tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-81758333337510094602024-03-13T18:32:21.548-05:00The Connect the Dots Crew BlogBrother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-84480127399519313892013-07-24T11:36:00.001-05:002013-07-24T11:36:53.199-05:00Why the People Marched through River Oaks in Houston<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘Why march through River Oaks’ in Houston,
Texas, they ask? Because the Trayvon Martin case has awakened something within
justice loving people as Emmitt Till’s murder did some 58 years ago. Critics of
the recent march in River Oaks say ‘they (River Oaks) didn’t have anything to
do with the death of Trayvon Martin and George Zimmerman’s acquittal’ in
Florida. Wrong, dead wrong! The same corrupt judicial system that acquitted
George Zimmerman after he racially profiled and murdered Trayvon Martin in
Florida operates in same manner in the City of Houston, Harris County, and the
Southern District of Texas in the Federal court system of the United States. If
it looks like a duck…well you know the rest.</div>
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Nothing written
herein is meant to negate or denigrate the great civic, philanthropic, and
humanitarian contributions of the River Oaks community to our city, state,
nation, or world. Without their generous support of the arts, education,
poverty eradication, disaster relief, and good governance, this city would be
worst than it is. However, the good takes care of itself; together we must correct
the wrong. No amount of charity absolves those who choose to turn a deaf ear
and a blind eye to the injustices taking place in a system that protects and
benefits River Oaks. Honestly, can anyone name a candidate for any federal,
state, county, or at large city elective office of both major parties that
doesn’t seek and receive some financial support from River Oaks? <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply put, River Oaks funds many of our
tormentors and upholds the institutions that mistreat us. How should we
respond?</div>
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Not all, but too
many, in River Oaks and other affluent communities in Houston have allowed themselves
to fit the unfair stereotype of a sushi eating, Galleria shopping, Caramel
Macchiato (hold the whip cream) drinking, jogging in the park, and walking the
poodle down beautiful tree lined streets carefree people - while the police profile,
beat, and kill us, the criminal courts railroads us, the civil courts rob us,
and the family courts take our children unjustly. We imagine you enjoying life
at the county club while your neighborhood captains of industry de-industrialized
America sending our jobs overseas and your political operatives weakened our
state and federal environmental laws thereby destroying the once pristine Texas
environment. Bond referendums notwithstanding, state and county government has
built more prisons and jails in Texas than neighborhood public schools with
your permission. You have also “gamed” the tax system to escape paying a fairer
share of taxes despite having the privilege of living in the most prosperous
state and nation on earth. Is this fair?</div>
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River Oaks, why did
you sit back and watch Wall Street gut our 401K’s, home equity, and pension
funds while your wealth increased tenfold? Why have some of you sat silently
while the American middle class was hollowed out as honest hardworking people
toiled 40 or more hours a week without receiving a living wage, healthcare, and
having to collect food stamps? Why when we have in Houston, Texas the greatest
medical center in the world, do the poor have to sit at Ben-Taub for 5-6 hours
to see a doctor? Why let the poor and working class people wait at 8,000 METRO bus
stops without shelter in triple digit heat, cold, and rain while our transit agency’s
“General Mobility Fund” is siphoned off by cities and the county for non
transportation purposes and so that you can drive your fine automobiles? Is
this neighborly? </div>
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Why is River
Oaks seemly indifferent to the rising cost of higher education in Texas and the
lack of jobs waiting for poor and blue collar children after getting a degree
and accumulating a mountain of debt? Did you know that poor children with
better grades than the less intelligent sons or daughters of River Oaks have
less of a chance of finishing college and receiving a job? We thought Houston
was a meritocracy? Why no outcry as the Voters Rights Act of 1965 is being
gutted and voter suppression laws are passed without so much as an editorial or
rally on your part? Your silence on these issues is deafening and borders on
immorality. Should we remain silent just because you choose to?</div>
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Do you know why,
despite the dire predictions of the socialist and revolutionary communist in
the United States, this country has yet to devolve into apocalyptic class
conflict? It’s because through both economic depression and recession there has
been a tacit agreement between the rich and the poor that is as follows: If the
rich will use their capital to create decent paying jobs, keep open the pathway
to the middle class prosperity in the form of consumption with reasonable access
to credit, then, the poor will allow the rich to collect large bonuses and live
“the American Dream” without disturbing their peace. That’s the deal - and you who
pull the strings, not government, broke it. Now, fix it!</div>
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The glue that
held our society together is now seen as a mere illusion of inclusion, which is:
if the poor worked hard, played by “the rules,” offered their sons and
daughters to fight, bleed, and die in foreign wars to defend American “freedom,”
and pursued a “good education,” then they too would be treated fairly by “the
system” and have their bite at the apple of prosperity. This particular line of
thought has been sold to two generations of Black people in America for the
last 50 years. Although some have done well, the condition of the masses of
Black people and the poor has gotten worse. This cannot be laid at the foot of
River Oaks or anyone else. Our problem is disunity, distrust, allowing River
Oaks and downtown to fund our politicians’ coffers, and our refusal to pool our
own immense economic resources to create jobs and decent neighborhoods for
ourselves. Do for self and stop blaming rich white people for that we can and
must do for ourselves. This is our challenge, we must correct the wrong. Pharaoh
has let us go; it’s time for us to let him go!</div>
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Now back to River
Oaks! Hear us -we don’t want anybody to give us anything, just open up the
door, we can get it ourselves. We are not marching in River Oaks and elsewhere
for a new government program, a hand out, your sympathy, or out of envy over
your prosperity. We are marching for JUSTICE and restoration of the tacit
agreement between the rich and the poor with an added enforcement clause. That
clause reads: “If there is no justice, there will be no peace or business as
usual in the City of Houston.” This is not a threat-it’s a solemn oath. Oh, by
the way, please stop wasting your time and money buying guns at gun shows, pressuring
politicians, law enforcement, and so called “respectable” Black leaders in our
community to do something about “those people.” There is nothing in the
universe that can stop an idea whose time has come and a people backed by God
who are determined to bring that idea into fruition. It would be like trying to
stop a tsunami with a Dixie Cup. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s up
to you River Oaks and Houston to join us as we seek life, liberty, the pursuit
of happiness for ALL and justice for the Trayvon Martin’s of the Houston, Texas
and the world.</div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;">Robert S. Muhammad is a Student Minister in Houston, Texas and serves as
the Southwest Representative of the Nation of Islam. He is a radio talk show
host, Urban Planner, and candidate for PhD in Urban Planning and Environmental
Policy. He can be heard on KPFT 90.1 FM each Wednesdays at 3pm CST and followed
on Twitter @dotsconnector<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-23448216151627816722013-07-22T08:54:00.002-05:002013-07-22T08:54:40.544-05:00The Time and What Must Be Done: Houston, Texas<span class="userContent"><div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" style="text-align: justify;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKZz9xlX583XQXFmyTReuVjbrl9zecspwD8cV7__bi-eNSbbx-xtcyGIhwXXKNXrDiS1OcurY9MFT_UXJrDJop0twZ7obFvoxNYGNkhTtO947t6lMTwkjvaqlkQ9rfSpLs5ev4I737qXT/s1600/Iphone_041413+058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPKZz9xlX583XQXFmyTReuVjbrl9zecspwD8cV7__bi-eNSbbx-xtcyGIhwXXKNXrDiS1OcurY9MFT_UXJrDJop0twZ7obFvoxNYGNkhTtO947t6lMTwkjvaqlkQ9rfSpLs5ev4I737qXT/s320/Iphone_041413+058.JPG" width="320" /></a>As Salaam Alaikum,<br /><br /> Dear Brothers, Sisters, Friends, and Supporters:<br /><br /> On June 4, 1972, during the Theology of Time lecture series, The Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad said: <em>"The resurrection of Jesus means the resurrection of justice among y</em><span class="text_exposed_show"><em>ou and me, that's what it means."</em> </span></div>
