MaxFly Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 If he wants to criticize someone, he should have done his research and criticized FEMA or the government officials in Louisiana... True leaders try to be informed before they run their mouths... ← And true leaders take responsability for the people under them. Bush is the president. I would imagine that if he called FEMA and said "Fix this, now!" things would be very different. It doesn't really matter if he has the authority to do something, if he has the influence to make things happen. But he had a guitar to receive, or some such thing. ← As I understand it, that is in essence what he said to Michael Chertoff and Michael Brown when he was informed that FEMA was moving slowly, and things are very different now than they were at the beginning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted September 4, 2005 Report Share Posted September 4, 2005 (edited) I'm not arguing anymore but obviously like usual the conservative Americans who listen to Kanye West probably won't buy his album now they don't wanna open their minds to reality but I think the streets will support Kanye more now, hate it or love what he said 98% of black people feel the same way as he does, if Will doesn't feel that way he'd be a sell-out. I bet if you asked anybody there they'd say "Bush doesn't care about black people" as well. I could relate to the struggle so I will be buying his album definately now, I think speaking up about what the president mistakes are is more important than making meaningless songs anyday this is what hip-hop is; the voice of the black men of America! We need to try to talk things out in order for all of us to be on the same page, the black man has to speak up so society could understand our struggle and if they could feel what we're saying we could unite even more, like Will says in "The Rain": "bout that time god started rapping to me/he said pain is the mother of change/the rain must flow so the seeds of joy might grow", everything happens for a reason in life, this Hurricane could be a wakeup call for all of us, the problem we have here could lead to a solution if we only talk it out! Edited September 5, 2005 by bigted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFly Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 I'm not arguing anymore but obviously like usual the conservative Americans who listen to Kanye West probably won't buy his album now they don't wanna open their minds to reality but I think the streets will support Kanye more now, I could relate to the struggle so I will be buying his album definately now, I think speaking up about what the president mistakes are is more important than making meaningless songs anyday this is what hip-hop is; the voice of the black men of America! We need to try to talk things out in order for all of us to be on the same page, the black man has to speak up so society could understand our struggle and if they could feel what we're saying we could unite even more, like Will says in "The Rain": "bout that time god started rapping to me/he said pain is the mother of change/the rain must flow so the seeds of joy might grow", everything happens for a reason in life, this Hurricane could be a wakeup call for all of us, the problem we have here could lead to a solution if we only talk it out! ← That, I can agree with. At the same time, we need to temper what we say and how we say it. Also, in addition, even more important than speaking out againt "the man," these rappers need to stress the importance of education and the acceptance of responsibility to the youth and the black community in general. People, in general shouted down Bill Cosby when he addressed the topic. Maybe if Kanye West says the same thing, they'll listen this time around... People love to be confrontational, love to say "Fight the power!" but it's rare in the black community to hear, "Think about your future!" "Focus on your education!" "Behave respectably!" "Respect one another!" I'd like to hear Kanye and others address those issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 (edited) Well this would be more inforced if we had more conscious rappers on the scene, a lot of them do say that we need to respect one another, go to school, think about your future as well as fight the power but they just don't get the airplay that the average gangsta rapper gets, they need to be promoted more like I said earlier, the government'd take hip-hop more seriously if we had more of them and less rappers making songs glorifying violence, explicit sex, and drugs. Edited September 5, 2005 by bigted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFly Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Again, just to draw attention to this... Troops earlier today shot and killed 5 or 6 out of 8 gunmen who fired at navy core of engineer workers trying to repair one of the levees... "They've given them permission to go down and shoot us." Good call Kanye... who gave these gunmen permission to shoot at relief workers? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFly Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Well this would be more inforced if we had more conscious rappers on the scene, a lot of them do say that we need to respect one another, go to school, think about your future as well as fight the power but they just don't get the airplay that the average gangsta rapper gets, they need to be promoted more like I said earlier, the government'd take hip-hop more seriously if we had more of them and less rappers making songs glorifying violence, explicit sex, and drugs. ← Yup... Also, the government ignores "hip hop" because the majority of these people don't vote. How can you say, "I want to be apart of the process. I want the government to listen to my concerns" if you're not involved in choosing your elected officials? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Here's some positive feedback for Kanye West's statement: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "George Bush Doesn't Care About Black People" Kanye West is My Hero By JUSTIN FELUX "I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family and they say we are looting, you see a white family and they say they are looking for food. And, you know, its been five days because most of the people ARE black ... We already realize a lot of the people that could help are at war right now, fighting another way. And now they've given them permission to go down and shoot us. George Bush doesn't care about black people." - Kanye West, speaking to a nationally televised audience on NBC "We've never seen anything like this before." I have heard this phrase repeated several times by newscasters describing the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina. However, as I watched the footage of all those black bodies desperately trudging through dirty flood waters, I realized that I actually had seen something exactly like this before. It was one year ago, when Hurricane Jeanne slammed against the coasts of Haiti, a country which like New Orleans is both poor and black. The floods and mud slides ended up killing thousands of Haitians. The media gave scant attention to the matter for a few days; just long enough to get some sexy footage of houses being destroyed and valleys filled with floodwater. Enough to boost ratings for a while. Shortly after that, they packed up their equipment and got out of there faster than you can say "racist indifference." The United States rendered so little aid as to be insignificant, and before long the entire incident had faded from the minds of most Americans. There were few cries of outrage over the fact that this country couldn't care less about the deaths of thousands of black people, but devotes countless hours of TV time to the latest Missing Pretty White Girl (I believe at the time it was Dru Sjodin, not Natalie Holloway). But people dying in Haiti is one thing. Americans have always found it easy to dismiss the deaths of those from other countries, especially when those countries are full of dark-skinned people. But who would think our government would allow something equally devastating to happen to people on our own soil -- to people who are full-fledged American citizens (in theory, anyway)? Enter Kanye West. The future of hip hop. An artist who more than compensates for his less-than-stellar skills as an emcee with his razor-sharp wit and passion for justice and equality, not to mention his bravado. It's hard to imagine any rapper since Tupac Shakur having the guts to get brolic with the Commander-in-Chief on national TV. He will undoubtedly be savaged by detractors on the right and the left for "politicizing" a fundraiser to aid the victims of the flooding. However, I have little doubt that Kanye was saying exactly what most of the black residents of New Orleans are thinking right at this moment. As Kanye said on his last album, "Racism's still alive, they've just been concealin' it," but it's in times of crisis such as this one that America begins to show its true colors, and "black" isn't one of them. The truth is, Kanye West didn't "politicize" a damn thing. George W. Bush did. The hurricane became a political issue the second Bush decided there were more important priorities than shoring up the preventive measures in New Orleans; such as giving tax cuts to billionaires and launching an evil, imperialist war against the people of Iraq. Hurricane Ivan made it abundantly clear that New Orleans was unprepared to deal with such a catastrophe if one were to occur. If only Bush could be half the statesman Fidel Castro is. The Cuban government managed to evacuate over a million people, and didn't lose a single life to Hurricane Ivan. In fact, I'd say Kanye was far too generous. Bush, as well as some of the other players in this affair, don't simply "not care about" black people. They have been proactive oppressors of African Americans for years. As Texas governor, Bush never met a death certificate he didn't like. As a result, he is personally responsible for the executions of numerous black men. Mississippi's governor Haley Barbour warned that all "looters" would be