Friday, September 22, 2017

The Unseen Victims of America’s War Machine

By Gordon Duff, Senior Editor on September 6, 2017   

Military veterans aren’t all equal
*
How many more lives will America’s wars claim?
 
When the war drums begin, the first victim is reason, this is no secret at all. I recently met with a group of Russian war veterans about this issue – how those who fight wars are victims just like the armies of refugees and the dead strewn across the landscape, and are now called “collateral damage”, which may well represent a countless multitude.

Do remember, the Vietnam War was stopped, not by “peaceniks” but by combat veterans who hit the streets, people like John Kerry or, to a lesser extent, me. That these movements survive in a small way, in reality dissent has been criminalized in a world of fake information and even more fake leadership.

America marched to eternal war after 9/11 despite the fact that any reasonable and informed individual minimally has to brand Saudi Arabia, not “al Qaeda” as the perpetrator. I would go further and say that the partnership we saw in Syria between Saudi Arabia and Israel began well before 2001, but that would make me a conspiracy theorist, and in a time of fake everything, that must be worse somehow, though the difference is increasingly hard to understand.

Let’s remember, it was Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda, based in Peshawar, Pakistan during the 1980s, that received American Raytheon Stinger missiles to shoot down Russian helicopters in Afghanistan.
Wasn’t it the same al Qaeda, under the name “Jabat al Nusra” that received the same Raytheon Stinger missiles from the CIA to shoot down Russian helicopters in Syria, until a few weeks ago when we were told that the CIA was asked to stop supporting al Qaeda.
Perhaps we might just want to consider that the War on Terror may well have been based on “alternative facts.”
In a world where America openly supplies al Qaeda with weapons of mass destruction, where Israel and Saudi Arabia fight side by side, and where “alternative facts” are used to support government policies, dissent itself is now a form of terrorism.

Military veterans aren’t all equal.

Just visit Washington DC or towns like Annapolis, Maryland. There the strutting peacocks in uniform have profited greatly from war, wars they risked nothing fighting, wars they were paid to support and defend, not the nation, the United States mind you, but war itself, the business, the racket, the game.
There are real veterans out there, from every nation, tossed on the scrap heap of history when they are used up. One nation above all abuses its combat veterans, consigning them to misery and death, more than any other. That nation is the United States.

What if I told you America has lost half a million dead, military casualties of the bogus War on Terror? We all know that many Syrians have died, or so we are told by CIA backed propaganda organizations like the White Helmets and Syrian Human Rights Observatory.
What if I told you that America’s real dirty little secret is that so many of America’s military have died from Gulf War Syndrome, suicide and a pattern of unimaginably bad medical care that this in itself may well constitute a war crime?
Why don’t the numbers come out you ask? The answer is simple – collecting data on the endless number of American military victims of America’s wars is a crime. Records aren’t kept, statistics are forbidden because, if a problem is unproven, it doesn’t exist.
This is a big game in Washington, America’s injustice to women and minorities, particularly the pattern of victimization of the poor by the criminal justice system can’t be addressed because there are prohibitions against documenting injustice in America.

I recently went over this with a member of the US Civil Rights Commission, quickly assessing that their pattern of failures has predictable roots, nothing in the US is counted, no records are kept, dead military veterans, jailed mothers with small children, those who committed minor drug offenses but serve decades in prison, no, this is only a small part of it, but today we are going to talk about the military, where I have my expertise.

In 1970, I returned from Vietnam and began medical treatment in the huge government system run by the Veterans Administration. My own injuries seemed minor as I entered the filthy hospital in Ann Arbor, Michigan where amputees lived on gurneys all over the building, stored in kitchen areas, storage closets, overflowing urine bags, the stench of gangrene, the moaning of endless pain and hopelessness.
This is what was really there, I saw it, I remember every minute of it. In 1938, American author and screenwriter, Dalton Trumbo, wrote an anti-war novel called Johnny Got His Gun. Trumbo was later blacklisted as a Russian sympathizer and banned from writing though, secretly supported by actor Kirk Douglas, Trumbo penned the screenplay of the academy award winning film, Spartacus.
Trumbo’s novel was about the Veterans Administration health care system and how a severely disfigured combat veteran of World War I was hidden for years in a storage closet where he was attacked by rats. Employees who went to his aid were threatened and silenced, just like today.

In 1938, disabled veterans were an inconvenience. They still are, except at election time when each new candidate promises to address the wrongdoing of their predecessor and, of course, in the end, nothing whatsoever changes.

The Trumbo novel, fiction, is almost identical to the scandal at the massive Walter Reed complex where members of congress receive their medical care. The rundown and rat infested buildings at Walter Reed, during the Bush 43 administration, were used to store disabled military, until the Washington Post found out about it anyway.

In a facility where there are luxury suites for members of congress to receive the most expensive medical care in the world, free of charge, paid for by American taxpayers, disabled combat veterans lived in filth, in many cases medical treatment withheld until they agreed to sign away their rights to disability pension benefits. As American humorist Jim W. Dean so often says, “You just can’t make this stuff up.”

My own experiences go back to Vietnam, this was my war. Few are aware that Democratic Senator Phil Hart pushed to have Marines retasked from amphibious assault efforts which were producing casualties 400% of World War II levels. I served with one of those units.

