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Vol. 13 Issue 12…Dedicated to the Dialogue on Race…March 21, 2010

Intuit's Vibe

Stand !

By Sly and the Family Stone

In the end you'll still be you

One that's done all the things you set out to do

Stand

There's a cross for you to bear

Things to go through if you're going anywhere

Stand

For the things you know are right

It's the truth that the truth makes them so uptight

Stand

All the things you want are real

You have you to complete and there is no deal

Stand. stand, stand

Stand

You've been sitting much too long

There's a permanent crease in your right and wrong

Stand

There's a midget standing tall

And the giant beside him about to fall

Stand. stand, stand

Stand

They will try to make you crawl

And they know what you're saying makes sense and all

Stand

Don't you know that you are free

Well at least in your mind if you want to be

Everybody

Stand, stand, stand

Bit of History

Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain (1828- 1914)

Born on September 8, 1828 in Brewer, Maine, Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain was the eldest of Joshua and Sarah Chamberlain's five children. A gifted student, he taught himself Greek in order to pass the entrance examination at Bowdoin College in 1848. While a student, he met Harriet Beecher Stowe and attained readings of what became Uncle Tom's Cabin.

Graduating in 1852, he studied at the Bangor Theological Seminary before returning to Bowdoin to teach in 1855. He became a professor of rhetoric and eventually taught every subject with the exceptions of science and math. Chamberlain was appointed Professor of Modern Languages in 1861, after becoming fluent in eight languages: Latin, Spanish, German, French, Italian, Arabic, Hebrew and Syriac.

Chamberlain's forefathers were military men, serving in the American Revolution War and War of 1812. The Civil War stirred Chamberlain's desire to follow in their footsteps, but the administration at Bowdoin felt he was too valuable as a teacher. He requested and received a leave of absence to study languages in Europe, then promptly volunteered for the Maine militia. Offered command of the 20th Maine Infantry, Chamberlain declined, preferring to start where he could learn the trade first hand.

Chamberlain became a lieutenant colonel in the 20th Maine in 1862 and was assigned to the 5^th Corps of the Army of the Potomac. His regiment took part in such major battles as Antietam, Shepherdstown Ford, Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville, but it was at the battle of Gettysburg that Chamberlain distinguished himself as a true leader. The 20th Maine had to cover the far left flank of the Union line, which ended at Little Round Top, a small hill. This hill became the most valued real estate in the Union at this crucial point in the battle of Gettysburg, because losing the hill may have meant losing the war. Out-manned, out-flanked and nearly out of ammunition, Chamberlain ordered a charge that routed the Confederates. Chamberlain's stand later earned him the Congressional Medal of Honor for courage and leadership under fire.

Following a promotion to brigade commander, Chamberlain made another valiant stand at the battle of Petersburg. Shot in the right hip and groin and leaning on his sword for support, Chamberlain kept himself on his feet to encourage his men to hold their wavering line until he collapsed. Pronounced fatally wounded by a surgeon, Chamberlain was promoted to brigadier general by Gen. Ulysses S. Grant for his action. Chamberlain, however, clung to life for weeks before finally recovering from his wounds.

A proven fighter, Chamberlain was given command of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Division of the V Corps upon his return to duty. He continued his courageous exploits on the Quaker Road during Grant's final advance that would finish the war on March 29, 1865. Despite losses, wounds in the left arm and chest, and nearly being captured, Chamberlain's unit held and he was breveted to major general by Pres. Abraham Lincoln for their courageous stand.

Chamberlain left the army after the war ended and returned to Maine, where he was elected governor; he served for four years. Afterwards, he was appointed president of Bowdoin in1871. Over the next twelve years he revolutionized the school's curriculum and updated its facilities. Forced to retire in 1883, due to the aggravation of his war wounds, Chamberlain remained active in public life and the Grand Army of the Republic, a veteran’s organization.

Chamberlain married Fanny Adams, his childhood sweetheart (1855). Of the couple's five children, three died in infancy. Fanny's sight deteriorated with age, so Chamberlain took up the cause of the visually impaired and founded the Maine Institution of the Blind in 1905, the year Fanny died. On February 24, 1914, due to complications from his wounds, the "Lion of Little Round Top" died at the age of 85 in Portland, ME. He was the last Civil War veteran to die from wounds received in battle.