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Today, the death of Trayvon Martin has struck a nerve in justice loving people in America and around the world. We applaud the efforts of <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100000951558984&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/minister.quanellx?directed_target_id=0">Minister Quanell X</a>, <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100001211246973&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/krystal.sonia?directed_target_id=0">Krystal Sonia</a>, <a data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/user.php?id=100002527050155&extragetparams=%7B%22directed_target_id%22%3A0%7D" href="https://www.facebook.com/kofi.taharka?directed_target_id=0">Kofi Taharka</a>, Jolanda Jones, Bishop James Dixon, and countless others for their stand for our people. <br /><br /> </div>
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There is a mood on the streets and among the Joshua-Caleb generation that despite the so-called progress that has been made in race relations, the people realize it will take another 450 years for Black America to close the gap of wealth, education, health, and life expectancy disparities. They are waking up to the fact that the political, economic, and social system has been "gamed" so that they have little or no chance to advance. The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is </div>
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laying out a context for our current condition and the root of the thinking of those who hate our very presence and would exterminate us if it were not for Allah's(God) intervention.<a href="http://www.noi.org/thetime" rel="nofollow nofollow" target="_blank">www.noi.org/thetime</a><br /><br /> </div>
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Today, we must multitask. We must continue to demonstrate for justice while we continue to deal with the pathologies that plague our communities. Let us begin with simple things, like peacefully settling our differences within our families and communities.<strong> Love ye one another and stop the killing!</strong> Stop spending 95% of your money with people you blame for 95% of your problems. <strong>Pool your resources and create jobs for</strong> <strong>Self!</strong> Purposely seek out businesses and professionals who share your worldview and that support our struggle for justice and equality. <strong>Circulate your dollars within our own community!</strong> Put public officials on notice that we expect as much attention to our needs as the lobbyist that visit them receive at City Hall, Commissioners Court, Austin, and Washington, DC. <strong>Set an agenda and judge them by the standard we, not our enemies, have set for them!</strong><br /> </div>
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To all Black leaders, real or imagined, we better not play with the people today. To do so is to take our lives in our own hands. The condition of our community bears witness against our collective stewardship. No matter what the sycophants around us are telling us about how great we are, LOOK at our community! Our leadership is only as good as our results. Let us set aside our egos and ask Allah (God) to remove envy, jealousy, and rancor from our hearts for the sake of God's chosen people. What are we willing to sacrifice for our people's redemption? Please don't say we would give our lives if we won't subordinate our arrogance and egos for the sake of operational unity. If we don't learn from history, we will certainly repeat it. Thank you for reading these words.<br /><br /> May Allah bless us with the light of His understanding.</div>
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<br /></span> <div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-2454061666888584122013-06-10T12:02:00.002-05:002013-06-10T12:06:10.115-05:00New Stewards of the Earth Part III <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> The Honorable Minister Louis
Farrakhan’s Saviours’ Day 2013 keynote address was a monumental paradigm shift
in the approach of Black leadership toward true liberation and salvation for
Black people in America and throughout the Diaspora. The foundation of Muhammad’s
Economic Blueprint is more than saving and investing money. The underlying
solution to the multiplicity of economic, political, social, and physical
problems facing humanity in the 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> century can be summed up in two
words: spirituality and morality.<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"> The Minister’s spiritual insight
regarding our economic plight is backed up by proven scholarship. Preeminent
Black psychologist Dr. Naim Akbar wrote the following in his observations
regarding Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint: “The brilliance of the Program is that
the Honorable Elijah Muhammad prophetically and insightfully sees that Black
people have come under the influences that represent deterioration in our
self-determined and morally-guided behavior. And the result of this behavior is
that our economic condition will similarly decline as we become increasingly
like the immoral role models that are before us.” Dr. Akbar went on to
conclude: “Implementation of the Economic Plan becomes achievable only with a
preliminary transformation in the minds of Black America.” This is made
perfectly clear by the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan as he painstakingly
revealed the immoral and perverse manner in which we spend our money and how we
are being manipulated into doing so.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">The Minister said: “Scientists
have studied our spending habits, and our buying habits; so they know how to
market their goods to us! And their data shows that we spend far too foolishly
and recklessly; and we spend our money on products and services that are
leading to our own self-destruction. We have to cut back on the things that are
killing us! That’s what makes Dr. Naim Akbar’s words to us so fantastically
wonderful, because we have to “attack” the condition of our people <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">morally</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">spiritually</i> in order for us to become strong <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">economically</i>! It cannot be just economics with us – we have to
attack <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“The Spiritual Problem”</b> and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">“The Moral Problem”</b> that facilitates
our economic demise.” The Minister offered some sobering statistics from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Target Market News: The Buying Power of
Black America 2010</i> (16<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> edition) to back up his premise.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here is the mirror of truth the
Minister put before us: Blacks spend $3.3 billion a year on tobacco, $3 billion
on whiskey, wine and beer, $2.8 billion on non-alcoholic beverages, $3.1
billion on leisure time spending, $3.5 billion on toys, games and pets, $19
billion on telephone services – (54% of Blacks own a “smart phone”) $10 billon
gift buying, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>$29.3 billion on clothing,
$65.2 billion on food, $23.6 billion for healthcare, while only spending $321 million<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"> </b>on books. He also estimated that the
Black share of the $100 billion a year spent on gambling in America is $13
billion. The Minister focused like a laser on the root of our problem stating:
“When we analyze all of this, we have to agree that our whole way of thinking
about money has to change…so regardless to what religion we belong to: Our
religions are obviously not informing us on how to spend our money. So we think
we are “God centered” while we are financially illiterate. The problem is that we
are not really “God centered.” How can this be, given the level of religiosity
in the Black community?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k9SYtCWxuDcZ-CwC0Ms8YqfUvdvnNBxIYyBKsfxYr4Y6EjJYXClFi72CV1MVmrIamYuqR60wikwhovwFVBRDGCzDGgPPKjtyO6mUKH_eO3IN1pAB50nJMzGK128b6z-hjNJfPBMDbf3A/s1600/TVMediaMindControl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="247" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k9SYtCWxuDcZ-CwC0Ms8YqfUvdvnNBxIYyBKsfxYr4Y6EjJYXClFi72CV1MVmrIamYuqR60wikwhovwFVBRDGCzDGgPPKjtyO6mUKH_eO3IN1pAB50nJMzGK128b6z-hjNJfPBMDbf3A/s320/TVMediaMindControl.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">We have been “conformed to this
world” following occidental, westernized, industrialized, northern hemisphere
practices rooted in Aristotelian-based scientific philosophy that finds no
intrinsic value in nature except that it can be used for man’s pleasure. This
utilitarian and hedonistic philosophy undergirds the made man’s approach to
nature, politics, economics, and human relations. His scientific approach to
nature is amoral and his usurious banking system and valueless fiat money is
immoral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘wicked husbandmen’ are
destroying the environment and enslaving the entire human race with debt. What
the modern day Apostle Paul, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, has called
us to do is to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds.” <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">As Muslim followers of the Most
Honorable Elijah Muhammad, we must exhibit “quickness, fast moving, cleanliness
- internally and externally - right down to the modern times.” Our modern
Islamic thought and practices as it relates to the environment, whether as
farmers, ranchers, or businessmen, should be based on Quranic principles.
