A friend of mine recently told me that CORPORATISM is in full effect… Nowhere is that more apparent then with AT&T who is now pulling out all the stops to Get rid of Net Neutrality.. They are now lobbying Congress to overrule the FCC.. .. In the next few weeks or months watch for these guys to go all out and get lots of Black and Brown folks to stomp hard for getting rid of Net Neutrality. People who are in dire need to get their media projects funded will suddenly be siding with AT&T and their front group, Americans for Prosperity trying to convince me and you it’s not that bad.. Trust me it is and will be ‘that bad’.. We already see and hear Glenn Beck highlighting the new spin by AT&T.. He’s warning us not to let the Internet get taken over..
What’s so ironic about Beck is that he’s the first to rail against communism. In fact he went on a rampage trying to unearth people in the Obama administration who he felt harbored communist feels. How crazy is it that Beck is now pushing for a policy that would allow a corporation to treat incoming traffic the same way China does.. In other words without Net Neutrality any ISP can block access to a website or slow them down so they are unusable. You the provider of that content would have no idea this is happening unless you’re on that system. The pitch will be to pay each and every ISP a fee and they will allow you full access.
On the urban front, you will see a crop of folks who will come at you with the ‘we gotta help our people line’. They will say silly things like; ‘if we have net neutrality we wont bridge the digital divide’ or some variation of that.. If you hear that pitch.. tell them they’re full of shit and to fall back. It’s a hustle and half.. ..
Lemme translate that for you.. the person giving you the digital divide speech most likely has a partnership with AT&T, Comcast or one of the affiliates..You check around far enough you will either find the CEO or the organization in bed with them somehow someway.. so their concern is not bridging the gap.. its that THEY WON’T be getting any money… My rule of thumb at this point is if I see you with AT&T then you are on payroll for them.. The way they flipped everyone from the Urban League to Rainbow Push should tell you what’s really going on..
Pay attention folks, don’t get caught slipping on this..You don’t want a corporate back organization or shady ‘leaders’ playing middle man on the Internet for you…Here’s the new campaign AT&T launching..
-Davey D-
Industry Front Group Plans Campaign of Lies
AT&T-Funded Attack Dog Stooping to New Lows
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Date: May 12, 2010
Contact: Liz Rose, Communications Director, 202-265-1490 x 32
WASHINGTON – AT&T front group Americans for Prosperity announced a $1.4 million advertising plan to try to convince Americans that the Federal Communications Commission is plotting to “take over the Internet.”
Free Press Research Director S. Derek Turner made the following statement:
“This is a $1.4 million campaign to tell the American people that the world is flat. Net Neutrality is the opposite of a government takeover of the Internet. But the truth is irrelevant to front groups like AFP, which think that if you lie often and loudly enough, you can brand any issue as its opposite. They are stoking fear to achieve the goals of their corporate funders, like AT&T.
“Net Neutrality means that nobody – not the cable and phone companies, and not the government – can choose winners and losers on the Internet. The Federal Communications Commission is simply pursuing a path that will ensure that the free market works for the American public, something that prior FCCs failed to do.”
Link to the AFP campaign by clicking the link below.. Thats the fake campaign put out by AT&T.. recognize it for being fake.. and go in the opposit direction..
Yesterday May 11th 2010, US Attorney General Eric Holder swung through the Bay Area to visit Youth Uprising in East Oakland. For those outside the Bay Area, Youth Uprising is a state of the art community center located in one of Oakland’s toughest neighborhoods. It’s been an oasis of sorts where folks gather to do everything from learn how to shoot film and make beats on down to taking classes. Everyone from Too Short to Casual of Hiero can be found there working with folks. Over the past couple of years the center has made its mark as to being a ‘go to location’ that many feel should be replicated in other cities.
Apparently Eric Holder heard about the center and wanted to come out here to visit as he and other law enforcement communities are trying to find innovative ways to quell youth violence. Holder came and met with some of the youth from the center as well as stake holders like Oakland police chief Anthony Batts, Mayor Ron Dellums, folks from the probation department, school district and grassroots organizations. Sadly many who wanted to attend, including the community orgs that have been fighting Oakland’s proposed Gang Injunction did not get a chance to get inside.
In any case below are a series of videos documenting the occasion…I got a chance to ask Holder the first question, which centered around ‘How can we solve crime when the police are out and control and the community doesn’t trust them?’ I also asked him about Oakland’s controversial gang injunction. I also got to ask a couple of the youth who met with Holder privately if the issue of police brutality came up..