When veterans returned from Vietnam, the suicides began, PTSD or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, it would be eventually called. The same was true of other wars but no one counted them either, the suicide deaths eventually hit the hundreds of thousands for Vietnam. For other wars the numbers may have been higher, but then we will never know as no one counted. They still don’t.
Then there is that other thing, “Agent Orange,” the defoliant used across Vietnam that was laced with dioxin, a powerful carcinogen. Chemical companies were sued for this decades ago, billions were paid out, almost all to lawyers. Veterans received nothing.
*
How many died from Agent Orange?
The number runs between 700,000 and 1.1 million. Vietnamese have died by the millions and are still dying but we can’t talk about that either.
*
Gulf War Syndrome
 
The number who died of Gulf War Syndrome is certainly in the tens of thousands and those who investigated where harassed and threatened by military intelligence operatives, something Veterans Today carefully documented. It is also said, albeit not so publicly, that many have died of diseases like multiple myeloma. The cause of that disorder is exposure to ionizing radiation from things like partially depleted uranium projectiles, or the suspected clandestine use of prohibited fission based weapons.

When illegal weapons are used, nuclear, biological or chemical, the military veterans who become victims are forced to die from the disease of official denial and anyone who thinks nuclear, biological and chemical arsenals aren’t deployed against targets in the Middle East is a fool.

There are two basic business units for what is now called the Department of Veterans Affairs. One unit denies claims, loses paperwork and has built the largest “Skinner Box” in history to force the sick and disabled to simply “go away.”
All processes from applications for pensions to seeking medical care itself is made as frustrating and burdensome as possible. Even a phone call can lead to long and pointless recorded announcements, which lead to more of the same and, eventually, systems that either hang up the phone or route calls to recording devices that are often never checked.

The other is “medical mistreatment.” Here, the world’s largest and most expensive health care system, yes, it is really that big, shuffles millions of patients in and out without treatment plans, testing or follow up care. Care is rationed with waiting lists for things like expensive dental work or knee replacement surgery taking more than a decade.

Patients who can’t walk because of easily treatable conditions are given canes or wheel chairs and sent away. Tests when conducted are often never reviewed and there is no accounting of any kind. No professional license is needed because federal government facilities are above state law and there are no national regulatory agencies for health care professionals. Yes, you can lose a license to practice for very serious violations and work for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The voiceless ones span all groups
 
The number of instances of patient abuse, even killings, is insanely high but also quickly suppressed. Veterans service organizations, who help “police” this system are generously paid off and remain silent, more a part of the problem themselves, even more than this corrupt bureaucracy.
What is really being hidden is the cost of America’s wars.

You see, the new professional military that Nixon gave the US after Vietnam is a “garrison army,” not a combat army.

Troops who fight year after year, even in air conditioned comfort, we are told, paid 20 times, corrected for inflation, what was paid to those who fought in Vietnam, eventually become institutionalized and unable to maintain normal employment.

When, because of physical or psychological conditions which will invariably result from multiple deployments manifest, these soldiers are more often forced out – charged with an offense of some kind, or disallowed from continuing service and receiving a retirement pension.

This places those who qualify – and not all qualify – in a medical system designed to make dying seem attractive.

Were one a conspiracy theorist, one might well postulate that using ISIS or similar organizations to fight America’s wars could be a money-saving ploy. Certainly Israel provides far better medical care to al Qaeda and ISIS fighters than America does to her own troops. Instead of killing them off after they are no longer needed, with poor medical care, America can just start bombing them.

America’s governmental bureaucracy offers both “fake” medical care and “fake” bombing and accepts each as business as usual.

Gordon Duff is a Marine combat veteran of the Vietnam War that has worked on veterans and POW issues for decades and consulted with governments challenged by security issues. He’s a senior editor and chairman of the board of Veterans Today, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”

Thursday, September 21, 2017

BOBBEE BEE: IS DONALD TRUMP THE DEVIL'S ADVOCATE?

DOES ART IMITATE LIFE?-

"If the devil decided to run for President, do you think he/she would put on their horns and wicked grin, or a suit with an angelic smile?

If the wicked witch stayed green and ugly, would she have been able to give Snow White a poisoned apple?

And if the Big Bad Wolf had not disguised himself as an old granny, would he have been able to lure Little Red Riding Hood into the house to eat her?

And if a drug dealer wanted to seduce some school kids to get on his drugs, would he act like a greedy businessman — or a caring friend?

Salt and sugar look exactly the same but taste very different.

We live in a world of illusions, one filled with Luciferians acting like righteous men, and righteous men condemned as criminals.” -Suzy Kassem-

From the song Ephesians 6:12 off the "New" album The Evolution of an MC: Pocket Full of Ghetto Poems Vol.2 www.bobbeethehater.blogspot.com

Wednesday, September 20, 2017

BOBBEE BEE: PLAYING PLANTATION POLITICS



I work like a slave to become a master” -- Antonio Hardy a.k.a. (Big Daddy Kane)
By Eric D. Graham
NORTH CAROLINA (BASN) -- Despite what anyone thinks, America was built on the foundation of "white supremacy and Black inferiority." Therefore, psychologically, most relationships formed between whites and non-whites are based on a "master-slave relationship."

I see it every year around draft time, whether it’s the NFL Draft or the NBA Draft.

