Hip Hop’s Rebirth, Nothing To Fear

June 15th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

In the 70’s, a new form of music took over New York City. Young men and women needed a new sound and the creative forces of their generation gave it to them. Sugar Hill Gang, Kurtis Blow, and a host of “DJ’s” carried the sound from hoods, to street corners, to clubs, and now it’s all over the world. What started as RAP, turned into the Multi-Billion dollar Hip Hop Industry.

Few Examples, Have More?

The 80’s showed the adolescence of Hip Hop. It resembled the first day of kindergarten. Everything was fresh and new and you were super excited to see what the next day held. Run DMC mixing rap with Rock n Roll, LL Cool J driving the ladies crazy, and Will Smith showing kids how to cope with everyday life.

Few examples, Have More?

The 90’s changed the game. When you started middle school, you knew the rules. Yet, you did everything to see how far you could push it. So came the birth of Gangsta Rap. The cool kids, the West Coast, basically ran the industry. Snoop’s Gin and Juice, Dre’s Let me ride, Ice Cube’s No Vaseline, and every Tupac song.

You learn a lot about yourself in middle school, just as we learned a lot about ourselves during our Gangsta Rap period. We learned the fragility of life by losing two of our biggest stars, R.I.P. Tupac and Biggie. We learned the money making ability of Hip Hop. Most importantly, we learned the power Hip Hop held over the masses.

Few Examples, Have More?

The new century brought about the bling. In high school, you did everything to fit in, that’s the Hip Hop Industry of the last 10 years. If you say you got this, I’ll say I got that. If your necklace has 50 diamonds, I’ll get 61. You think your girl is bad, I got 5 girls. A truly artificial and commercial approach to life and music.

But, as every cycle eventually does, the money bragging and one upmanship of the last decade is coming to an end. It’s replacement is not fully known yet, but we are definitely experiencing the change in the music.

The question: Will we continue the cycle and have “College Hip Hop” as the next step or will the music mirror the statistics and produce “High School Drop Out Hip Hop”?

Complicated question. I vehemently dislike the dance crazes of today. Every time I hear or see Soulja Boy, I imagine crushing his vocal box. Yet the conservative in me, the free market lover in me, can’t help but appreciate his abilities.

To take a song from the Internet, to the mainstream, and build a name and niche for yourself is worthy of praise. Whether I, as one singe person, like or dislike the finished product, I like the lesson. Before Soulja Boy was an artist, he was an entrepreneur. Before he became one of my least favorite artists, he was a young black man navigating the bumps and bruises of decision making. Before he ruined radio for me, he picked a destination and reached it.

Now, he’s worth more than a lot of artists who “sold a bunch of records and still owe dough.” Jay-Z, Imaginary Player. He is a true product of the American Dream. How can I hate on that?

Plus, how can I look past the clues to the next generation of Hip Hop. Rap started with entrepreneurs. Hip Hop started with entrepreneurs wanting to make money off the Rappers. Then the created industry took over. Rappers were no longer in control of the music they made and the music became more about the money than the art form.

With the invent of social networking, the pattern is starting to reverse itself. An artist can make the kind of music he/she wants with no outside influence. All they need is a hot beat, lyrics, and an ability to promote themselves.

I HATE to admit Soulja Boy is the spark and catalyst to this movement. Those of us who lived through the first decades of Hip Hop find this impossible to believe. We speak of Beastie Boys, Too Short, and Slick Rick and find it heartbreaking to add Soulja Boy.

I’m sure 70’s babies had squabbles with 80’s. 80’s babies had squabbles with 90’s and so forth. We don’t have to like it, but we must continue to support Hip Hop. At this stage in the game, the new genre hasn’t taken hold yet.

Will it be, “College Hip Hop”? Hip hop music that is open to new ideas, formats, and experiences. The experiment is already in progress. Kanye West and Lil Wayne creating Rap N Roll, Gospel Rap reaching into churches, and Hip Hop songs and dances gracing stage plays.

Or will it be, “High School Drop Out Hip Hop”? Hip hop music that refuses to look at itself in the mirror, so it emulates others around it. “My President’s black, My Lambo’s blue”, a love song that places a name ahead of true emotion, or beef songs because I can’t get my album to sell.

The fight for the new generation of Hip Hop is underway. Either way the wind blows, looking back at the catalyst, should bring you great hope. Self made, still in high school, big dreams, passion, and most importantly success.

Enough success, that leaders in the game are calling you out. Enough success that bloggers, like myself, take time to write about you. Enough success, that laughing at the haters comes with ease. Enough success that one ridiculous song after another, gets infinite radio play. Enough success to make true lovers of Hip Hop question the direction of the music.

Do not fear Hip Hop fans. Rejoice. Hip Hop’s constant evolution and experimentation solidifies it’s longevity and importance in America’s culture. Hip Hop’s ability to set the tread in dance, clothing, and over all style proves the power of our generations’ creativity. Hip Hop’s power to create massive followings motivates this generations ability to capture a piece of the market.

Hip Hop has made a full circle. Now the money is starting to flow back into the hands of the people that actually make the music and though the industry is mad, consumers should be happy. Creativity will make it’s way back into the music.

But we have a very important role to play. We must seek out and support the artist that are moving the music forward. The young entrepreneurs that grew up in tough conditions and made it out. The young artist desperately trying to figure out who they are, through rhyme and reason. The young sister’s forcing their way towards a true level playing field in Hip Hop.

