My Inner Conspiracy Brother: The Meeting to Ruin Hip Hop Culture

I recently read an article called "The Secret Meeting that Changed Rap and Destroyed A Generation" (link:http://dontpaniconline.com/magazine/music/the-secret-meeting-that-changed-rap-music-and-destroyed-a-generation) that forced My Inner Conspiracy Brother to rear his head after a bit of a hiatus. This was a meeting in 1991 in L.A. featuring all this time period's big music execs and conducted by mysterious but ridiculously powerful men. The music execs would find out that the small body of "decision makers" had recently invested in building privately owned prisons and needed "the help" of the music industry to ensure the prisons stayed full, maximizing profit. They'd identified rap as a genre which could market violence and crime in order to negatively influence the young, vulnerable generation, which would like produce more criminals. If the music execs participated effectively, they would be allowed to buy shares in this venture. It offended many of the music big wigs in the room, however the few who verbally objected were forcefully removed at gunpoint. The article's author chose to maintain anonymity even all these years later because the "decision makers" have the vast power to "touch" individuals and their families they perceive as a problem. Assuming this meeting happened, think about the tremendous effect it has had. Rap was born from the hood and there was always a gangsta faction, which was previously held underground and couldn't make the radio; groups like NWA had trouble getting airplay for their singles in the late 80's. When they broke through, these acts broke through in full force...as if the execs all of a sudden favored them to get more national attention than the previously favored acts. Nowadays, the radio - once the home of the most lyrical and groundbreaking music - is virtually unpalatable to me. Make no mistake, there are plenty of good artist out there, but the message-filled music of even the hottest young intelligent lyricists (Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, Big KRIT, the controversial Macklemore, etc.) are woefully outnumbered by drug/violence laden trash like "Young Nigga Move that Dope", "All I Know is Yayo"  and "My Nigga, My Nigga"; I don't even bother learning the names of these terrible mother fuckers anymore, they all sound the same. This is a trend that I noticed long ago that I blamed on the rise of gimmicky artists and focus on beats and party potential rather than message and lyrics. But reading about this meeting has added to my thought process. Even more than the business ethic "Provide what sells", there may have truly been more devious influence from label heads than I would have guessed. It would be very telling to find out how many people associated with the music industry ended up investing and making money off of shares of corporations building private prisons as well. Do I think this meeting alone could truly create that many more criminals? No. With groups of mysterious decision making bodies (i.e. Illuminati, etc if you believe in that), I believe there were probably similar meetings with the power structure of entertainment, sports, or whoever else as well; think about how wide-ranging such an influence could have possibly been responsible for. This contributes to my distrust of large corporations and anyone else who uses the "it's just good business" defense when putting a wide scale unethical practice in place. And even though it wasn't the cause, it damn sure didn't help. They didn't create bad artists, but they may be a big reason why they weren't laughed out of the industry upon arrival as they should've been. Am I reading too much into this? Maybe, but I'm not sorry, my Inner Conspiracy Brother is on the loose...