Chamberlain has lived on in drink and song, book and legend. Through popular media, Chamberlain has been immortalized by such artists as lyricist Steve Earle on his album The Mountain in the song Dixieland. Writer Michael Shaara won a Pulitzer Prize for his portrayal of Chamberlain in The Killer Angels, as well as the movie based on that novel. Actor Jeff Daniels gave a griping performance as Chamberlain in Gettysburg and repeated the role in Gods and Generals. Even Ken Burns popular 1990 nine part video The Civil War (TV series) prominently featured Chamberlain. Shipyard Brewing Company capped it off by naming a pale ale after Chamberlain and decorated the label with his profile.

Chamberlain's life and heroics stand as shining examples of how true dedication to an ideal larger than one's self can inspire and motivate others to make greater contributions. (Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org and http://militaryhistory.about.com)

Giants Stand

By John Burl Smith

Born during the time when giants walked amongst men, changing things seemed hopeless to a mere mortal. They were always the first to step up when the community needed help. They took a stand to defend people when trouble threatened. Having giants around made it easier for people to stand back and depend on them to take care of problems, provide leadership and face the wrath of a hostile majority.

Their stand gave the weak courage, resolve and inspiration, even when the earth shook with each step and death was an imminent possibility. Walking in their massive shadows and huge footsteps, ordinary individuals felt they could somehow measure up to their giant stature. The hope of standing shoulder to shoulder with their towering image helped ordinary mortals rise to those lofty heights where only heroes reside.

However in reality, these were not physical giants, they were ordinary individuals like everyone else, but through some unknown inner process, they found the will and power to go far beyond what was expected or demanded of mere mortals. History provides some startling examples of the role these amazing personalities played in sustaining slave descendants trying to survive in America's hostile environment. Such giants as Nat Turner, Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, David Walker, Sojourner Truth and many others fought tirelessly during the dark days of forced bondage when dreary, toil and hopelessness were the only future.

While castigated by many and reviled by most, writers, orators and activists, such as Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Lloyd Garrison, John Brown, William Wilberforce, Jacques Pierre Brissot, Abby Kelley Foster, Susan B. Anthony, Charles Henry and John Mercer Langston, loomed large over the abolition of slavery. Their agitation planted seeds that grew like "red woods," and "a rail splitter," who fell many a tree, set his ax at the root of the growing evil of slavery. With the stroke of a pen, like Paul Bunyan's mighty ax, Abraham Lincoln cut slavery's life line to preserve the Union. Though a war to end slavery was unpopular with many, Lincoln's stand placed him head and shoulders above all presidents before and after him.

The fight to save the Union and end forced bondage was made possible by many individuals who were willing to take a stand when others wavered or took flight. Fear that their effort would be too small, slaves were denied an opportunity to join the battle call. Again, Mr. Lincoln's intrepid design made it possible for slaves to stand in their own cause on the front line.

Emancipation was truly a giant step for a divided nation, but Southern whites drew the color line and hanging blacks became a sign of the times. Mob rule and lynching were the law of the land and a new breed of giants stepped up to lend a hand. Ida B. Wells, W. E. B. Du Bois, A. Phillip Randolph, Thurgood Marshall, Adam Clayton Powell and many others walked through "the valley of the shadow of death" against the evils of segregation. Pushed down on their knees, forced to "bow and scrap," relegated to the chasm of inequality and pushed to the back of the bus, blacks revered those Herculean champions, which were a disappearing breed.

It was with "amazing grace" that a woman in Montgomery made a stand by sitting and started a bus boycott, which gave birth to a movement by common people. Students in Greensboro crossed the color line to eat at an all-white lunch counter and freedom riders from the North helped to make sitting down a way to stand up. Then, one cold October day, sanitation workers in Memphis, TN took a giant step for those on the very bottom. Watching those old men, who had been beaten down by brutality, discrimination, racism and lynching stand up, made us all feel like giants.

It was a time when winning a fight was not the measure. Sometimes, it is the stand one is willing to take during a battle and not the prospect for victory that determines the outcome of the fight. It is necessary at times to send a message of resolve or the willingness to stand with only one's sword for support that can turn defeat into victory. It is possible to loose every battle, yet win the war. President Lincoln faced just such a dilemma in the early days of the Civil War. He knew soldiers could not win, when generals were afraid to fight.

