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We all know that natural disasters are unavoidable; you cannot fire missiles at a tornado and expect it to stop. Armed troops are as useless in a gunfight against an earthquake as they would be marching towards heaven to challenge God. Dropping a nuke on a hurricane would be like pissing in the wind, the radiation alone blown to every part of the nation would poison this country and everything around it.
With that said, things that can be done to avert tragedies when they are known to be coming are a completely different story. Cutting the funding for the now imperative job of rebuilding a levee, and the complete disarray of a nation’s forces when the people of America needed them the most is inexcusable. Many comments have been made, both by the left and right. People have acted as if racism has reared its ugly, head. As if its eye had not been watching us from across the perched eagle and gained from our loss over the years. I’m not one for conspiracy theories.
I wrote a song called "Bin Laden" and Green Lantern put together a hook to grab people’s attention but the lyrics were focused on what was going on in America, not Bush and the Towers. I wrote in "The Cause of Death" that Bush was not responsible directly, that he didn’t plan 9/11. Still, he and his administration have definitely benefited from the end result of all those people dying. Like it or not no matter what your political views are – realize that. And then remember how in a murder case, a simple one that a local sheriff’s department. may get, we always examine those who stand to benefit from the death of that individual. Why did we never ask ourselves the same of 9/11?
Well, now with the Katrina disaster we have another opportunity, to ask ourselves: Who benefits from the tragedy that has befallen the people of New Orleans? Who will have that land? Who will buy it out? Will the Federal government assume more control of the nation because of this pressure that it acted to late? And now that we know racism is still an issue because of the media’s portrayal. Can we actually sit down with the Right wing and ask them why they think that Blacks are not victims, but rather the recipients of their just due in America? Why Latinos and Blacks are graceful when we swallow racism and hatred and belligerent disregard for our people? But to them we become racist ourselves, spiteful and ‘radical’ for simply pointing out what everyone else, even other white people see as truth. America is seen as brave and resilient for striking back at its enemies but when we even criticize the system that enslaved us, stole our religion, raped our women, our land and our spirit we are not brave, we are traitors and ungrateful for the place we were brought to. We are lucky to work here so we cannot complain about picking strawberries or making up the jail populations since it’s probably better than whatever we got in Latin America right? I don’t believe in justice in the hereafter I believe in having it now…
Then there are the people who are wearing the Emperors clothes for him, talking as if Bush was some rock of Gibraltar. As if he had led us like Ulysses Grant thru a Civil War instead of running this country thru the mud. This man is a complete failure as a president and this has finally awoken some people to it. Sept. 11 was a cover up of mistakes, dark alliances and economic power moves. The campaign to remove the Taliban should have never been conducted after 9/11/2001, but rather in 1998 when they started ethnically cleansing their own people the Asiatic so-called "Hazara." We have always put corporate profits before the living standard of people in American foreign policy and now that echoes in our own nation. That is the very nature of Capitalism. But nothing in the form of corrupted Russian Communism offers a viable alternative, only an unmasked totalitarian rule without the details that we have and the choice between Pepsi and Coke. I’m not a Marxist, a Communist or an anarchist I am just a Peruvian/Black muthaf**ka from Harlem but I could see this truth if I were blind.
Bush ruined his invasion of Afghanistan by not capturing Bin Laden and leaving that country in ruins while being run by Dick Cheney’s b***h Hamid Karzai. The closing in on Al-Quaeda was interrupted and we only sent in a few thousand troops whereas we sent in more but not enough in Iraq now it seems. Iraq…Another blunder, a place we should have never gone. And since Saddam’s guards were not trained by the SOA (Check out www.soaw.org) like most of Latin America’s puppet presidents, he had to be removed by invasion instead of assassination. Fighting the “idea of terrorism” is like boxing the waves the ocean sends at you at the beach. An idea cannot be killed, good or bad it has to be found at the root and explained, then and only then can we understand how to resolve issues. This president hasn’t resolved any issues or finished one thing he started since he was doing lines in college. No Child Left Behind is a disgrace and a secret draft, this economy is crap, gas is damn near $5 in some places in the South and its still $3.40 up here. This president hasn’t resolved anything by flying by the city of New Orleans or taking photo opps in deserted parts of town. Hold on, now that this mess is unfolding and you’re distracted, John G. Roberts will be Supreme Court Chief Justice and another conservative will join in the fray. But the public will not care, they will be split. Blacks and Latinos and poor/conscious whites shaking their heads at the way the people were treated, and racist rich white people and house n***az shaking their heads at the blacks and broke people they see on TV. Their gonna march in backwards and say they were retreating…
That said, I don’t blame Bush for all this, he didn’t kill all those people personally. In the same method that Hitler didn’t kill all of the Jews…it took the complacency of the German people. It took generals, officers and soldiers in the SS, it took the Gestapo. It took people betraying each other. It took Europe and America doing nothing for 4 years while this was going on. It was an entire system that engineered a malicious purposeful chaos.