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: The Disappearing Plane

It's been a while but it's a good time for my Inner Conspiracy Brother to rear his skeptical head and speak on this enigmatic situation. To most people I know, I'm the only person they've ever meet who's actually been to Malaysia; I used to live in Kuala Lumpur, the origin city of the "disappeared" plane. On the surface - in a non-conspiratorial though process - I could get past the simple question, "How the hell did you lose a 777 plane holding 200+ people?" That's one hell of a fucking magic trick.  How is that possible with all the tracking technology surrounding us? We have satellites could find hollow caves housing terrorist cells in the caves of the Middle East, but we're not keeping up with commercial jets mid-flight? What if a plane is flying from London to NYC at the same time there's a plane flying from NYC to London during a storm? Are they gonna crash because traffic controllers can't track them? Obviously the government of Malaysia is offering far-fetched answers because the spotlight is too bright for "I don't know" answers; but it's pretty fucking clear they don't really know. I was drawing a blank... but then I put on my conspiracy cap and ideas came to me quickly. The plane's black box (which holds the valuable data about the plane's travel and performance) was turned off? I doubt your average airline passenger knows where that is or how to disable that. According to reports, the plane had drastic changes in elevation and direction. But yet, the pilots did not explain the situation to any nearby traffic controller before supposedly crash landing the plane into the Indian Ocean? One of the pilots had been handling his personal life in an inexplicably erratic fashion the week before the flight? Smells like an inside job. The pilots, crew, possibly the nearest air traffic controller (ATC) seem the only people with the expertise to execute such a plan. What if there were someone important onboard that some powerful institution wanted silenced? There are many theories that this is what happened for former Secretary of Commerce Ron Brown and the mysterious plane crash that killed him and 34 others in Croatia. Or what if the plane did not crash at all? That's possibly the scariest possibility of this all, it could be a lot of places. It could be sitting in a shed in Indonesia under the control of someone who plans to use it in a devious manner in the future. If the 239 people didn't die in the plane but hadn't contacted their families, that would indicate to me that they're captives or have been executed. Is this why other non-nearby countries such as America and Japan are assisting in the search? Are they concerned about possible consequences of not finding it? This is so cold blooded to say but at this point, the best (best feasible anyway) scenario for our safety is that the reports are correct and through no malicious action, the plane crashed into the ocean signalling an immediate demise to the plane passengers and crew. As I shake my head at myself for the last sentence, lemme take a moment to explain: at least then, the plane is not being tampered with for use to kill thousands (a la 9/11). I wish there were a feasible scenario where these people are like and chilling somewhere, but I don't see it.  Am I being cruel or overly calculating? Maybe, I don't know, think what you want. I've Been Called Worse...

Conspiracy Brother: Black History Month

DISCLAIMER: I almost made this into a "Real Talk" segment and spoke in a serious tone. But instead, I chose to approach this subject from the perspective of my inner Conspiracy Brother and we have a lot on our collective minds about Black History Month. I'm gonna tell you what Ali is yelling about in the picture above. lol.

Black History is part of American history. We shouldn't need to celebrate a separate Negro History month by itself because of how its ingrained in the very fabric of our country. BUT, it makes me mad every time I hear a non-Black person try to make that argument? Why? Because our history still doesn't get taught like American history. You can eliminate a month long celebration ("the Man" gave us the shortest month of the year conveniently) when you start incorporating all of the history taught then in traditional textbooks. But we all know that's not gonna happen. White ppl are more comfortable given credit to so much ancient knowledge (philosophy, mathematics, early medicine, etc) to the Greeks and Romans than to the Civilizations of Kemit (the white man renamed it Egypt) and Timbuktu; these were the African knowledge centers that foreigners often visited to learn but they won't tell you that. It's convenient to say Christopher Columbus discovered America because he sailed for the right people who spread the world, made the maps, etc. Evidence shows that Asians and Africans made it to North America some 75-80 years before Columbus; but of course that's swept under the rug. But let me bring it back to an American level. When Lewis Latimer takes his rightful place in textbooks as the man whose filament was key to making Thomas Edison's light bulb work, we won't need Black History Month. When ppl realize that the people they credit for inventing Rock & Roll (the Beatles, the Stones, Elvis, etc) gained their influence (and in the case of the Rolling Stones, their group name) from Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, and little known Ike Turner, we may not need Black History month. When textbooks reflect that the Civil Rights Movement was much more than choice MLK soundbites and acknowledge the contributions of many more involved individuals (including the very misunderstood Malcolm X, pictured above with Muhammad Ali), we may not need Black History Month. Speaking unheralded Civil Rights activism, Ali - as well as Bill Russell, Jim Brown, and others of the time period - brought a social consciousness and  activism in society and politics that athletes are now entirely unwilling to engage in for financial reasons; this should be documented. The first Black millionaire, Madam CJ Walker, should be listed as a great entrepreneur for her success in a time of racial oppression. George Washington Carver should be recognized as one of the brighter scientific minds of the 20th century, he has hundreds of valuable patents, mention more than just Peanut Butter. Benjamin Banneker should be listed as a great Architect and city planner as well. I could go on for days. Our textbooks must shed their current bias and educate our youth more comprehensively about the contributions from people of all colors, creeds, and religions. Mother fuckers need to stop disrespecting my history. Until then, use February to learn yourself and educate others for Black History. Here are the names of 28 ppl I've been posting on Facebook (one for each day) to educate others. If you don't know them, Google them...