Today, African Americana do not have giants to make a stand on their behalf. Yet, looking back at the deprivation of the past, while continuing to endure massive poverty, the survival of slave descendants is witness to our stand against incredible odds. African Americans are in the same position as Mr. Lincoln in 1862. Black leaders have been in retreat since November 2, 2008, having lost every battle up to this point in a war that is not over. Without a serious fight, they have conceded every gain made over the last 40 years, except the right to vote. Presently, they are looking to a President that made giant promises but has delivered only minuscule results. If black leaders do not make a stand and use the power the black community represents wisely, our future will mirror our past.

President Barack Obama has spoken laudably of Pres. Lincoln's stand, would Mr. Lincoln be as proud of Pres. Obama's stand in regards to slave descendants?

News You Use

Stand Up While You Read This!

By Olivia Judson

It doesn't matter if you go running every morning, or you're a regular at the gym. If you spend most of the rest of the day sitting - in your car, your office chair, on your sofa at home - you are putting yourself at increased risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, a variety of cancers and an early death. In other words, irrespective of whether you exercise vigorously, sitting for long periods is bad for you.

That, at least, is the conclusion of several recent studies. Indeed, if you consider only healthy people who exercise regularly, those who sit the most during the rest of the day have larger waists and worse profiles of blood pressure and blood sugar than those who sit less. Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don't: sitting a lot appears to offset some of the benefits of jogging a lot.

So what's wrong with sitting? The answer seems to have two parts. The first is that sitting is one of the most passive things you can do. You burn more energy by chewing gum or fidgeting than you do sitting still in a chair. Compared to sitting, standing in one place is hard work. To stand, you have to tense your leg muscles, and engage the muscles of your back and shoulders; while standing, you often shift from leg to leg. All of this burns energy.

For many people, weight gain is a matter of slow creep - two pounds this year, three pounds next year. You can gain this much if, each day, you eat just 30 calories more than you burn. Thirty calories is hardly anything. It's a couple of mouthfuls of banana, or a few potato chips. Thus, a little more time on your feet today and tomorrow can easily make the difference between remaining lean and getting fat.

You may think you have no choice about how much you sit. But this isn't true. Suppose you sleep for eight hours each day, and exercise for one. That still leaves 15 hours of activities. Even if you exercise, most of the energy you burn will be burnt during these 15 hours, so weight gain is often the cumulative effect of a series of small decisions: Do you take the stairs or the elevator? Do you e-mail your colleague down the hall, or get up and go and see her? When you get home, do you potter about in the garden or sit in front of the television? Do you walk to the corner store, or drive?

Just to underscore the point that you do have a choice: a study of junior doctors doing the same job, the same week, on identical wards found that some individuals walked four times farther than others at work each day. (No one in the study was overweight; but the "long- distance" doctors were thinner than the "short- distance" doctors.)

So part of the problem with sitting a lot is that you don't use as much energy as those who spend more time on their feet. This makes it easier to gain weight, and makes you more prone to the health problems that fatness often brings.

But it looks as though there's a more sinister aspect to sitting, too. Several strands of evidence suggest that there's a "physiology of inactivity": that when you spend long periods sitting, your body actually does things that are bad for you.

For more on this article and the health studies on the consequences of spending less time sitting, see http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/02/23/stand-up-while-you-read-this/?scp=4&sq=olivia%20judson.

Hood Notes

Sleep Differences among Ethnic Groups

On March 8, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) released its 2010 Sleep in America poll, which reveals significant differences in the sleep habits and attitudes of Asians, Blacks/African-Americans, Hispanics and Whites. This year's poll findings were released as part of the 13th annual National Sleep Awareness Week campaign that culminates with the change to Daylight Saving Time.

The 2010 Sleep in America poll was conducted by WB&A Market Research, using a random sample of 1,007 adults between the ages of 25-60 who identified themselves as White, Black/African-American, Asian or Hispanic, the group definitions used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Census Bureau. It should be noted that the Sleep in America Poll Task Force did consider economic factors in analyzing the data. The margin of error is 3.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level.

NSF's Sleep in America poll found that more than three-fourths of respondents from each ethnic group agree that poor sleep is associated with health problems (76-83%). The poll also shows that all groups report disturbingly similar experiences missing work or family functions because they were too sleepy (19-24%). Among married people or couples living together, all ethnic groups report being too tired for sex frequently (21- 26% of the time).