Soulja Boy may have been the catalyst, but we can help influence the finished product. Get on Myspace, Twitter, Facebook, and any other social sites and find the music, support the artist, and have your thumbprint of the next generation of Hip Hop.

Glass Houses

June 8th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

They say, “He who slings mud, loses ground”

Seldom is a source found that replenishes itself

That makes up what was lost

Without extra cost or an undesired result

The mudslinger knows this well

He sees the dirt on his hands and under his nails

Dirty hands for a dirty job

A dirty job filled with dirty deeds

The mudslinger sees no problem with these

Or this, Mentality

Ground maybe lost

Dirty hands maybe the cost

But who looks at dirty hands

When someone else has a dirty face

Dirty face wins the race

To ridicule and laughter

The mudslinger would have to move faster

Than the speed of light to look past

The mud he slung at someone’s elses’ path

And we laugh

Sitting in our Glass Houses

They say, “the grass the always greener, on the other side”

Here we go again believing their lies

With scratched up knees and scraped up thighs

Why is there a fence?

Where is the gate?

If every thing is so great, why make us wait?

Maybe our shade of Green is seen

As a source of comfort

For those on the other side

Who would willing open wide

Their gate to get a glimpse inside

Our glass house

While we’re banging to find a way out

They say, “It’s better to have loved and lost

Than to have never loved at all”

Should I slip and fall

Into looking for lessons learned

With no true concern

To the eyes focusing back at me

Through invisible walls

That cause pause for every passerby

That can spot a broken heart

And when I start to cry

They pick up rocks

Just as the mudslinger knows

The weight of his deeds

And like the green grass

Hide things only yet to be seen

The interesting thing

Glass houses are portable

While ground is being lost

So is the shelter

And while dreams are being spent

Going after what could be

We are exposed to letting everyone see

Our dirty hands and our dirty deeds

California Blue Print to Bankruptcy: Part 1 in Triology

May 30th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

Most of us don’t pay attention to what’s going on in our local elections. Until recently, I shared my portion of guilt on this subject. That would explain why mid-term elections don’t draw as much attention as Congressional races held in Presidential election cycles.

With state after state on the brink of meltdown, I question, What happens to a state that goes bankrupt? I can find no record of an American State even coming close to having to answer that question.

We are currently watching history in the making. California’s economic woes create a blueprint of the future of United States of America, as a whole.

California Blue Print

• Residents: Diversity is the key to California’s appeal. The scenery and weather obviously contribute but if you want to view America as the great melting pot, go to California.
• State Government: 27% of California workforce is employed by State government. Remember, these jobs come with great salaries, healthcare, and retirement after 20 years with 80% of payroll still in tact. (Remind you of any car companies?)
• Hollywood Liberals in Charge: What can match Star Power? With the majority of Who’s Who swaying public opinion, where does this leave the average voter?
• Sanctuary Cities and Illegal Immigration: California is the illegal immigrant capital of the United States. Can’t blame the immigrants though, I’d come to if I could get free housing, food, and benefits.
• Go Green, Don’t Drill: Most states can’t boast they have a product to sell. There may be private industries to tax, but not a state owned commodity, like oil. If you don’t have money, why not drill and make some?
• And when it starts to crumble: Raise taxes on an already tax riddled, unemployed population.

When you watch a movie and the bad guy catches the good guy, do you question why the bad guy lays out his evil plan? He tells the Hero who, what, when, why, where, and how; then gives the good guy time to plot his escape and foil the evil plan.

Currently, America is hanging over a shark pit by a thin rope and an ax is slowly inching it’s way towards our only safety. No, I’m not calling California the villain but the bureaucracy practiced in states like California definitely deserve that title.

As in all good movies, here comes the twist. The California people have finally realized the true culprit. It wasn’t Gray Davis or Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was the huge state government spending, both of these men are responsible for.

The bureaucracy, like any other villain, goes into self preservation mode. To feed it’s own ego and hold on to it’s power, it needs money. So the bureaucracy turns to threats. If you don’t feed us, we’ll let the prisoners out of jail, fire the school teachers, and stop answering 9-1-1 calls. You don’t want that, do you?

The California people answered by starting to undo the rope wrapped around their hands. They voted down tax increases to keep the bloated government afloat. On measure after measure, they said enough was enough.

The shocked bureaucracy calls on it’s allies, the federal government. This is where all the audiences’ questions are answered.

Who: The countries’ most populous state

What: On the brink of exposing the dark side of the federal government’s increased spending

When: Immediately! We need your help now

Where: In the bastion of Liberal ideology. If it can’t work here?!?!?

Why: The people have started to turn against us

How: We need money. If you can’t give directly, at least vouch for us to get it elsewhere

Here’s what makes a Great Movie, another twist.

The Federal Bureaucracy, like any other villain, is in self preservation mode. “We need money too, we can’t go giving any money to you. And as for borrowing, have you seen our checkbook? I don’t think our recommendation will do you any good.”

Now, the big “villain” has left the little “villain” to fight it’s own battles. This is where the audience starts to get excited. Will the villain carry through with his threats? Will the hero escape and save the day? Will the big “villain” offer the little “villain” help in the end with strings attached?

All those question will be answered on the next episode. O.K., to far but that’s where we are.

