct/10/local/la-me-ln-lapd-officer-kicking-woman-video-20131010 – woman kicked and dies while restrained and cuffed
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/19/nyregion/man-is-awarded-2-4-million-for-false-arrest-and-beating-by-police.html?src=recg – noel guzman, wrongly treated by police and not a participant
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/23/darrin-manning-testicle-rupture_n_4651700.html– police stop unarmed high school kid and squeezes his testicles until its ruptured
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/02/05/curtis-reeves-police-captain-theater-shooting-hearing_n_4730226.html?utm_hp_ref=new-york&ir=New+York -ex-police captain shoots man in movie theater for texting during movie previews
. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/02/21/nyregion/man-framed-by-new-york-detective-to-get-6-4-million-without-filing-suit.html?from=homepage -man serves over 20 years from being framed by police investigator
http://www.wtop.com/25/675879/Jury-Awards-37M-in-Prince-Georges-Police-Shooting – cop follows and shoots man in a jeep his mother purchased for him, assuming it was stolen
http://abcnews.go.com/US/dash-cam-video-clears-nj-man-violent-traffic/story?id=22660928 – Marcus Jeter breaks and is pulled over in New Jersey, punched in the face with guns drawn, pulled from car, and cops falsify records to make an arrest to imprison him
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/police-tase-shoot-and-kill-90-poundpolice – cop shoots and kills a 90 lb schizophrenic boy that was already restrained and tased by two cops in front of his family
http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/08/16/georgia.botched.raid/ -cops raid a 92 yr old grandmother’s house with no-knock warrant, shoot and kill her using fabricated data
http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/25/justice/california-police-corruption-arrests/index.html -cops impounding cars and auctioning them off illegally for revenue
http://nypost.com/2014/02/21/cops-hit-my-car-then-arrested-me-to-cover-it-up-suit/ – cops drive down a street the wrong way, hit a parked car and arrest the owner and try to cover up
http://www.ajc.com/news/news/breaking-news/dekalb-police-officer-arrested-on-drug-trafficking/nZpjb/ -another cop busted in drug trafficking
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/story/23291870/clayton-county-officer-arrested-in-alleged-drug-deal – another cop busted in drug trafficking
http://www.fbi.gov/atlanta/press-releases/2013/ten-current-and-former-law-enforcement-officers-among-15-arrested-for-protecting-drug-dealers-in-federal-drug-trafficking-sting – ten Georgia cops participating in drug trafficking
http://www.newsday.com/long-island/nassau/officer-anthony-dileonardo-faces-nassau-police-charges-in-cabdriver-shooting-says-source-1.6914852 – drunk cop shoots unarmed cap driver in argument
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/texas-shoots-wife-days-posting-gun-review-protecting-police-article-1.1705405 – cop buys shotgun and shoots his wife and then himself
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/08/us/california-police-beating/index.html– police beat homeless unarmed man to death
http://www.cnn.com/2012/05/03/justice/new-york-chamberlain-death/ -police force their way into a veteran’s apartment and shoot him to death when he accidentally presses his emergency alert assistance device
http://www.businessinsider.com/police-informant-allegedly-plants-cocaine-in-mans-business-2013-7 -police use informant to plant crack-cocaine in owners smoke shop
http://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2013/09/02/federal-lawsuit-alleges-lowell-police-informants-planted-drugs-scores-cases/aWbMvZkjQUHBo0Bqrp8xxN/story.html – another case where police officer and department being sued for using informant that plants drugs on citizens to help make arrests
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/02/nyregion/brooklyn-detective-convicted-of-planting-drugs-on-innocent-people.html?_r=0 -Brooklyn narcotics officer found guilty of planting drugs on innocent citizen
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/12/nyregion/former-new-york-police-officer-fatally-shoots-wife-in-queens-police-say.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%23%2Fcop%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F -police officer shoots and kills his own wife
http://nypost.com/2014/01/22/deal-near-in-central-park-five-lawsuit/ -police coerce and force 5 innocent juvenile New York City males into false confession that resulted in over 10 years of incarceration
http://www.nytimes.com/1999/07/09/nyregion/officer-acquitted-in-squeegee-man-s-shooting.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%233&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%23%2Fcop%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F4%2F -New York officer shoots unarmed homeless squeegee windshield cleaning man in the chest for attempting to clean his windshield
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/28/us/tacoma-police-chief-shoots-wife-before-killing-himself-authorities-say.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%234&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%23%2Fcop%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F5%2F -Tacoma, Washington police chief critically injures wife by shooting her in the head and then kills himself
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/06/us/06danziger.html?pagewanted=all&action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%234&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry395%23%2Fcop%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F5%2F&_r=0 -New Orleans cops found guilty of shooting unarmed Katrina victims on the Danziger bridge
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/us/2-years-after-116-police-bullets-flew-few-answers.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%237&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry395%23%2Fcop%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F8%2F – Florida cops fire 116 shots at drunk driver that was stopped in the street
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/05/12/nyregion/ex-officer-gets-6-years-for-killing-suspect.html?ref=franklynreid -Connecticut cop shoots and kills suspect while on his knees and back turned
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/16/nyregion/officer-killed-boyfriend-and-son-in-murder-suicide-police-say.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%237&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry395%23%2Fcop%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F8%2F&_r=0 -officer shoots and kills her boyfriend, year old son and herself
http://www.nytimes.com/1991/05/15/nyregion/correction-officer-shoots-son-in-car-police-say.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%232&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry355%23%2Fofficer%2Bshoots%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F3%2F -cop previously arrested for drunk driving with loss of gun privileges, shoots his own son twice on highway
http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/10/25/officers-accused-of-smuggling-guns-in-federal-corruption-case/?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry355%23%2Fofficer%2Bplanted%2Bnarcotics%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F – New York police officers charged with gun trafficking and smuggling cigarrettes. Trafficking over a dozen handguns, M-16 rifle, shotgun, and etc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/13/nyregion/ticket-fixing-defendant-jose-ramos-accused-of-murder-plot.html?ref=ticketfixingscandal&_r=0 -several New York police officers involved and indicted on a ticket fixing scandal, and an officer guilty of attempted murder, attempted robbery, attempting to traffic heroin, and etc.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/24/nyregion/a-case-of-innocence-with-police-missteps-seemingly-at-every-turn.html – 2 innocent women sentenced to 40 years of prison from faulty police investigation and coercion.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/former-dc-police-officer-sentenced-to-15-years-in-09-murder-robbery/2011/10/21/gIQASPBv4L_story.html -Washington D.C. police officer sentenced to 15 years in jail for serving as a lookout in his police cruiser to help in a robbery of a drug dealer that also resulted in a murder
