Pray and Work to Make Our Communities Great Again

OK I'm tired of the nonsense! For all you deep Christian folks who are now Bible brow beating with the nonsense that we should capitulate to Trump because he's in authority over us I'm not going out like that - hell naw! Usually people of God especially prophets spoke truth to power.

Remember Moses, Amos, and other prophets spoke strong messages of social justice to those in power. You cherry pick some scriptures from Paul to tell us to acquiescence to those in authority.

Well I don't subscribe to the Euro-western mainstream interpretation and narrative of letting the powers that be crap all over me and my community. You can keep that nonsense! Unfriend me I don't give a crap.

Good bye and freakin good riddance! Let's get this in perspective.

Technically in a democracy we are the authorities. We don't have kings or lords in the US. And elected officials work for us. Trump is a public servant.

So I may pray for Trump because quite frankly I think he is mentally unstable and could do us and the world great harm.  However, I will be praying for economic development in our communities. Yesterday, I supported nothing but our own businesses all day. That's what I will be doing.

I'll be working and praying for the people of this country and especially our communities to build economic opportunity. Our Presidents are a reflection of a good deal of our people.

We get what we voted for and I could get into a Bible exegesis and historical context for the scripture theological and otherwise but I won't. I'd rather spend my focus and energy on economic development in my community.

The fact that we put Trump in office is a reflection of us. So I will pray for the people in this country. Trump is a mirror image of a large slice of the people in this nation.


Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Let's Make Our Communities Great Again

So many people are trying to sound so states person like saying they support President Elect Trump. You know who I'm supporting?

I'm going to support some of our businesses in our community today. That's the folks whom I'm going to support. I'm getting ready to go right now.

Make our communities great again! That's my mantra.

Trumped up support is the GOP and 50 million Americans who voted for him. Trumped Up support is the Tea Party, Alt Right, KKK, the GOP lead Congress, 2 million people in the military that he will be commanding.

Trumped up support is the billions of dollars he has amassed. Trumped up support is the tax codes helping him to avoid paying taxes in his businesses.

You get the dayum picture? Trump got plenty of support.

But you know who truly needs our support? How about supporting Farmer's Markets in our community?

How about starting and supporting credit unions and microfinance organizations in our community? How about supporting nonprofits and youth organizations?

How about supporting neighborhood businesses and not spending all your money in the mall outside your community? How about that?




Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

If You think Voting Doesn't Matter You're Missing the Political Power Re-Mix!

Often in these last few days leading up to the election I see people lamenting that they are disillusioned and tired of voting in US electoral politics because the two party system is flawed or corrupt.  They feel the two party system isn't benefitting Blacks and people of color any way.  And they also feel little for the common person changes.

I can certainly relate to these feelings.  It is easy to become demoralized.  But did you ever stop to think that if voting is meaningless in our society why are people fighting so hard to disenfranchise us from our right to vote?  Why is the GOP working so hard to demoralize us from voting?

It is pretty obvious to me the GOP, conservatives, the Tea Party, and many alt right persons want us demoralized and not voting.  Isn't it obvious to you that not voting is part of the plan to help keep the status quo in place?   Think about it why did the GOP stonewall Obama for 8 years to marginalize his programs in an attempt to demoralize us?

Consequently, many of us didn't vote enough in the mid-term elections and the GOP took over Congress. Now we got a lot of people saying they don't wanna vote.

Well that's the plan the GOP thought out 8 years ago and we're failing for too much of their strategy.  The GOP, because of their decreasing numbers due to demographic shifts in the country towards younger people and people of color, can only win: by demoralizing these burgeoning social groups.

For people who think your vote won't count based on past political inertia and "politics as usual' pleaee consider that tomorrow is a new day and things are changing.  Things will change if we are vigilant and plan strategically because the country, in couple of decades, will be one where people of color and younger progressive people will be the new clear majority.

This scares the crap out of some traditional conservatives who want to "make America great again" like Donald Trump's tagline or slogan thingy.  In their policies people in the Tea Party driven GOP would like to see things they way they were 25+ years ago.

The problem is 25+ years ago the US wasn't such a great place for Blacks and people of color.  This anxiousness about the new rising demographics and their political and economic leverage in US society is causing xenophobia, sexism, sexual preference, and class issues to become highly volatile in this campaign.  

However, increasingly with our growing demographic numbers, we can and will vote in candidates with our interest especially in local areas and recycle our tax money back in our neighborhoods to help bring about economic development. I've seen this happen in areas like Southeast Queens and East Flatbush Brooklyn.

They voted in progressive candidates who used tax dollars to fund community economic and education programs. This is a start. It will take time and a lot of work however some communities have started the process.

People of color will have increasing power as the demographics shift. This was not the situation 50 years ago. Times are changing.

This is making the Tea Party and GOP very uncomfortable. When they say "Make America Great Again" they obviously like things the way it was 25+ years ago when we had very little economic power and political clout.

So when you think politics doesn't make a difference to Blacks, people of color, or common people in the present remember we are becoming the new majority and that bodes well increasingly with us having more political, economic, and social power.  We're Stronger Together as Hillary Clinton's slogan States.  Now lets be the change and work together to get the change we want to see.



Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.

If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

The Short List of Reasons Why I'd Vote for Hillary Over Trump

I see some Black people proclaiming they will vote for Donald Trump.  I hope they seriously rethink their positions.

Trump has a history of discriminating against Black people in housing. He also railroaded the Central Park 5 and never apologized after they were exonerated.

Hillary Clinton on the other hand is for ACA which provides health care for 20 million poor people at least 6 million people of color and 3 million Blacks. You need health care to survive.

The last I check it is essential for humans to have cleaner air and a stable climate to survive in.

So why would informed intelligent blacks vote for a party that believes pollution clean up should be left to businesses to handle when they feel compelled to and don't believe in climate change AKA global warming?

Also Trump is listening to Rudy Giuliani and wants to institute draconian "Stop and Frisk" tactics in inner cities. You ever lived under "Stop and Frisk?"

It is a little like living in Apartheid ruled South Africa, when they had pass laws. In NYC 900,000 people mostly blacks and Latinos were stopped and frisked with a only a small percentage of them doing anything wrong.  Stop and Frisk was deemed unconstitutional in a NYC legal action brought against the practice.

4. Trump if elected will have a chance to appoint 2 to 4 Supreme Court Justices.  Blacks will need more liberal Supreme Court Justices appointed to make sure the Voters Rights Amendment is restored by the Supreme Court.

Other things...

1. He has no experience as an elected leader or civil servant;

2. He is a sexual and verbal abuser to women;

3. He hasn't paid taxes to the fed government in years so why should he now lead it?

Lastly, why would Black people in this day and age want to put someone in office who refers to us as "the Blacks?"

Birth of a Nation and the Emergence of a Revolutionary Religion

There have been many reviews on Nat Parker's film "Birth of a Nation."  This is a movie based on the life of Nat Turner, a slave preacher who inspired a rebellion against southern chattel slavery.

There has been varying reviews from many perspectives.  There have been even more controversies surrounding the rape charges against Parker in college and another student.  The rape has been a source of much tension enveloping Nate Parker's controversial film.

I neither want to go into the rape allegations or cinematography of the film.  There are those with much more expertise than me to opine on those things.  However, I want to focus on something that I am a follower of and also have some academic background.  And that would be Christian theology.

Let's face it.  Blacks in the US, and in general, are some of the most religious people throughout the world. It doesn't matter what the faith is whether Christian, Catholic, Muslim, Buddhist, or African Traditional Religion Blacks tend to be strong adherents to religions and denominations and all too often become dogmatic adherents in my humble opinion.

Blacks tend to be so supportive of our various religious faiths whether we are Christians, Catholics, 7 Day Adventist, Muslim, Buddhists, etc. However, as a group we have to ask ourselves are our religious faiths being used to make us capitulate to power or on the other hand empower ourselves?

Actually after seeing the movie what the movie showed was the synthesis of African Spirituality and Biblical advocacy inspiring justice and revolution in scriptures that merged to form a new expression of Radical Black Christianity. Blacks formed their own Churches that got involved with insurrections, fighting against slavery, and helped them empower our community.  It showed how Blacks "stole away" to have their own services where they could be truly free Spiritually which also lead to the desire for physical freedom.

That was the brilliance of the film. No film has ever explored that before on this scale. If it gets a discussion on Blacks questioning their religious faith and a revisiting a more progressive community oriented Christianity I'm good with it. It will be making a great contribution to Black religious thought.

As a slavery period film it wasn't heads above shoulders above the rest. However, Christianity has become a major enterprise in the US too often encouraging people to capitulate to power in present times.

Therefore, I appreciate his angle to shed some light on the new religious expression Blacks created in this country with synthesized theology inspired by African cosmology and scriptures reflecting social righteousness gleaned from the Bible. This I think is one of the most unique things to cogitate over in reference with this film.

I'll be bringing my daughter to this one to have a theological discussion of the historical role of mainstream churches in contrast to progressive churches in this country. In this regard I find the film has significant value

Today we see evangelicals supporting Donald Trump after all the sexaully abusive conversations and allegations of sexual impropriety he's been involved with.  It is a discussion Blacks should be having given the political and social issues we have today.

What I am alluding to in imagery and social contract is the fact the mainstream church by in large in this country has been a buttress of white power and privilege. The film raises how the purpose of using Christianity was to placate us and make us accept our enslaved positions in society. However, we created a new interpretation of Christianity based on African inspired Spirit possession and communal love and Biblical themes on fighting injustice.

And I must state for the record is one thing the critical reviewers didn't understand about the film was the horrific nature and trauma of rape.  Rape really called chattel slavery into question as an unGodly institution to Christianized slaves since the Bible rails against it so strongly.

I am sure rape next to lynching and murder was what motivated Black people and men to fight slavery with everything they had (some reviewers ironically actually castigated Nat Parker for using rape as an impetus for Rebellion and Revolution). But imagine living in a society where your mother, wife, and sisters could be forced upon at any time? Aw hell naw that system to our ancestors I'm sure couldn't be tolerated any longer.