Blacks/African-Americans report the busiest bedtime routines. They are the most likely to report performing activities in the hour before going to bed every night or almost every night, specifically watching TV (75%) and/or praying or doing another religious practice (71%). Blacks/African-Americans and Hispanics (10% each) are ten times more likely to report having sex every night than Asians (1%) and 2.5 times more likely than Whites (4%).

Blacks/African-Americans report losing sleep every night over personal financial concerns (12%) and employment concerns (10%) at a higher rate than Whites (6% and 7%) or Asians (1% and 4%). Hispanics are almost equally concerned each night about these two issues (11% and 9%, respectively). Overall, at least one-third of Hispanics (38%) and Blacks/African-Americans (33%) report that these concerns disturb their sleep at least a few nights a week, compared to about one-fourth of Whites (28%) and/or Asians (25%).

While Blacks/African-Americans report the least amount of sleep, they also say they need less sleep. Blacks/African-Americans report getting the least amount of sleep on workdays/weekdays (6 hours and 14 minutes). Interestingly, they also say that they need only 7 hours and 5 minutes of sleep each night to perform at their best during the day, which is significantly less sleep than Asians and Hispanics (7 hours and 29 minutes each).

Whites are the most likely to report sleeping with their pets and/or their significant other/spouse. Among those married or partnered, Whites are much more likely (14%) than the other ethnic groups (2% each) to say they usually sleep with a pet. Among those married or partnered, 90% of Whites report that they sleep with their significant other compared to 84% of Blacks/African-Americans, 76% of Hispanics and 67% of Asians. Interestingly, among all respondents, Whites are the least likely to say they sleep alone (21% versus 41% Blacks/African-Americans, 37% Asians and 31% Hispanics.)

Among those married or partnered respondents with children, Asians (28%) and Hispanics (22%) are the most likely to report that they sleep in the same room with their children (compared to 15% of Blacks/African-Americans and 8% of Whites).

For the most comprehensive source of information on sleep health, visit the National Sleep Foundation's website, www.sleepfoundation.org, where you can also read the complete Summary of Findings and highlights from this year's Sleep in America poll and polls from prior years.

Politics Y2K10

Caucus Keeps Complaints Quiet (Excerpts)

By Michael Leahy

A year ago, members of the Congressional Black Caucus openly wept at Barack Obama's inauguration. Slowly, that euphoria has given way to frustration that his administration has not done more for black America. Questions about how to elect him have been replaced by questions about how to prod him.

For many, it is the surprise of a political lifetime that they find themselves wrestling with such quandaries. Alternately puzzled and disgruntled, CBC members say key people in the Obama administration have taken them for granted, in the belief that black members of Congress have no stomach for a fight with the country's first black president.

"We concluded they were just kind of listening to us and that then they would go back [to their offices] and conclude that we would do nothing," Emanuel Cleaver II (D-Mo.), the vice chairman of the CBC, said of one dispute. "Because they had concluded there's a black president in the White House and that, to some degree, the Black Caucus, you know, was constrained in expressing its desires. After a while, we said, 'Hey, we see what's going on and it's nothing.' "

On Thursday, CBC members participated in a rare one-hour policy meeting with Obama at the White House to discuss their concerns, most notably their disappointment over a jobs bill that they regard as largely a package of tax breaks for employers, noticeably bereft of job-training programs, new infrastructure projects and summer employment opportunities for youth. Such issues are vital to the CBC, many of whose members represent districts with high levels of unemployment.

In interviews with aides and members afterward, Obama was described as receptive to their message, even though he did not make any large-scale commitments. A White House official issued a statement that ignored any tensions with CBC members and stressed the administration's goals: "President Obama is working to develop inclusive policies, whether in health care, education or the economy, that will have a broad impact on the American people, and Thursday's meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus was a productive effort toward reaching that goal."

Not withstanding Thursday's kind words, the CBC's list of complaints with the White House runs from policy to personal. Despite the caucus's entreaties, the administration has not provided targeted help to black communities and other struggling areas suffering from disproportionately high unemployment. Many caucus members say they feel largely ignored by key White House advisers. Their communication with Obama himself is minimal to nonexistent.