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/20/nyregion/20camden.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry355%23%2Fofficer%2Bplanted%2Bnarcotics%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F -185 drug cases had to be dropped in Camden New Jersey because officer either planted drugs, performed illegal searches, stole drugs and money from suspects, trumped up charges, and paid prostitutes money to inform
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/09/08/us/11-miami-officers-facing-us-charges-in-3-shooting-deaths.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry355%23%2Fofficer%2Bplanted%2Bnarcotics%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F -11 Miami, Florida officers charged with corruption, stealing and tampering with evidence, planting guns at the scene of a crime
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/123-shots/ -further investigation into cops shooting 73 yr old man 123 times in Miami, Florida and planting firearms in search for drugs , no drugs found
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/02/01/nyregion/officer-pleads-guilty-in-conspiracy-to-sell-drugs.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%230&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry263%23%2Fofficer%2Bguilty%2Bof%2Bconspiracy%2F – New York police officer conspired to sell drugs by stealing narcotics from dealers, and reselling them to other drug dealers, sentenced to 6 months in jail and 4.5 years probation. How many drug dealers serve 10 and 20 year sentences for this.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/14-more-correctional-officers-charged-in-maryland-detention-facilities-case/2013/11/21/0af0e55c-52d1-11e3-9fe0-fd2ca728e67c_story.html – 14 Baltimore, Maryland corrections officers indicted on racketeering, drug smuggling and money laundering into Maryland prison.
http://nypost.com/2007/05/03/coke-cop-cooked/ – another New York city cop found guilty of trying to rob drug dealers and conspiring to sell the narcotics with her uncle by robbing stash houses and trying to resell the cocaine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/16/us/3-of-4-officers-convicted-in-police-corruption-case.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry263%23%2Fofficer%2Bguilty%2Bof%2Bconspiracy%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F – Los Angeles police officers framing suspects, tampering with evidence, lying about false arrests resulting in the dismissal of 100 cases and almost $100 million in civil lawsuits against the city
http://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/07/nyregion/two-officers-convicted-in-30th-precinct.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry263%23%2Fofficer%2Bguilty%2Bof%2Bconspiracy%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F -an detailed article about NYPD’s Dirty 30 precinct
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/26/nyregion/police-officer-pleads-guilty-in-robberies-of-drug-dealers.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%231&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry263%23%2Fofficer%2Bguilty%2Bof%2Bconspiracy%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F2%2F&_r=0 -NYPD cop sentenced to 25 years for robbing drug dealers with a goon squad that netted over 550 pounds of cocaine and $1 million dollars in drug proceeds. He gave his crew NYPD raid outifts, and used false search warrants.
http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/09/nyregion/3-officers-held-on-charges-of-extortion-conspiracy.html?action=click&module=Search&region=searchResults%232&version=&url=http%3A%2F%2Fquery.nytimes.com%2Fsearch%2Fsitesearch%2F%3Faction%3Dclick%26region%3DMasthead%26pgtype%3DHomepage%26module%3DSearchSubmit%26contentCollection%3DHomepage%26t%3Dqry263%23%2Fofficer%2Bguilty%2Bof%2Bconspiracy%2Fsince1851%2Fallresults%2F3%2F – Brooklyn cops called the “Morgue Boys” stole money, drugs, made false arrests, split the money from their scandals inside the police precinct, stole guns from crime scenes and reused them.
http://www.fbi.gov/baltimore/press-releases/2012/baltimore-city-police-officer-sentenced-to-20-years-in-prison-for-trafficking-heroin-while-on-duty -Baltimore police officer sentenced to 20 years in jail for participating in heroin trafficking.
http://www.fbi.gov/baltimore/press-releases/2014/former-baltimore-police-officer-sentenced-to-five-years-in-prison-for-protecting-a-heroin-dealer-and-illegally-accessing-police-databases-in-fraudulent-tax-refund-scheme -police officer provided protection for drug dealer and was co-conspirator in tax fraud scheme using police database for same, birthdays, social security numbers
http://www.fbi.gov/chicago/press-releases/2013/former-dolton-police-officer-sentenced-to-75-months-in-prison-for-violating-civil-rights-of-two-men-he-beat-with-baton -Chicago cop does 75 months for beating two unarmed club goers with a metal baton because they cursed at him, then left the scene without calling for medical attention. The victims required hospital surgery to close head wounds.
http://www.fbi.gov/newyork/press-releases/2014/former-east-haven-police-officer-sentenced-to-30-months-in-prison-for-civil-rights-offenses – police officers illegally search vehicle, arrest the owner under false pretense, unlawfully go to the store’s backroom and confiscate the video of their illegal search and file false police reports about their illegal arrest.
http://www.fbi.gov/miami/press-releases/2014/former-city-of-miami-police-officer-sentenced-on-corruption-charges – Miami officer sentenced to 81 months in prison for extortion, Identity theft, illegal access of police database to commit tax fraud
http://www.fbi.gov/denver/press-releases/2014/former-littleton-police-officer-sentenced-to-48-months-in-federal-prison-for-firearms-and-drug-trafficking-convictions – Colorado cop selling MDMA pills, and selling guns, found with 8 firearms, steroids, and cocaine
http://www.fbi.gov/miami/press-releases/2014/former-city-of-miami-police-officer-sentenced-in-identity-theft-tax-refund-fraud-scheme – another Miami police officer sentenced to 144 months in prison for tax fraud by using police system database to access citizen information to make fraudulent tax claims
http://www.fbi.gov/jackson/press-releases/2013/former-water-valley-police-officer-sentenced – Mississippi police officer sentenced for taking money from drug dealer to provide special law enforcement information, obstruction of an investigation, and extortion under color of right
http://www.fbi.gov/detroit/press-releases/2013/former-highland-park-police-officer-sentenced-to-prison-on-bribery-charges – Police officer and indicted and sentenced for extortion and transporting 4 kilos of cocaine for a drug dealer and using his badge and gun in the process.
http://www.fbi.gov/miami/press-releases/2014/former-hialeah-police-officer-and-wife-sentenced-for-dealing-in-firearms-without-a-license – Miami cop and his wife sentenced to 5 years in prison for selling over 500 firearms without a license in Florida, and falsifying tax documents, and failing to report $350,000 in income.
http://www.fbi.gov/memphis/press-releases/2013/former-memphis-police-officer-sentenced-to-84-months-for-civil-rights-violations-drug-conspiracy – Memphis police officer serving 7 years in federal prison for trying to purchase 10 kilos of cocaine to distribute.
http://www.fbi.gov/baltimore/press-releases/2012/former-prince-georges-county-police-officer-sentenced-in-extortion-conspiracy -Prince Georges cop to serve 46 months for cigarette extortion conspiracy worth over $1 million dollars of illegal tobacco
http://www.fbi.gov/kansascity/press-releases/2012/retired-springfield-police-officer-sentenced-to-19-years-for-sexually-exploiting-a-minor – Police officer involved in child predatory exploitation to serve 19 years in jail, installing secret cameras in bedroom and bathroom of a 14 year old and commanding the camera thru wireless controls
http://www.fbi.gov/sanantonio/press-releases/2011/sa041111.htm -Laredo, Texas police officer to serve almost 25 years in prison for using police equipment to try and transport 20 kilos of cocaine from south to north Laredo.
http://www.fbi.gov/philadelphia/press-releases/2012/former-reading-police-officer-sentenced-in-connection-with-sex-trafficking-case -Philadelphia police officer complicit in trafficking females under the age of 18 years old for sex
http://www.fbi.gov/kansascity/press-releases/2010/kc120910a.htm -cop sentenced to 10 years in prison without parole for producing child pornography.
http://www.fbi.gov/columbia/press-releases/2009/co052709.htm – South Carolina officer sentenced to 20 years in jail for taking money from a drug dealer for protection, and to operate with impunity within a drug trafficking ring.

Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

82,000 tons of Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury coal ash in Dan River!

February 8, 2014 admin Leave a comment

82,000 Tons of toxic coal ash in Dan River (NC) Lead, Arsenic, Mercury

By:Doc Swagg

Once again, another energy industry catastrophe has struck and inflicted a subsequent blow to our environment. This follows the spill in West Virginia no less than a month ago.

An energy company, Duke Energy, is responsible for a “coal ash” spill into the Dan River. This river runs from North Carolina to Virginia. The most recent reports estimate a spill of 82,000 tons of the coal ash, and 27 million gallons of contaminated water.

The spill is important because it contains environmental toxins and hazardous contaminants such as: Lead, Arsenic, and Mercury. Video footage across several nationwide and local news networks show murky discolored water. This is extremely significant, because this will affect the aquatic life in that region. Despite what TV reporters may say, there are several physiological problems with this. Lead in the blood can stay in your system for for well over a month, it can stay in your connective tissue for well over 2 months, and can remain n bone and teeth for 10 years. Lead damages sperm cells, it’s known to lead to still births, miscarriages, and multiple developmental abnormalities in babies neurological system. Lead levels down stream are 13 times higher than normal.

Below is a link about lead from an occupational safety resources:

http://www.osh.net/articles/archive/osh_basics_2001_may26.htm

Mercury also causes harmful neurological abnormalities in fetuses, babies, and young children. Below is a link from the EPA about the harmful effects of Mercury:

http://www.epa.gov/hg/effects.htm

According to the EPA, arsenic is linked to cancer of the bladder, liver, kidneys, lung, and prostate. Arsenic also can cause partial paralysis, blindness, skin and gastrointestinal problems. The Arsenic levels found downstream from the spill are reportedly 35 times higher than the Maximum Acceptable Contaminant amount in drinking water set forth by the EPA.

The EPA effects of Arsenic are below:

http://water.epa.gov/lawsregs/rulesregs/sdwa/arsenic/index.cfm

These are threats to our health because of the fish that we introduce to our food chain have the potential to harm us, and the drinking/bathing water put us at risk for all of these conditions. The spill is new, so we have yet to see what the final impact will be. I hope that the news media covers this meticulously and vigilantly. Make no mistake about this. This is very serious!

This is the Executive Summary from 2009 that the EPA already warned about the hazards of Coal Ash from Duke Energy and its destructive potential at the Dan River:

http://www.epa.gov/osw/nonhaz/industrial/special/fossil/surveys2/dan-river-final.pdf

Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Acidification of our oceans will increase by 170% by 2100!

February 6, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Acidification of our oceans will increase by 170% by 2100!

By: Doc Swagg

Marvin Gaye was prophetic in his song, Mercy Me (the Ecology). Marvin broke down the numerous insults we are inflicting on our living habitat, and ultimately damaging our ecology.

According to a report from the 2012 Symposium on the Ocean, our oceans are rapidly undergoing the process of acidification. This process is having a staggering deleterious effect on our water, seafood, and tourism.

What’s actually happening?

The cause of our ocean acidification is based on the exponential increase in Carbon Dioxide (CO2) build up in the atmosphere due to industrial burn off of fossil fuels and coal. The burning of coal and oil release high amounts of CO2 into the environment.

According to the report, ” the rate of change may be faster than at any time in the last 300 million years, predicting that by 2100 there will have been a 170% increase in ocean acidity, compared to pre-industrial times.”

Approximately 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions are absorbed into the water, a portion is also absorbed by plants and trees that convert CO2 into oxygen, and the remaining is floating around in the atmosphere and traps solar radiation in our ecosystem. The CO2 absorbed by the water is converted to carbonic acid.

Why does this matter?

The carbonic acid produced drops the ocean’s pH level and acidifies it. The acidity inhibits the growth and formation of much sea life. Clams, oysters, mussels, and other shellfish cant properly form their calcium embedded shells, and the acidity kills off their larva. The carbonic acid disrupts the calcium carbonate that composes a substantial portion of their shells.

