Nationwide Gang: A Man Made Disaster

May 12th, 2009 | By

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.

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