California has serious decisions to make. The bureaucracy is still in self preservation mode. Cuts to the budget are inevitable but each cut provides self inflicted pain to the bureaucracy. It now has to relinquish power and make concessions, where there was once a blank check.

Who gets hurt by the cuts?

5,000 states employees and another 20,000 to get pay cuts. Not bad, huh? Not even close.

500,000 people on welfare-to-work program

1 Million children will lose their healthcare

Elderly individuals will no longer receive dialysis for breast or cervical cancer

250,000 students will no longer receive California grants for college

And next year, California will no longer finance state parks

And more budget cuts are on the way!

Who is this hurting? Are the rich Hollywood elite going to be affected? Will the heirarchy of the bureaucracy see massive slashings? Will the political lobbying groups and guilty politicians have to take a pay decrease or suffer some other punishment?

NO!!!! It will only hurt the people that voted for the massive spending.

This is the problem with the Nannie State, a state where the government does everything for it’s people. Eventually, the money runs out and the people who DEPENDED on that money are the first ones’ cut. Insert Blue Print Here.

• Residents: The poor who were working their way up and those who weren’t are cut. Parents had a set fiscal budget because they thought their child’s healthcare was covered, now it’s not. Parents neglected setting money aside for college tuition because grants were available to state schools. The elderly assumed the government wouldn’t pick and choose which cases of cancer would be treated and which ones wouldn’t, now they have.
• State Government: 5,000 jobs lost. Not to downplay the effect of those jobs on 5,000 California families, but in the over all scheme, how much of big government is actually reduced? Compare the number of schools losing teachers and cities losing police officers, not to mention stats above, and how much of this hit is aimed towards the bureaucracy that caused the mess in the first place.
• Hollywood Liberals in Charge: Be careful what you ask for. You campaign and raise money for the same lobby groups that help shape big government. Now that all the industries are leaving and the manufacturers are going away, you will be the only “RICH” people in the state. How come you never see “STARS” campaigning for the millionaire tax or luxury tax on the items and services only they can afford, to help California out of it’s financial woes? They cheered when child healthcare was proposed, why are none stepping up to keep it in place?
• Sanctuary Cities and Illegal Immigration: The construction jobs are gone and the cities that provide you sanctuary can no longer afford such a luxury. The people are already looking at you like a cause, what happens when the government needs to get the majority back on it’s side? I predict massive deportation in California, soon.
• No to Drilling: Back to the Hollywood elite, you know, the big green machine. Now that you are the only “RICH” group left and the main source of income of the California state government, will you still oppose drilling?

I’ll give California until it’s budget deadline before I start predicting what will happen in the sequel to this movie. The bureaucrary was definelty handed a blow but will it come back with a genius plan to once again trap the good guys in a vicious cycle of cat and mouse? Or will the good guys dispose of the little “villain” and focus it’s attention the Federal Government? Will the little “villains” failure expose the big “villains” evil plan with enough time for the Hero to save the day?

The Mid-term elections of 2010 will tell the next portion of the story. Pay Attention.

Do The Damn Thing: Howard’s Magic Surpise Cleveland

May 21st, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

People, you know I’m the underdog lover. I go for the little dog in the fight every time. Last Night, I was happy.

The invention of Picture In Picture revolutionized the way I watch T.V. I can plant frags on Gears of War, while watching the news. I can conquer nations of Civilization, while watching the weather channel. And I love it.

Last night, it was Gears of War 2, with the Orlando vs Cleveland game on the little screen. I stopped paying attention to the game when the Cavs went up by 16. I started paying more attention to capturing the ring on King of the Hill. (Yeah, if you want it, come get it.)

Then I heard it, Orlando has it’s first lead of the game. WHAT!?!?!

How did that happen? Glad I lost, because of lag I assure you, I turned of the 360 and watched the last 9 minutes and 32 seconds of one of the best games I have ever seen.

At the 4 min 20 sec mark, Lebron James got the ball at the top of the key. He took his time and the fans in the audience began to stand. They were all expecting a King James moment. He drives to the hole and the Orlando Magic shut him down!!!!!!!!! I love it.

“Skip to my Lou”, Rafer Austin, one of my fave And1 players not scared to shot the three. Giving everything he has to never have to ride that And 1 bus again. Dwight Howard breaking the shot clock. And the undefeated, unstoppable in the playoffs Lebron James and Cleveland Cavs lost Game 1 on their home floor.

Yes, I’m taking a lil joy from the underdog winning but that’s not the main point. This playoff season has been the best in a long time. Yes, the expected teams made it, but the unexpected teams put up one hell of a fight.

Up until the very end, no one would’ve gave Orlando a shot to knock off the Celtics. No one would have expected Rookie of the Year Derek Rose to push the Celtics to a game 7 or the Yao Ming and Tracey McGrady less Houston Rockets would push the Lakers to a game 7. Kudos to Ron Artest for growing up.

There is parady and excitement in the NBA. If you only point to Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, why watch? But if at the end of the night, a three point shot from Orlando gives them game 1, I’m excited to see game 2.

I’m excited about the N.B.A. Playoffs. The stars are the underdogs that make the stars work for their status.

Look At Pelosi!: I’m More Worried About Nukes In Pakistan

May 18th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

For the last two weeks, all eyes in the political realm have been focused on Nancy Pelosi. What did she know and when did she know it? Did the C.I.A. lie or is Pelosi’s nose starting to grow? If she did know and she didn’t say anything, isn’t that worse? Blah! Blah! Blah!

