Latest Articles

vertical horizontal
  • Politics Is Like Hiring A Hitman
    by Scott Woods inPolitical on2020-08-13

    For me, politics is like hiring a hitman. I have values and things I care about. I care enough about them to at least bother voting for 5 minutes every year for one issue or another. And because I care at least that much, I vote for people who align with the ability to realize the things I care about.

    Read More ...

  • Punching Above Our Weight
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-07-24

    I believe our vote is the punctuation of our voice. Without that resounding exclamation mark, I believe our voices are just incoherent noise.

    Read More ...

  • BLACK PROGRESS AMIDST SOCIAL CHAOS
    by Roger Madison Jr. inPolitical on2020-06-16

    Recent events have raised the profile of historical injustice and inequities here in the USA. The entire world has taken note of the fact that BLACK LIVES MATTER.   We invite all of our friends to engage in actions that result in the greatest movement for change in our history. It is imperative that we take advantage of this opportunity to affect a positive change by ACTING IN OUR SELF-INTERESTS.

    Read More ...

  • Living in a Black No-Man's Land
    by Roger Madison Jr. inOur Community on2019-10-28

    There are many narratives that define the Black experience in America in this 2nd decade of the 21st century. Our striving over the centuries of our sojourn in this nation is a tapestry of every human experience -- oppression, enslavement, forced assimilation, dehumanization, exclusion, segregation, isolation, struggle, perseverance, achievement, excellence, celebration, mourning, despair, progress, setbacks, lynching, assassination, genocide, terror, self-hatred, low esteem, pride,...

    Read More ...

  • Fighting Racism
    by Scott Woods inOur Community on2018-10-25

    I had a boss who was racist. Not an outright bigot, of course; her toolbox was more subtle than most. We bumped heads a lot over inconsequential things. She frequently couldn’t keep my name out her mouth. Lot of gaslighting. You know…2018 style. I tried a lot of ways to combat or navigate her issues. None of them worked, and that’s saying a lot because I’m really good at fighting racism. But at the end of the day – every day – she was my boss, I had to deal with her, and that was that. Finally I...

    Read More ...

Let's not let Andrew Coumo "Shuck & Jive"

Let's not let Andrew Coumo Shuck and Jive
By George Cook www.letstalkhonestly.com

I'm sure by now you have heard about Andrew Coumo's idiotic comments in which he used the phrase "Shuck and Jiive". This is racist at worst and just plain insensitive at best. The exact quote is below:

Andrew Coumo's original comment

".....It’s not a TV crazed race. Frankly you can’t buy your way into it. You can’t shuck and jive at a press conference. All those moves you can make with the press don’t work when you’re in someone’s living room.”

Andrew Coumo's explanation of that statement to Eric Kleefeld of TPM

"It was never about Obama in the first place," Cuomo told me of the use of the phrase, which he said he was using "as a synonym for 'bob and weave."

What Coumo meant to say:

"You can never prove it was about Obama. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Besides Nig**** are too sensitive anyway."

This is for those who want to act "special" and pretend they don't know what Andrew Coumo was up to when he used the phrase "shuck and jive". Here is the definition from encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com

Shuckin' and jivin' (or shucking and jiving) is a slang term primarily used by African Americans. It refers to the speech and behavioral mechanisms adopted in the presence of an authority figure [1]. Shuckin' and jivin' usually involves clever lies and impromptu storytelling, used to one-up an opponent or avoid punishment [2]. Such behavior is believed to have originated in the era of slavery [3].

Also just in case you want to act even more special and pretend that you had heard that phrase recently or think it is commonly used then you probably still wear leisure suits and think "Three's Company" is still a #1 show.

In my opinion Andrew Coumo would have never uttered those insensitive words if the conversation was not focused on a black man.

To the rest of you who actually live in the 21st Century I say lets's email Andrew Coumo and fill his inbox with our disapproval especially since I'm sure Barack Obama will take the high road and basically just let it go. Well I am not running for President so I can take any road I want. Here is a link to Andrew Coumo's email page on his NY Attorney General Web Site-- Fill Coumo's Inbox

George L. Cook III
www.letstalkhonestly.com