During the press conference with Holder covered a variety of topics including California legalizing marijuana,Arizona’s harsh immigration law, racial profiling and the war on terror.. Below are clips from the Eric Holder event and press conference…
Clip 1– Attorney General Eric Holder came by Youth Uprising in Oakland to speak with community folks about Youth Violence. He got a tour of the place and then held a press conference. Here he addresses a number of issues. In this clip he weighs in on police brutality, gang injunctions and legalizing marijuana…
Clip-2-Eric Holder addressed a variety of issues including Arizona’s controversial immigration law SB 1070. He said it was divisive and would keep entire communities from working with Law Enforcement. He said the feds are looking to see if it violates Civil Rights laws…
Clip 3– Oakland Police Chief Anthony Batts and Mayor Ron Dellums talked about what they discussed in their meeting and round table with Attorney General Eric Holder. . They talked about getting fed money which would free up city money for social programs.. Chief Batts talked about various methods he wants to employ to stop crime in Oakland..
Clip-4-We spoke w/ Netty & Marcus during yesterday’s (May 11 2010) press conference about their meeting w/ US Attorney general Eric Holder around the issue of ending teen violence. I asked them if police brutality was an issue. They talked about Code 33 which is supposed to help youth and police interact better.. Marcus and Netty spoke about the press always focusing on bad news in Oakland.. They wanted more accountability from the press. They said it hurts people to always see Oakland depicted in a bad light.
Clip-5-During US Attorney General Eric Holder‘s visit to Oakland’s Youth Uprising, Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums and Police Chief Anthony Batts talked about Code 33 which is a program OPD has to better interact with youth.. Chief Batts then talked about the controversial Gang Injunction which he’s has been proposed for North Oakland. I wanted to know how he will balance police suppression and preventive measures..
Mayor Ron Dellums added to the discussion and then directed his concerns about the way Bay Area media often covers Oakland casting the city in a negative light. Dellums reminded the press that their coverage impacts real people and that they should be more mindful..
Clip-6-We caught up w/ Def Poet and community activist Paul Flores who was in attendance when US Attorney General Eric Holder came to Oakland. Holder addressed the issue of Gang Junctions, Immigration and racial profiling.. Paul Flores felt like Holder didn’t come correct.. Here’s his response to Holder’s visit…
Chuck D. The Hard Rhymer. The man on the mic for the most politically
explosive hip-hop group in history, Public Enemy. With albums like “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back,” “Fear of a Black Planet,”
and anthems like “Fight the Power” and “Bring the Noise” along with
the breathtaking production of the Bomb Squad, PE created a standard
of politics and art. Perhaps their most controversial track was “By
the Time I Get to Arizona” (1991) about seeking revenge against
Arizona political officials for refusing to recognize Dr. Martin
Luther King’s birthday [Lyrics include: ‘Cause my money’s spent on The
goddamn rent/Neither party is mine not the Jackass or the elephant.]
Today, in the wake of Arizona’s draconian anti-immigration Senate Bill
1070, “By the Time I Get to Arizona” has been remixed and revived by DJ Spooky. Chuck D also recorded his own track several months before
the bill was passed called “Tear Down That Wall.” I spoke to Chuck
about the music and the nexus between immigration politics and sports.
DZ: Why did you choose to record “Tear Down this Wall?”
Chuck D: I had done “Tear Down this Wall” four or five months ago
because I heard a professor who works with my wife here on the West
Coast speak in a speech about the multi-billion dollar dividing wall
between the U.S. and Mexico, so, therefore, I based “Tear Down that
Wall” on the policy of the United States border patrol in the states
of Arizona, California, New Mexico and Texas. I just wanted to put a
twist of irony on it saying if Ronald Reagan back in 1988 had told Mr.
Gorbachev to tear down that wall separating the world from countries
of capitalism and communism, we have a billion dollar wall right here
in our hemisphere that exists that needs to have a bunch of questions
raised. Questions like: “What the Hell?” I wrote the song about five
months ago and I did it coincidently, with all that’s brewing in the
state of Arizona. Immigration laws and racial profiling is happening
right here and I think the border situation, not only with the U.S.
and Mexico but the U.S. and Canada, on both sides is just out of
control. It’s crazy.
DZ:You did “Tear Down This Wall,” we have the DJ Spooky remix of “By
the Time I Get to Arizona,” and with your wife, Dr. Gaye Theresa
Johnson, you wrote a syndicated column on SB 1070. What’s the response
been to you being so out front on this issue?
Chuck D: Well the response is the usual, but I make it a habit not to
look at any blogs, because I think the font of a computer gives as
much credence to ignorance as it does to somebody who makes sense. So
I try not to read those responses, because anybody can respond
quickly. Back when people had to write letters it took an effort,
especially if someone didn’t have decent penmanship and handwriting. I
try not to look at the responses. I try to do the right thing. I tell
you this much, there is a rap contingent, a hip-hop contingent from
Phoenix, who did a remake of “By the Time I Get to Arizona.” I think
that needs to be recognized because these are young people. The song
is about eight minutes long. There’s about 12 MCs on it, and they are
putting it down. They are talking about how ridiculous this law is.