• Lewis Latimer
• Muddy Waters & Chuck Berry
• Doug Williams (Super Bowl Special)
• Walter Massey
• Thurgood Marshall
• Stepin Fetchit
• Romare Bearden
• Ruth Simmons
• Pearl Bailey
• Madam CJ Walker
• John H. Johnson
• Jill Elaine Brown
• Ida B. Wells
• Hiram Revels
• Hazel W. Johnson
• Gwendolyn Brooks
• Gordon Parks
• Garrett A. Morgan
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Berry Gordy
• Booker T Washington/W.E.B. DuBois
• Benjamin O. Davis, Sr. and Jr.
• Ben Carson
• Alvin Ailey
• Alexandre Dumas
• Charles Drew
• Ralph Bunche
• Benjamin Banneker

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: NYC and 9/11

Despite all my conspiracy theories and distrust of the motives of many authoritative institutions (police, fed'l gov't, etc), this is one I've opted not to touch on due to its magnitude and emotional connection with the American public. I am convinced that the FBI and NSA were in a "I don't report to you, you report to me" style ego war which stopped pertinent info from being combined which could have helped them locate and detain the suspects before the attacks happened. However, that has been where my suspicions stopped. Despite all the "Bush knocked down the towers" theories that I've heard, I never bought i

nto them. Why is

that you ask? First of all, Bin Laden has publicly had the hots for attacking America since the "unholy alliance" between the US and Saudi Arabia (his home country) came to be. Secondly, my question when trying to fathom the federal government carrying out such a massive attack on its own people was always, Why? What's the motive? When I was recently in NYC, for the first time, I was offered an answer: The Patriot Act. According to a gentlemen (middle aged, very smart but seemingly paranoid) who was staying where I was staying, al Queda is and always has been an arm of the CIA used to push forward foreign policy decisi0ns in an emotionally slanted way. Therefore (according to him once again),

the Patriot Act is much more far reaching than any of us know and is being used as a tool to gradually strangle all of the freedom out of American day-to-day life. It's a population control method, which along with veiled issues like global warming, will be used to spy on and act on every detail of

our lives for the government's own purposes. To make this issue arouse even more suspicion, when I went to Ground Zero (currently in the midst of building the Independence Tower, new tragedy museum, and a 2 Tower fountain walkways where all the deceased names will be etched), there was an entire row of ppl (pictured) with t-shirts, signs, and various handouts advertising their theories that the government was responsible. This is literally a few feet

outside of the site. What kind of conviction do you have to have to partake in that for an issue so emotional to most Americans? And although I still have a bit of a mental block to digesting the theory that the gov't could architect such a heinous act, they make a good point (as did Lupe) about the collapse of WTC Building 7.

I remember hearing that it fell too that day, but I never realized how far away it was from the two towers; it was clear on the other side of the complex. How did it fall when closer buildings did not? Could it be that it was brought down in a controlled demolition (See diagram). A lot of ppl up there are convinced that there was fishiness, I can't say I am right there with them, but at this point, I'm a little less secure about our innocence than I was 2 months ago. Would the CIA set up such a tragedy as a vessel to control the population? Don't know, hell noone thought they would murder the current president either (JFK). So who knows. Do I sound parnoid? Whatever. I've Been Called Worse...