Fazlun Khalid, in an essay entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Islam,
Ecology, and Modernity: An Islamic Critique of the Root Causes of Environmental
Degradation </i>identified four principles that form the basis of an Islamic model
“to help human beings to function within the natural pattern of creation.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He identified: Unity (Tawhid), Creation
(Fitra), Balance (Mizan), and Responsibility (Khilafa). <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGpF86dGUgmVWgsWTi19XuruhS-qG6ZcwWeyobw1FmM_u7QWzv3qSUtGlJQ5Pe8J_8QznlCs7P3rtgiEpH3s0XRbRRepcKXcN0G4nv6mUghwKeIXtGA_Pa3m_mNcp-FufAt0vp0lv07Tf/s1600/IMG_0127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="318" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzGpF86dGUgmVWgsWTi19XuruhS-qG6ZcwWeyobw1FmM_u7QWzv3qSUtGlJQ5Pe8J_8QznlCs7P3rtgiEpH3s0XRbRRepcKXcN0G4nv6mUghwKeIXtGA_Pa3m_mNcp-FufAt0vp0lv07Tf/s320/IMG_0127.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Here are some scriptural
references for each principle:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>the Unity
Principle - Holy Quran 112:1-2 and 25:2; Creation Principle - Holy Quran 30:30;
Balance Principle - Holy Quran 55:1-13; and the Responsibility Principle Holy
Quran 6:165 and 24:55. As the new stewards of the earth destined to replace the
wicked husbandmen, we must now forge a new relationship with our natural and
built environment based upon the eternal principles found in our faith tradition.
We must also lay the base for our own banking system or medium of exchange
rooted in equity, justice, and actual value, not usury which is forbidden by
the <strong>Holy Qur’an</strong> in Surah 2:275-276.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <strong>Romans</strong> 8:22-23, Paul writes<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: “For we know that the whole creation
groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they, but
ourselves also, which have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves
groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our
body.” </i>Celia Deane-Drummond wrote in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eco-Theology</i>:
“The proclamation of the good news [Gospels] cannot be detached from concern
about the natural world in which people are placed: people and planet form an
interwoven community that needs to be considered together, rather than
separately.” In other words, our Christian family members also have
scripturally mandated ‘new stewardship’ responsibilities to the creation. Time
is dictating the agenda of what must be done today. Who will heed the “final
call” and accept the universal mission of stewardship being proclaimed by the
National Representative of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgNx63Wk_ZCNfh5C0kIt3vWMFqZ80Qoy79iOf72mmoUdE5lfx3_NgQjyinpLU37taraeEeFHNVB4rMwePxeDUSecHFccOPHgc3snEoG0uBw9qoo12cDs07G2dyPooTXZsHAItXUWx4y7K/s1600/IPAD+PICS_08152012+671.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="108" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgNx63Wk_ZCNfh5C0kIt3vWMFqZ80Qoy79iOf72mmoUdE5lfx3_NgQjyinpLU37taraeEeFHNVB4rMwePxeDUSecHFccOPHgc3snEoG0uBw9qoo12cDs07G2dyPooTXZsHAItXUWx4y7K/s320/IPAD+PICS_08152012+671.jpg" style="cursor: move;" unselectable="on" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";">Are we the new stewards to
replace the ‘wicked husbandmen’? We certainly can be if we follow Allah’s
guidance coming through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and recognize
that our problem is moral and spiritual before we attempt to implement <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint</b> to end
poverty and want.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<img height="32" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkgNx63Wk_ZCNfh5C0kIt3vWMFqZ80Qoy79iOf72mmoUdE5lfx3_NgQjyinpLU37taraeEeFHNVB4rMwePxeDUSecHFccOPHgc3snEoG0uBw9qoo12cDs07G2dyPooTXZsHAItXUWx4y7K/s320/IPAD+PICS_08152012+671.jpg" style="left: 281px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 3621px;" width="96" /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-38697942968881445702013-06-04T09:31:00.005-05:002013-06-04T09:31:54.330-05:00The New Stewards of the Earth (Part II)
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Kyr_U_9hhyphenhyphena83QSw3hw2S_q_4mMDB8Qt0BaUBv9F1eazHHaavZZ8MT6IznpZr39q-CV-_7virbfd9zIa_CvGL0ia_Ajq2PFmf3dGY6Lf5YQyzXU7mwxxYdiX6X-hnmXaT2-paBB599Xq/s1600/IPAD+PICS_08152012+578.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Kyr_U_9hhyphenhyphena83QSw3hw2S_q_4mMDB8Qt0BaUBv9F1eazHHaavZZ8MT6IznpZr39q-CV-_7virbfd9zIa_CvGL0ia_Ajq2PFmf3dGY6Lf5YQyzXU7mwxxYdiX6X-hnmXaT2-paBB599Xq/s320/IPAD+PICS_08152012+578.jpg" width="279" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the Holy Quran 3:190, Allah
(God) revealed: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“In the creation of the
heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day, there are
surely signs for men of understanding.”</i> The Honorable Minister Louis
Farrakhan’s Saviours’ Day 2013 keynote address ushered in a new phase in our
present 25,000 year cycle of history. What the Minister brought forth in his
talk to us and the world regarding <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muhammad’s
Economic Blueprint</b> was on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">time</i>
and exactly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">what must be done. </i>Do we
grasp the magnitude of the duties and responsibilities the Minister and the Two
that back him have put before us?</div>
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Reflect on
his words. “Now, it’s clear that their [wicked husbandmen’s] stewardship is
what has led to the condition of the earth today, and it demands a new steward…if
God gives us [the] kingdom, and makes us stewards over creation: what kind of
stewards are we going to be?” Again, the Holy Qur’an 7:34 says: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“And every nation has a term; so when its
term comes, they cannot remain behind the least while, nor can they precede
(it).”</i> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are witnessing the old
world going out, as a new world is coming in, just as the Most Honorable Elijah
Muhammad taught us. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Q3plz-gPuHELbG4LRzHIO2aYVqf_e3SSd3UqoddU61YwQyrV6pu73AkM5piYOroB_B8YcqRYcJyvfd5L9aOmIw53NkiEeXjxGDOCnD1fJieM8z3DZQ0HKZm5P5-cYd-zz4CYOlQVDdr/s1600/Acres+Homes+Oct+22+2004+010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-0Q3plz-gPuHELbG4LRzHIO2aYVqf_e3SSd3UqoddU61YwQyrV6pu73AkM5piYOroB_B8YcqRYcJyvfd5L9aOmIw53NkiEeXjxGDOCnD1fJieM8z3DZQ0HKZm5P5-cYd-zz4CYOlQVDdr/s320/Acres+Homes+Oct+22+2004+010.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Why has the old world been sentenced
to death? Because the made-man’s arrogant approach to science in his mastery of
nature is without reverence or respect for the Author of Nature. The present
world rulers have set themselves up in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“the
temple of God, showing himself that he is God”</i> as it is written in II
Thessalonians 2:4. His anthropocentric (man centered) approach to development
without regard for environmental impacts has created a socio-ecological system
that is unsustainable and without resiliency. In other words, the current
practices of mankind will end and they will be unable to bounce back from the catastrophic
consequences of their misguided stewardship. Therefore, there must be new
stewards placed on the earth. We have now been placed in the valley of
decision. Will we accept this phase of the mission?</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2Z_d0-yyPda91pIin5TPeue32CbWX7O308R_WaneyuGpRalTcDNsPwsB18D3eT-z-MlVqVoeN77cedHi_vwJh6JUvu5Kn6omFmg0ofG00ItMWBnBHZn-5f5MZEtZ9Cq2CIplCeqTCmwR/s1600/DSC02038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg2Z_d0-yyPda91pIin5TPeue32CbWX7O308R_WaneyuGpRalTcDNsPwsB18D3eT-z-MlVqVoeN77cedHi_vwJh6JUvu5Kn6omFmg0ofG00ItMWBnBHZn-5f5MZEtZ9Cq2CIplCeqTCmwR/s320/DSC02038.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Student Regional Ministers Robert Muhammad and Abdul Sharrief Muhammad</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In Proverbs 1:5-6 it is written: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“A wise man will hear, and will increase
learning, and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels to
understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their
riddles.” </i>Materialistic consumerism has replaced Christianity as the
religion of the West and will soon replace Buddhism in the Far East. The
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said to us: “We must start teaching the
babies, and begin to regenerate a culture of purposeful saving and investing.”