Trust and believe, I am no fan of Nancy Pelosi. I understand the Republicans left in the House and Senate, see this as the first wave in starting to crumble the Democrats lock hold on power. If they can get one of the main faces of the Democratic Party to have to resign, it will create the buzz that maybe she isn’t the only one that’s being untruthful, you know with all the tax cheats and appointees fresh from indictments.

But here’s the catch. While focusing on Pelosi, we are forgetting that the world is still turning and it’s not a pretty picture.

President Obama did his apologetic world tour and they are laughing at us. They see our financial system in ruins and as nations that existed way before us, they already know where we are headed. They know you can’t spend your way into a solid economic future.

Iran is continuing to work towards it’s nuclear ambitions. Isreal is flying run throughs of it’s attack routes towards Iran. North Korea desperately needs money, especially since walking away from six party talks, and are willing to sell in capabilities to anyone willing to pay.

Did I forget the Taliban 60 miles away from Pakistan and it’s arsenal of Nukes? Not to mention, India and Pakistans’ problems that could further escalate the sitiutation.

And we are talking about Nancy Pelosi. Maybe this is the problem with the Republican Party. We know the Democrats are going to self destruct under their own arrogance, pun fully intended. Instead of focusing on making them fail, we should be focused on making sure America doesn’t fail while they are in power.

We should take every opportunity to talk about Nancy Pelosi and turn it into a talk about the dangers going on in the world. Let the C.I.A. handle Pelosi, you know she placed the target on her own back, and let’s talk about keeping America safe in the up and coming struggles ahead.

We allowed our heads to be buried in the sand while we were worring about who Bill Clinton slept with and Al Queda was plotting and planning. We won the White House but we lost the Twin Towers, was it worth it? And any Republican that says it was, you are not a Republican I would associate myself with.

If we are going to be the party of National Defense and Fiscal Responsibility, then we need to make those issues first and foremost. They talk Nancy Pelosi, we talk Islamabad and the world’s refusal to help with the situation.

They say C.I.A., we say while you were apologizing to the world, who offered help with Afghanistan or getting Taliban out of Pakistan. The press is not asking the tough questions, we should be.

Republicans, refuse to talk about Pelosi. Talk about real issues. Let’s learn from our mistakes.

Are We A Christian Nation?

May 18th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

With all the media attention around President Obama speaking at Norte Dame yesterday, I got into a really deep conversation with a very wise woman.

The conversation started with us being on separate sides of the issue. I’m Pro-choice and she is Pro-life. But she’s the Democrat and I’m the Republican, so how did that happen? She broke it down to me like this, “We all have the right to believe what we choose to believe.”

Simple, right? Come on, you know nothing is ever simple with me.

So, we started talking about God and Faith. She brought up taking prayer out of school and not allowing teachers to discipline the students. She places all the blame of our failed educational institutions on those two principles.

I point out, “The extreme left of the Democratic Party are responsible for pushing to take God out of everything and they also rule the unions that allow concessions, like the teacher not being able to defend themselves, to come to fruition.”

Then she came back to her original point, “We all the right to choose what we choose to believe.”

I’m starting to get mad because this doesn’t make any sense to me. If I give you facts and figures, how can you dispute them? Especially if you agree with the initial concept? Especially if you don’t have any differing facts or figures to dispute them?

She repeated, “We have the right to choose what we believe.”

My respect level for this woman is so high, I let it go. I saw where this was headed and I was sure to lose my cool, sooner rather than later.

We stopped talking politics and got back on God. This is where her words really hit me? I said, “America is made up of 72% Christians, We are a Christian Nation.”

She said, “And of the 72%, I bet 50% don’t practice what they preach.”

That’s it. She hit the nail right on the head and got me thinking. That’s the problem. A lot of us choose to believe we are Christians but nothing in our actions prove the point. If God himself came to a random American and said “Let my will be done”, it’s a 50% chance he’d run across someone that questioned what they would get in return.

As a Southern Baptist Christian, I learned you didn’t have to be perfect. You didn’t have to get it right all the time, all you had to do was confess your Sins to God and continue on doing the best you can. And that’s what I believe, heart and soul.

But when I start to think about how I’ve been fighting God, even with absolute faith in his word, I realize this is not as black and white as I thought. Our society is starting to program us into believing what they would have us to believe and we have the right to choose if we want to believe it.

It doesn’t matter if it’s toxic to our future. It doesn’t matter if it contridicts everything we think we believe in. If we choose to drink the Kool-Aid we are bound to it’s results.

And that’s where we find ourselves, having to decide which side to follow. I’ve been under the impression that’s an easy choice to make. But the truth is, you’re cool until you start to talk about God.

Some of us walk around like we are truly Christians, but let the conversation turn to talking about Christianity and people will choose their politics over their God. It’s cooler to be Democrat, than it is to be a child of God.

Out of my conversation, I got these contradictions.

I don’t believe in Abortion, but if President Obama does, I’m sure he has his reasons.

I don’t believe prayer should be taken out of schools, but if Obama agrees, then it has to be the best thing.

I don’t believe in saying “Happy Holidays”, but if Obama said it, I would accept just like he was saying “Merry Christmas”.

What?