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: New Arizona Immigration Law

As a young Black male who's has either experienced first hand or heard closely about many of the possible ills with our law enforcement and legal systems, I'm never going to think the way that our traditional lawmakers do about their legislation. Another example of that has arisen lately. In Arizona, a law has been passed giving law enforcement the authority to stop and demand the proper identification from anyone they deem as suspicious. The concept is to safeguard against illegal immigration, which has identified as a major problem in that area. At this point, everything sound legit, after all, there are some 25 million illegal aliens or more in the US many of which cross the border in Arizona or nearby. This simply reinforces existing immigration regulations that most people, myself included, have no real problems with. So this new law shouldn't be a problem, right?? WRONG!!! Just as with the legal system and law enforcement in general, I have no problem with the concept itself, it's the day-to-day operation of the enforcement that lends itself to corruption and flaws. So - switching back into my Conspiracy Brother mode - now the law has given cops a free pass to harass anyone they deem as "suspicious," namely minorities. It's not a surprise that the police are regular people, many of whom are caught up on the power the police shield bears. Many Americans, especially those in border states, have a problem with the fact that so many Latinos are illegally crossing the border and stealing so many labor jobs from US citizens. So it's undeniable that there is some element of this prejudice that is backed by the power of the police shield. So enforcement can start as simple and straightforward as stopping anybody they feel like on the streets and checking their legality. Later, they could be using this as an excuse to shut down parties and any gathering of populations they don't favor; similar to the unwritten Jim Crow practices that police weren't to allow gathering of more than three Black people at a time in public places. In time, they will be able to use the law as a loophole to get around warrants for searches and seizures. Imagine turning on the news and some raid has taken place and the cops justify going in without a warrant by saying "we saw people walking inside that we suspected may be illegal immigrants, so we broke the door down and happened to find some suspicious things." And if those who do have green cards can land in police custody if they don't have them on their person then the police have an easy scare tactic/threat to back up any prejudice an officer may bear. Law enforcement officers already tamper evidence and find loopholes to support widespread corruption and racial profiling; I predict this law will do nothing but make it worse if a firm hand does not keep street level enforcers in check about how they're allowed to go about enforcement of this law. I don't have confidence that someone will keep them in line adequately. I'll end by saying, I'm glad I'm not a Latino living in Arizona right about now; and that coming from a young Black male living in the South. My Inner Conspiracy Brother has spoken...P.S. I know that picture had nothing to do with the topic but it was too funny to pass up. Distasteful, I know, But I've Been Called Worse...

My Inner Conspiracy Brother: Things I Wish From History

It's been a while since my Inner Conspiracy Brother has shown himself. However, in light of recent articles and documentaries I've read and watched lately, it was necessary. As I look back and observe how history unfolded, I can't help but wonder what would have happened if people could have done things slightly different. What great leaders or figures who are not with us could still be here? What tragic events could have been avoided? Who was cheated by history when he or she was owed more? When the world was owed more?...