It is imperative that we curb our media driven appetite for the latest gadget
or consumable product. The Minister pointed out, “… there is no end to what we
can do, if we start putting them nickels, pennies, [and] dollars together.” Therefore,
our primary objectives are to control spending, while increasing saving and
investing. The meaning of the Minister’s weekly series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Time and What Must Be
Done</i> is: we must change, adapt or perish! <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Surely Allah never changes not the condition until they change their
own condition” </i>Holy Qur’an 13:11.</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTl-kGlCvWw7zChd3frvkBcpHAXN1YKfrvP3BRJmGfMzj0f-1hbW6feG5DCWogDFDxhBpU0mfxAsd-QIEuab-nvCg3mYm11yLd6t-_4cNL99OtKznULDyOkjWJMY4gAVX2nebbO8w5kXJf/s1600/FOI+MGT+ACTION+1.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTl-kGlCvWw7zChd3frvkBcpHAXN1YKfrvP3BRJmGfMzj0f-1hbW6feG5DCWogDFDxhBpU0mfxAsd-QIEuab-nvCg3mYm11yLd6t-_4cNL99OtKznULDyOkjWJMY4gAVX2nebbO8w5kXJf/s320/FOI+MGT+ACTION+1.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">MGT of Muhammad Mosque No.45 Houston, Texas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Professor William Rees of the
University of British Columbia states: “…mechanical assumptions must give way
to dynamic analysis. The role of science shifts from facilitating the
restructuring of nature to helping people adapt to natural variability.” He states
further, “Understanding and coping with change is at the heart of resilience
thinking.” In order for Black people to be resilient or bounce back from our
terrible condition of poverty and want - change or adaptation is required. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlyQ2qYBANjBO6jA1UQ5xgqeEhVbrMiia6Jp4JzuTGfw_w6KHTe3V-kgnHgWCc0ce_FdZUG4xNYJnaBgVFCT1H60broIHujuUHeAlaIU9kPGJntt3vnR5RugBl2wNuU5fxJtrpSJLQreV/s1600/IMAG1316%5B1%5D.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFlyQ2qYBANjBO6jA1UQ5xgqeEhVbrMiia6Jp4JzuTGfw_w6KHTe3V-kgnHgWCc0ce_FdZUG4xNYJnaBgVFCT1H60broIHujuUHeAlaIU9kPGJntt3vnR5RugBl2wNuU5fxJtrpSJLQreV/s320/IMAG1316%5B1%5D.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make Our Neighborhoods decent places to live</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The first two of the Most Honorable
Elijah Muhammad’s five ‘basic principles’ he outlined before giving us ‘the
details’ of his Economic Blueprint were “<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Recognize
the necessity for unity and group operation (activities) </b>and <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Pool your resources, physically as well as
financially.” </b>This is what planning and management experts call an
“inside-out” or “asset-capital based” approach. It focuses on looking at the
glass half full rather than the glass half empty. </div>
Instead of focusing solely on our
needs, problems, or deficiencies, we must now reorient our thinking to focus on
our strengths, assets, and community capitals. In order to be successful, we
must organize ourselves, associations, and institutions in our community to
attract the resources we need to bring into existence what we desire. We must
identify the human, social, cultural, economic, political, physical, and
environmental capital-assets in our midst. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Minister reminded us: “The enemy will
never recognize us as an equal if we are in a begging position! We’re gonna have
to get up and go to work, and do something for self!” It is as our Eternal
Leader, the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad told us: “Help self first, then
others.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnSWv3SmbzFWlD0VwluM_ZxYNjxA7fAHR188VDHls27gawtcfMNuZt0JsInm1RkD2gboFOWVWM27Es915ad1v7_ZwdgIKApwMLugLGSsovbaA5xNkpXWdsdoQcN_qaOtAtdyfVQnANTAa/s1600/FOI+MGT+ACTION+8.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmnSWv3SmbzFWlD0VwluM_ZxYNjxA7fAHR188VDHls27gawtcfMNuZt0JsInm1RkD2gboFOWVWM27Es915ad1v7_ZwdgIKApwMLugLGSsovbaA5xNkpXWdsdoQcN_qaOtAtdyfVQnANTAa/s320/FOI+MGT+ACTION+8.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fruit of Islam Muhammad Mosque No.45 Houston, Texas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 1em 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Genesis 2:5 says<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">: “And no plant of the field was yet in the
earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not
caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground.”</i>
As it was in the beginning, our first order of business after organizing and
pooling our resources is to acquire land for agriculture. The Minister made it
crystal clear when he told us: “In order to build a nation, we had to give our
people a vision of what it’s going to take. And we have to have land and there
is no compromising this.” Today, we must now feed, clothe, and shelter ourselves.</div>
Are we the new stewards to replace
the ‘wicked husbandmen’? We certainly can be if we follow Allah’s guidance
coming through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, organize, pool our
resources, and implement <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muhammad’s
Economic Blueprint</b> to end poverty and want.<br />
<div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-76945995171074405572013-06-04T08:52:00.000-05:002013-06-04T08:55:07.951-05:00The Time and What Must Be Done: Planning for Resilience in Our Region's Transportation Network<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkQn-u06C2sVPBIQn1RWBMc3yRiGBQkiC48ZLaQkMhFQQHVi0NdKyfjjzXt0vJmbKvO_HyPbABX1rxN3W73qKDZBLmps6G-BAK3c2_FctUyx-C8oy08VV-ShBuu6lXylhsBlebFNqAfos/s1600/EurekeaSpringsTrainRobbery.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwkQn-u06C2sVPBIQn1RWBMc3yRiGBQkiC48ZLaQkMhFQQHVi0NdKyfjjzXt0vJmbKvO_HyPbABX1rxN3W73qKDZBLmps6G-BAK3c2_FctUyx-C8oy08VV-ShBuu6lXylhsBlebFNqAfos/s320/EurekeaSpringsTrainRobbery.jpg" width="245" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"> Of all of the
areas that must be properly managed in order for a plan to be successfully
executed, four stand out:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Human,
Budgetary, Material, and Time resources.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>When it comes to land use and transportation planning, there comes a
point when high level human skill sets, economic sagacity, and innovative material
technologies cannot bail us out of certain situations because we just simply
run out of time. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I raise this issue to continue
the debate about our regional transportation network in terms of its
sustainability and resiliency. Land use and transportation planning are inextricably
linked. We measure time in ten and twenty year increments when we discuss
transportation and projected land uses.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
concern is that we are running out of time to plan a 21<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">st</span></sup> century
regional transportation network, because we govern our actions by 20<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup>
century cultural and political values. Using a decade as our <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>metric, it appears have we boxed ourselves in
and may have not given ourselves adequate time to make the necessary
adaptations, adjustments, and changes needed to sustain our current
transportation system or guarantee that our network bounces back after a
catastrophic event or series of events.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7J52BVS1CSdQazS3gjT8337Tf58SnnF5zBO_LeGAz8cKluNl2KJwJiS4D1Pvnb4SRCYaNtARdpAJzGKf_m5n8j5FbKRpPGHQ-Y2H5LHUro-9YA3rdo_pQRR5VQgENK851igN27Ugurkaq/s1600/IMG_0030.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7J52BVS1CSdQazS3gjT8337Tf58SnnF5zBO_LeGAz8cKluNl2KJwJiS4D1Pvnb4SRCYaNtARdpAJzGKf_m5n8j5FbKRpPGHQ-Y2H5LHUro-9YA3rdo_pQRR5VQgENK851igN27Ugurkaq/s320/IMG_0030.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Our region’s public policy has
shortchanged and continues to shortchange public transit. This is because we
have been lulled to sleep by relatively inexpensive gas and oil. So too, has
globalization been made possible by an abundance of inexpensive fossil fuel
energy. But what happens when the price of gasoline skyrockets, military
conflict, or natural disaster makes individual automobile use and the
supporting roadways impractical?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Have we
built redundancy into our regional transportation and land use planning regime?