Surprisingly, these two highly-rated televised events look shockingly similar to the slave auctions of the past. For those that disagree or are upset with me for making this obvious comparison, let's not forget that somewhat controversial Sports Illustrated cover with Sir Charles Barkley entitled "Charles Unchained." In which, Barkley posed as a "slave" with chains around his neck, wrist and ankles.

So, as you watch the NBA Draft, carefully observe how all of these Caucasian reporters, agents, PR directors, managers, coaches, executives, and owners start advising Black athletes to smile more, wear this and not that, stop looking so mean and lose the attitude.

Why? Because, they are now official “property” of the NBA. Or, the NFL. Take your pick. The key word is property. And they can be traded like cattle at any time. This scenario raised its ugly head recently on ESPN when they apologized for a fantasy football segment of an auction draft, where black players were sold to mostly white male bidders, which left
New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. "speechless" and Golden State Warriors Kevin Durant displeased with mock auction.



This master-slave relationship revealed its self again when Dallas Cowboy owner Jerry Jones
stated that all Cowboys players would stand for the anthem, “toe on the line” or be cut from team— after the NFL voted to “allow” protesting players to remain in the locker room (which has since been tabled). Especially, after super quarterback Dak Prescott agreed with his owner by saying, according to the NY Post by saying, "I never protest during the anthem, and I don’t think that’s the time or the venue to do so...”

“The game of football has always brought me such a peace, and I think it does the same for a lot of people, a lot of people playing the game, a lot of people watching the game, a lot of people that have any impact of the game. So when you bring such a controversy to the stadium, to the field, to the game, it takes away. It takes away from that. It takes away from the joy and the love that football brings to a lot of people.”

Those words have brought Prescott a lot of backlash, including a Dallas artist depicting him on a mural in the “sunken place,” a reference to the main character in “Get Out,” a racially charged thriller movie.
The Branding of Athletes
But, we shouldn’t be surprised. Why? Because, athletes are seen as slaves to the system,” branded" by corporations like Nike, Reebok, Gatorade, Wheaties, and Hanes.
Consider Cam Newton's situation last year in Alabama, where Under Armour apparel had a $10.6 million contract with the University of Auburn.
Under that particular contract, Newton was contractually obligated to wear at less 12 to 15 logos every game.
According to Taylor Branch, an author of the new book Cartel, "Newton had four Armour logos on his helmet, one on each wristband, one on each shoe and one on his head band underneath his helmet."
"This was all specified by the NCAA office. They said they had to be an exact size...” said Branch, a civil rights historian.
"They regulate the commercial side of sports and promote it, right down to the tiniest detail while forbidding the athlete from selling their jersey." 
Yes, these new corporate logos are a new form of branding in this system of capitalistic exploitation, where athletes provide free labor without pay, especially in college.
And even though, we hate to admit it. This system is strikingly similar to the one that help build America.

We Own You
Therefore, if athletes, collegiately or professionally speak out against this injustice or act unruly, they will be "cut," replaced, and even "shipped" overseas for their insubordination. Can we say Colin Kaepernick? Who, despite, doing nothing wrong? Has been “whiteballed” from playing in the NFL for his “stance” against police brutality and the injustice against “Black & Brown” people throughout the country.
Yes, these NBA/NFL owners and general managers have the ability to "kill" careers with the stroke of a pen. Why? Because, the pen is mightier than the sword.
As a result, they begin to braking down these young athletes physically, psychologically, spiritually and sometimes sexually (by commercially putting them in dresses and feminizing them to sell products) as if they were "slaves" who had been traveling in packed slave ships during the Middle Passage before being dropped off in the Caribbean Islands.

Because during these NBA or NFL Combines, they are questioned, provoked, challenged, tested, weighted, measured, humiliated and "whipped" into shape for their personal entertainment.

Let's not forget, what happened to the Dallas Cowboy first round draft pick Dez Bryant during a pre-draft interview this year in Miami when Dolphins' general manager Jeff Ireland asked him if his mother was a prostitute.

But despite all of this probing, these young Black athletes like Bryant must remain calm and never show any sign of anger. 
Keep Them Childlike and Dependent
They, in fact, must continue to smile, bear it, and "take it like a man."

Why? Because, nobody wants to see an angry Black man.


Unfortunately for all of these high-paid athletes, expressing any form of Black manhood is frowned upon by league officials.
The league officials unconsciously or consciously like to see their athletes acting childish or child-like. 

In other words, they prefer them to be dumb and dribbling balls or running up and down the court or  field instead of being intelligent business-minded men like LeVar Ball, who took a page out of Stephon Marbury’s playbook of  independence, by expressing a desire to enter into a $1 billion co-branding deal instead of the typical athlete endorsement deal, when he created and manufactured his son’s, Lonzo Ball, the No.2 draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers’ $495 ZO2 signature Baller Band shoe as well as his own sports agency, Ball Sports Group, which he heads while representing his three sons (Lonzo, LiAngelo and LaMelo) along with Big Baller Media.

They’re not ready for that because they’re not used to that model,” LaVar Ball said. “But hey, the taxi industry wasn’t ready for Uber, either … . Just imagine how rich Tiger [Woods], Kobe [Bryant], Serena [Williams], [Michael] Jordan and LeBron [James] would have been if they dared to do their own thing. No one owned their own brand before they turned pro. We do and I have three sons, so it’s that much more valuable.”