• I wish Muhammad Ali had stopped fighting right after the "Thrilla In Manila" with Joe Frazier or even his victory over Ernie Shavers, while on top and with his mind still intact. With his social impact and charisma, he could have been a leader and figure head in the Black community. I'm curious to see how his wisdom has matured since his fighting days. Also, no one wanted to see Larry Holmes beat up an old and slow shell of what Ali used to be.
• I wish the US government had not betrayed Joe Louis after sacrificing years in the prime of his championship career to serve in the military in World War II. He took not only the race but the country on his shoulders defeating Hitler's Aryan prize fighter, Max Schmeling, in the midst of the Nazi rise as the world watched. His influenced helped segregate golf and baseball, helped soldiers get better conditions, and more. Upon returning from war, the government was taxing Louis at 80%-90% for decades, even taking his purses at some events, to recover millions in back taxes accrued in his years in the military. This forced him to fight into old age and humiliate himself for much of his remaining life attempting to escape the unfair tax burden. He would die as a laughing stock with nothing; all while Schmeling, former Nazi poster boy, became a millionaire working for Coca-Cola in America.
• I wish Nelson Mandela and Stephen Biko would've had a chance to lead South Africa together far before Apartheid ended. Although he still became the country's leader and symbol of hope, Mandela spent much of his effective adulthood in prison and Stephen Biko was killed in police custody. Had Biko not been killed and Mandela have spent 5-10 years in jail instead, they may have made a wonderful leadership team for their apartheid-stricken country
• I wish Malcolm X had listened to his security team and canceled the speaking event at the Audubon Ballroom in 1965. His new message upon returning from his pilgrimage to Mecca was important for our race and our nation. I wish he had more time to spread it before the Nation of Islam "silenced" him. He knew they were after him. "The ink of a scholar is worth a thousand times more than the blood of a martyr."
• I wish the Black Panthers' conflicts with the police hadn't gotten so violent that they ruined the name of the organization (as well as leading to the murders of Fred Hampton by police, Huey Newton by a misguided opposing youth, and others). If the organization was still around with widespread support, there are many issues that their influence (at times forceful) could help us to address for the benefit of the Black community.
• I wish the Vietnam War would've taught the US government a lesson about how quickly things get ugly in terms of public opinion when you're fighting against guerrilla style warriors would won't line up and fight as an army. When women, children, the elderly, and everyone else is helping the enemy and no one is wearing uniforms, you look like a barbarian no matter whether you're killing the right people or not. This should have been taken into account a generation ago and it could've changed our foreign policy for the better.
• I wish the courts would have taken some action against the cops who were taped excessively beating Rodney King. This would've set a precedent of intolerance against the excessive police action that escalated to the deaths of Amadou Diallo, Oscar Bart, Stephen Bell, and so many other lives. Despite the evidence, cops don't fear anything more than a slap on the wrist for murdering unarmed people. Zoom in on that cartoon if you get a chance.
• I wish the NSA would've reported their finding about possible terrorist entering the US to the FBI in 2001 and they would've worked together to prevent 9/11. One of the biggest tragedies in American history may have been prevented had it not been for petty attitudes that caused the organizations (both having vital information) not to cooperate with one another. What it worth it?

And, I gotta talk about it...

• I wish the B.I.G - Tupac (or more accurately, the Bad Boy - Death Row conflict becuz of Suge Knight's influence) had gone much differently. After the Quad Shooting in 1994, Biggie should've called Pac and attempted to sort things out before the "East Coast-West Coast beef" gained any steam. After that didn't happen, both artist could've done things differently as follows:
• I wish Tupac hadn't become so increasingly paranoid and confrontational during the last years of his life. This contributed to the fight with Southside Crip leader Orlando which I believe ultimately caused his murder. When you stomp out a gang leader, there's usually backlash. With his intelligence and revolutionary mind, the Black community and the world deserved to see him as wisdom mixed with his passion and street intellect. He was only 25.
• I wish Biggie had not been naive enough to believe that after Tupac's death, he could end the East Coast-West Coast feud by simply promoting in L.A. there was still public anger over Tupac's murder and still hatred towards Bad Boy. Plus, the Blood gang's involvement with the LAPD (and thus the Rampart scandal) made it entirely unsafe territory for Biggie as things had not actually been resolved, just suddenly ended through Pac's death.

Just think of how different the world would be had all of these things unfolded differently. I think the world deserved these answers and in the context of some people, Joe Louis especially, I think he deserved better from a nation and a world that he served so well for so long. Til the next time, My Conspiracy Brother has spoken for now. As long as there's conspiracy, he'll be back, very soon...