The acidity also is highly corrosive to our shoreline, and thus it’s postulated that we will experience mass erosion of coastal lines. Furthermore, the plankton absorb high amounts of CO2 via photosynthesis in the water, but as they die off, they are releasing higher proportions of CO2 in deep ocean waters.

We are witnessing a self feeding chain of ecological destruction. The production of CO2 from industrial processes increases atmospheric CO2 content that traps solar radiation and raises global temperatures. We also have the acidification of the ocean because the ocean is absorbing historic levels of CO2, but the ocean can reach a saturation point where plankton die off and release CO2. Thus, the CO2 is not being absorbed by the ocean and adding to the atmospheric CO2.

The 2012 Earth System Science Data Journal said that the ocean absorbs approximately 8 billion tons of CO2 each year.

What’s the economic impact?

The Pacific Northwest has a reported $111 million dollar shellfish industry. Active shellfish hatchery owners have come close to bankruptcy several times, because they rely on the larva of shellfish to sell nationwide to shellfish farms across the country. They also say that this is something that is soon to affect the East Coast Atlantic regions of the worlds waters, and that devastating effects will cause a major crisis if we can’t reign in the over-production and emission of CO2.

Also consider this……

What happens as we are steadily conducting deforestation and a global level. Environmentalist are embroiled in a battle with capitalist that are deforesting the Amazon and other land masses that have dense forest, woodland, and other vegetation. When we reduce our trees and woodlands, we are removing another CO2 removing agent in our environment and contribute to global warming and ocean acidification.

What’s your thoughts on this??

Sources:

1. http://ocean.nationalgeographic.com/ocean/critical-issues-ocean-acidification/

2. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/03/27/climate-change-seas/2024759/

3. http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/14/world/ocean-acidification-report/

Business & Financial News, Environmental, Socio-Cultural Commentary

You know you can buy the weather

February 5, 2014 admin Leave a comment

You know you can buy the weather$$

By: Doc Swagg

We’ve been bombarded with a barrage of weird weather over the last few years. We’ve been trying to adapt to the extremes in weather that proliferate both in and out of season. We’ve also become acquainted with vocabulary that’s unfamiliar to our weather lexicon like: Derecho, Polar Vortex, and Arctic Blasts. We’ve witnessed the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and Sandy. We’ve also seen mudslides, droughts and uncontrollable wildfires.

What if I told you that you can make money off weather in a multi-billion dollar industry? Would you invest? Would you do further research into this? Would you change your handling of money, knowing that even weather is for sale, and you are only a customer?

Let’s make it rain

Well truthfully people have been making money off the weather since early 2000. There are what’s called Weather Futures. The same way Wall Street conducts commodity trading of stocks, bonds, exchange traded funds and other financial capital, there is another entity called The Chicago Mercantile Exchange. This is where weather futures transactions occur. Simply put, futures is a contract that allows a purchaser to speculate or bid on the future projected price of a supply or resource, and lock in that price when that time arrives. This is good if you speculate properly.

This is the Chicago Mercantile Exchange link: http://www.cmegroup.com/

Let’s illustrate this for a better understanding. Suppose the current price for a pound of sugar is $2.00, as a competitor in the candy industry, I see the demand for sugar increasing. I can sign a futures contract to lock in a cost of $3.00 per pound in 2017. 2017 arrives and the demand for sugar is high like I predicted but the price of sugar in 2017 is actually $5.00 per pound. Well I’ve just saved a lot of money by locking in a purchase price of $3.00 per pound where as my competitors pay market price of $5.00. The down side is if I guess wrong and the future price drops, I’m then locked in a contract to pay $3.00 per pound and the 2017 price could be $1.50 per pound, so I’ve lost money.

Many weather futures bid on inches of rain fall, changes in temperature, snowfall and other variations of climate fluctuations. This has tremendous financial implications. Let’s extrapolate this knowledge into the American marketplace. When it’s cold like we’ve been experiencing lately, we increase demand for heat, and thus it’s a boom in revenue for the oil industry. When it’s extremely hot, we want air conditioning, and that is a big boom in revenue for utility companies. How does this impact the farming and agriculture industry?

Farmers must strategically plan and protect their crop production and harvesting capabilities. They must estimate rainfall, quantity of seeds, soil saturation, and more. If I can follow the trend of global warming, then it may be wise for me to lock in seed prices based on predicted increases in temperature.

There are weather derivatives just like stock derivatives. There are hurricane futures. The weather futures market was estimated to be a $19 billion dollar market back in 2010. The value has probably increased since then.

Striking 14 Carat “Cold”

All financial markets have forces that try to manipulate it for their financial gain. You are probably wondering how this happens with weather. Google the term “geoengineering”. There are agencies that have been conducting atmospheric climate manipulation and modification. This began with the experiments of Nikola Tesla (1856-1943) who created artificial lightening.

There was a bill that was submitted to congress called, THE WEATHER MODIFICATION RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER AUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005, but the bill died. The bill clearly explains the research used to artificially modify the weather, and the Department of Commerce was one of the agencies included in the bill. Why would the Department of Commerce be included in this bill? You have struck gold if you have the scientific and technological community able to modify the weather, and you have the capital to hedge on your future projections.

The proposed bill: https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/109/hr2995/text

Anyway, now you know if you didn’t already, that windfall profits (no pun intended) can be made by investing in weather. Does this market encourage more geoengineering to increase profiteering in weather futures for individuals wealthy enough to participate in this form of hedging?

Some links below will fill in the blanks if you’re curious, and I’ve also included a video on weather derivatives from Bloomberg Business News.

http://business.time.com/2012/01/24/no-snow-no-problem-how-wall-street-profits-from-weird-weather/

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/09/14/mf.get.rich.off.weather/

What are your thoughts on this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuwuWPxUF-Q&sns=em

Health and Fitness, Socio-Cultural Commentary

Breakthrough alternative to invasive colonoscopies!

February 4, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Breakthrough alternative to invasive colonoscopies!

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

A technological company in Israel has gained FDA approval in the use of a high resolution mini-camera in the performance of colonoscopies. Colonoscopies are typically recommended for adults once they reach middle age (around 50 years old). Many patients have an aversion or a little trepidation to the invasive nature of a colonoscopy. The procedure requires individuals to first clear their gastrointestinal tract with fluids that promote bowel evacuation the day before the procedure. This guarantees a clear visual field for the gastroenterologist.