Yes. Ball’s desire to be a game changer in the $7.3 billion shoe and sport apparel business created an uproar in the business world and was faced with opposition from many, including George Raveling, a Black man who is Nike’s Global Basketball Sports Marketing director.

Raveling, in fact, had the audacity to call LaVar Ball “the worst thing to happen to basketball in the last hundred years. Which suggests that, Ball’s decision to create his on shoe was worst than the former Los Angeles Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling’s racism as well as the point shaving scandal that once “plagued” the league alongside the refs betting on games.


Craig Hodges, a member of the Chicago Bulls first two NBA Championship teams, who tried to get his team mate Michael Jordan to do something similar to what Ball is attempting told the Final Call newspaper that “Professional sports is the last true bastion of White supremacy."

“This means being able to own a venue and being able to own a player. I think one of the great things the Balls have done is in somewhat breaking the yoke of White supremacy.”said the sharp-shooting three-point specialist, who many felt was also “whiteballed” by the NBA for his outspokenness and political awareness during his professional basketball career.

“Lonzo Ball is showing a young player a way they can go and do their own thing—go direct to China and get your stuff made.” he continued.
 
“And if another player has the potential to do that, then it’s great. “But this also gives them the potential to stand up and be independent and understand why they have that position, and not because it’s just a phase or a fad that they’re going through. So, if [LaVar Ball] truly does understand what consciousness is and how to work on economic development and the like, then I applaud him.”
 

PLAYING PLANTATION POLITICS
With that said, notice how NBA superstar Dwyane Wade reacted when Commissioner David Stern started pointing his finger in his face during NBA negotiations.
“Don’t point your finger at me, I’m not a child.” yelled Wade.
The Wade and Stern confrontation sparked a controversial commentary from HBO's Real Sports host Bryant Gumbel, who is quoted as saying:
"Stern's version of what has been going on behind closed doors has of course been disputed, but his efforts were typical of a commissioner who has always seemed eager to be viewed as some kind of modern plantation overseer, treating NBA men as if they were his boys. It's part of Stern's M.O., like his past self-serving edicts on dress code and the questioning of officials. His moves were intended to do little more than show how he's the one keeping the hired hands in their place."
 
Remember what I previous stated earlier in this article that all relationships established between whites and non-whites are based upon "a master-slave relationship."
 

Gumbel's commentary highlighted this theory when he called Stern "a modern plantation overseer."

But where have we seen this type of behavior before in the NBA?
Do you remember Cleveland Cavaliers' owner Dan Gilbert's "fathead" remarks toward LeBron James' when he decided to "take his talents “to Miami?
Gilbert's words were so harsh and mean-spirited that they prompted the Rev. Jesse Jackson, of the Rainbow Push Coalition to say, "His (Gilbert's) feelings of betrayal personify a slave master mentality. He sees LeBron as a runaway slave."
Jackson's statement, of course, upset a few white reporters and caused a slight uproar in the sports and entertainment world. For instance, TMZ's Harvey "I am a Lawyer" Levin replied "that is absurd...come on."
As Levin smirked at Jackson's slavery comparison, one of his paparazzi storm troopers made the sarcastic joke, “You know the difference between a slave and Lebron's situation ......about 65 million dollars," which drew a few chuckles in the room.

Here is another classic example of that superior attitude, in which, they try to interpret our emotions and downplay our opinions on situations that affects us. I, however, suggest that they all read "40 Million Dollar Slaves" by William C. Rhoden.
“Blacks are concentrated on the playing field, not in the front offices and earning millions weakened athletes and they shied away from social causes for fear of losing their wealth,” Rhoden explained at a journalists’ roundtable in Washington, D.C. in September. “White people tell you when it’s safe and you can protest within this box.”
After reading "40 Million Dollar Slaves", hearing Gilbert's rants, analyzing Colin Kaepernick’s protest plus analyzing Gumbel’s lastest commentary, maybe they will see things a little differently.

Eric D. Graham is the author and alter ego of the infamous BASN character "Bobbee Bee".

BOBBEE BEE: GET OVER IT. BECAUSE, ONE BLACK QUARTERBACK DON’T STOP NO SHOW

by eric d. graham

The NFL survived the horrors of concussions, which still continues to cloud the league. Janet Jackson’s exposed nipple. Beyonce’s Black Lives Matter Half-time show. Hurricane Katrina. A Super Bowl Blackout. The Domestic Violence of Ray Rice. The Murder Plot of Ray Carruth. The Dog-fighting of Mike Vick. The Brady Rule. The Child Abuse Allegations against Adrian Peterson. The Homosexuality of Michael Sam. Hands Up Don’t Shoot. The rape cases against Ben Roethlisberger. The alcoholism of Johnny Manziel. OJ Simpson. The sexual assaults of Greg Hardy. Tebowing. Steroid use. The “N” word. Donald Trump & The USFL. The temper tantrums of T.O. The boycotting of the “Redskins” and Daniel Snyder. Contract Negotiations. Quarterback Controversies. The Rooney Rule. Deflat-gate. Pac-Man Jones. Jerry Jones. The Cocaine Cowboys. Bullying in the Locker room. First Round Busts. Al Davis. Jimmy “The Greek” Instant Replays. Thursday Night Football. Wildcat Offenses. The Alleged Cheating of Bill Belichick. Conspiracy Theories. Helmet-to-Helmet Hits. Gun Possessions. Gun Charges. Negative Press. Endzone Celebrations. The marijuana usage of Ricky Williams, the current lawsuit of Michael Bennett against the Las Vegas Police Department, and the pending suspension of Ezekiel Elliott.