The Inner Conspiracy Brother Special: The Reagan Years

This conveys exactly how I believe Reagan felt towards the lower income citizens of America. During Reagan's administration, the government and particularly the CIA ran wild either under the orders of Reagan or with the permission of Reagan. I say this because when asked questions concerning controversial topics, he always acted as if he did not know about anything. Many people have spoken out about AIDS and drug trafficking, saying that Reagan was prompted to do something about both and he continued to do nothing. Let's get specific:

CIA outta control: Iran Contra and Drug Trafficking

The Iran-Contra affair was a black mark on the credibility of the American government because of the discovery of the government exchanging weapons for hostages and CIA destroying important documents which could have revealed other crimes. But honestly, this is not even all that important to me because I believe deals like that are made a lot and may be the easiest choice to solve foreign issues at times. My issue government-sponsorship of the drug trade. The Iran Contra Affair was probably the first true opportunity to create direct pipeline for drugs to come into the US. Furthermore, the Kerry Committee report concluded that the CIA and State Department supported and even facilitated Nicaraguans smuggling cocaine into the United States. It is also argued that it was a plan by the CIA proposed to the Nicaraguans to funnel the bulk of the drugs into the Los Angeles area once it entered the United States. Coincidentally (sarcasm obviously), the CIA during this era grew tremendously from a mid-sized unit into the giant component that it is today. I don't think it's very hard to conclude that it grew so largely from drug money paid to them for their assistance. I don't believe the government is helping anybody do anything, much less somethin illegal, unless they are going to make good money or take some other significant benefit from it. When did LA and other major cities fall victim to the drug epidemic? The Reagan Years. I'm not naive enough to believe he never got even a whiff of that money. I think a whole lotta people got paid to look the other way. As much as Black people in the hood get a bad wrap for selling drugs and destroying lives in their own communities (which is a huge problem), remember who brought those drugs to this country.

The Refusal of AIDS as a problem to the general public

The earliest scattered cases of AIDS surfaced around 1979 or 1980. By 1981, it was acknowledged by high ranking health officials to be a potential problem in the future. Reagan ignored these claims, understandable when you're looking at a handful of cases in the midst of so much that is going. By 1983, over 1000 cases and almost 400 deaths had been reported in the US. This could no longer be written off as a fluke or a figment of anyone's imagination. As many of the cases were reported in the homosexual community, it was easier to deny the disease to the general public and in more intimate circles only acknowledge it as being a "gay disease." Reagan's communications director publicly claimed that this was nothing more than "nature's revenge on gay men." Even if this were the case, by 1984, there were over 4000 reported cases and almost 2000 deaths. It was so widespread that people were organizing awareness rallies and marches because so many people knew someone suffering from the debilitating disease. One march, intended to bring awareness to the topic before the Democratic National Convention in San Francisco (a town most affected due to the high gay population) included over 100,000 protesters. Surely the President would have to acknowledge this now, right?? Nope. Reagan decided not to publicly acknowledge the need for research and treatment of the disease until May 1987; this is near the end of his last term so it wouldn't be his problem much longer. By this point, over 36,000 Americans had been diagnosed and there had been over 20,000 deaths. Furthermore, there were over 50,000 cases worldwide in more than 100 countries. Whether it was the result of homo-phobia, a desire not to accept this topic as an issue during his presidency, or some other motivation, Reagan let thousands die before he decided that AIDS was worth mentioning, much less devoting concentrated attention too. As the foremost public figure worldwide, the President could have had much more influence domestically and globally to start initiatives to research, treat, and prevent the disease if he would have tried to be proactive. We know what AIDS and HIV have done to the US and the world at this point, I believe that things could have been a lot different.

So at this point, without even talking about the details of Reaganomics and the way that it helped open the financial void between the social classes, I've presented the reasons why I do not like the man or respect him as a president. He had vital roles in ignoring problems in their early stages that could've put us in much better situations today. So to the late Reagan, fuck you very much, I hope you're proud of yourself.

Harsh toward a former President, Yup. I've been called worse...