The patient is typically laying on their side, and the doctor inserts tubing that has a small camera at the end. The camera is able to detect colon polyps and other gastrointestinal abnormalities in the GI tract. There are risks with this procedure because the doctor can accidentally rupture a polyp.

The technological innovation

The company developed a battery powered microcamera that takes multiple internal pictures of the colon as it travels, and it’s in the form of a pill! The pictures are transmitted to an external device via wireless capabilities. This reduces the physical anal penetration of the traditional camera scope, and thus reduces the risk of polyp or intestinal rupture. This also gives patients their privacy and a little more freedom.

There are also financial benefits. The traditional cost of a colonoscopy is ~$4,500 and the pill is $500. This is a cost savvy innovation that helps in these rough economic times. This also will allow more procedures to be conducted per day as compared to the manual procedure. The technology was reportedly adopted from Israel’s missile defense system.

I like to see the transition of war strategies used to save lives. This is the link to the original article for more details : http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/fda-approves-pill-camera-screen-colon-22346906

What are your thoughts on this breakthrough time saving, costs saving innovation??

Global Issues, Socio-Cultural Commentary

African resources in the crosshairs of global capitalism

February 3, 2014 admin Leave a comment

African resources in the crosshairs of global capitalism

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

This month’s edition of Worth Magazine, a financial magazine, highlighted potential investments for 2014. I reviewed some of the hotspots and focal points of investment. The magazine highlighted Kenya and Mozambique as potential investment targets because of their untapped oil reserves.

I then researched the U.S. Department of the Interior, and the United States Geological Survey to correlate the magazine’s prospects with the data collected by America. The wealth and resources of Africa are still abundant despite its’ history of plunder and pillaging.

Understanding the math

Before going any further, it’s important to understand the quantitative measurements that the data is reported in.

1 cubic foot= 28.3 liters

1 cubic foot= 7.6 gallons

1 barrel of oil= 42 gallons

1 barrel of oil= 5.6 cubic feet

These are important so that you have a relatable picture of the amount of volume in the reports that I’ve attached and sharing with you.

The technology

The U.S. uses high resolution satellite imagery, terrain analysis, and digital elevation models that allows them to calibrate the quantity of volume diamonds, and oil to be drilled or excavated. Technically we can see what resources Africa has without actually being in Africa. Think of it like a sonogram. With a sonogram, you can see the image of the baby without having to actually enter the womb of the mother, you simply slather a little “jelly on the belly”, scan and view.

Diamonds are forever

A November 2012 fact sheet published by the United States Geological Survey reported that in Se’gue’la, Africa, there was a total of 10,100,100 carats of diamond deposits that have yet to be excavated. Tortiya, Africa has a diamond reserve deposit of 1,100,000 that has yet to be excavated. These two sections of Africa are located along the Ivory Coast. The engineering, aerospace, luxury, and healthcare industries have many uses for diamonds, and I have no current updates of the amount of diamonds after this 2012 report.

The above info can be found here: http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3130/pdf/fs2012-3130.pdf

Slicker than oil

It is only logical that the U.S. engages in oil prospects as our demand for oil increases, and we try to become independent of OPEC for national operations. This is why the Keystone Pipeline is the Big Steak on America’s dinner table. African oil reserves are abundant and plentiful. You may be wondering how plentiful right?

4 West African Provinces were analyzed and the results are jaw dropping. America assessed the surrounding areas of Senegal, the Gulf of Guinea, the Niger Delta, the West-Central Coastal areas. The survey estimates 71.7 billion barrels of oil, 187.2 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 10.9 billion barrels of natural gas liquids. These were untapped and unexplored. http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3006/pdf/FS10-3006.pdf

Libya and Tunisia were analyzed in a 2010 geological survey. The report furnished the following results: 3.97 billion barrels of undiscovered oil, 38.5 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered natural gas, and 1.47 billion barrels of undiscovered natural gas liquids.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2011/3105/pdf/FS11-3105.pdf

4 East African Provinces were analyzed. The following areas were assessed: the Tanzania Coastal, the Seychelles, the Morondava, and the Mozambique coastal region. The following results were reported by the United States Geological Survey: 27.6 billion barrels of oil, 441.1 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, and 13.77 billion barrels of natural gas liquids.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3039/contents/FS12-3039.pdf

8 North African Provinces were analyzed. The following areas were assessed: the Nile Delta Basin, Sirte Basin, Pelagian Basin, Trias/Ghadames Basin, Hamra Basin, Illizi Basin, Grand Erg/Ahnet Basin, and Essaouira Basin. The following results were reported by the Geological Survey: 19 billion barrels of technically recoverable undiscovered conventional oil, and 370 trillion cubic feet of undiscovered conventional natural gas resources.

http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2012/3147/FS12-3147.pdf

It’s imperative that African nations are aware of the resources they possess. The data retrieved by the survey didn’t involve invasive or diplomatically approved exploration, because this was conducted by satellite imagery and other methodologies. Major technological advances and resources should be developed and made available to these African nations to extract these valuable resources in a safe and efficient manner. The leaders of these nations must be very astute in their negotiations when granting exploratory and mining licenses to avoid exploitation which has been a repetitive, redundant, and recurrent theme in Africa’s history. This is a tremendous bargaining chip for many of these nations.

This is also important considering the “mentioned” sanctions by the Obama administration of many African nations. Food, medical and other aide is being held ransom-like by the U.S. for some African nations for failure to adopt or endorse homosexuality into their countries philosophy. Also, are there potential business opportunities between African Americans and fellow Africans in the Motherland?

Click here so see that:

What are your thoughts on the wealth of Africa’s resources and its’ global potential?

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Why are young parents killing kids at alarming rates?

January 28, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Why are young parents killing kids at alarming rates?

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

Parents and guardians are killing kids at a rate that I’ve never seen before. This alarming trend appears to resurface almost weekly. We turn on the news, and see how a child has been brutalized, tortured, abused, raped, abandoned, and often times murdered.