They are speaking out against it and they are putting all the facts on
the table, and they need to be acknowledged and highlighted. There is
a stereotype about young people and young MCs [being apolitical]. They
break it.
DZ:It’s remarkable how the original “By the Time I Get to Arizona”
has been resurrected from the early 90’s now that the struggle has
picked up. Did you hear former NBA player Chris Webber before the
Suns/Spurs game say, “Its like PE said ‘By the Time I get to
Arizona.’”?
Chuck D: [laughs] My Dad told me about that, You know Chris Webber is
the man. I wasn’t tuned into TNT at that particular time.
DZ:He said more than that. He said, “Public Enemy said it a long
time ago. ‘By the Time I Get to Arizona.’ I’m not surprised. They
didn’t even want there to be a Martin Luther King Day when John McCain
was in [office.]. So if you follow history you know that this is part
of Arizona politics.’” So he brought it all together with Public Enemy
at the center of it.
Chuck D: Unfortunately when it comes to culture, the speed of
technology and news today makes things out of sight, out of mind.
While these situations [the MLK fight and the immigration fights] are
different, the politics of both things stay around like a stain….
Once again Arizona has put themselves into this mix. I don’t know what
the hell was on Gov. Jan Brewer’s mind or what contingent is behind
her, but, you know, to make a decision like this and to be told to
ignore the people who have been in this area on this earth the longest
period of time. It just kind of resonates with me as being crazy.
DZ:Do you support an athletic or artistic boycott of Arizona until
this gets settled?
Chuck D: Dave, you know I do. Artists and musicians can say we’re
going to play Texas, El Paso, New Mexico, Albuquerque, and we gotta
play L.A. But we’ll skip Phoenix, Flagstaff, Tucson and the like. But
you know what this is really a challenge for: that’s Major League
Baseball. You’ve got nearly a third of the players that are Latino. If
they don’t stand up to this bill, they will actually be validating the
divide amongst Latinos [between documented and undocumented
immigrants].
At the same time they’ll also be lining themselves right
into the stereotype of what an athlete is if they don’t speak out: a
high priced slave that doesn’t say anything. And to me it’s beyond
just boycotting the All-Star game. What are those Latino players on
the Diamondbacks going to do? What are the players going to say who go
into Arizona to play against the Diamondbacks? What are they going to
say and what are they going to do? Major League Baseball has to step
up.
The NBA has very few players of Latino descent and [the Suns] are
saying something. But Major League Baseball, if they don’t say
anything, it’s crazy. The owners, the team, the league, and especially
the players, whether they come from the Dominican Republic, whether
they come from Venezuela, whether they come from Puerto Rico, they
better step up. If they don’t step up, the music industry, at least
from my area, we’re going to clown them.
For us to speak out against
this law, and basketball stepping up, and Major League Baseball not
stepping up at all?! Come on now, give me a break. And I know a lot of
the cats they live in the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico or
whatever, there’s like a trillion years difference between them and
their high salaries and the average people living in the streets. They
might build themselves a castle with a militia to protect them, but
this is the time to unite yourself with the people and at least live
in the legacy that [Major League Hall of Famer] Roberto Clemente set
of uniting people just to protect against the nonsense that the other
side can come up with. They need to know that it’s going to spread if
they don’t come up and say something about it.
DZ:Any final thoughts? Perhaps about Major League Baseball pulling
the All Star Game out of Phoenix?
Chuck D: At the end of the day man, sports is really not that
important compared to people living their everyday lives. Say you have
a Major League player, and he happens to play for another team, or he
happens to play for the Diamondbacks and he gets pulled over because
people think he’s an illegal immigrant. Then all of a sudden that’s
when the “ish” finally hits the fan? Come on. This is beyond sports.
We want athletes to speak up because they have advantages. They have
everyday coverage. They’re covered by a person that has a mic and a
camera in their face, and this is the time to step up. Major League
Baseball pulling the All-Star game out of Arizona should be the least
of it.
[Dave Zirin is the author of the forthcoming “Bad Sports: How Owners
are Ruining the Games we Love” (Scribner) Receive his column every
week by emailing dave@edgeofsports.com. Contact him at edgeofsports@gmail.com.]
A friend of mine recently told me that CORPORATISM is in full effect… Nowhere is that more apparent then with AT&T who is now pulling out all the stops to Get rid of Net Neutrality.. They are now lobbying Congress to overrule the FCC.. .. In the next few weeks or months watch for these guys to go all out and get lots of Black and Brown folks to stomp hard for getting rid of Net Neutrality. People who are in dire need to get their media projects funded will suddenly be siding with AT&T and their front group, Americans for Prosperity trying to convince me and you it’s not that bad.. Trust me it is and will be ‘that bad’.. We already see and hear Glenn Beck highlighting the new spin by AT&T.. He’s warning us not to let the Internet get taken over..
Davey D's Hip Hop Corner 