Wednesday, March 06, 2024

I've had it with BLACK POWER MEDIA and its attack on African-American actors

I'm really at the end of my rope with BLACK POWER MEDIA.  Jared Ball's homophobia is not a minor thing.  But I'm getting damn tired of him ripping apart every African-American actor.


Colman Domingo and Jeffrey Wright are both up for the Academy Award.  Two outstanding actors who deliver great performances.  BPM has used its time to trash both men -- and to trash RUSTIN as 'too gay.'  


And now?  "Sidney Poitier Would Not Work With Black Independent Filmmakers?"

 

You can look it up, I'm not reposting it and I'm not engaging in this stupidity or racism.  And, yes, Jared has a little list of approved African-Americans and unapproved.  He also speaks to a lot of idots -- those Friday night videos he does with those two men -- American men who grew up in this country -- but don't know English and make up words or misue them?  That's not elevating the conversation.


Mtume Gant.  That's who he speaks with in the clip.  Apparently, Jared doesn't need to introduce the guest for the segment or have him provide credits.


Gant's nothing.  A working actor.  I guess that's something.  No big moves there.  He's directed three shorts and one film.  Nothing to brag about there either.


I asked C.I. about the nonsense because she knew Sidney.  She said, "Kat, I'm not watching it, it's going to make me angry."  I said, okay, let me run this by you.  Gant says that Sidney wouldn't work with Black directors and producers per Gant's conversations with Charles Burnett. I explained the examples supposedly offered and C.I. pronounced it bulls**t.

"Sidney was a star.  Little nothing pressing their faces against the glass will never understand that or grasp it or grasp the demands that came with that," C.I. said.  "Sidney was the first Black male film star, the first to win an Academy Award, the first to be on the theaters lists each year of box office stars -- people whose films sold tickets.  He's not going to do your little shoe-string budget film that's being made for one million dollars.  He can't afford to.  There are not enough stars of his stature that he can play with that sort of thing.  He had to be a standard bearer his entire career.  As for directors, he directed nine films -- five of which he starred in.  Unlike Gant or Burnett, Sidney directed films that people actually heard of, paid to see and enjoyed -- UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT, BUCK AND THE PREACHER, LET'S DO IT AGAIN, STIR CRAZY --  I am so tired of people who know nothing and don't even know the person weighing in with their ignorance.  Sidney became a film star in 1959.  You don't get another Black film star until Diana Ross.  Film star doesn't just mean you have the lead in a film, it means people pay money to see you.  It's not until the 70s, that a Black woman makes the exhibotors list of box office stars.  Diana did that and did it for two years in the 70s.  It was just her and Sidney in that decade.  The 80s would see Richard Pryor and Whoopi Goldberg and Eddie Murphy make the list.  But Sidney got on that list in the 60s and he remained a star and tried very hard to represent that in an uplifting manner.  You say Gant whines about -- or Burnett quoted by Gant -- about Sidney trying to 'Hollywood-ize' films.  Of course he would.  Barbra Streisand's entire career is about that.  She and Sidney were partners at one point but I guess that's too much history to expect morons to know.  She and Sidney made money for FIRST ARTISTS.  The other partners didn't.  The other partners made one flop after another.  And FIRST ARTISTS is no more.  It went out of business and vanity projects were its ruin.  Early on, partner Steve McQueen did deliver THE GETAWAY but he more than marred that with a flop like TOM HORN and a huge bomb like AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE.  The only big hits came from Sidney and Barbra, his UPTOWN SATURDAY NIGHT and LET'S DO IT AGAIN and her A STAR IS BORN and THE MAIN EVENT."

She continued, "I would say to people like these idiots, 'I'm really sorry that a dead man can't go back in time and make the movies you wanted him to.'  Seriously, how stupid are these people.  Every film Sidney made mattered in terms of advancement and opportunity.  Diana was crucified for THE WIZ.  She's outstanding that role.  I have serious quibbles over the direction, over dropping "Is This What Feeling Gets?" from the film -- it's heard as incidental music but the scene where she sang it did not make the final cut -- and over the sets.  I have no problem with Diana's performance or anyone else's performance in the film.  But Diana gets blamed.  And the lie is that Diana Ross destroyed Black cinema.  THE WIZ did not bomb.  AN ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE bombed.  MARY REILLY bombed.  THE WIZ sold tickets and made a profit when you bring in overseas numbers.  It's amazing that people want to leave those numbers out.  You're seeing a North American gross.  In most cases, not even that.  The film made $23 or 24 million in North America.  That's usually lied and presented as $21 million. More to the point, that's only North America.  The film played in England, it played overseas, it's nonsense to pretend that it didn't.  And that's film rentals not ticket sales.  And the film was attacked because of racism and discomfort over Black voices.  Diana had received one million dollars to make the film because she was box office.  But that one million ticked off a lot of people and Diana and THE WIZ were attacked.  Sidney knew very well that could happen to him.  Was he timid in his selection of roles?  Yes.  Most men who are film stars show that timid quality after three or more decades of film making. I am so sick of BLACK POWER MEDIA's non-stop attacks on Black actors.  Chris Rock is another example of someone they attack over and over.  I don't get how they think this helps or how they think this educates.  It certainly doesn't uplift."