Matthew 5:9- Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God

It truly hurts hearing the countless stories of child abuse. We hate hearing how innocent people are harmed. What is more innocent than a baby or child? What threat does a baby or little child pose to an adult? Babies are physically defenseless and vulnerable. However, babies are being discarded like trash, LITERALLY.

Caveat: I don’t have all the answers

I don’t have the answers, but sometimes good solutions develop from introducing discussion topics and touching common cords in people. I believe this current crisis is a multifactorial phenomenon.

The most visible characteristic is the young age of the parents involved. Many of the parents are young, and especially prominent in their 20’s.

Are we failing our youth, or losing the battle between older parents and the current social culture?

What do I mean? The current climate is “hyper-sexualized”. American media promotes promiscuity. However, are we providing that counterbalance to filter the message? Society sells sex, but it doesn’t initiate a nationwide campaign about the reality of parenting.

When the pleasure of sex is over, the period is late, the morning sickness develops, the EPT device shows up positive, and the doctor displays the sonogram……THINGS GET REAL FOR YOU, but the Hollywood machine continues production, and the hospital sends you the bill for delivery.

Becoming a parent places you immediately into the driver seat, and the baby in the car seat. Teenagers, and many young adults are not prepared for this LIFESTYLE CHANGE. Many don’t have a support system, a job/career to financially support this new life, and sadly many youth end up as single parents. These are adult stresses placed on a teenage and young adult mind.

Ideally, and utopian in thought, we hope for a two parent household with dual income. However, reduce this down to a teenager or early twenty year old parent by themselves and a minimum wage job (or unemployed). Cognitive dissonance may develop because being a teen parent is a lifestyle change that creates a conflict of interest to individuals unwilling to forfeit or relinquish their pre-parenting lifestyle and freedom.

Many young parents may also be foster care teens that have no parental involvement with a vested interest in their future. What will become of the decision making process of this young teenage foster parent? They can’t call on mom, dad, auntie, or uncle? Many young parents deal with shame and embarrassment of the situation of their pregnancy.

Do drugs have an implication in this?

I remember growing up in the 80s. Those were crazy times, cocaine and crack were ubiquitous. We often heard about the long-term effects of “crack babies”. Well I have a curious question, and I base it off the surge in diagnoses of ADD and ADHD when the DSM III was revised to the DSM IV. What are the long term effects of Ritalin and other psychoactive agents on children?

It’s 2014, and from the late 80s to now, the diagnoses of ADD and ADHD has exploded, along with the pharmacological treatment of these mental diagnoses. Is it possible that we are also seeing the results of long-term use of these psychoactive medications? Kids that have been on medication since 3^rd grade are now engaging in intercourse, and being presented with the demands of parenthood, and never learned coping, but were taught “doping”.

We fail our kids when we don’t routinely teach them communication skills, constructive methods of expression, patience, sacrifice, coping skills, anger management, healthy conflict resolution, and how to deal with hurt and pain. We are allowing the pharmaceutical industry to do all of the above in a 25 or 50 mg tablet.

Instead of addressing all these intrinsic values, we are throwing chemicals at them. That’s like me being heartbroken because my dad died, and they say “take this pill”. The pill is only chemistry at work, but it doesn’t reconcile the root of my emotions, which is the loss of a person that gave me good memories. Essentially, I’m altering by body chemically to fix something that has no chemical cause.

However, it’s also irresponsible for me to act like mental illness isn’t real. I personally know individuals that suffer from it. I also have female friends that say postpartum depression is REAL! We also hear of parental mental illnesses like Munchausen syndrome.

Furthermore, there is another trend of parents claiming that their children are possessed and that they must exorcise and kill their babies.

Also, as friends and family members, it is our duty to be sure that our young parents and their mates are drug free! Many street drugs can also be traced back to these gruesome and heinous acts. We must speak up for them and to them, in the name of these babies being murdered. Say something if you know one or both of the parents are abusing illegal drugs.

Other impetuses

Some pregnancies are methods of entrapment. This is not gender specific, some females do this, and there are plenty of possessive and maniacal men that will impregnate a female to maintain some sort of “claim and relevance” to the female. However, a BABIES LIFE is far more important than a selfish obsession to keep a mate. What happens when the parent defies your method of entrapment and still leaves? Many times, animosity and resentment develops and the anger is displaced on the infant. Infanticide may occur out of spite, retribution, and frustration. We’ve got to stop this NOW!

What are some intervening solutions we can practice as friends and family?

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Would African American reparations be America’s stimulus package?

January 25, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Would African American reparations be America’s stimulus package?

By: Samori T. Swygert

What would you do if you opened your mailbox, and received a letter from the United States government? The letter read something like this, “a review of historical data by members of various levels of government and the treasury department concluded that being a descendant of African American slaves that were wrongly obtained, detained, forced to slave labor without wages or salary, and subjected to various forms of abuse, we would like to first apologize with sincere honesty and hope you accept the enclosed check for $100,000.00. We are aware that the reward is meager compared to the hardship, disadvantages, and disenfranchisement that has occurred over the years. However, due to rewarding numerous citizens that are eligible for this compensation, restitution, and reparation, we concluded this amount may help lessen the burden and show true contrition for the act of slavery.”

What would you do? The check is ready to be redeemed, cash money!!!

I pose this question because of a conversation a coworker and I had. What would be the best form of reparations? Would the best act of reparation lie in a check for a specific amount of money, free education, work and live as citizens without paying any taxes, or etc? My response to the question has a biblical basis. The book and passage of the bible I would rely on is; Romans 12:2- “and be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”.

This is not a religious blog, but African Americans need a paradigm shift before receiving reparations. I may be accusatory or speculative, but I firmly believe that we have been groomed into an addictive consumer relationship with America. It’s not fair to paint the whole African American population with a broad brush, but you must concur that a great deal of us are groomed to be consumers and not producers. White Americans are large consumers also, but they differ from us because they are also largely the producers, owners and beneficiaries of various markets in the American economy.