dealt with "ruthlessly." This is a man who has been linked to the Council of Conservative Citizens, a group started from the White Citizen's Councils of the civil rights era. These were groups committed to the preservation of Jim Crow and had intimate connections and overlapping membership with the Ku Klux Klan. And the New Orleans Police Department doesn't need a "shoot to kill" order from the governor to go about attacking black folks. New Orleans consistently ranks among the top cities in the number of citizen complaints of police brutality. Just last month, a black man named Raymond Robair died after the police brought him to the hospital. Witnesses observed the cops brutally beating him, leaving him with four broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. But don't expect the mainstream media to tell you anything negative about the New Orleans Police Department. Their time will likely be devoted to unsubstantiated stories that play into popular white fears about blacks -- stories about wild, black savages engaging in theft, murder, rape, and even cannibalism. White folks will eat it up like candy, and the ratings will soar accordingly. In a time when we are being bombarded by so many images and statements which seem designed to bring out the worst in us, it's very refreshing to see someone like Kanye West step up and call a spade a spade. Let's make sure he still has a career to go back to after the dust settles. First and foremost we should donate money to the relief efforts, but it would also be a good idea cop Kanye's new album, Late Registration. It's a classic. Justin Felux is a writer and activist based in San Antonio, Texas. He can be contacted at justins@alacrityisp.net http://www.counterpunch.org/felux09032005.html" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigted Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 (edited) Well this would be more inforced if we had more conscious rappers on the scene, a lot of them do say that we need to respect one another, go to school, think about your future as well as fight the power but they just don't get the airplay that the average gangsta rapper gets, they need to be promoted more like I said earlier, the government'd take hip-hop more seriously if we had more of them and less rappers making songs glorifying violence, explicit sex, and drugs. ← Yup... Also, the government ignores "hip hop" because the majority of these people don't vote. How can you say, "I want to be apart of the process. I want the government to listen to my concerns" if you're not involved in choosing your elected officials? ← A lot of people in general who complain about the government don't vote not just the hip-hop community, I don't think that's a good enough excuse to ignore the hip-hop community but in all fairness this is something that Russell Simmons and everyone in hip-hop involved with "Vote Or Die" have to work on too I guess..., and here's my point I was talking about earlier about how black celebrities get bad publicity according to Chuck D's terrordome from last November but also 'cause they don't take responsibility for their actions 'cause they're too busy worrying about getting paid instead of making a difference to the community, commercial rappers have dug a hole in my opinion for the image of hip-hop, if you think I could go off-topic in a post, peep this, lol, I personally rather make a post talking the positive things a conscious rapper like Chuck says than make a post about the latest 50 Cent beef, this is knowledge: "When Jay Z said back in the day 'Streets Is Watching, obviously beyond the metaphor he knew that there are few black named streets, and cats own no blocks. Surely the fact of the matter he could've used when it comes to the rapgame is that the 'Kids Is Always Watching' regardless. Now the youth is watching cats 10-20-30 years older than them appear insane. Amerikkka claps loudest when black folks exhibit our worst. Or should i say white folks have been applauding when black people in public have been terrible. Or perhaps the world is puzzled when amerikkkans appear to be at an all time dumbstate. This piece transcends the normal hip hop column, you tell me. From R Kelly-JayZ fiasco, the Vibe awards,ODBs(R.I.P.) treatment after his passing,the Indiana Pacers-Detroit Piston riot...it shows that niggros dont know how to act and thus are even rewarded with twisted publicity in the process. All of this under the fresh 4 year shadow of the second coming of son of a bush. The vibe awards, as much as i love Mr Quincy Jones, the magazine has always been a comic rag. The man has done so much, so he should'nt feel the need to tell these cats hes an OOG from Chicago. Let them elevate, cause a fake ass gangster dont appreciate. DRE who i've known for years is a nice guy who has co signed so much niggitive on the black race, how can he not expect that karma to somehow circle around? Theres never peace if you never loved it from jump. And we can't blame SUGE for everything can we? What was going around in YOUNG BUCKs mind stabbing a cat in front of national cameras? Being