Are we a Christian nation? Or are we a nation that likes to believe we have Christian values? Because something has to give. I can understand believing in the fiscal policy of Obama, not really but you know what I’m saying, but I don’t understand how you sacrifice your self held beliefs to do it.

I was told, “you have to do you, first and foremost”, and I laughed. I’ve tried that. I did exactly what I wanted to do, without asking for God’s input. I bent all the rules and didn’t care. When someone came to talk to me about God, I didn’t want to hear it.

Been there, done that. All I got was an empty feeling in the center of my heart and a life that didn’t reflect what I really wanted. One of those, “Be careful what you wish for” moments.

Now when I talk about God, I can get, almost, everyone to agree. They will say God is at the center of their life, but question their politics and they’ll throw God under the bus for Obama.

Maybe Obama was right. Maybe we are no longer a Christian nation. Maybe we are becoming a Government fearing country more than a God fearing country.

The only thing that makes it worse, the Christians who really do believe are making concessions to let it happen. I guess they can choose to believe that’s the same thing as standing up for what they know in their hearts is right. Let’s hope God can see it from your point of view.

Eight Stages of Democracy: This Should Scare You

May 14th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

I was searching random things the other day and I ran across this little gem. I mentioned it on my radio show, WHWDRadio this Wednesday and I’ll share it with you today. Helpless plug, I know. LOL

These eight steps were written in 1787 by Professor Alexander Tyler. The United States was in the planning process of a young and fragile Democracy. So, this Professor took a look at the past and tried to map out the evolution of a Democracy. He determined a time line for these eight steps and an estimate of how long the process would take, 200 years.

The Eight Steps

From Bondage to Spiritual Faith

Do we forget how young of a nation we are? Europe had shaped and reshaped itself so many times before we were even put on a map.

England ruled the young America, not with whips and chains, but with taxes. The people weren’t allowed to build a strong nation because all the money they made was sent back to England. In the beginning, they were cool with that.

They were running from Europe so they would have the right to serve the God of their choosing and the manner in which they would serve that God. To them, at least in the beginning, the sacrifice was worth it. But that didn’t last long because Spiritual Faith is life altering.

From Spiritual Faith to Great Courage

Now, you have spiritual people who fully believe God has their best interest at heart and that translates into the building of courage.

Not in just this case, but in every case. Once you let God into your life, you begin to feel like you can move mountains. When you trust and have faith, fear seems to melt away.

From Courage to Liberty

This may seem funny but the courage you get from God makes you want to fight. O.K. maybe I didn’t say that right. The courage you get from God makes it impossible for you to allow someone to block your blessings. There, that’s better.

Our founding fathers knew we could not prosper with England at the head of our lives. We had to be a nation that put God first, then country, then family.

So NO! We will not bow to your Queen, we will not allow you to rob our country of it’s chance to be great, and no we will not allow you to dictate the lives of our children and grandchildren. We have God on our side and will fight for what we feel is right.

And that’s what we did. We fought and won our independence, our freedom, and our Liberty.

From Liberty to Abundance

And once you put your faith in God and walk through the fire without fear, you receive your blessing. And can’t we all agree, America has been blessed. We sprouted from a young nation into a world leader in record time.

Industry flourished, businesses developed, and the Economy became the envy and standard of the world. We fought amongst ourselves, defended our friends and allies, and built the strongest military force on the planet. We adjust and change our laws, while still adhering to the basic principles of our Constitution.

But all this comes with a price.

From Abundance to Complacency

Complacency- self-satisfaction, especially when accompanied by unawareness of actual dangers and deficiencies

I think this came around the time of the Great Depression. The New Deal. The belief started to creep in that we had the money to do anything. People were hurting and wanted immediate help, so they turned to the government and the government answered.

We’re temporarily going to give out Social Security benefits, just to get people by until things get better. We’re going to set up Medicaid and Medicare to help the underprivileged and elderly, who just can’t afford healthcare. These are just temporary steps to get us through these hard times.

When did they end Social Security? They didn’t. No politician is going to advocate taking services from the poor and the old. Plus, now government has a huge money supply from all the taxes they collect for Social Security. Great way to get money from you to borrow against for other Government projects.

As the government continued to grow, so did it’s hold on the mind of the American people.

From Complacency to Apathy

Apathy- lack of interest or concern; indifference

Now, we believe we can not fail. We pushed the Nazi’s back and crushed Russia, what could go wrong? The age of drugs spread through America and people stopped caring. It was better to protest than to put yourself into a position to run for office. It was better to make love than resist the up and coming war in our own backyard, the ever growing size of government.

Then, one morning we awoke and realized Government played a role in every aspect of our life. We pay taxes from the moment we get up in the morning to the moment we go to sleep at night. They can tell your teenage daughter it’s O.K. to get an abortion without telling a parent. They can even take away your land and cite “eminent domain”.

And we threw our hands up and said “F it”. It’s nothing we can do, the government runs everything. And we stopped listening, we stopped paying attention, and we stopped holding politicians accountable for their actions. We allowed ourselves to be scared of the Government instead of making the Government scared of us.

This is were it gets really scary.

From Apathy to Dependence

This is were we are right now. We were so indifferent and complacent, the first person to come along and promise us the pot at the end of the rainbow, we jumped. This once God loving nation is starting to worship the Government instead.