And blame me for the delay in posts at THE COMMON ILLS.  I grabbed C.I. to get her response and she ended up posting 10 or so minutes late.  Sorry.  But her comments were more than worth it.


 Closing with C.I.'s "Iraq snapshot:"

 

Wednesday, March 6, 2024. The day after Super Tuesday, the Supreme Court's lousy decision, starvation continues in Gaza, and much more.

The Supreme Court made a lousy decision this week.  The decision was lousy, but the whole thing was lousy.  That's the case put forward, that's the media coverage, that's what Congress did at the start of 2021.  If you ever wanted proof that our society was infected with idiots, all you had to do was follow the nonsense.

I planned to be nice and just hold my tongue but there are too many e-mails on the topic.

Was there an attempted insurrection?  I believe there was and I didn't rush to that decision.  I do not like Donald Trump but I did not rush to that decision.  When the legal cases against him began to get play, that clarified his role behind the scenes and, no, it's not stretch to see him as the ringleader.  

But there were other issues there as well and the press, and the lawyers and the Congress elected to ignore them.

Let's drop back to January 20, 2017.


What a sad and poorly dressed family.  But the key take away is that Donald took the oath of office.  He was sworn in as president.

This is the oath they all have to take:

I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.

You saw the video, Donald took the oath.

Donald then broke the oath.

He took an oath to uphold the Constitution.  He broke that oath.  Article II is part of the Constitution:


  • Clause 2 Electors

  • Each State shall appoint, in such Manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a Number of Electors, equal to the whole Number of Senators and Representatives to which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative, or Person holding an Office of Trust or Profit under the United States, shall be appointed an Elector.

  • Clause 3 Electoral College Count

  • The Electors shall meet in their respective States, and vote by Ballot for two Persons, of whom one at least shall not be an Inhabitant of the same State with themselves. And they shall make a List of all the Persons voted for, and of the Number of Votes for each; which List they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the Seat of the Government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate shall, in the Presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the Certificates, and the Votes shall then be counted. The Person having the greatest Number of Votes shall be the President, if such Number be a Majority of the whole Number of Electors appointed; and if there be more than one who have such Majority, and have an equal Number of Votes, then the House of Representatives shall immediately chuse by Ballot one of them for President; and if no Person have a Majority, then from the five highest on the List the said House shall in like Manner chuse the President. But in chusing the President, the Votes shall be taken by States, the Representation from each State having one Vote; A quorum for this Purpose shall consist of a Member or Members from two thirds of the States, and a Majority of all the States shall be necessary to a Choice. In every Case, after the Choice of the President, the Person having the greatest Number of Votes of the Electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who have equal Votes, the Senate shall chuse from them by Ballot the Vice President.

  • Clause 4 Electoral Votes

  • The Congress may determine the Time of chusing the Electors, and the Day on which they shall give their Votes; which Day shall be the same throughout the United States.


Click on anything you need to in order to expand the above.  He broke it.  He came up with fake electors, he plotted and schemed.  Every thing he did to try to avoid leaving office was illegal and unconstitutional.  The Constitution outlines the process.  It did not permit him to do what he did.  What he did was actually treason.  

That's a strong word and it's one I don't toss around lightly because it carries the penalty of death.  But his actions qualify as treason.  He put himself above the country and that's not allowed.  And that's what should have been hammered home.

Is he fit to serve?  Four years earlier when he was presumably more aware of his surroundings, he was ready to destroy democracy to hold onto a second term.  He broke his oath to the Constitution.  Clearly, he is not fit for office.

They didn't hit on it.  They didn't cover it that way.  Maybe they just don't care about what's termed the supreme law of the land?  

Must be because the media ignored that aspect, the attorneys did, the Congress did.  

It is your first duty in office, to take the oath of office.  And you fail at keeping that oath then you have no business running for office again.

Would it have mattered?  I think it would have swayed more people.  We know what he did.  We have video of him taking the oath.  We know he broke it.