And, truthfully, they will survive the current issue “plaguing” the league, which surrounds Colin Kaepernick, police brutality, and the standing of the National Anthem. Why? Because, many people believe the NFL stands for the clever acronym- N.ot F.or L.ong.

Meaning? -That the white executives, with three-piece suits, in the boardrooms, of the NFL main office, know this issue will eventually take a “back seat” to another issue after a short period of time with the help of the next “breaking” news story from TMZ.

Because, in their eyes, this “Kaepernick thing” is just a simple bump in the road, a case of the hiccups before the main course meal is wheeled-out. Then, it’s back to business as usual.

Why? Because, the NFL knows every year they have a another assembly line of players to choose from , who are willing to do almost anything to be drafted in a league full of millionaires.

Plus, with the public “whipping” of Colin Kaepernick fresh on their minds, they will know not to step-out of line. Or, they also will be “whiteballed” out of a job and sent back home unemployed.

Besides, they want their “property” to be seen not heard. In other words, just shout up and play the game. Nobody is paying you to voice your political views or your religious beliefs. So, stay racially neutral.

Smile for the cameras.

Love America.

And, pledge allegiance to the Flag.

There ain’t nothin hard about that.

These are the hardcore FACTS!!!

The struggle continues.

Fist up and Heads Down.
So, get ready for another round.

Thursday, September 14, 2017

BOBBEE BEE: Politics of Corruption: Taking a closer look a college sports

pig

With the recent scandal involving Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel and the current scandal involving UNC’s Rashard McCants, we, at BlackAthlete.com, felt it was necessary to re-publish this excellent article, especially after NCAA President Mark Emmert was cross-examined for the O’Bannon v. NCAA case on Thursday.

NORTH CAROLINA–(BASN)”In life, never forget the golden rule. Those with the gold make the rules.” The government of the United States should investigate the BCS and the NCAA like it was the MOB.

It should infiltrate it as if it was a Mega Church full of prosperity pimps or a drug cartel.
Why? Because according to certain reports, a university like THE OHIO STATE can make millions of dollars a year while an athlete, like Terrelle Pryor “shamefully” makes $40,000 from signing his autograph on a few sports items, is criminalized and vilified.

While pondering that scenario, one must conclude that the NCAA is a bunch of white collar criminals.

paymeThey are, in fact, no different from these corporate CEOs, who make millions of dollars off of cheap labor in “so-called” third world countries. But for some odd reason, the media focuses its attention on punishing those, who commit blue collar “crimes.”

The Blame Game

Therefore, they accuse Reggie Bush rather than USC for the problem.
They blame Cam Newton instead of Mississippi State for the problem.
They punish Terrelle Pryor instead of Ohio State for the problem.

As a result, in the end, they bailout the universities instead of the players like President Obama bailed out the bankers on Wall Street. This is similar to the War on Drugs in the USA, where they lock up petty street hustlers or the small time drug users instead of arresting the big-time drug kingpins.
Former Ohio State (RB) Maurice Clarett confirmed this recently on the Dan Patrick Show when he said, “It’s not a Terrelle Pryor problem. It’s not a Jim Tressel problem, it’s a culture….”
Clarett was correct.

The problem begins and ends with a culture that has been corrupt from the top down, and not from the bottom up.

A System of Pimps and Hoes

To be brutally honest, college athletics is a system of pimps and hoes.

To prove this point, recently South Carolina Gamecocks football head coach Steve Spurrier offered a payment proposal, where the coaches would pay the players $300 a game out of their own pockets.
Wolf_Of_Wall_Street_jpg_CROP__rectangle3-large

But many sports analysts felt that Spurrier’s proposal to pay players was simply a clever recruiting tool for South Carolina and the SEC.

“A bunch of us coaches felt so strongly about it that we would be willing to pay it–70 guys 300 bucks a game.”

This is only $21,000 a game. I doubt it will get passed, but as coaches in the SEC, we make all the money, as do universities, and television. And we need to get more to our players….” said Spurrier, who makes $2.5 million a year not including other bonuses.

If this ain’t a pimp-move, I don’t know what is. The Fear of Socialism in Sports Spurrier’s proposal to pay players, in effect, had a few shrewd capitalists feeling as if he was practicing some weird form of Socialism.

But did Spurrier really want to “share the wealth” like President Obama suggested during his 2008 campaign? According to NCAA President Mark Emmert, Spurrier’s payment proposal would destroy the “sacredness” of college athletics.

“I think paying players by game doesn’t make any sense to me at all.” Emmert said.

“Are you going to pay them for every game they go to, are you going to pay them for women’s volleyball, and why $300, why not $600, why not $1000. If you are just paying them for a game why not $3,000?” he scolded.

millions“Where do you set that number and why do you set that number? That’s converting student-athletes into employees and I’m adamantly opposed to that and I think that would be the death of intercollegiate athletics.”

Despite Emmert’s disapproval of paying college athletes, he can’t deny the fact that college sports is a big business.

College athletics is a Big Business.

How big a business is it?

According to the dailybeast.com, during the 20 day basketball extravaganza known as March Madness, the NCAA makes $185 million on corporate sponsorships plus $300 million off of NCAA merchadise sales, while $770 million is spend on TV license fees, $613.8 million on television advertisement, and $7.5 million on beer sells.