The same God that gave our forefather’s the strength and courage to fight is being contested at every turn. God teaches us to rely on him and then on ourselves and the Government doesn’t like that. The now enormous Government, needs to keep feeding itself and it needs your complacency to do it.

They need you to not care they are taking over private industry. They need you to look away while the let the printing press run. They need you to worry about Nancy Pelosi, while the Federal Reserve consolidates power. And there’s only one way that could happen, if you are dependent upon them.

If you can’t keep your house without the Government, then you don’t care how they do it. If you can’t eat without the Government, you don’t care where your food comes from. If you can’t see a doctor without the Government, you don’t care how much it will cost future generations.

We have become the nation of ME, Myself, and I and then anyone else that’s poor. They got us right were they want us, completely dependent on the Government to make the economy work, to solve our individual financial woes, and to just give us that tingly feeling.

Guess what the last step is?

From Dependence to back into Bondage

This is what I don’t understand about America today. There was a time in our history where people were given jobs, houses, food, and healthcare. It was called SLAVERY!

Master controlled everything about the lives of their slaves. They picked the winners and losers, the house nigga and the field nigga. They assualted those that would protest against their actions. They told their slaves when they could and couldn’t procreate. They picked which part of the pig the slaves got to eat.

Now, the government is starting to enlist the same tactics. They pick which people can get their homes refinanced or modified. They pick which companies are to big to fail and which one’s aren’t worth saving. They release terror list for Americans, AMERICANS, that would question the direction of their country. And with Obama’s full support of Planned Parenthood and his plans for national healthcare, population control won’t be far behind.

And we’re letting it happen. We are putting our heads in the sand and all our faith in a Man. A man that came from Chicago politics. A man that has an entire cabinet full of tax cheats and people who at one time or another have been under investigation. A man that down plays Christianity abroad and refuses to pray in front of a nation audience.

We’ve passed the 200 year mark but we’re still progressing straight back to Bondage. The Government never gives up power. All the power the current Government is stacking will now be the norm, how can it get any bigger? It will and they will want more money to make it happen.

But before they come after more money, they will come for our guns. Mark my words. The American people are different from those in the past. We will always believe in our right to protect ourselves.

When the social spending fails and the Government is knocked down a peg, the people at the top will tell us it’s in our best interest to let them handle it. The question will be, will we go back to God and develop the Great Courage to bring our country back from the brink or will hold out our arms and allow the government to attach the chains?

Nationwide Gang: A Man Made Disaster

May 12th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

Yesterday, while I was doing research and watching news simultaneously, I got hit with a revelation. We’d better make sure we know who we are following.

Since Obama’s inauguration, we’ve seen a huge switch from protecting our nation as a whole, to looking out for those that fail. Does this comfort you? With Taliban forces 60 miles from Pakistani Nukes, North Korea and Iran getting closer to missile capability, and budget cuts aimed directly at national defense, do you get flashbacks of 9/11?

There goes those Republicans again, creating fear where none exists, throwing around the word terrorist like there is really someone out to get us, and protecting the very people that cause international situations by using their enhanced interrogation tactics.

I got a dirty little secret for you, the interrogation tactics worked. They were instrumental in keeping us safe for the last eight years. Maybe that’s the source of present complacency. We haven’t been attacked, so why not attack the policies in place if they give up political sway?

The simple answer, go ahead. Attack, attack, attack. That is until Pelosi is caught in a lie, that she knew the tactics were in full use and was complacent in stopping them when the threat appeared “Real”.

Let me link this into something I was reading this weekend, How a gang starts!

First, there has to be a desire or need for protection. This applies to everyone from Hitler to the Bloods and Crips. You must have followers and most of the time these people are the disenfranchised, so all you have to do is make a promise.

Before I go any further I must mention, most groups are started with the best of intentions. They have founders who really believe in fixing a problem. This is evident in the actual work used to put these groups together. Planning, meeting, and community outreach are always the first acts.

Next are the splinter cells, participants in the group who agree with destination but disagree with path to get there. Most black gangs were started in a non-violent fashion. They were set to the teaching of Dr. King and the awakened Malcolm X. They believed we had to stand up for our own communities if we were to change the effects of America’s dark past.

But the splinter groups thought the only way to combat the violence and inequality was to counter with violence. That would show how serious the situation was. It’s wasn’t about our ability to stand on our own, it was about showing people the power we had with guns by our sides.

Now, the average black person had to decide which side to take, the non-violent, slow progression toward equality or instant gratification garnered from “Niggas with guns”. Most people chose the non-violent, slow progression but they silently cheered and respected those with the guns.

Now, the one’s with the guns start getting antsy. How can they still not take us seriously, even though we’re standing here fully armed? They didn’t understand the difference between respect and fear. They didn’t understand the U.S. government wasn’t worried because they had more guns and people to use those guns, not to mention the laws of the land that gave them true power.

I don’t argue about how drugs got into our communities. If you like conspiracies, then I’ll give you government put drugs in black community. If you don’t do conspiracies and you still think the government did it, then I’ll give you that, too. My question always is, Why did they stay in the black community?

Bingo, the one’s with the guns. Upset about the government not taking them seriously and supported by the people in the neighborhood who were tired of suffering, they started talking C.R.E.A.M. If they don’t respect the guns, then we’ll make them respect the money.