I think one of the reasons a large slice of the Black community hates slave movies is because they have to recall the savage rapes our ancestors had to endure. It is traumatizing to say the least. It is ironic how rape has become a big issue around this film from all sides.

Some are calling birth of a nation a flop.  However  Birth of a Nation made a lot more the 1st week than "12 Years a Slave." 12 Years a Slave went on to make 56 million internationally. All things considered it made a lot of money.

The value of the flim is really the question of how religion is being used in our community.  Religion can be a tool of enslavement or empowerment and this movie drives that point home like no other major motion picture before it.

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

 

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Bernie or Busters and the Luxury of Social Privilege

The Bernie or buster crowd - should they be admired for their commitment to Bernie Sanders and the political goals he espoused?  Or is it time that they should be persuaded to join the rank and file of the Democratic Party and Hillary Clinton to defeat Donald Trump and all he represents.

Moreover, should they vote for a 3rd party candidate like Jill Stein or Gary Johnson since the two party system obviously for many people has its limits and is showing diminishing returns?  To me the Bernie or Bust crowd have the luxury that many Americans don't have.

Largely white and privileged many of them are buffered by the benefits of higher class and younger age social status. They tend to be middle class and upper middle class whites.  A good deal of them are now looking to Jill Stein to be the heir apparent to Bernie's movement.

And even some higher social status or younger Blacks are also opting for Jill Stein.  Ms. Stein is becoming the standard bearer for them.  I feel they are making the wrong move historically and strategically.

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton working to stop Trump

In my opinion strategically we should not lose momentum by letting Trump and the Tea Party take the country over.  The conservatives, demographically speaking, have diminishing numbers. Otherwise President Obama could not have been elected twice.

However, if we are not a united front to stop them the Tea Party and GOP will take over the country.   They will look to gut healthcare and set us back historically.

A Trump Presidency will portend many poor people like single moms, children of color, elderly people will not have healthcare.  Some will die.  Let's not let that happen on our watch. The GOP intends to marginalize ACA and eventually end it.

Bernie or busters can survive a Trump Presidency to make a symbolic screw you Democrats point. They are young and my feel they don't need the healthcare and social programs that poor people, elderly persons, and people of color need. So they can afford to be aloof or reckless this election.

Jill Stein, Green Party Candidate

However, those of us who are concerned about the poor, elderly, and children who need the services of a progressive government know better. I hope we can talk some sense into these Bernie or bust people.

We still haven't recovered in this country from the conservative judges the GOP has put in place in the past. We can't afford to let them install 2 to 4 more judges to the Supreme Court.

Not to mention the GOP is largely in denial about global warming and pollution.  It would be nice for your children and great grand children to have a livable climate and decent air to breath wouldn't it? 

Donald Trump

Rather than us being pissed off and letting Trump win out of spite I'd prefer to support Clinton, let her do her thing helping women and children while we continue to work on making the government more responsive to the average American person not just billionaire elites.

That's my plan any way. Stop the Tea Party and Trump and continue to work on things Bernie and progressives feel are important rights. I know it will take time but I've seen great changes in my lifetime and I know we can impact progressive changes moving forward. "Forward Ever Backward Never!"

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

 

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Austin is a popular Blogger with over 11,000 connections in social media.  Austin is an author, writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online.If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan

Checkout Kamau's Qu!ps Era Phoenix Volume 1

On Love

Let your love flow like water.

Prepare

Prepare for the difficult roads ahead it's worth it.

Your Past

Love yourself and don't hate the past that made you.

Police Irony

I do find it ironic that in the Black community drug dealers and gangs operate in the open and the whole community knows where they are and yet there is no heavy police presence at all...

...However if Black Lives Matter is protesting they have armored militarized police to squash dissent in profusion. Maybe we need those militarized police where the violence is. It seems we have a lack of focus and priorities. IJS (c) Kamau Qu!ps Era Phoenix

Imperfection in Our Political System

I voted for Bernie.  I liked Bernie.  But Bernie isn't a perfect candidate either.  Bernie has a past and things that are less than ideal too.

I won't elaborate because he isn't running anymore.  But Bernie has made some bad choices too.

That really is the work on American Democracy.  We have to work to improve on an imperfect system run by flawed people to uplift the lives of our collective citizens.

Why Be Consistent?

Consistency creates a beast.  Small successful improvements over time creates a monster within you.

The Positivity with Challenges

Past challenges, trials, and tumultuous times will help build your character.

Being Calm

It is hard sometimes but stay calm, steadfast, and proactive during the confusions in life.

(c) 2000 - 2016  Kamau's Qu!ps Era Phoenix, All Rights Reserved Kamau Austin

About the Publisher of Kamau's Qu!ps

 

Kamau's Qu!ps is Published by Kamau Austin. Kamau is a popular Blogger, Writer, and Internet Marketing Professional helping small businesses grow more profitable businesses online. If you need web design, blogging, search engine or social media promotion contact him at Search Engine Plan