This goes beyond <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Smart Growth</i> for
sustainability. There are those who argue that ‘sustainable development’ is an
oxymoron, particularly as it relates to our never-ending green-field
development of the hinterlands. Are we prepared to make a transition to other
transportation and land use options should it be made necessary by unforeseen
events?</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDG3ootH_CVLKQhgS6JUoQAtSJRoEaEbet9-q61p1pTceo8IU9qUJ4xljtBAJerM-5HV71ngjIYXTg-cTeh9NmjrFVrLUhfTFDl9w9_xb-6zmC0DOnCzXqeDbOF1vMV_Wry5KuEHKd3brd/s1600/barrel+of+oil.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDG3ootH_CVLKQhgS6JUoQAtSJRoEaEbet9-q61p1pTceo8IU9qUJ4xljtBAJerM-5HV71ngjIYXTg-cTeh9NmjrFVrLUhfTFDl9w9_xb-6zmC0DOnCzXqeDbOF1vMV_Wry5KuEHKd3brd/s320/barrel+of+oil.jpg" width="232" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">To
plan, finance, and build bus terminals, transit centers, and rail lines
requires years and decades. The same is true with road construction. However,
no sooner than the concrete dries on our highway and roadway expansion projects
we have spent years and decades to plan, finance, and build, they are rendered
obsolete due to latent demand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When our
cheap energy subsidy comes to an end, we will be clamoring for more transportation
options. Yes, even in Texas, where every cowboy and cowgirl loves his or her
own horse, riding the stagecoach is a nice option to have every once and a
while. Without a serious, sober, and sensible plan to build regional
transportation network resiliency through redundancy in the form of multiple
options, we are going to find ourselves out of time and out of luck. Start now,
and in ten to twenty years we will be grateful that we did recognize the time
and what must be done. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaZ5KS5ZZBZhCJ5toz5szeu7ezweFEaiZz-jXF-QYFna8lXdKaCJNxTNS9WwWXDwbgEj49-qIlRiFMXVW0b-HpCfUj6OpsL4WxMxSCfykJ2Qz7rJ2ER2YK7nybbyUTm57UZJ-xpVFZ8J5/s1600/pumping-gas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDaZ5KS5ZZBZhCJ5toz5szeu7ezweFEaiZz-jXF-QYFna8lXdKaCJNxTNS9WwWXDwbgEj49-qIlRiFMXVW0b-HpCfUj6OpsL4WxMxSCfykJ2Qz7rJ2ER2YK7nybbyUTm57UZJ-xpVFZ8J5/s320/pumping-gas.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
</span><br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-32869827270993425822013-05-24T08:06:00.001-05:002013-05-24T08:06:36.631-05:00The New Stewards of the Earth Part I
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL90n0lHRcPSVxur2snFiMBFxFKJsu1ePbKa9Yie2yw0Db1Zq88ZSemBXJIAraYxmntZo7QUNOk5WPjk0V4NocSHk87xBc85Ii6Ys5KMoVKuyMeDJWQn911aV_FIgw0_LxudwLq7cMTvHA/s1600/urban-gardening-07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL90n0lHRcPSVxur2snFiMBFxFKJsu1ePbKa9Yie2yw0Db1Zq88ZSemBXJIAraYxmntZo7QUNOk5WPjk0V4NocSHk87xBc85Ii6Ys5KMoVKuyMeDJWQn911aV_FIgw0_LxudwLq7cMTvHA/s320/urban-gardening-07.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the Gospel according to Matthew 5:5, it is written: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Blessed are the meek: for they shall
inherit the earth.”</i> During his Saviours’ Day 2013 keynote address, the
Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan reintroduced the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad’s
Economic Blueprint for the purpose of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ending
poverty and want</i>. Minister Farrakhan’s speech was multidimensional and multilayered
in its construct. It was a clarion call for new stewards of the earth to come
forth to save humanity from the economic, political, social, and ecological
hell the ‘wicked husbandmen’ have created during the last 6,000 years. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"></span></div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The Holy
Qur’an 24:46 states: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">We have indeed
revealed clear messages. And Allah guides whom He pleases to the right way.” </i>The
Honorable Minister Farrakhan’s speech was multidimensional because it was both
metaphysical and material. He called us to a “moral and ethical rebirth” in
stewardship of our personal and collective environmental resources. He admonished
us to “become human beings rather than beasts and serpents that are destroying
human life from the womb to the tomb.” In his message, the Minister
reintroduced us to the morality of thrift and savings versus uncontrolled
spending and consumption. In Proverbs 15:5, it is written: “<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="background: rgb(255, 254, 253); color: #001320; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial;">A fool despises his father's instruction: but
he that regards reproof is prudent.” </span></i>Minister Farrakhan’s Saviours’
Day keynote was also multilayered. He reminded us that building a multimillion
dollar national economy requires each individual wage earner to commit to
saving five cents a day, thirty-five cents a week, or eighteen dollars and
twenty cents a year. A new collective macro-economic reality is built on a
foundation of individual micro-economic discipline. Common sense is needed for
these uncommon times in order to end poverty and want.</div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Allah (God)
states in the Holy Qur’an 55: 5-9: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“The
sun and the moon follow a reckoning, and the herbs and the trees adore (Him),
and the heaven, He raised it high, and He set up the measure, and keep up the
balance with equity, nor fall short in the measure.” </i>Mankind has indeed
fallen short of the measure and has not been equitable. The Honorable Minister
Louis Farrakhan used the illustration of the human body to show us a “perfect
distribution of wealth.” He said “Every system has its individual function and
they work together for the common good of the whole.” The human body is not a
capitalist system where a few organs own everything, but a socialist system
that “makes every cell comfortable…and none of your organs react, because all
are being fed what they need” declared the Minister at Saviours’ Day. Obviously
capital is needed to acquire the means of production (land) necessary to end
poverty and want; but the distribution of the wealth derived thereof will be
according to the needs of the society. No man, woman, or child should go to bed
hungry or be without education. No man, woman, or child should be naked, out of
doors or without basic healthcare. </div>
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<a href="http://www.twitter.com/louisfarrakhan" target="_blank">www.twitter.com/louisfarrakhan</a></div>
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For anyone who would attack Minister
Farrakhan for stating that the human body and a just economic system is a
socialist, be forewarned. For followers of the Most Honorable Elijah Muhammad,
socialist means <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“to advocate a society of
men or groups of men for one common cause”</i> not Marxism. Socialism did not
originate with 19<sup>th</sup> century European economic-philosophers Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels. In fact, in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Communist
Manifesto </i>and later writings, Marx and Engels criticized earlier 19<sup>th</sup>
century socialists Henri de Saint Simon, Charles Fourier, Robert Owen and
others for a morality based <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“utopian
socialism”</i> that did not advocate the necessity of class struggle or
political revolution to implement their ideas of equity and justice. These
socialist believed that people of all classes might voluntarily adopt a
societal plan if presented in a logical and convincing manner. What Minister
Farrakhan presented on Saviours’ Day was so plain, even a fool could understand
it.</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marx and Engels’ <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“scientific socialism”</i> - based on a materialist and physicalist
world concept, the eventual struggle between the proletariat (working class)
and bourgeoisie (owner class), abolition of all private property and state
ownership thereof, industrial and scientific progress of modernity without
regard for destruction of the environment, the critique of capitalism without
acknowledging the transatlantic slave trade from 15<sup>th</sup> to 19<sup>th</sup>
centuries that created modern European capital, and the rejection of Allah
(God) and religion - is not what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan is
advocating. The Nation of Islam will not adopt an immoral, ahistorical, inequitable
type of socialism imposed by force like that which eventually led to the
collapse of the Soviet Union. </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
In the Holy Qur’an 68:7-8, it is
written: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“Surely thy Lord knows best who
is erring from His way, and He knows best those who go aright. So obey not the
rejectors.” </i>What Minister Farrakhan proposes is a new stewardship of the
earth based on morality and equality. For him and we who follow his guidance,
“equality means to be equal in everything,” particularly in reaping the
benefits of one’s labor and sacrifice while not ignoring the needs of the less
fortunate in society. For the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan, “every human
need is a human right.” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The poor,
elderly, and disabled must be cared for. </div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Allah revealed to Prophet Muhammad
(PBUH) in the Holy Qur’an 2:29 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">“He it is
Who created for you all that is in the earth.” </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The new stewards must care for every creature
on Allah’s earth and the environment that sustains all life. For they
understand Who is the real Owner of the earth. The new stewards of the earth
don’t have to reject modernity, just immorality. Nor do they have to abandon
private property, just the greed and lust for filthy lucre beyond their needs.