I don't think it would have mattered to the Supreme Court.  It's a corrupt Court and the best that you can say for the three center-left justices is that they're scaredy cats.

Of course the state can determine who is on their ballot.

What f**king would do those lying justices live in?

I'm sorry Baby Kennedy Junior wants to be on the ballot.  Who's he fighting with?  States. 

States are determining whether he can be on their ballot or not.  

Of course, states have that right and they always have.

It's an embarrassment of stupidity all around.

Let's note Super Tuesday before we move on.  A number of states held primaries yesterday.  In California?  The general election in November will now determine whether Adam Schiff or Steve Garvey gets the seat.

It better be Schiff.  And if it's not, he better be crucified by the press.

Steve Garvey is a faded pin up from decades ago.  

He is now on the ballot in November because of Adam Schiff.

Adam wanted to run against him.  Not against Katie Porter, not against Barbara Lee.  He elevated Garvey for that reason.

What could go wrong?

2016 Team Hillary wanted her in the White House and they elevated Donald Trump for that reason.  Look how that worked out.  And has she or her team faced serious questioning on this?  No, of course not.

Schiff better win.  If he doesn't, the press should descend upon him like pack of jackals. 

He knows what that's like and will probably learn even more about it judging by last night's 'victory.'








Across the states, US President Joe Biden faced challenges.  Siladitya Ray (FORBES) breaks it down:

In six of the 14 states that held Democratic primaries on Tuesday, the “uncommitted” or “no preference” option garnered the second highest number of votes—beating longshot contenders Marianne Williamson and Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.)

The “uncommitted” vote drew unexpectedly strong support in Minnesota, garnering nearly 46,000 or 19% of the votes—driven by support from Muslim American voters and young progressives, according to the New York Times.

In North Carolina, where Biden was the sole candidate on the ballot, more than 88,000 chose ‘No Preference’—accounting for 12.7% of the vote.

More than 54,000 voters, or 9.4%, picked “No Preference” in the Massachusetts primary, with the protest vote beating both Williamson and Phillips by handy margins.

With 73% of the ballots counted, “Noncommitted delegate” looks set to finish second place in the party’s Colorado primary, having garnered 8.1% of the votes.

“Uncommitted” received 7.9% of the votes in Tennessee—where Biden was the sole candidate—and it also beat Phillips to finish second in Alabama, with 6% of the votes.



On the topic of elections, Sinan Mahmoud (THE NATIONAL) reports:

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq will hold long-overdue parliamentary elections on June 10, according to a decree issued by regional presidency on Sunday.

“The decree is effective immediately, and all necessary measures must be taken from today, upon its issuance," President Nechirvan Barzani said.

The semi-autonomous region was supposed to hold parliamentary elections in October 2022, but disagreements between the major ruling parties, the Kurdistan Democratic Party and the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan, pushed back the date.

The two parties, which have a delicate power-sharing arrangement, later agreed to extend the parliament's term for a year so they could continue negotiations over issues such as amending the elections law and the sharing of tax and oil revenues.


Let's move over to Gaza, specifically fish faced Pramila Patten and her lies.  She didn't conduct an investigation.  She doesn't use terms like evidence but instead uses "information" as she insists that rapes took place during the October 7th assault in Israel.  She doesn't do much of anything -- fake asses rarely do -- the lying alone wears her out and chafes her under carriage.  We covered her nonsense yesterday.  And we noted that January 9th, Dawn Clancy (PASS BLUE) reported:

She was invited by the government to visit the country more than a month ago to hear first-hand testimonies from Israeli survivors of sexual violence allegedly committed during the brutal Hamas and affiliated militia attacks in Israel on Oct. 7.

Patten, according to a press release in early December, had “responded positively” to the initial invitation to visit Israel. But it’s unclear if she will investigate alleged sexual violence and rape that was committed by the militias three months ago.

[Update, Jan. 10: UN spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters that Patten would conduct a “mission” to Israel and the West Bank at the end of the month “to gather information on sexual violence, reportedly committed in the context of the attacks of 7 October and its aftermath” The mission “will be conducted in the exercise of her mandate, in accordance with her standard UN methodology.” She’ll be accompanied by experts in “safe and ethical interviewing, forensic evidence, digital analysis, and accountability,” but she is not mandated to “investigate”]


Yes, she was invited in by the Israeli government.  At a time when they were nixing other UN agencies, refusing to allow them to probe, they reached out specifically to Patten.  That tells you what you need to know about her.

The propaganda outlet YNET offers "Unbiased, professional and fair: the UN official behind Hamas sex crime report" the text of which is a full two paragraphs (that was sarcasm) and maybe that's because when she hides the fact that the government of Israel specifically chose her, that lack of disclosure influences how we see her and her non-findings based on information and her fat gut.