The Inner Conspiracy Brother

I've come to find out that me and Dave Chappelle's "Conspiracy Brother" character from the movie Undercover Brother have quite a bit in common. I am fully aware that I live in a country that's government, law enforcement, and legal systems have plenty of dirt that they try to keep neatly tucked under the rug. I can speak all day about that so I'll just discuss a few of the biggest historically and a few others that happen to be fresh on the mind:

• I believe that the average American is naive, gullible, and easily influenced by what I believe is propaganda. And noone knows this more than the government. I think the government has many special secret sections within its ranks that perform unspeakable acts that they would never admit to. Furthermore, they have hundreds of spin-artists who find ways to twist the story to the American public when something happens in a way that it can not be hidden. I bring this up first because I think it is essential to understanding some of the issues that I will discuss as this blog goes on. Now, I do realize that the terrorism-filled, power-hungry, hateful landscape of the world today necessitates certain acts to protect our freedoms that the general public would not approve and therefore they are not made aware of. But, we'll just say, I believe that they are going overboard. I haven't trusted the FBI since the Bull Connor days, and soon enough you will hear some of my thoughts on the CIA.
  
• I believe that a large percentage of our police force and law enforcement arm in general (not a majority, but a large percentage) are heavily involved in either corruption or abuse of power associated with privileges given by their positions as the mythical "protectors and servers of the laws that make our country safe." I also believe that there is a top-down unwritten mindset that they must also uphold our country's class system by keeping the minorities and low-income in check. Disparities such as the punishment for crack cocaine(most used by minorities and poor people) being significantly worse than punishment for powder cocaine (most used by whites and rich people). Think about this: You would get more prison time for robbing a convenient store for $350 than a businessman would for extorting $10 million at his job. He may just get fired, he may not even see a cell. But I digress, I believe cops are permitted to make up falsities and harass whoever they please because they are entirely supported by other policemen, politicians, and the judicial and legislative systems. Even cops who do not participate in corrupt or improper acts do not snitch on other cops because of the alienation they would be subject to as a whistleblower.
• I believe that the institution of politics is evil. I believe that some politicians begin in politics because it runs in their families and some begin in politics because they actually see it as their venue to do something positive for their communities. However, I believe that as you move up the political ladder and inevitably need more money, your morals get complicated by alliance to campaign contributors and party allegiances. There is so much under-the-table bargaining, negotiating, and favor doing that I question the sincerity of almost any political actions. We've all seen presidents and vice presidents pushing through legislation that helps their old co-workers (Dick Cheney and Haliburton for example) and there's a lot more that we'll never see. I think that a lot of legislation and positioning is done to repay favors and put politicians in advantageous positions for other motives that they are trying to see realized. I believe that Obama has been less tarnished by this process than most politicians, but I know that to some extent he deals with these moral conflicts also. But he was clearly the lesser of two evils against McCain, which is why I love and support Obama in his conquest to fix complex and monumental issues that we should have addressed years ago (We'll save that blog for another day).
• The truth about terrorism is that if they wanna get us, they are going to get us. It's unfortunate and if you let it, it can be very scary to an American citizen. We have lifestyles that we conduct everyday and need to continue them without think about the constant threat of terrorist attack. There are enough people misusing religion as a tool to recruit others to commit suicide in a quest for martyrdom and honestly, America has done enough people wrong in the past that the numbers of people who may want to commit harm on our country are higher than I'd like to think about. There are people living in caves who spend all day (the same day you spend living your lifestyle) thinking of ways to catch America slipping. For example, imagine the number of Americans a terrorist could kill if someone went to a mall on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) strapped with C-4, the kill count would be tragic. The ways we have buckled down on security (at airports and post offices) prevent them from repeating attacks that they have already committed, which I don't think they would do anyway.
  P.S. There are misconceptions about terrorists I would like to clear up. Islam is not a religion of violence, in no way does it justify jihad(holy war) as an excuse to commit attacks on the western world and run back into caves. These are extremists misusing the context who have formed these terrorist groups feeding on the naivety of their followers because if you say something is a religious belief, no one questions it. Stop assuming all Muslims are in favor of committing violence in the name of religion. Even if they were, Christians have done it too, look up the Great Crusades in Europe.
• I won't go deep into my feelings about racism beyond saying that I believe it is still alive although less consciously than in past decades. Things have gotten better but we have a long way to go. Furthermore, I believe that when given the opportunity by a powerful and admired Black male figure doing any level of wrongdoing, the white powers in society still implement techniques from the "Willie Lynch Papers" which encouraged picking the biggest and strongest slave and castrating him in front of everyone to reassert control of the Black population. Examples include Marion Barry (who also may get a future blog about his miraculous resiliency) and Michael Vick; both did their share of wrong, but many white powerful men have done much worse and suffered no ramifications what so ever.