I feel that $100,000.00 check would be a stimulus package to White America and other multinational groups. The music, music videos, commercials, magazines and billboard advertisements indoctrinate us to be gross consumers. This would be okay if we owned the majority of the products we consume or the sole proprietor of services we patronize. The truth is we do not own the majority of what we patronize. The contemporary culture overemphasizes and glorifies: luxury cars and aircrafts, designer clothes, top shelf alcohol, expensive electronics (new flat screens, Playstations, iPods, iPads, tablets, and computers), ostentatious jewelry, choicest restaurants, state of the art hotels and resorts, hi-tech fire arms, and then all the accessories, amenities and accoutrements to top off our purchases. Now this is not all blacks!! We must free our minds from consuming the symbols and byproducts of success, and really achieve true success! I am guilty myself, if this helps you settle into the honesty of these statements.

There are questions that need to be asked. How many black owned automobile and aircraft manufacturers exist? How many alcohol breweries and distilleries are black owned? How many cell phone, TV and electronics manufacturers are black owned? How many jewelers are black owned? How many black owned precious metals and diamond minds exist? How many choicest restaurants are black owned and franchised across the nation? How many gun manufacturers are black owned? What was the last black owned hotel or resort you’ve checked into? How many black owned fashion designers do you know and purchase from? What quantity of produce do you purchase from the black farmers? If you are being completely honest with me (keep it 100), your answers to these questions should be, few to none. I’m a pretty good dancer so I’m not trying to step on anybody’s toes, but this is done to force true introspection and self-evaluation. These questions also reveal where our hard earned money is squandered, and where we are creating millionaires by false visions of success and happiness they solicit to us via various mediums. These questions also reveal the various markets that we need to begin to compete in as owners and producers. Why should others take from the black community? Why must our dollars be everybody else’s stimulus package?

In the spirit of the Olympics, I would like to make a comparison of the Olympics to the African American community. In the Olympics, various countries compete for the gold medal in various sporting disciplines (boxing, track, gymnastics, swimming, archery, and etc). In our case, the gold medal translates into the “Black Dollar”. The various sporting disciplines translate into numerous industries (fashion, electronics, communication, recreation, entertainment, food, automobile, and etc). There are so many cultures from various foreign countries within and outside our neighborhood. They’re competing for the “Black Dollar”.

The conundrum is we are underrepresented in the competition for our own money. In lieu of the current economic, educational, and social conditions, we need to transform through the renewing of our mind. We need to begin learning these skills, technologies, business stratagems, and even create new markets and industries. This is the era of the inventor and entrepreneur. Unemployment is high, jobs are being outsourced, incarceration is increased, what are you going to do to get that gold medal? Do you have the innovation to create a new industry and market to captivate the black consumer, and command the black dollar? You have nothing else to lose if you’re already unemployed or underclass.

So we need to transform our minds to conserve our finances, pool our resources, plan and strategize. The chances of receiving reparations seem slim, but we can’t let our disposable income be everyone else’s stimulus package. We need to become more fiscally astute and financially scrupulous. If we do not read, apply our education, and think outside the box, we will be doomed to be permanent consumers, and cemented in the underclass. I’m starting by working on myself now. I just wanted to share my spirit with you, and God Bless!

Socio-Cultural Commentary

PROBLEMS WITH THE STANDARDS OF BEAUTY

January 25, 2014 admin Leave a comment

Standards of Beauty

BY: Samori Swygert

I do have a concern about the adoption and embracing of Eurocentric standards of beauty. This statement is not to downplay or disparage the physical attributes of European or White Americans. However, for blacks, I really enjoy embracing and endorsing our cultural beauty. There is nothing wrong with cultural pride. For centuries blacks had to conform to the norm that was forced on them. Time has progressed and the message of what are acceptable social standards has taken on a more subliminal undertone. This undertone can brainwash and condition unwitting patrons and consumers of pop-culture and ordinary citizens, if you’re not careful.

First, black people are black because of the pigment melanin. Second, by nature our hair has the true curls (however society downplays it as “naps”). When you turn on your television or log onto the internet, you will typically see an overwhelming number of images portrayed as beauty to sell a product. TV commercials will advertise products such as hair conditioner, shampoo, makeup, lipstick, and etc.

You can go to your local grocery store and look at the magazine stand and observe the various lingerie lines by Victoria’s Secret. When you’re driving down the street, it’s nothing to observe the side panel of a bus advertising the latest Calvin Klein, or Abercrombie and Fitch display. However, you rarely see an equal amount of advertisement of black women in this capacity. There are some, but the few are not representative of the majority.

Typically, when black women are portrayed in these ads and commercials, they are typically women of a lighter hue. The majority of commercials that have black women don’t have dark skinned women equally represented as their lighter sisters, and let alone the white woman. This is not me talking nonsense, just turn on the TV and observe. Why is that? I’m just keeping it ethno-statistically real!

Society has become indoctrinated with what is acceptable, but it’s based on a standard that the rulers of society dictate. When years progress to decades to centuries, it’s easy to become conditioned and not understand why you do what you do. Why must a man, especially a black man, shave is his beard or goatee? Why is it quietly expected that black women have straightened hair or a weave? Why must a black man cut his dreadlocks to have a job at an important business or law firm? These physical characteristics that may be cultural, religious, or plain taste, have nothing to do with job performance.

Would you rather have a clean shaved, crew cut person that mismanages your retirement account, or a black woman with a natural curly afro that can increase your portfolio worth by exponents? Why do we place so much on the external appearance, when it’s the intrinsic skills, ability, knowledge, and performance that ultimately counts.

How have we let standards of beauty equate to expertise or quality partners? How have we been led to deny our own cultural representation on a day to day basis to conform to what somebody feels is socially appropriate, or tastefully biased? I think as long as you are not offending somebody physiologically by your presence, or impeding the daily business operations, then you should be okay. This means be hygienic in your appearance and performance of your duty. Surgeons wear hair caps and scrubs to prevent accidental contamination or transfer of bodily matter during a surgery. Cooks wear hair nets to prevent long hair from entering their meals.

Why do women prefer a fake weave over their natural God given hair? I think part of this is subliminal brainwashing and acceptance of social norms in a Eurocentric culture. Many believe that their hair texture is not what beauty looks like. This is why Asians are making billions each year in the beauty product industry. Also, have you ever noticed that some black entertainers seem to have a certain skin complexion one day, and then you see them in an ad or commercial and they are a shade or two lighter? The change in skin tone is not the camera filter or lighting all the time. Many times these entertainers are festooned with makeup, and some entertainers even use skin lightening regimens.