Seeing those numbers, there is no question, college athletics is a big business.

And to understand the game, just like politics, one must follow the money.

Politics of Corruption

ccaWhy? Because there is a Politics of Corruption running college sports.
What do I mean by a politics of corruption?

When you look at the word politics, the first part of the word “poli” which means many.

And the last part of the word is tics, which means a bloodsucker.

Therefore, by definition the term politics means “many bloodsuckers.”

And without a doubt, we all have to agree that the NCAA is sucking the life force of these young college athletes by collecting billions of dollars annually off of their blood, sweat, and tears.
Even though we know that this form of economic exploitation is wrong, the philosophy of college sports of see no evil, hear no evil, and speak no evil protects this evil empire.

millionFootball Rules

Why? Because there is a code of silence that governs the game.

For instance, you know the old saying, What happens in Vegas; Stays in Vegas.

Well, that phrase is a little different in college sports.

The motto for many universities: is football rules or basketball rules.

Therefore, there are no rules.

Why? Because, football is the cash cow.

caspAnd you are not going to kill the holy cow, if it is worshipped and viewed as being sacred by the people in order to feed a few hungry athletes hamburgers for dinner.

But this golden calf must be destroyed just like Moses, the Lawgiver, did in the Bible….

In other words, there must be some new laws or commandments to govern this growing entity.


A system driven by greed.
According to Jesse Jackson, of the Rainbow Push Coalition, Capitalism only works if they are checks and balances.

Well, if it is true for Capitalism, it is true for the NCAA.

But this will be a difficult task, because greed drives both of these institutions.

And in a world, where we worship the rich and despise the poor, the rich will always get richer.
Not surprisingly, the NCAA is a microcosm of the macrocosm.

In other words, it is a capitalistic system based off of exploitation, where profit over the people is the law of the land.

Or should I say, profit over the players is the law of the field or the court.

But now this capitalistic system is slowly collapsing, as more universities are being investigated.
And with each investigation, more scandals are surfacing.

Why? Because the NCAA is not a democracy.

It is not governed of, for, and by the people or the players.

It is a plutocracy.

plutoRich getting richer

A plutocracy means ruled for the rich by the rich.
And a plutocracy’s only purpose is to protect the wealth of the rich.

Therefore, the biggest threat to a plutocracy is for the peasants or the players to revolt against the system.
The sense of rebellion can be seen with the new “one and done” phenomenon occurring in college basketball.

But let’s remember the famous words of Frederick Douglas, who said “Power concedes nothing without demand Therefore, maybe all college athletes should unite, organize and boycott the NCAA and create and articulate a list of demands.

This type of athletic alliance could spark a revolution in college sports like none other and potentially change the way the game is played.

If this happens, then, and only then, will the ball truly be in the hands of the players.

If this doesn’t happen, college athletes will continue to be exploited while the rich get richer and richer.

Eric D.Graham is a graduate of Winston-Salem State University, where he received a B.A. in Mass Communication with a concentration in Radio and Television and a minor in History, with an emphasis in African-American Studies. Currently, he is the Editor and Chief of Black Athlete Sports Network, where his articles appear daily along with his controversial cartoon character Bobbee Bee “The Hater.”Graham can be reached at lbiass34@yahoo.com
 

Wednesday, September 13, 2017

BOBBEE BEE: THE (107 YEAR) HISTORY AT SAINT PETER UNITED HOLY CHURCH

MAGNOLIA MEMORIES-(107 YEARS) HISTORY AT SAINT PETER UNITED HOLY CHURCH-Pictured Top: Elder S.D. Pigford; Center-left BISHOP M.L.McCall, Elder Adam Scott, Rev. Jackson and wife; Elder L.R. Revels, and Elder Woodrow and Evangeline Grady.

During the early part of the nineteenth century several ladies in the small town of Magnolia, NC felt the need of coming together to bond themselves in a closer r...elationship with God. This pressing spiritual awakening led them to gather in the home of Sister Looney Dixon for prayer meetings. Among the ladies attending those prayer meetings were Sister Emmaline Newkirk Shephard, Sister Lizzie Williams Pigford, Sister Mary Hussey, Sister Maggie Bowden, Sister Mary Beatty, and Sister Hattie Carr.

God poured out his blessings during those meetings wherein the attendance grew and it became necessary for them to move to a vacated building in the community. This building was called “Looney’s Chapel” on the behalf of Sister Looney Dixon who had opened up her house for the first prayer meeting. As more people became saved, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost, it became necessary to establish a local church where they could be free to seek God and hold regular worship services. In the year 1910, these soldiers of God built and organized their first church which was named at that time Saint Peter Holy Church. The church became a great spiritual powerhouse in the community.

Among the many people who united Saint Peter were Sister Mary Moore, Sister Maggie Lee and
family, Brother Fate Hussey, Brother Pat Beatty, and Brother Pearlie Boykins. Sister Annie Bell McCorbett joined and ministered to God with music on the drums. There were also Sister Eva and Brother Henry Kornegay and Sister Gladys and Brother Cicero Bowden who joined this great spiritual chain that had begun at Sister Looney Dixon’s home.

Saint Peter was blessed and honored to have four pioneers of its beginning: Sister Rena Best, Sister Martha Graham, Sister Lizzie W. Pigford and Sister Minnie Lee Bennett, who continued the rich tradition of the church until their passing.