In the same fashion, FEMA, The Dept. of Homeland Security, the local disorganization and a federal soundtrack to ignorance bumpin’ in the background created this great mass to commemorate death. The melodic tune of accepting race relations the way they are, accompanied by a harmony of class fed indifference created a musical soundtrack for the South’s misery. And on the drums, fresh off the war drum tour in the Middle East where another disaster is taking place daily, a religious spirit that deducts 40 percent of donations for "administrative purposes." Every option to help these people, our brothers, mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and babies was not exhausted. For that the souls will never know peace, just as my Native American peoples’ souls know no peace. America will never know peace, no matter what religion it hides behind, no matter what it donates in a tax deductible package. This is another example of why it will never know…Our president was on vacation until 3 days after people had been drowning and starving, and now you act like you didn’t know, Jesus knows and so do I. We all know now.
This Friday (Sept. 9, 2005) – after I get out of Superior Court….One of my n***az is about to do 10 years upstate hold ya head G – I’m sending my stuff to specific Black organized charities, people with a personal connection. People who are donating not to receive a cut, but because something doesn’t let them sleep until these people get the supplies that they need to create a new life. The Republican and Democratic Party in the end are not so different. They place blame on each other and yet both have toppled democratically elected government in Latin America, ordered Asia invaded, both voted for Iraq and now both defend the president. I have donated, most of my clothes, jackets, survival items and my services to at least 3 or 4 benefit shows in the near future. Give what you can. Remember empathy is the only language that God can hear your prayers in. For those that believe in God that is, I know some of my soldiers do not, but I do. I believe there will be retribution for this betrayal of our people, and if God is busy then I and others will take up the task. I will be the Hand of God…RBG, muthaf***a.
Sadly the mirage of equality shattering was also a wake up call for those of us who thought they cared. Oh you thought they cared?
The f**k you gon’ do now n***a?
Below are a listing of Black/ Minority relief efforts courtesy of writer/activist Kevin Powell:
BlackAmericaWeb.com Relief Fund
PO Box 803209
Dallas, TX 75240
OR you can make an online donation by going to www.blackamericaweb.com/relief
This fund has been set up by nationally syndicated radio personality TOM JOYNER
NAACP Disaster Relief Efforts
The NAACP is setting up command centers in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama as part of its disaster relief efforts. NAACP units across the nation have begun collecting resources that will be placed on trucks and sent directly into the disaster areas. Also, the NAACP has established a disaster relief fund to accept monetary donations to aid in the relief effort.
Checks can be sent to the NAACP payable to
NAACP Hurricane Katrina Relief Fund
4805 Mt. Hope Drive
Baltimore, MD 21215
Donations can also be made online at www.naacp.org/disaster/contribute.php
FYI, the NAACP, founded in 1909, is America’s oldest civil rights organization
www.teamrescueone.com
Set up by native New Orleans rapper Master P and his wife Sonya Miller
You can mail or ship non perishable items to these following locations, which we have confirmed are REALLY delivering services to folks in need….
Center for LIFE Outreach Center
121 Saint Landry Street
Lafayette, LA 70506
atten.: Minister Pamela Robinson
337-504-5374
Mohammad Mosque 65
2600 Plank Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70805
atten.: Minister Andrew Muhammad
225-923-1400
225-357-3079
Lewis Temple CME Church
272 Medgar Evers Street
Grambling, LA 71245
atten.: Rev. Dr. Ricky Helton
318-247-3793
St. Luke Community United Methodist Church
c/o Hurricane Katrina Victims
5710 East R.L. Thornton Freeway
Dallas, TX 75223
atten.: Pastor Tom Waitschies
214-821-2970
S.H.A.P.E. Community Center
3815 Live Oak
Houston, Texas 77004
atten.: Deloyd Parker
713-521-0641
Alternative media outlets where you can get a more accurate and balanced presentation of the New Orleans catastrophe….
www.diversityinc.com
www.alternet.org
www.blackelectorate.com
www.npr.org
www.daveyd.com
www.slate.com
www.bet.com
www.allhiphop.com
www.democracynow.org
www.blackamericaweb.com
Immortal Technique is a rapper/activist based in Harlem, New York.