that hes signed from 50, whos from EMINEM ,whos from DRE, shouldnt head whiteman JIMMY IOVINE train these people since he stands to profit whether the artist is dead, alive, jailed, or roaming in the so called streets? iles... I've commented on the SHYNe debacle of someone who gets a bidding war and a fat contract while doing time as if he absorbed Millennium Robert Johnson twisted blessings. Beenie Siegal does 5 videos on his way in, to keep the streets hot so he can be celebrated when he gets out. 1.8 million folks in jail, but should the have nots support rappers or celebrities that do short bids, when many dont have the opportunity or clarity to see it for what it is? like who gives a f*ck really....? The entourages become bigger as times become harder, cats show off their excesses more, and bodyguard security gets more massive. Cats are saying all the worst sht about each other in the press, tv, magazines, recordings, while never doing eye to eye anything because theyre buffered by their well paid personal armies. You will never see JA RULE, 50,or JD in your local supermarket picking up some milk for the family, yet they supposed to represent the increasing havenots, while showing off what they got? Too much dollars time and no sense, had frustrated burnt out Ron Artest looking for a break from an NBA career to promote his rap album. Its because he has to spit whats on his mind because ESPNs 3 24 hour networks ain't enough platform. Nah, maybe its a message to the hood, or i should say black people. A fight is a fight ,but the joint in Detroit is what the masses of amerikkkans that re-elected Son of a bush expect out of the projected, priveliged, protected, financed, and endorsed black male. It was if cats acted out their wildest rap fight, video game, gangster rollin,WWF fantasy. And the fans that pay to see the thugworld overlap into the game , get close to their 'money makin cats in action'. Its as 'the worst of both worlds sports and entertainment , or rap and ball emerged to say that they are no longer enough . And anyone who doesnt think racism plays in any of this, peep it. The coaches, managers, general executives, record presidents, and of course lawyer's who MADE them ALL sign a contract, but claim to cant make them do little else as they profit off them, now start to shake a bit as their high priced slaves seem out of control. They wouldn't allow many of these cats in their cribs. Neither will many of you that read this piece. Besides they're the new elitist haves, why would they give a damn about you have nots? Its a shame that there the complaints about the big 'white man ' Dvid Stern puttin the smackdown on ball, as the other big 'white man ' bush says 'what' to amerikkka , the world , and democrats way harder than the rap NORIEGA. Now with all the 'zoo' madness does hip hop expect a big 'white man' to restore order to the form past his profits? You tell me..." http://www.publicenemy.com/index.php?page=page3&item=85 If you wanna read the rest click on the link, I like Chuck D's writing style, he could talk about 100 different things in one essay but links it all together to one point he's trying to make. Edited September 5, 2005 by bigted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mfuqua23 Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Hey y'all. I got sent this from a buddy on AIM "bagotrasho: Kanye West sent all of his friends this message on myspace.............. PLEASE! POST A BULLETIN ABOUT BUSH OR RE-POST MY BULLETIN " From: KanYe West Date: Sep 4, 2005 4:58 PM im still with my story! GEORGE W. BUSH! HATES BLACKS!! My plea is this, and I hope you will hear it Please stop the chaos Stop hurting each other. Do only what will be helpful. To our government officials, please do whatever it takes to bring aid and relief to our suffering people, and do it immediately. To my fellow artists and entertainers, please give your time and use your voice to help spread a message of unity. Please, let's come together in this time of crisis to help our people and our communities and our country. Let's volunteer, donate our time and money, or help in whatever ways we can " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mixmastermegan7 Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Hey I got that message on myspace too, I was just contemplating whether or not it was him writing it or just a fan?