The earth’s air, water, land, animals, vegetation, and people need a new
righteous, loving steward that reflects Allah’s love. </div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: justify;">
Are we the meek that shall inherit
the earth and become its new stewards? We certainly can be if we follow Allah’s
guidance coming through the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan and implement <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Muhammad’s Economic Blueprint</b> to end
poverty and want.</div>
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<div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-56451588808395210112011-11-18T10:41:00.007-06:002011-11-18T10:54:57.705-06:00Time to Stop Wasting Time<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8lIdLNhyphenhyphenGXvdpAZAlIr5YfyjiDgR6RkWzKuabJI2K-SlQlEeApqQy1Pm6HyU1acKj06HbZpaTLYtNmSE7xsJYokehT0CULVmbXbqoolgmgnUxHL-wIWmVv4QyJQVHJAMCzD4TSMgKcpi/s1600/imagejpeg_2_8.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 348px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 228px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676378478743734834" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8lIdLNhyphenhyphenGXvdpAZAlIr5YfyjiDgR6RkWzKuabJI2K-SlQlEeApqQy1Pm6HyU1acKj06HbZpaTLYtNmSE7xsJYokehT0CULVmbXbqoolgmgnUxHL-wIWmVv4QyJQVHJAMCzD4TSMgKcpi/s320/imagejpeg_2_8.jpg" /></a> Our successes and failures bear witness for and against us. The condition of our community bears witness to our refusal to advocate a common cause. My difference with you has subordinated our common cause. The ego of "I" has subordinated the "We" of collective consciousness. Why must we use so much of our t<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LUQRahVxep0ajQHp2nqyDJ3Z8X9MKSytRvLxU1NaMcjus6BweFkmxhpDDcP6fkm_F3zc-m-NZRuVOmcQn2viZU9Uaaja6vnAOVMi5qdVdsefORKc3U4fxDeCW8k8HJW5bBGl53Kl3c38/s1600/imagejpeg_2_2.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 313px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 293px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5676378236351274850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0LUQRahVxep0ajQHp2nqyDJ3Z8X9MKSytRvLxU1NaMcjus6BweFkmxhpDDcP6fkm_F3zc-m-NZRuVOmcQn2viZU9Uaaja6vnAOVMi5qdVdsefORKc3U4fxDeCW8k8HJW5bBGl53Kl3c38/s320/imagejpeg_2_2.jpg" /></a>ime and intellectual energy addressing such anti-revolutionary, anti-Black, anti-God and Goddess, mundane, myopic trivialities rooted in minds starved for attention and suffering from low self esteem and self loathing. Let us who willingly follow the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan double our efforts to get after the lost and found; mentor and protect the new converts from hypocrites and agents; stop profligate spending and be found working to pool our resources to assemble land to do urban gardening and agribusiness. "I" am the problem, "We" are the solution.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-88418690983348093692011-11-16T06:47:00.008-06:002011-11-16T09:38:52.711-06:00I am the Problem, We are the Solution<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUVU6NNh5mMgv74KzY0vJoYxvaFCGRL6AKX8xfpUIN5YgNivW_A4M-UFwEOV650PkRIdK1_sq2P2LG9OH6cnSO45tHmEJiEs1rRVMFIzZHVPJZ0nGPX90bd84pq9RLr8WW9ycsW7fSRRl/s1600/child-crying.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 163px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675579123483112482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilUVU6NNh5mMgv74KzY0vJoYxvaFCGRL6AKX8xfpUIN5YgNivW_A4M-UFwEOV650PkRIdK1_sq2P2LG9OH6cnSO45tHmEJiEs1rRVMFIzZHVPJZ0nGPX90bd84pq9RLr8WW9ycsW7fSRRl/s320/child-crying.jpg" /></a> The problems within the Black community are solvable. The first step to solving our problems is to take a good look in the mirror. When you do, you will realize like I did, that I am the problem. No, I am not saying that I am the sole source of abberative behavior in the Black community. What I am saying is that I, my and me in my vocabulary is the problem. Selfish, self centered, egotistical leadership is the problem. Too much "I, my and me" in our conversations; not enough "us, our and we."<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8IDXuXkM0Chii9TH3HlHoHAXgKqf_EJiQw9_jyiC2NcTfxg8o8Jch6tywH45YGsx4VaywARmF7jlboCYAl0lwBx-KbnxxrS8hZNuEDLXIWWvxg-PGvmwMm2sev2evsB3B9k_euWBdi6g/s1600/hmlf_oct16_2011%255B1%255D.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 242px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675615175624390322" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8IDXuXkM0Chii9TH3HlHoHAXgKqf_EJiQw9_jyiC2NcTfxg8o8Jch6tywH45YGsx4VaywARmF7jlboCYAl0lwBx-KbnxxrS8hZNuEDLXIWWvxg-PGvmwMm2sev2evsB3B9k_euWBdi6g/s320/hmlf_oct16_2011%255B1%255D.jpg" /></a><em>"The I has subordinated the we"</em> the Honorable Minister Farrakhan told me this past week. <em>"Our differences have subordinated the cause"</em> he added. Unless we think, speak and act for the whole, our leadership is nothing but vanity. Until we settle our differences, the cause or our permanent interest will never be addressed and we will continue to suffer.<br /><br />Today, we must begin to think, speak and act for the whole. No individual can rise above the condition of his people. There must be men or groups of men advocating one common cause. We didn't get to America because one individual decided to enslave African for 310 years. Nor was the Native American's land stolen from them by one or two persons - it was men or a group of men advocating one common cause.<br /><br />It is time to do for self. Leadership must stop using I, my and me but rather think, act and speak for us, our and we. Like Jesus, we must say <em>"I can of myself do nothing." </em>Submission to Allah our Creator and unity will turn you and I to the We. When that happens, then it will be Allah (God) acting through the We.<br /></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-66891539237891496612011-10-03T08:02:00.014-05:002011-10-03T08:39:56.075-05:00Dancing with My Demons: Personal Reflections from Death Row<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD-9V39129hgsqImUovUM-ANFvhxfDw37QnoL_QHpbk2RWKTCXf98dhxFT0LolJCKdQMqxdr6vREiWpiMz7ZTR3pwzP7LCquI-DEuoNNhzoUMAVAhf4ZNjGjLiPrjO-YdQXJE2D28nX8h/s1600/Troy-Davis.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 235px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 196px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659259122542897282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRD-9V39129hgsqImUovUM-ANFvhxfDw37QnoL_QHpbk2RWKTCXf98dhxFT0LolJCKdQMqxdr6vREiWpiMz7ZTR3pwzP7LCquI-DEuoNNhzoUMAVAhf4ZNjGjLiPrjO-YdQXJE2D28nX8h/s320/Troy-Davis.gif" /></a>The execution of Georgia death row inmate Troy Davis on September 21, 2011 re-stimulated some personal demons I thought I had long vanquished. When I speak of these suppressed personal demons, I am speaking of the fear of death, uncontrollable anger, and misdirected hate. <br /><div><br /><div align="justify">On March 1 and June 22, 2000, I witnessed two executions in the State of Texas. Odell Barnes and Shaka Sankofa both died before my eyes on death row in Huntsville, Texas. I served as spiritual advisor to both and I believe they were innocent. I am convinced that had either been wealthy and able to afford competent legal counsel, I wouldn’t have witnessed their deaths. In Texas, and across the United States, it is better to be rich and guilty, than to be poor and innocent.<br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppDa-Ariy2mtwD00G__dPqQatC-9NbKnByBuaGaSn4f11IIdcA5iWR-anhr8hoEQLZoGa7BcCrx9K36b5ar4G0opmovFhJNgJDqIlBFC1qPFmuJQuDtevl_pyyQOvSyAtRVYCCWnS2xO-/s1600/3odellbarnes.