The original founders of the “gang” now have a problem. They are trying to build something strong that couldn’t be broken; job training programs, economic industry, and community safety. They wanted to develop the next chapter in the success story of Blacks in America, yet we don’t remember any of their names.

Instead, we look toward the men with guns. We praise Huey Newton as a wrongly convicted black man, harassed by the police for being black with a gun and trying to build up his community. I’ll give you all that, but I’ll up you one.

How did he pay for the free food for kids, the bail for those caught with guns, or the funerals of those killed in shot outs with the police? He didn’t start a business that employed people in the community. He didn’t make the community a beacon for other business owners to come and lower unemployment rates. Where did the money come from?

You and I both know the answer, but let’s not talk about that. Let’s talk about all the wrong that was done to Huey Newton. What about the people that followed him because they thought it would bring a real change into their lives. Why is no one willing to talk about them?

The women who were told they could only date and marry other Black Panthers. The men who had to carry out acts against their own people to keep Huey Newton’s name clean. The mother’s and father’s becoming hooked on the drugs used to pay for Huey Newton’s free food program.

If you don’t want to talk about them, let’s talk about what Mr. Newton himself accomplished. He robbed and stole to get an education. If you’re going to praise him, taunt that. He knew he violated the law, so he learned as much as he could about the law. He was smart enough to know he had to play by the rules of the game.

Enough about one person in particular, that’s how you start to lose the big picture. Now, if you like Huey Newton you’re mad and if you don’t you’re still paying attention. And that’s where we lose the fight.

So, now I ask a deep question. Are our entitlements worth the only jobs in the ghetto encompass drug dealer, pimp, whores, and the “other” hustler? Are entitlements worth an uninspired downgraded education that leads straight to those jobs? Are we to continue accepting what ever is given to us, no matter the consequence?

Yeah, it sounds good. How can he be bad if he gives children food? How can he be wrong for empowering people to know their rights? How can he be bad for bringing people together to fight for a common goal?

I’ll let you ponder those questions, while thinking about this. What legacy did that period of time leave us with? Is that why the baddest dude on the block in an uneducated, pistol toting drug dealer? Instead of the Dr. King type leading us towards legislation in the halls of Congress.

That’s right, back to the point. Here we are again, this time, we’re starting a nation wide gang. The people at the very top started with good intentions. It would be great to give everyone healthcare, pay for everyone to go to college, and alleviate every bit of stress on the American People.

But here’s that nagging question. How do you pay for it? And just like every gang has realized, when you don’t sell a product, you can’t make any money. So what product is the government selling?

Some would say; GM, Chrysler, and all the banks. Other’s would say, “My child’s future wages”. And that’s the point where we lose. Because now we’re talking about C.E.O. compensation and taxes. Instead of focusing on the legacy we’re leaving behind.

Popularity and good intentions are one thing but the aftermath of the storm is something totally different. What gang, from Hitler to the Bloods and Crips, didn’t revert to violence? It is impossible to hold on to power when you are robbing the very people you’re supposed to be protecting. And along the way, the people who agree with your destination but not your path, get caught in all the mess.

And here we are, fighting over whether it’s O.K. to get information from terrorist, dare I say, “By any means necessary”, instead of paying attention to what the people at the top are really doing. Will it be to late before we wake-up and realize, just like selling drugs to parents to pay for their childrens’ food is ridiculous and really self serving, so is buying the wish list now and having your children pay for it later?

That’s a “Real” Man Made Disaster. Just look at Any Hood Near You.

A Great Day

May 10th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

And then on those days

When the sun is hot/ beating down upon your face

You hide and wait for the sun to fade

But so goes the day/ lost to the source of life

Never to be given back

And that day is a sad day

And then on those days

When the rain pours/ seeping into your hole ridden shoes

You refuse to move and let tears soothe a war torn soul

Like a broken heart in playback mode/ soaked and alone

Vowing never to love again

And that day is a sad day

And then on those days

When the winds blows/ forcing more effort into each step

You hide behind a tree to small to give you cover

While you look for another/ when a few steps get you to shelter

You find it better to not try

And that day is a sad day.

And then on those day

When the snow falls/ freezing your bones to their core

You search, and explore, and seek, but never find

The warmth you once thought hid in their lies

And you do it for yourself

And That, That Day Is A Great Day.

The New Black Attitude: First “WHY?”, Now “Who Cares?”

May 9th, 2009 | By Sonnie Johnson

Why? Why is the sky blue? Why is the grass green? Why am I wasting my time asking silly questions?

Bingo…………..

Why is a question posed by those who chose to do the wrong thing for the wrong reason. Pity should be treated as a season and allowed to past. Hoping spring will bring answers to questions unasked.

A bunch of mumbo jumbo or real talk. I happen to think it’s quite inspiring, especially since I wrote it. LOL

I guess in every thing there are reactive and proactive forces. Shots fired on the block, the reactive question, why? The proactive question, why not start a neighborhood watch to cut back on the crime. But before either gets a chance to act or react, what about the person that fired the shots? Do the same forces hold dominion over him?

Is he being proactive in stopping someone from coming to his block or is he being reactive, retaliating because he was hit first? Or truly, does it matter? It doesn’t.

But those are the “WHY” boys and we give credence to their questions. We grieve momentarily for the victim and his family, but we fight relentlessly to make sure the “shots fired” have an excuse. When the police catch the shooter, it’s the police who were picking on a black man.