Former pastors of this church are Rev. Howard Waters of Faison, NC; Rev. Perry, Rev. L.R. Revels of Salem, NC; Rev. Jackson of Eden, NC; Rev. J.C. Thomas of Roxboro, NC; Rev. Poole of Henderson, NC; Rev. Adams Scott of Goldsboro, NC; Rev. S.D. Pigford of Magnolia, NC; Rev. B.B. Dunn of Kinston, NC; and Rev. W.Cox of Goldsboro, NC and Bishop Merlin McCall of Lumberton, NC. Saint Peter Holy Church was rebuilt in 1953 under the leadership of Rev. S.D. Pigford who was the pastor. Brother Henry Kornegay, Brother Cicero Bowden, Brother William Kornegay, and Brother Earnest Graham were deacons and Sister Bertha Graham served as church secretary.

Several renovations have taken place since 1953 to accommodate its continuous growth which has not stopped since the gathering of our founding fathers and mothers at the home of Sister Looney Dixon. As each new generation of soldiers unite at Saint Peter, they will be forever thankful to God for those faithful ladies that joined together in prayer meetings that have continued on for over 107 years.

Currently, St. Peter’s is under the leadership and direction of Elder Woodrow and Evangeline Grady-Black History Moment-

Sunday, September 10, 2017

BOBBEE BEE "THE HATER"-BACK TO SCHOOL WITH A NEW ATTITUDE-(SUNDAY MORNING SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS)-

"He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." 1 Jn 4:4 (NKJV)

BOBBEE BEE "THE HATER"-BACK TO SCHOOL WITH A NEW ATTITUDE-(SUNDAY MORNING SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASS)-The disappointment of life can cause you to see nothing but negativity in your future. You express hopelessness, belittle your own abilities, refuse to take any risk, say no to personal growth opportunities, complain about the unfairness of life and say that nothing you do will make a difference in a particul...ar circumstance. Do you recognize any of these attitudes in yourself?

If so, there's good news. Dr. Paul Meir, a Christian psychiatrist, said, "Attitudes are nothing more than habits of thought, and habits can be acquired. An action repeated becomes an attitude realize." That means with practice, you can develop an overcoming attitude.

Here's how (1.) Be honest about your quest to conquer pessimism. Give someone you respect the permission to point out when you are being negative. (2.) Limit your exposure to negative input. Since you become like the company you keep, look for people who fortify your faith and not feed your fears. "He that walks with wise men shall be wise" (Pr 13:20)

(3.) Volunteer to serve others who are less fortunate. Serving creates positive feelings and gives you a sense of value; It's also the right thing to do. (4)Look for the good in every situation and always express faith that it's there!!

So, when you face a difficulty today, see it as an opportunity because "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world." (Source: Word of the Day) www.bobbeethehater.blogspot.com

Friday, September 08, 2017

BOBBEE BEE: POCKET FULL OF GHETTO POEMS

POCKET FULL OF GHETTO POEMS: THE ALBUM REVIEW by Vincent Morris Woody

Pocket Full of Ghetto Poems is a testament to Southern hip hop, avoiding the gangsta and drill music clichés so often found in current music.

It is a throwback to an earlier time when hip hop had substance, without being lame or preaching to the choir.

Graham is the author of this authentic and often haunting material that puts you in the mind of OutKast meets Public Enemy.

Only the old heads can feel me on this one.

The beats are just hard enough for the streets, while at the same time being laid back enough for the whip.

The kind of album that makes you think, while nourishing your soul, and entertaining simultaneously. Graham takes you on a journey that extends beyond the South into the metaphysical without separating you from the now.
the track Illuminati, which not only makes me nostalgic for the purity of 90's hip hop, but releases a hook that makes me want to get a Mob Deep album.

There are infectious songs that have been released online such as Dope Boy Fresh, which has a track with a state of emergency feel to it, as Graham rides the beat with passion.

You have Too Many Emcee's, which puts me in the mind of an old school KRS One, Mad Lion collaboration, updated for today's audience.

What do you get when you mix a teacher, a philosopher, an emcee, and a revolutionary?

A Pocket Full of Ghetto Poems.

In order to get your copy of Pocket Full of Ghetto Poems: The Making of a Hip-Hop Classic send checks or money order of $10 or more to Eric D.Graham PO Box 172 Magnolia, NC 28453

BOBBEE BEE: MYTH OR REALITY: THE MYTH OF TRIGGER HAPPY-COP

MYTH OR REALITY: THE MYTH OF TRIGGER HAPPY-COP

By Charles Campisi

The seeming surge in fatal shootings by police officers has become one of America’s most divisive issues in recent years. From Ferguson to Baton Rouge, from North Charleston to Minneapolis, from Charlotte to Chicago, communities have been rocked by protests and demonstrations after local police officers shot and killed people, many of them minorities, some completely unarmed. Images of some of the most egregio...us cases have shocked the national conscience.



As the former chief of internal affairs for the New York Police Department for almost two decades, I was personally involved in the investigation of hundreds of these incidents, including such controversial cases as the 1999 shooting of the unarmed West African immigrant Amadou Diallo and the 2006 shooting of Sean Bell. Perhaps no one knows better than I do that some cops, when using their weapons, make mistakes, disregard their training, succumb to panic or even act with outright malice.