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 183px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 178px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659255147828580194" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgppDa-Ariy2mtwD00G__dPqQatC-9NbKnByBuaGaSn4f11IIdcA5iWR-anhr8hoEQLZoGa7BcCrx9K36b5ar4G0opmovFhJNgJDqIlBFC1qPFmuJQuDtevl_pyyQOvSyAtRVYCCWnS2xO-/s320/3odellbarnes.jpg" /></a>Troy Davis, Odell Barnes, and Shaka Sankofa’s cases have similarities that unleashed my demons. In the case of Troy and Shaka, both had jurors that would not have found them guilty had they known the inconsistencies that were uncovered after their trials. Odell Barnes said to us from the death gurney in March, 2000: <em>“I thank you for proving my innocence, although it has not been acknowledged by the courts.”</em> Prior to his execution, the French Government had paid tens of thousands of dollars for appeals lawyers and forensic experts who raised more than a reasonable doubt as to Mr. Barnes’ guilt.<br /></div><br /><div align="justify">What is interesting is that all three men saw their cases as symbols of a larger struggle for<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9jGcPppukM7QQ8PnD5plIpOKgyJde8P9lBUVtCEad3eAutGbF4cdKTgIYrF8TZxY4ZFT_h7363SEu_IRiRH-0VvI9opFdNBjZqfbNuhwJNMxQ8rnH0pTLnCryqN85z9LpK0mkkjnDP13/s1600/Troy+Davis+Death+Penalty+Rally_092011.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 205px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 174px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659257034638295442" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9jGcPppukM7QQ8PnD5plIpOKgyJde8P9lBUVtCEad3eAutGbF4cdKTgIYrF8TZxY4ZFT_h7363SEu_IRiRH-0VvI9opFdNBjZqfbNuhwJNMxQ8rnH0pTLnCryqN85z9LpK0mkkjnDP13/s320/Troy+Davis+Death+Penalty+Rally_092011.jpg" /></a> freedom, justice, and equality. Odell Barnes said moments before he died: <em>“May you continue in the struggle and may you change all that's being done here today and in the past." </em>Both Troy and Shaka accepted that they may lose their lives, but the struggle against injustice must continue. Shaka said to me in the death chamber during the last 15 minutes of his life: <em>“…You must expose this injustice to the world. You must continue to demand a moratorium on all executions. We must move forward Minister Robert Muhammad.”</em> His words still ring in my ears and resonate in my soul. </div><br /><div align="justify">During our struggle to save Shaka’s life, I had fasted for 40 days under medical supervision. Shaka was executed on the thirtieth day of my fast. During our last private visit on the day of his execution, we were talking about food because a tray of food was sitting in front of his holding cell. I asked whether that was his last meal. Shaka’s response to me that hot steamy day in June, 2000 was: <em>“No sir! Brother Muhammad, to accept a (last) meal is to cooperate with injustice. Non cooperation with evil is an obligation.”</em> Troy Davis, like Shaka Sankofa before him, refused his so-called last meal. It makes me wonder how many times we have cooperated with injustice and thereby perpetuated our own suffering by assuaging the guilt and affirming the humanity of our oppressors. <img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 257px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 191px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659253094190242482" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5x0PbfxN8rYhNMmZQwaEiWkdpaYpq-0ufDAt3c8TlxTr1QrEzR_j-7L_24vVjDj4JLqovACosfXugG7bFEHAO3KzEv6vExrvAooZds_n1ZCouiKbcxbyVLETfs0rW5NP8cYiOsoG-PpN1/s320/sankofa.jpg" />In conclusion, I don’t see any easy path to liberation for us and our children. There will be no permanent change without the willingness to reason one with another, coupled with a long-suffering patience to unify our people, and an unwavering effort to pool our spiritual, mental, and economic resources toward formulating a long term strategic plan for building the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Only when we lose our fear of death, control our emotions, and direct our hatred toward what Allah (God) hates will we be free. </div><br /><div align="justify">A part of me died last night with Troy Davis as before with Odell Barnes and Shaka Sankofa in 2000 – what died in me was the fear of death and any hope that the Black people and the righteous will ever get justice in America absent an intense struggle backed by the power of Allah (God) and His Christ. Shaka told me from his holding cell outside of the death chamber hours before his execution: <em>“My brother, death is a complement to life. They make it something to fear so that they can control us. To be an effective leader, you must be willing to pay the price.” </em></div><br /><div align="justify"><em></em></div><br /><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ViVz8KaZp6Vg3KpbxPfx-hqFFVbPS_0In4Az4FltuaXU46mGPulmDvbYR7cjpbbBz7rJjB6dMs5OIjn2LOfYkMBGrfMCBSyIt5VnEE3Y5s7UY52jUSRwNRYq4dL3C71hjGn8JHdSTTlV/s1600/MinFarrakhan.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 190px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 208px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5659258181249335282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6ViVz8KaZp6Vg3KpbxPfx-hqFFVbPS_0In4Az4FltuaXU46mGPulmDvbYR7cjpbbBz7rJjB6dMs5OIjn2LOfYkMBGrfMCBSyIt5VnEE3Y5s7UY52jUSRwNRYq4dL3C71hjGn8JHdSTTlV/s320/MinFarrakhan.jpg" /></a> Last night, Troy Davis, as Shaka Sankofa before him, died a free Black man. Now I know what the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan means when he says he is a “free” Black man. After my final dance with my demons last night, I too, am now free. </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-84025601025987326542011-09-29T08:13:00.012-05:002011-09-29T09:01:38.506-05:00Party of Lincoln is run by Jefferson Davis<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCih9si4StPX0vmydaKJTQE0QZ_cCgj1qGHljIGIOCUEiGJD4eVIRKDdHQ6YEInM_XiLVyRqiG30PXTsdyHVyhuYpVKs4Orj3GLNOqBYV6QVRlGvnVNf6g03qQeBzlG6Y2Q-hQdhkTjt_H/s1600/Herman+Cain.bmp"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 241px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 198px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657778670342939730" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCih9si4StPX0vmydaKJTQE0QZ_cCgj1qGHljIGIOCUEiGJD4eVIRKDdHQ6YEInM_XiLVyRqiG30PXTsdyHVyhuYpVKs4Orj3GLNOqBYV6QVRlGvnVNf6g03qQeBzlG6Y2Q-hQdhkTjt_H/s320/Herman+Cain.bmp" /></a> <br /><div><br /><div>"<em>African-Americans have been brainwashed into not being open minded, not even considering a conservative point of view</em>," Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Wednesday September 28, 2011 on CNN's The Situation Room.<br /><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><br /><div align="justify">Mr. Cain, here is why Blacks don't vote for so-called conservatives or today's Republican Party: They are the modern day <strong>Klu Klux Klan </strong>sans the hoods and sheets<strong>.</strong><br /><br />The new Klu Klux Klan doesn't lynch Blacks anymore. They just take over state legislatures and take us back to the "good ole days" when a 'darkie' knew his place. The new Klan puts in voter ID laws designed to suppress the Black vote. Klanservatives deny ex-felons, who have served their time and fulfilled their debt to society, the ri<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMw-l7jBf7xH8BC0h_qS5TOQk6HNrgH54b_27cMBQE2vaVvQfCAnJ6K4vvN8ZA-REYFqihKu97pPqDRpzIbeqhCPYBhwniPuimQyHzKFtE6zU2ESxT22sE4v2CBznjFSFCdtXuVEfns_3h/s1600/JeffersonDavis.