I say be proud of who you are, whether black man or woman. A person should love you for you, point blank period! You should be hired, and given raises based on skill base and job performance. We all have natural beauty, and we need to get back to embracing it. I’m proud to say that I’m seeing a lot of my sisters going back natural and they look AWESOME! The irony is that pop-culture is mimicking what comes to us naturally. How many non-black women do you see have buttocks implants, and breast augmentation? How many non-black women are having Botox parties for fuller lips, and go to tanning spas and spend hours at their local beach for a tan? How many white men do you see walking around with dreadlocks? Not all whites and non-blacks want to adapt our cultural attributes but there is evidence of their interest in our beauty. Let not your psyche be tricked by commercials, movies, videos, magazines, ads, internet pop-ups, and bus or subway advertisements.

The take away message is self-pride, knowledge, and ownership! When you own a corporation, product, service, school or institution, you then dictate what you expect your advertisements to look like. This message champions the reason why we need more black owned businesses. We can complain all we want about not be hired or represented equally by non-black business, but until we start running our own companies, we will always be subjected to another person’s preferred perception.

Socio-Cultural Commentary

Revisiting the surge in pastor suicides

January 25, 2014 admin Leave a comment

By: Dr. Samori Swygert

Nigel Boys wrote an interesting article addressing the surge in pastoral suicides. He relayed the commentary that Bishop T.D. Jakes shared to the nation on this tragic phenomena. You can read it here.

T.D. Jakes attributes some of the suicides to a high stress, high demand position. Bishop Jakes said many pastors lack effective support systems. Bishop Jakes also said many are underpaid for their work. Furthermore, they deal with the fiduciary obligation to harbor secrets of their congregation.

First, to the family of these men, this is not an attack on you. However, much dialogue needs to be conducted on this topic of church leadership.

Career Vs. Calling

When I hear that pastors are overworked and underpaid, I get irritated. Who is the employer of a prophet of the word? Can you show me the human resources department responsible for hiring our pastors? What 401K and pension plan did the disciples have in the Bible? (Some pastors do have pension plans now)

These question seem like I’m poking fun, but I’m serious. Many pastors approach the gospel like a career. A prophet’s reward, pension plan, and retirement is in heaven with God.

Who promised that prophesying would be easy? Weren’t the disciples persecuted and killed in the Bible? Did not Jesus get crucified for preaching, teaching, exorcising, and healing? What criteria are our current pastors using to decide if they are called or just seeking a career? You retire from a career, but die a prophet.

If you can’t take the heat, get out the kitchen

Currently, we have pastors that adorn themselves in thousand dollar designer suits, have helicopters, private jets, Bentley’s, Jaguars, live in mansions, and preach prosperity all day. We’ve allowed Hollywood to monetize our faith with this Pastors of LA, and Preacher’s Wives reality shows.

This is all idolatry to be 100% real.

Why do you need a Bentley, Jaguar, helicopter, and Jet, when Jesus the Christ road into town on a donkey? Why do you need thousand dollar suits, when John the Baptist wore camel hair, and a leather girdle around his loins and ate locusts and wild honey? Why do you need a mansion when disciples dwelled in the wilderness? Roman 12:2 says, “be not conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Mark 8:36 says, “for what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul”. Now I’m not expecting pastors to ride donkeys in camel hair in the wilderness, but please explain how the necessity of luxury brings salvation.

Many pastors complain about the arduous task of pastoring and saving souls but if you can’t take the heat, get out the kitchen. Speaking of heat, let’s talk about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the book of Daniel. These three young men were thrown in a fiery furnace because of their strict faith and works for God. What government is actually threatening today’s pastors with death?

Why am I going so hard?

My father died when I was 6 years old, and my mother raised two young black males in New York City during the height of the crack era. She became a guidance counselor at Andrew Jackson High School, and August Martin High school in Queens while getting her Masters of Divinity. My mother got her hands dirty by choosing to do Prison Ministry at Wards Island (female prison) in New York, served as a hospital chaplain, and was a counselor to the children of incarcerated parents. So pardon me if I come off harsh but this new era of pastoral service and their complaints go in the wind to me, because not enough is being done!

Question of faith

Furthermore, this surge in suicides due to stress demonstrates a lack of faith in the message pastors are preaching to their congregation. How do you take the blessing of having the word and ears of the multitude and throw it away. This completely destroys parishioner’s faith in God. People shouldn’t worship their pastors, but people look to them for guidance. How does a person find direction when the tour guide is gone??

The prophets of yesterday spoke out to the government and ruling institutions of the day. You always heard about prophets speaking out against the Pharisees, the Sadducees, the Sanhedrin, Moses going against Pharaoh, or Paul going against the Roman government? Preachers of today hardly speak up to the power construct that holds their very own congregation in subjugation.

Pastors of today have acquiesced and choose to partner with the government for tax exempt incentives, and faith based initiatives which have effectively neutered the church, and diluted the message. Rather than boldly confronting the real issues of their parishioners, many are choosing this luxury, smoke and mirrors ministry that is financially draining their parishioners through tithes and offerings. The congregation needs something more real and tangible.

Some pastors are now spreading HIV, impregnating teenage girls, sleeping with the wives of other men, molesting boys, misusing the churches “building fund”, and trying to get a star on the Hollywood walk of fame.

Pastors must understand that stress comes with the CALLING, because you are in direct competition with satan for souls. You can’t serve two masters. You can’t please man’s desires and seek to serve the Lord. You can’t be afraid to speak the word with unwavering faith despite what society, and the government says. If they killed Christ, what will they do to you? If you have a problem with that, then this position may not be for you. I have sympathy for the pastors that committed suicide, but these loss of lives brings a word of caution for individuals seeking to preach. I also know mental health is a serious issue, but it also underscores the eligibility for pastoring.

I also want to thank Dr. Nigel Boys for illuminating this topic. To the pastors that are doing their job……THANK YOU!

YOU CAN ASLO READ THIS AT: http://allchristiannews.com/dr-samori-swygert-revisiting-the-surge-in-pastoral-suicide/