Join LadyG as she shares a storytime about some big ass pancakes, a gaggle of cousins, cane syrup, Uncle Bill, Madea, and her favorite R&B/Soul jams from 1977-ish.
**Post titles always include a lyric from one of the songs highlighted in the audio.
*FAIR USE**
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
*FAIR USE** Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
Join LadyG as she continues her storytelling stroll through a 1970’s winter wonderland.
Come along as I tell some tales about my experiences as a youngster in the Year of Our Lord 1973.
And of course, I’ll be talking much trash and sharing my favorite soul jams from that year.
*FAIR USE**
Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research.
Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
I know this lady who was raised in a very depraved environment. She, her mother and her siblings were treated as if they were the private property of her ‘father.’
This young lady had been worked, raped and nearly beaten to death. She was not allowed to go to school so she never learned to read.
Throughout her teen years, her ‘father,’ who had been her main abuser, gave his friends permission to violate her in any number of ways. As a result, she gave birth to six children; each with a different man. Her father sent several of the children away because he said that it wasn’t his responsibility to feed them.
Sadly, the young lady was never told of their whereabouts. Before long, she and her remaining children suffered the same fate.
This young lady, who had nothing but the clothes on her back and three children in tow, did…
Years ago, Oprah Winfrey used to take calls from the public on her national show.
Whenever she wanted to get a handle on what the outside audience thought about a topic, she would simply inquire, “Caller, you say what?”
To which a caller would respond with his or her take on the topic at hand.
Well…
The topic today is “police reform.”
In listening to folks talk about police reform, you might have heard about a concept called “defunding” police.
Now comes the confusion.
Defunding the police is NOT about completely taking away police funding, thereby rendering them powerless to help a vulnerable population.
That’s a scary ass thought; hell my brother is in law enforcement and so was my Dad, so I definitely know and appreciate their value.
Anyway…
Actually, “defunding” police is much better than it sounds.
In my opinion, the terminology is a bit of a misnomer.
And so…
In this video, I cull together information that should detail and explain the true meaning of the concept and how defunding can help reduce police workload by reassigning non-police duties and re-allocating commensurate funds to professionals who are much more qualified to handle certain services.
Seriously, have we been asking police officers to do too much?
Take a look and tell me what you think down in comments:
I am a veteran of the war I up and joined the army back in 1964 At sixteen I just had to be a man at any cost I volunteered for Vietnam where I got my leg shot off I recall a quote from a movie that said “who’s more a man Than a man with a reason that’s worth dyin’ for”
They had me standing on the front line They had me standing on the front line They had me standing on the front line But now I stand at the back of the line when it comes to gettin’ ahead
Just for perspective, these 18 and 19 year olds, would probably be described today as kids.
Hmm…
Just like prior Black veterans of war, Black Vietnam soldiers fought, and many of them died, on foreign soil for freedoms that they did not have back home in America.
In Vietnam, Blacks were also disproportionately placed on the “front line,” putting them at even greater risk for injury and death.
You can find this information in the article linked below by Dr. Helen Black.
A good friend of mine, who served in Vietnam, reported that the Vietcong set up high-powered speakers in the jungle where they broadcasted messages directed to Black soldiers.
They’d say, “Black man, why you fighting here, you don’t have freedom in your own home!”
Can you imagine how they must’ve felt hearing that while continuing to fight?
My friend went on to say that these broadcasts did give the soldiers pause.
At any rate…
Here’s an article published by the Gerontological Society of America, and written by Dr. Helen K. Black, that details experiences of Black soldiers of Vietnam, Korea and World War II.
I can’t say that I agree with every word, but then again, I am not a scholar on the subject.
Hey! For fun, go research health and wealth outcomes for the Black soldiers returing from Vietnam.
Not saying that it was easy for the White soldier…
But White soldiers are not the focus of today’s lesson.
By the way, remind me to tell you about my uncle, who is pictured above.
He was a Vietnam veteran who ultimately died of old age at 34 .
Sadly, he was the lone survivor of a racist attack on five little boys when he was about 7 or 8 years old.
It never made the news.
The killer lived his best life without any consequences. At. ALL.
“Why should they ask me to put on a uniform and go 10,000 miles from home and drop bombs and bullets on Brown people in Vietnam while so-called Negro people in Louisville are treated like dogs and denied simple human rights? No I’m not going 10,000 miles from home to help murder and burn another poor nation simply to continue the domination of white slave masters of the darker people the world over. This is the day when such evils must come to an end. I have been warned that to take such a stand would cost me millions of dollars. But I have said it once and I will say it again. The real enemy of my people is here. I will not disgrace my religion, my people or myself by becoming a tool to enslave those who are fighting for their own justice, freedom and equality. If I thought the war was going to bring freedom and equality to 22 million of my people they wouldn’t have to draft me, I’d join tomorrow. I have nothing to lose by standing up for my beliefs. So I’ll go to jail, so what? We’ve been in jail for 400 years.”