Several CBC members and aides talk derisively of an oft-quoted Obama phrase: that a "rising tide" for America will "lift all boats." They see it as rhetoric intended to justify why the administration has not focused on their communities at a time when unemployment among African Americans has climbed to 16.5 percent. "I can't pass laws that say I'm just helping black folks," Obama told the American Urban Radio Networks. "I'm the president of the United States. What I can do is make sure I'm passing laws that help people, particularly those who are most vulnerable."

Many in the 42-member CBC passionately disagree. African Americans and Latinos "bear the brunt of this economic recession," said Maxine Waters (Calif.). "We must not shy away from targeted public policy that seeks to address the specific and unique issues facing minority communities." If Obama hears Waters' point, it is from a distance. Friends of hers say she has had no phone calls from the president and no consistent contact with other administration officials despite her position as a subcommittee chairman and a key player on the House Financial Services Committee. Before Thursday's meeting, neither she nor the CBC as a group had met with the president to discuss the jobs bill.

Several prominent caucus members have expressed doubts about the interest of administration officials in African American issues, referring to figures including Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner, White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, and senior adviser David Axelrod. They "haven't had much involvement with minority communities in their careers, said Rep. Donald M. Payne (N.J.). "They've been in suites and boardrooms."

The most important discussions between CBC members and administration officials have been prompted by the threat of political crises. But CBC members acknowledge the paradox they face. How can you express criticism of the administration without eventually confronting the man at the top? Some say any public airing of their disagreements with Obama runs the risk of politically damaging the president and ultimately slowing the advancement of other African Americans.

Others argue that the president has spent too much time trying to appease Republicans. "His detractors and political opponents want to try to cast him in the role of being some sort of partisan for African American issues," Rep. Keith Ellison (Minn) said. "I think what he needs to do is just accept the fact that his detractors would say he couldn't swim if he walked on water. . . . So why break your neck trying to please them?" (Source: www.washingtonpost.com )

Disgruntled feels: Ridiculous! According to Moody's Investors Service, the US and the UK have moved "substantially" closer to losing their AAA credit ratings. Under the ratings company's so-called baseline scenario, the US will spend more on debt service as a percentage of revenue this year than any other top-rated country except the UK, and it will be the biggest spender from 2011 to 2013. Under its adverse scenario, which assumes 0.5 percent lower growth each year, less fiscal adjustment and a stronger interest-rate shock, the U.S. will be paying about 15 percent of revenue in interest payments. Financing costs above 10 percent put countries outside of the AAA category. As of January 2010, the Chinese government held more US debt than any other country, nearly a trillion dollars. So, a large chunk of US interest payments will go to China. Understandably, the US would like for the Chinese to revalue its currency, since doing so would devalue the US dollar-denominated securities it holds. This week, China once again became the focus of criticism by some members of Congress for manipulating its currency, i.e, keeping it artificially low. The Chinese renminbi is pegged to the US dollar. An ancient civilization, the Chinese are not likely to take kindly to efforts by the US to cheat them out of what they see as their due. After all, it would be ridiculous for the Chinese to receive nothing for having financed America's ability to live outside its means for so many years.

Disgruntled wants to know: Some conservative estimates indicate that at least 3 million people are not included in the official US unemployment statistics, because they are no longer actively seeking employment. Oftentimes called 'discouraged' workers, if they are included, the true unemployment rate would exceed 11 percent. In some heavily black populated urban areas, the unemployment rate is above 20 percent. This is a crisis with far-reaching socioeconomic and political implications and not simply for those residing in these depressed areas. Economic misery has a way of spilling over its imaginary boundaries and invading even 'gated' communities. Ending this economic crisis requires more than rhetoric, pleasing platitudes and employer tax credits. According to the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, Malcolm X and some notable others are credited with the quote, "A man who stands for nothing will fall for anything." It is past time for those who claim to be black leaders and even obscure individuals to take a stand, even if it means standing against the man in the White House, because the welfare of the current and future black generations is at stake. After all, how can one hope to lead, if there is no effort to make a stand?

Disgruntled says: This week, Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn), who chairs the Senate Banking Committee, unveiled his draft legislation to overhaul financial regulation in an effort to prevent another financial crisis. Surprisingly, Dodd stood alone at the press conference to announce the measure. Neither a Democrat nor a Republican shared the podium. By some standards, the proposed legislation does not go far enough to rein in the excesses that led to the financial crisis. However, given that the financial sector, with its vast resources and powerful lobby, controls Washington, any measure that attempts to dampen its influence that comes out of committee is a major accomplishment. That said, Dodd, who is in his last term, he has already announced his retirement, should be commended for soldiering on in the face of incredible odds.