Now to address some of the more popular conspiracies:

• Yes, I believe we went to the moon. Do I believe we went when we said we did the first time Apollo 11 touched down on July 20, 1969? I'm not convinced. JFK said that we would make it to the moon by the end of the 1960s. So by 1969, we were in an intense "space race" with the USSR and we were running out of time to make good on the president's promise. So I do think it is possible that we staged the first one to beat the USSR there and honor the words of the late JFK. Now, we report that Apollos 12-17 (with the exception of 13 which had to abort mid-flight) also landed on the moon. I don't see any reason we would need to stage ALL of these. Furthermore, I do not think we would have our sights set on Mars now if we never made it to the moon successfully.
• I believe James Early Ray may have actually been the shooter that killed Martin Luther King, however, I do not think he acted alone. It was well known that Bull Connor used his CO-Intel Pro operation (and the FBI) as a personal strike force against King because he pledged that King was the greatest threat to American sovereignty of the time period. So even though Ray spent much of his life trying to recant his confession to MLK's murder, he made a fuss about government conspiracy and still lived a good while afterwards; One trait of government cover-up and conspiracy is that all loose ends get clipped to preserve the secrecy of the operation. This will be displayed more in a moment when i discuss JFK's murder.
• I believe this may be the crown jewel of conspiracy in a time-period full of it. I believe John F. Kennedy was killed by someone on the grassy knoll hired by the mafia. For those who don't know, Kennedy's good friend, Frank Sinatra convinced Chicago mob boss Sam Giancana to use his "influence"and connections to make sure that Kennedy won the state of Illinois, which was major towards him winning the election. I assume mob bosses would expect some type of gratitude showed after such a favor. Instead JFK makes his brother, Robert (also publicly assassinated), US Attorney General and Robert goes directly after organized crime in America. As if Giancana may not have felt betrayed enough, JFK (noted womanizer) also stole Giancana's main lady, Judith Campbell. So, Lee Harvey Oswald was accused and immediately killed by Jack Ruby, who was dying of cancer and did not make it to finalization of his sentencing. It is alleged that the actual shooter on the grassy knoll was killed and buried in the Las Vegas desert soon after the assassination. The last piece was Giancana, who would not have to be killed because he helped plan it. However, he was earlier recruited by the CIA to plan out an assassination of Fidel Castro during the years of missile tension between the US and Cuba. This made some think that the CIA or Cuba may have also been involved in the murder; although I'm not convinced they were, I do not believe the assassination and following murders would have all happened without other very powerful people giving it the go ahead. Giancana was quoted as saying that the CIA and the mafia are "different sides of the same coin." He was conveniently shot in the head and face right before he was scheduled to testify before the courts about CIA-mafia collusion and the plot to kill Castro. So, no matter the controversy, the ends get clipped and the government just keeps on rolling along.

That's all for now, I may think of more at a later date. I have admitted to being a conspiracy theorist, but hey, I've been called worse...