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFly Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 And... more stories... Those trapped in the city faced an increasingly lawless environment, as law enforcement agencies found themselves overwhelmed with widespread looting. Looters swarmed the Wal-mart on Tchoupitoulas Street, often bypassing the food and drink section to steal wide-screen TVs, jewelry, bicycles and computers. Watching the sordid display and shaking his head in disgust, one firefighter said of the scene: "It’s a f---- hurricane, what are you do with a basketball goal?" Police regained control at about 3 p.m., after clearing the store with armed patrol. One shotgun-toting Third District detective described the looting as "ferocious." "And it’s going to get worse as the days progress," he said. In Uptown, one the few areas that remained dry, a bearded man patrolled Oak Street near the boarded-up Maple Leaf Bar, a sawed-off shotgun slung over his shoulder. The owners of a hardware store sat in folding chairs, pistols at the ready. Uptown resident Keith Williams started his own security patrol, driving around in his Ford pickup with his newly purchased handgun. Earlier in the day, Williams said he had seen the body of a gunshot victim near the corner of Leonidas and Hickory streets. "What I want to know is why we don’t have paratroopers with machine guns on every street," Williams said. Like-minded Art Depodesta sat on the edge of a picnic table outside Cooter Brown’s Bar, a chrome shotgun at his side loaded with red shells. "They broke into the Shell station across the street," he said. "I walked over with my 12-gauge and shot a couple into the air." The looters scattered, but soon after, another man appeared outside the bar in a pickup truck armed with a pistol and threatened Depodesta. "I told him, ‘Listen, I was in the Army and I will blow your ass off,’" Depodesta said. "We’ve got enough trouble with the flood." The man sped away. "You know what sucks," Depodesta said. "The whole U.S. is looking at this city right now, and this is what they see." In the Bywater, a supply store sported spray-painted signs reading "You Loot, I Shoot" and "You Bein Watched." A man seated nearby with a rifle in his lap suggested it was no idle threat. At the Bywater studio of Dr. Bob, the artist known for handpainted "Be Nice or Leave" signs, a less fanciful sentiment was painted on the wall: "Looters Will Be Shot. Dr. Bob." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MaxFly Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Earlier someone mentioned that they hadn't seen not one picture of someone carrying a tv in looting. Here you go... http://www.nbc10.com/news/4917570/detail.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnazz Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 Earlier someone mentioned that they hadn't seen not one picture of someone carrying a tv in looting. Here you go... http://www.nbc10.com/news/4917570/detail.html ← That's exactly the problem that concerns me with the reporting. From the title: "Stores Looted On Camera In New Orleans" and then in the article "At a Walgreen's drug store in the French Quarter Tuesday morning, people were running out with grocery baskets and coolers full of soft drinks, chips and diapers." Soft drinks, chips, and diapers? Yea, those criminals. From the slideshow pictures, which there where 20, there where two of tv's apparently being stolen. (I say apparently because one was of a someone who looked to be being arrested next to a tv) There's another four to six of people looking to be stealing clothes. Then there's pictures of cops, people taking food and diapers, and what looks to be two kids riding bikes in a store. This is what warrents M-16 toting soliders? The article doesn't mention if the soldiers with the M-16's had food or water with them that they're handing out. Where they handing out food and water? (or was someone down the street handing it out?) And if not, why not? These articles make it sound like everyone in the city is looting, but then you see the pictures or read details and you find out a bunch of people are "looting" needed items, some are a looting questionable items, and a few are looting obviously wrong items. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Schnazz Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 And... more stories... ← The "hero" of this story scares me more then the looters. "Looters Will Be Shot" "I was in the Army and I will blow your ass off" "I walked over with my 12-gauge and shot a couple into the air." I guess it must be true, money and property are more valuable then human life... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Typhoon20 Posted September 5, 2005 Report Share Posted September 5, 2005 I don't like kanye west, because he's not what he portrays to be I also don't like Bush, because of his IRAQ war, how he and the white house handled some of the things that happened down there, especially by their own troops. Then, there are some serious STUPID people out there in New orleans, that think money is more important then their own life. You see a family not leaving their own house or hotel, simply because they don't have insurance or don't wanna lose all their value, well once KATRINA comes in your BOUND to lose everything, WETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT, so EVACUATE DAMN IT, it's either your house, or your house and YOU, so I think it was a disaster by it's civilians, they should have known better under those circumstances. There are 2 sides in this topic discussing, I agree a bit more with max's point of view, it's not where or when you say it, but WHAT YOU SAY. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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