Hamas has issued the following response to Patten:


We, in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), reject and strongly condemn the report issued by U.N. official Pramila Patten, regarding the claim and allegations of Palestinian resistance fighters committing “rape and sexual violence” incidents during the events of October 7.

This came after failed “israeli” attempts to prove this false charge, which was confirmed to have no basis in truth, except to demonize the Palestinian resistance and to cover up the United Nations rapporteurs’ report about the existence of conclusive evidence of horrific human rights violations suffered by Palestinian women and girls by the “israeli” occupation forces. 

Despite Ms. Patten’s claims and her false and baseless accusations against the Palestinian fighters, her report did not document any testimony of what she calls victims of those cases, but relied in her report on “israeli” institutions, soldiers, and witnesses selected by the occupation authorities, to push toward trying to prove this false charge, which was refuted by all investigations and international reports. 

Ms. Patten’s claims are clearly contradicted by the testimonies of “israeli” women about the good treatment by the fighters towards them, as well as the testimonies of the released “israeli” female prisoners, and what they confirmed of the good treatment they received during their captivity in Gaza. 

This false accusation will not succeed in obscuring the ugliness and horror of the “israeli” crimes committed in the Gaza Strip, which resulted in the killing of about 40,000 Palestinians, most of them women, children, and civilians, in a mass crime and ethnic cleansing, and a deliberate disregard for the resolutions of the International Court of Justice and other international reports, which documented parts of the crimes and atrocities committed in Gaza by the new Nazis. 

Central Media Office for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine 

The statements made by U.N. Envoy Patton are disgraceful, false, and biased towards the entity.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine has strongly condemned the statements made by U.N. Envoy Pramila Patton that accused “the resistance factions in Gaza of committing sexual violence crimes, torture, and harsh treatment against hostages and detainees on October 7.” These statements are shameful, far from the truth, and biased towards the entity.

The Front clarified that the purpose of these statements is to cover up the brutal crimes and practices of the occupation against our Palestinian people, which are fully documented by the United Nations and international institutions. By contrast, this U.N. envoy did not rely on any reliable evidence of the resistance factions having committed any such practices; instead, she relied on reports and testimonies of Zionist origin that have been proven false.

The Front added: “Since the beginning of its war of genocide on the [Gaza] Strip, the zionist enemy, in its attempt to justify this crime against the Strip, has spread lies and fabricated narratives and stories about the resistance factions on October 7. However, in light of the absence of clear evidence, the publication of fabricated videos, and their exposure to the global public opinion, it forced heads of states, international institutions, and media entities to apologize.”

The Front emphasized that the resistance, with testimonials from international institutions and even by the admission of the released detainees and hostages, ensured to uphold ethics and good treatment of detainees, providing all forms of comfort and even protecting them from Zionist bombing and treachery. 

At the same time, the world was shocked by the proven and documented reports and testimonies of the occupation committing sexual violence and torture against a large number of women during their arrest and detention in Khan Younis and other areas penetrated in the Gaza Strip.

The Front concluded its statement by calling on the U.N. envoy to retract and apologize for these dubious statements, to cease the double standard policy and equating the victim with the executioner, and to conduct a serious investigation into the ongoing practices of genocide in the Gaza Strip – not to cover up these crimes or attempt to absolve the occupation, which has been intensified due to the lawsuit filed by South Africa in the International Court of Justice, revealing the atrocious reality of these crimes to the entire world.



"What is the fate of the children suffering from hunger? Will they find someone to save them or will they die? My son Ali has already died."

The father of Ali, a Palestinian baby boy who recently died of malnutrition and dehydration at northern Gaza's only paediatrics hospital, has appealed for help for the other children being treated there, as the UN warns of famine if aid deliveries are not substantially increased.

"Ali was born in wartime and there was no food or anything for his mother to eat - a matter which caused his kidneys to fail," the man - who did not want to be named - said in an interview recorded for BBC Arabic's Gaza Lifeline radio service.

"Ali's life got worse day after day. We tried to get him treated at hospitals, but there was no help... Ali died in front of the entire world, which kept watching him pass away."


We stop it there because the BBC can't count.  That's it, right?  They wouldn't just be lying, right?  10 kids?  It was more than ten by the start of the work week.  But in the next paragraph the BBC wants to use ten.  Here's ALJAZEERA (and they can count):


The Palestinian Health Ministry says the death toll from malnutrition and dehydration in Gaza has risen to 18.

“The famine is deepening and will claim thousands of lives if the aggression is not halted and humanitarian and medical aid is not immediately brought in,” it said in a statement.

