Monday, March 29, 2004
“Nothing would be better, from my point of view, than to be able to testify....”
Image courtesy: MSNBC | Charles Dharapak/AP
The 9/11 Commission controversy carries on unabated. I missed Rice on 60 Minutes but The Center for American Progress breaks down the claims she made on the show here. (MSNBC | Center for American Progress)
However, watching the end of Richard Clarke's appearance on Meet The Press earlier that day, he made sense to me: "Invading Iraq after 9/11 is like invading Mexico after Pearl Harbor..." That being said, I'm about to say something else semi-controversial: while I think Bush has been a terrible president who's strategy on fighting the war on terror has been wrong and who hyped his case or outright lied to justify invading Iraq, I'm not convinced he can be blamed for not preventing the 9/11 attacks. While bin Laden and Al-Qaeda were acknowledged as a rising problem over the years, I don't think the pre-9/11 mindset of Amercia would have tolerated the targeted assassination of bin Laden or an outright declaration of war against a group most people hadn't even really heard of until 9/11. I'm open to hearing other opinions on this though.
Frank Rich on the "Iraqi Infoganda." (New York Times)
Man, this guy just had to be French, didn't he? You know conservatives will have a field day with this story: French lawyer says he will defend Saddam. (Reuters)
Follow-up from the "THE STATE OF BLACK MEN IN AMERICA" Town Hall Meeting I mentioned on Friday. I caught the tail-end of the meeting and was impressed by both the turnout which, similar to the Million Man March, included black men (and women) from all walks of life from young hip hoppers to professionals and retirees and the candid nature of the discussion. Like many panels and conferences the discussion centered around the theme of "talk is good, but where's the action and what's the follow up?" Panelist Kevin Powell, and others on the panel, have to be given props for speaking honestly to the fact that change will come, not by looking to the panelists to provide some magic plan for change, but incrementally and from each individual making changes or taking action and leadership roles within their own own sphere of influence, even that means only within their own family or circle of friends.
Here's some organizations and events I also got put up on from being at the meeting:
- Hip Hop Project: A last-chance alternative high school program where students learn about the business and creative processes of the music industry.Is the lesson to learn from this story that those who murder rap artists are never brought to justice?: Prosecutors Refuse Charges Againts [sic] Man Accused Of Killing Soulja Slim. (Allhiphop.com)
- H2Ed: Another hip hop educational program.
- Hiphopconvention.org: The National Hip Hop Political Convention Website
- $5.15 Is Not Enough: A coalition of community, labor, student, immigrant and political groups launched in November 2003 to lobby for a raise in the minimum wage in New York state.
- African Film Festival: April 3-15, 23-25.
- Haiti on Screen Film Festival: March 31-April 4, 2004.
Meanwhile Miami watches their police watching the rappers: Panel seeks police binder on rappers. (Miami Herald)
The story behind Korn's "Y'All Want a Single" music video that I mentioned a while back. (CNN.com)
Kelefa Sanneh on Usher and Janet in "Two Lessons at the School for Scandal." (New York Times)
Related:
- If the two female clerks at Music Factory in Fulton Mall in BK yesterday are any indication, Janet's new album (out tomorrow I believe) is gonna stiff horribly, 'cos they were panning it crazy. They were however loving the new Usher.
Hip hop producer Just Blaze launches his own online radio station called, appropriately enough, "Just Blaze Radio" (permalink also in sidebar at left under the "Hear Music Online" section). I pride myself on being on point with my hip hop ish but I played this for a while this morning and didn't recognize well over 80% of the jawns on the playlist. For real heads and those who need to get schooled.
Was this the junior mafia Pac was attacking when he did "Hit Em Up"? (via Pricelicious)
The fad is pretty much a wrap at this point but for those still ridin' with it, pretty authentic-looking bootleg Mitchell & Ness throwback jerseys are available from a street vedndor right outside the 23rd & 6th Best Buy in Manhattan for $60 a pop, which is a fraction of the price for the real jawns but damn, $60 for anything bootleg just don't seem right....
Mobb Deep's "Got it Twisted" video drops soon if not already with a cameo from fantastic character actor Danny Trejo.
And for those who haven't heard it yet: Nina Sky feat. Jabba "Move Your Body." This record is gonna be (already is actually) a monster in the clubs and on radio this spring and summer. Don't fight it, just succumb and get your tunderclap, jellybean, scoobydoo and lightning dance moves down when you hear this jawn drop in the clubs (thanks Gigi at Gigi Productions for the mp3 link hook-up).