Mailbox: E-Mails, Faxes and Telephone Calls

Email www.foxnews.com Tea Party Leader, GOP Condemn Racial Slurs Hurled at Black Lawmakers...Republican National Chairman Michael Steele and one of the organizers of Saturday's Tea Party rally strongly condemned the racial slurs that some black lawmakers alleged were yelled at them by some health care protesters as they headed for a procedural vote at Capitol Hill. Steele rejected the notion that the incident may make any association with the Tea Party Movement a danger. "It's not a danger," Steele told NBC's "Meet the Press." "It's not a reflection of the movement, of the Republican Party when you have idiots our there saying stupid things. We don't support that. You can have this debate without attacking." The incident occurred Saturday after thousands of Tea Partiers descended upon Capitol Hill to rally against Sunday's major vote on health care reform. Some of the protesters targeted a handful of black members of Congress and one gay lawmaker as they walked from the House office buildings to the Capitol to make a procedural vote. Reps. John Lewis, D-Ga, and Andre Carson, D-Ind., both members of the Congressional Black Caucus, said that a group of protesters hollered at them and called them the N-word.

Email www.upi.com ...Teen charged with racial slur at Wal-Mart -- A 16-year-old boy has been charged with a bias crime for telling black customers to leave a South Jersey Wal-Mart, police said Saturday. Gloucester County Prosecutor Sean Dalton and Washington Township Police Chief Rafael Muniz said at a news conference the teen was arrested Friday night and released to his parents, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. They said he lives in Atlantic County, which borders Gloucester on the southeast, but would not give his name because he is a juvenile. The incident at the Wal-Mart in Turnersville occurred Sunday. Investigators say the 16-year-old used an unwatched microphone to make a storewide announcement: "Attention, Wal-Mart shoppers: Will all the black people please leave the store. Thank you." Muniz said examination of tapes from security cameras showed three people, later identified as the teen, a friend and the friend's mother, near the microphone just before the announcement and leaving the store quickly afterward, The New York Times reported. Investigators also searched Facebook and other social networking sites for leads. "We got lucky," Muniz said.

Email www.globe-democrat.com ...Cardinals to celebrate African-American Heritage Day…By Alvin Reid...The St. Louis Cardinals will celebrate African-American Heritage Day on Saturday, April 17 in conjunction with a 3:10 p.m. game against the New York Mets. Pavilion reserved box tickets are $35 for adults and $20 for children, and include a 90-minute pre-game buffet, pre-game entertainment and a "meet-and-greet" with former OR current players. Unless something changes in the next two weeks, fans that attend African-American Heritage Day will not see an African-American player, coach or front-office decision maker. The Cardinals currently are 0-for-all of these. With Joe Thurston now a member of the Atlanta Braves and former batting instructor Hal McRae dismissed to make way for Mark McGwire, the Cardinals are among few Major League Baseball teams with no black presence on the field or in its coaching ranks. Who cares? I care.

Email cmull67520@aol.com...Subject: Revolution, what does it mean? To you! Revolution, What does it Mean? "If we accept revolution, we must accept all that it implies: Repression, counter-terrorism, days filled with work, nervous strain, prison, funerals. Our present job as soldiers is to protect our political people at their work and enforce the increasing demands that the people, as a political result, will make upon power. The soldier is the counter-terrorist, the bodyguard, the first of a military vanguard. The distance between him and the class enemy is a free fire zone. He has to be the baddest and strongest of our kind: Calm, sure, self-possessed, completely familiar with the facts that the things that stand between black men and violent death are the fast break, quick drew, and snap shot. Terrible Jonathans teethed on the barrel of the political tool, hardened against the concrete of the most uncivilized jungles of the planet - Chicago, St. Louis, Harlem, Los Angeles, Oakland - tested in action in a dozen fires, tall, slim, youth .... the new n*gger, with a gun and the eyes of the hunter, the hunter of men. These comrades must make the first contribution! We gather up their bodies, clean them, kiss them and smile. Their funerals should be gala affairs of home-brewed wine and revolutionary music to dance the dance of death by.. We should be sad only that it his taken us so many generations to produce them.? Blood in my eyes, George Jackson