It added that Israel was “deliberately” starving thousands of hungry people in northern Gaza and called on the international community and the UN to halt the war and avoid a “health catastrophe”.


Gaza remains under assault. Day 152 of  the assault in the wave that began in October.  Binoy Kampmark (DISSIDENT VOICE) points out, "Bloodletting as form; murder as fashion.  The ongoing campaign in Gaza by Israel’s Defence Forces continues without stalling and restriction.  But the burgeoning number of corpses is starting to become a challenge for the propaganda outlets:  How to justify it?  Fortunately for Israel, the United States, its unqualified defender, is happy to provide cover for murder covered in the sheath of self-defence."   CNN has explained, "The Gaza Strip is 'the most dangerous place' in the world to be a child, according to the executive director of the United Nations Children's Fund."  ABC NEWS quotes UNICEF's December 9th statement, ""The Gaza Strip is the most dangerous place in the world to be a child. Scores of children are reportedly being killed and injured on a daily basis. Entire neighborhoods, where children used to play and go to school have been turned into stacks of rubble, with no life in them."  NBC NEWS notes, "Strong majorities of all voters in the U.S. disapprove of President Joe Biden’s handling of foreign policy and the Israel-Hamas war, according to the latest national NBC News poll. The erosion is most pronounced among Democrats, a majority of whom believe Israel has gone too far in its military action in Gaza."  The slaughter continues.  It has displaced over 1 million people per the US Congressional Research Service.  Jessica Corbett (COMMON DREAMS) points out, "Academics and legal experts around the world, including Holocaust scholars, have condemned the six-week Israeli assault of Gaza as genocide."   The death toll of Palestinians in Gaza is grows higher and higher.  United Nations Women noted, "More than 1.9 million people -- 85 per cent of the total population of Gaza -- have been displaced, including what UN Women estimates to be nearly 1 million women and girls. The entire population of Gaza -- roughly 2.2 million people -- are in crisis levels of acute food insecurity or worse."  ALJAZEERA notes, "The death toll in the Gaza Strip has risen to 30,717, with more than 72,156 wounded in Israeli attacks since October 7."  Months ago,  AP  noted, "About 4,000 people are reported missing."  February 7th, Jeremy Scahill explained on DEMOCRACY NOW! that "there’s an estimated 7,000 or 8,000 Palestinians missing, many of them in graves that are the rubble of their former home."  February 5th, the United Nations' Phillipe Lazzarini Tweeted:







And the area itself?  Isabele Debre (AP) reveals, "Israel’s military offensive has turned much of northern Gaza into an uninhabitable moonscape. Whole neighborhoods have been erased. Homes, schools and hospitals have been blasted by airstrikes and scorched by tank fire. Some buildings are still standing, but most are battered shells."  Kieron Monks (I NEWS) reports, "More than 40 per cent of the buildings in northern Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, according to a new study of satellite imagery by US researchers Jamon Van Den Hoek from Oregon State University and Corey Scher at the City University of New York. The UN gave a figure of 45 per cent of housing destroyed or damaged across the strip in less than six weeks. The rate of destruction is among the highest of any conflict since the Second World War."   

CNN reports this morning:


  • Starvation in Gaza: Israeli forces turned away a food aid convoy from traveling to northern Gaza on Tuesday, the United Nations' World Food Programme (WFP) said. It comes after UN experts accused Israel of "intentionally starving the Palestinian people" in Gaza. The World Health Organization said limits to aid deliveries have resulted in roughly 90% of children under the age of 2 experiencing severe food poverty, with child malnutrition levels in northern Gaza being "particularly extreme." The main UN relief agency in the strip is unsure if it will be able to pay its staff so they can deliver food to Gazans. Multiple countries paused funding when some staffers with the agency were accused of taking part in the October 7 Hamas attack.
  • Food airdrops: The US and Jordan again airdropped meals into the enclave on Tuesday. The Pentagon said the US and its international partners are also considering a maritime corridor to get aid into Gaza. US ally Israel continues to obstruct the bulk of aid deliveries to the strip.
  • Aid line shooting: Israeli forces opened fire on people waiting for aid on Monday night in northern Gaza, eyewitnesses told CNN. The shooting took place in Gaza City shortly before midnight, said one eyewitness, who had traveled there to try to get flour. A local journalist said there was "sporadic fire." CNN has reached out to the Israel Defense Forces for comment. It’s unclear if there were any casualties. It comes after more than 100 Palestinians were killed trying to access food aid trucks amid Israeli gunfire in Gaza City last Thursday, according to Gaza health officials.

    • The following sites updated:


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