But I also know that, despite the impression often created by TV news and social media, not all but many law-enforcement agencies have dramatically reduced the number of officer-involved shooting incidents.

The NYPD is a case in point. Consider the numbers. In 1971, the first year that the department began compiling detailed data on police shootings, officers shot 314 people, 93 of them fatally.

Two decades later, in 1991, the number of NYPD shootings had decreased to 108, with 27 fatalities—a significant reduction but still a disturbingly high number. By 2015 (the last year for which complete official statistics are available), the number of people intentionally shot by NYPD cops had plummeted to 23, with eight resulting in a fatality—a reduction of more than 90% over the previous 4½ decades.


Let me put that in context. In a city of 8.2 million people—and in a police department of more than 35,000 armed officers who in 2015 responded to more than 66,000 calls involving weapons—NYPD cops shot and killed eight criminal suspects. All of these individuals had prior arrest histories, five were carrying a gun or pellet gun, one was stabbing an officer with a knife, and two were violently struggling with cops to avoid arrest.

Eight criminal suspects shot and killed is far from a perfect record—it’s eight human lives away from being perfect—but the statistics show that the NYPD has made tremendous strides in reducing such shootings.



There are a number of reasons for this progress. For one, technological advances such as virtual-reality “shoot/don’t shoot” training exercises have helped to condition NYPD cops to react correctly to real-life situations involving potentially deadly force. The deployment of defensive devices such as pepper spray and Tasers has also given NYPD cops less lethal alternatives to gunfire for defending themselves and others against armed suspects.

Extensive data collection on every police shooting—from the number of shots fired to the officer’s number of years on the job—has helped NYPD commanders to spot trends and develop training improvements. Increased training in the “three Cs”—cover, concealment, containment—has taught officers to avoid being put into situations where they are forced to fire their weapons. “Officer restraint” has become the NYPD’s training emphasis.

There is no complete official national database on police shootings, so it is impossible to obtain accurate historical data on trends in police shooting incidents. (Creating such a database should be a national priority.) But according to an unofficial database maintained by the Washington Post, it is clear that fatal officer-involved shootings are actually statistically rare—and unjustified officer-involved fatal shootings are rarer still



(Source: Wall Street Journal) for more information go to www.bobbeethehater.blogspot.com

BOBBEE BEE: ARE THESE THE BEST SIX COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS EVER?

 BALLER STATUS- According to Athlon Sports, these are the Best (Six) College Football Players Ever to play the game. They include: 1.Herschel Walker (RB, Georgia 1980-1982) 2. Barry Sanders (RB, Oklahoma State 1986-1988) 3. Archie Griffin (RB, Ohio State, 1972-75) 4. Earl Campbell (RB, Texas, 1974-77) 5. Bo Jackson (RB, Auburn, 1982-85) and 6. Tim Tebow (QB, Florida, 2006-09)...Agree or Disagree
1. Herschel Walker RB, Georgia, 1980-82
 
Walker stampeded onto the college football scene in his first game by barreling over Tennessee’s Bill Bates, and from there, his legend only grew.
 
The 1982 Heisman winner led the Bulldogs to a 33–3 record and the 1980 national championship during his three seasons in Athens, rushing for 5,259 yards — still an SEC record — and 49 touchdowns.

2. Barry Sanders RB, Oklahoma State, 1986-88
 
The dazzlingly elusive Sanders had arguably the greatest individual season in college football history, rushing for 2,850 yards on 7.6 yards per carry and 42 touchdowns (including the bowl game) in his Heisman campaign of 1988.
 
He scored 55 total touchdowns in his three-year career despite having only one season as the Cowboys’ featured back.

 

3. Archie Griffin RB, Ohio State, 1972-75
 
The only two-time winner of the Heisman Trophy, Griffin was a workhorse for Woody Hayes’ Buckeyes, amassing 5,589 rushing yards (second in Big Ten history) on 924 carries.
 
He led the Big Ten in rushing in 1973 (1,577 yards), ’74 (1,695 yards) and ’75 (1,450 yards) and averaged a robust 6.0 yards per attempt for his career.


4. Earl Campbell RB, Texas, 1974-77
 
The Tyler Rose left countless Southwest Conference defenders face-down on the turf or grasping at air.
 
He left Austin with 4,443 rushing yards and won the 1977 Heisman Trophy with a 1,744-yard, 18-TD season for the 11–1 Longhorns. Even in the Horns’ 38–10 Cotton Bowl loss to Notre Dame that cost them the national title, Campbell was a bright spot, rushing for 116 yards.
 

5. Bo Jackson RB, Auburn, 1982-85
 
Jackson amassed quite a highlight reel in his first three seasons on The Plains, but his injury-free 1985 campaign was when it all came together: 1,786 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns and a Heisman Trophy.
 
Jackson finished his career with 4,303 rushing yards and 45 total scores before becoming a folk hero and pop culture fixture with his multi-sport pro career.
 


6. Tim Tebow QB, Florida, 2006-09
 
The numbers are simply staggering: 9,285 passing yards and 88 touchdowns; 2,947 rushing yards and an SEC-record 57 scores on the ground; conference records for total touchdowns (145), passing yards per attempt (9.3) and passing efficiency rating (170.8).
 
Oh, and there’s the small matter of two national championships in his four seasons in Gainesville.