So I ask, do you even remember crying for the black mother that lost her black son to that black man?

And for asking this question, I will be called a traitor, an uncle Tom, or a myriad of other names that bounce off my skin like raindrops. I’m prepared for that. I know full well putting a dissenting voice will cause criticism to fly my way.

But where are the rest of the people who aren’t afraid to speak up? Over the last couple months, I’ve found quite a few who are willing and currently fighting to take back their cities, but they have to fight the common sense, get up and go to work everyday people. And the one’s committing the crime are free to roam while we fight amongst ourselves.

I have a very old friend I talked to a couple weeks back. He was the man. When I was sick, I mean spending an entire week every month in hospital, he helped me with my bills. He made sure I got my medicine and he frequently stopped by to see if I was eating properly.

But he also worked in weight. He wasn’t loud or flashy, but he was caked up. Right around the time I was leaving Richmond, he was arrested and sentenced to 4 1/2 years in jail.

This was our first conversation since then. Being that I have changed, I assumed that he had made some changes as well. He made changes all right, but not like I had expected.

He told me he no longer sells to niggers. That’s what got him in trouble last time. Black people just don’t know how to keep their mouths closed.

And of course being the person I am, I question “Maybe you got in trouble because you were selling drugs and that’s what happens to people that sell drugs.” And then I got truth.

He said, “I know what I do. And I know where it’s going to lead me. It is what it is.” His girl’s grandma left them a house and she keep the money he saved, so there was no need to continue hustling. The more I tried to press the issue, the harder he laughed.

Now, I feel like a jackass. I’m praying to God to help me find a way to communicate the destruction in our communities and the criminals are laughing. To make matters worse, he commends he on my efforts and predicts big things in my future.

And I’m wondering, do you know what your asking for? If I succeed, you go outta business permanently. But I let the conversation go and spent weeks trying to wrap my brain around it. Until my breakdown on Wednesday, when I tried to tell this story, and the release of my thoughts in yesterday’s blog, I couldn’t decipher the lesson learned.

If you’re young, black, and in the hood, I’ll give you a free “WHY”? Why does no one care about me? See, we used to start community groups to bring jobs and opportunities into black areas. Now, to take a job that pays you enough to pay for rent and food and not much else is looked down upon. WHY? Because the same groups that once vowed to protect us are now giving crack to mothers, turning sons into runners, and killing anyone who gets in their way. No matter the color.

We don’t cheer for them but we stare enviously when they roll up, decked out. We get up and go to work everyday, just to make ends meet, and they don’t have a care in the world. Until they get hit with the consequences of their actions, then we find outrage and a reason to protest.

And the real niggers are laughing. You work your ass off and then you fight for them like your plight is the same. They count on “Let T-Dog Free” and public outrage so they can get back to the street and back to making money. And we oblige.

So what happens to that kid that wants to do the right thing? He sees the world around him quite clearly and he’s smart enough to know just standing out can get him killed. That’s why in every single group of niggers, there is a pretender. Not in the scared to act sense, but the give me one opportunity to get away and I’m gone.

They do what they have to do to make it and then they become Jay-Z, Baron Davis, and Barack Obama. And we cheer their success. But we point out that they are only the exceptions to the rule. The truth is, if we eliminated their need and necessity to fit in, they would become the rule.

And that’s where we are. We are telling our kids that we don’t care what happens in their everyday life if it involves people that look like them. We don’t want to talk about black on black crime, we’ll wait until a white person does something and then we’ll fight.

And while we put our heads in the sand, black men are dying, going to jail, or creating situations that will cause them problems for the rest of their lives.

But we don’t care. If they floss, we’ll admire. If they kill, we’ll overlook. If they steal, so what. Let it happen in your inner circle and it’s different. The police don’t care, the politicians don’t care, and the media doesn’t care. But like the initial question, before any of the people above have a chance to act or react, what about you?

Were you proactively trying to make a better community? Where you proactively trying to encourage your friend to stop selling illegal drugs that cause thousands of black to be incarcerated every year? Where you proactively trying to get them to go back to school or to pick up a trade?

Or are you being re-active and questioning “WHY”, even though you are well aware of the answer?

But here’s the kicker. If you are proactive and are trying to put positive influences around those you love. How’s that working out? Are they ignoring you and continuing to follow their own path, no matter how hard you try? Do you feel like it’s a waste of time, even though you continue to encourage and enlighten?

To you I ask, what about when you’re not talking about someone in particular. Say, just some random news story about a murder in your city. Do you question why the victim was there, instead of why that neighborhood has had a murder every weekend for a year? Do you question police tactics, instead of number of crimes criminals get away with because no one is willing to speak up?

The point is, if you tell a black man to get a job and become a part of society, then turn around and justify the actions of those who are doing the exact same thing, why would they listen to you? You tell them to work hard but laugh along with the guys that pick on the poor dude. What are you truly saying to them.

As long as I you’re nothing, I got your back. But the minute you decide to change your life and have to struggle with the consequences of that change, you no longer fit in. Since you no longer have the chain, the whip, the girls, or the dough, you are no longer worth fighting for. Come back when you are the victim of a white crime.

And that’s the black attitude. Who cares how many die, if they die by black hands? Who cares how hard you work if you don’t roll a Benz? Who cares how much you suffer, if it’s not done by the hands of government or the white man?

Gotta go for now, but far from finished.