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 229px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 298px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657776036563141362" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMw-l7jBf7xH8BC0h_qS5TOQk6HNrgH54b_27cMBQE2vaVvQfCAnJ6K4vvN8ZA-REYFqihKu97pPqDRpzIbeqhCPYBhwniPuimQyHzKFtE6zU2ESxT22sE4v2CBznjFSFCdtXuVEfns_3h/s320/JeffersonDavis.jpg" /></a>ght to v<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlDZSaSm8wJiPDs8eZeye6iJsdaGCNZwV9IsDB3NOJEEDyu_imZVARQRKdkonOcMIon5hWP_EG2AgV6DNR5S3O5LqUpKYbCbgt4v8SX4NCcY8wLu8NTmlMx9-QMYo140GNvk8LfVjKUk8/s1600/Abraham_Lincoln.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 228px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 299px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657775725586695922" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGlDZSaSm8wJiPDs8eZeye6iJsdaGCNZwV9IsDB3NOJEEDyu_imZVARQRKdkonOcMIon5hWP_EG2AgV6DNR5S3O5LqUpKYbCbgt4v8SX4NCcY8wLu8NTmlMx9-QMYo140GNvk8LfVjKUk8/s320/Abraham_Lincoln.jpg" /></a>ote. They leave millions of children in poverty, want to destroy Headstart, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, public sector jobs and the public school system. The former plantation aristocracy and financiers that make up today's GOP, want to bleed the middle class and blame the poor for America's problems. Like a scene out of Birth of a Nation, this new breed of Klan member wants to protect America by creating fear of Muslims, immigrants, and other groups. Conservatives trot out first responders and war veterans like Xmas decorations when its in season while cutting their benefits and not focusing on educating, employing, and caring for them when they are disabled or retired.<br /></div><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 209px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5657777810013363298" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4ZbO_-QYoySdVburJXlltZHJN9cBAjmvgh-84qMm0zRoBpU-ZdVZS9fYlwFybgof3_MC-CJwQ-rCJziqgMebEC6u4hdG_VO1JbgoQEutg_gdcDDPCVbVloTG9c5jFcBQ-au_rsTx26MFa/s320/the-birth-of-a-nation-movie-poster-1.jpg" /><br /><br /><div align="justify">What is wrong with our brother? What prevents him from seeing why we don't vote for his brand of conservative. It has nothing to do with liberalism or brainwashing. Black people are not going to join the political party of Abe Lincoln because it has been taken over by Jefferson Davis. </div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-22762015365272792712011-09-09T03:43:00.010-05:002011-09-09T04:16:37.842-05:00Public Policy Matters<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN90PI_cWC2vMzAna5vJBtlv9g84HetSAHBjoy7BzKiVTaGruoIe0N7qqsgiMKKrJfBEVqvBgMb1weJdmBiyO6slMHj5jcwMnoyBil67LB_Y7_iVC9xQvRiqPC1wLYwMOW_O3YyTv5qIJI/s1600/mayorparker200x300-325x294.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 289px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5650278772796173138" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN90PI_cWC2vMzAna5vJBtlv9g84HetSAHBjoy7BzKiVTaGruoIe0N7qqsgiMKKrJfBEVqvBgMb1weJdmBiyO6slMHj5jcwMnoyBil67LB_Y7_iVC9xQvRiqPC1wLYwMOW_O3YyTv5qIJI/s320/mayorparker200x300-325x294.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBr4eoLcrX8pSwCLiMszkuat84fsmhEOnNmAOq4EuzKoNMuVs_AEn2ClWAzKihCgBsWUyY8b8PegvGCKCyLK1hy4_bQd01XJ-Y4fzNB-CJw7P8x2roqQoeLPbAHSOfexhpl0uXJXQeDmnX/s1600/091212-parker-hmed-10p_rp98x98.jpg"></a><br /><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Houston - </strong>There are four groups of people in Houston. Those who oppose Mayor Parker because of her sexual orientation; those who oppose her policies on principle; those who oppose her because of her sexual orientation, but use public policy as the reason; and, those who trust the voters' choice, but are disappointed in the way Mayor Parker has implemented her policies.</div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify">In truth, liars, drunkards, adulterers, fornicators, murderers, and thieves have occupied the mayor's seat in Houston. Yet, we seemed to have gotten along just fine in the past. What is so different now? Some view the mayor's sexual orientation as sinful and therefore, we have brought God's wrath upon this city. Really? Well there is a born again, evangelical governor in Austin who is running for president. How do you explain the statewide drought and wildfires? Is the state cursed? Certainly your not suggesting he is gay or sinful are you? Why didn't his prayer rally at the Reliant Dome in Houston produce rain and end the drought? In fact, it got so hot afterward, it set a new record. Is God listening to anybody today?</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify">For the record, I don't have to agree with Mayor Parker's sexual orientation to engage in intelligent dialogue about public policy issues. Public safety, community development, economic development, health and human services, transportation, and public works are functions of government that affect all of the citizens of Houston. There is too much at stake to play games with the future of this city. Yes, morality matters. But it is hypocritical to strain at the gnat of Ms. Parker's sexual orientation, while swallowing the camel of cutbacks in education and health care, mass incarceration of our youth, tax breaks for the rich, while increasing "fees" on the middle class. Stop the foolishness. Lets get down to business. </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-75426238687912572042011-05-16T18:27:00.009-05:002011-05-16T18:57:34.037-05:00How to Avoid a Long Hot Summer in Houston, Texas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysHH3Tp1gExbvSdKfKzI8YkyxJrM6aegTBvzOtg0W6dzZNusLILyNgW0qfWCscmfM4v2e1cg_y6PCXSZwvliI7A0Q7w_74cY0Vai3fTC3Rdbs4OObh268kRbPdn9VxBBN9TG3deeYeCNR/s1600/summer_jobs.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 225px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 146px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607464698732947218" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysHH3Tp1gExbvSdKfKzI8YkyxJrM6aegTBvzOtg0W6dzZNusLILyNgW0qfWCscmfM4v2e1cg_y6PCXSZwvliI7A0Q7w_74cY0Vai3fTC3Rdbs4OObh268kRbPdn9VxBBN9TG3deeYeCNR/s320/summer_jobs.jpg" /></a> <strong>Houston </strong>- The city of Houston is going through a budget crisis. Mayor Parker is forced to cut 20-30% from city departments and 5% of the workforce in the police department. This means less parks and recreations, library hours and summer employment coupled with a thinned out police department. This is a recipe for disaster. The FBI interagency taskforce claims there are 10,000 identified gang members and 200 gangs in Houston. In 2010, the Houston Chronicle reported that during 2010, Blacks were stopped more than any other group in the city. Their stated reason was that low income communities have a higher crime rate (and coincidentally more Black folk).<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUK3h8zNwwnBtnxmQpu-ieACtP2_P2wSKFvrhCJ4EzlW0aLq981gjMTaaGcH4wr7zxqHhtPE7A7LO_vy4Iof8pw-2fxJFAq-IatCGeAIXu2MHjUPOYpVs11IMdPd8PZqX-jl_jCpDXHKm/s1600/tyc-girl-inmates290.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 257px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 164px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607463768144482594" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaUK3h8zNwwnBtnxmQpu-ieACtP2_P2wSKFvrhCJ4EzlW0aLq981gjMTaaGcH4wr7zxqHhtPE7A7LO_vy4Iof8pw-2fxJFAq-IatCGeAIXu2MHjUPOYpVs11IMdPd8PZqX-jl_jCpDXHKm/s320/tyc-girl-inmates290.jpg" /></a><br />There has to be a concerted effort by the Greater Houston Partnership to provide employment and support activities that will keep children occupied during the summer. The real responsiblity lies with Black leadership waking up, listening and talking with our youth. We also bear a greater responsiblity to produce jobs to employ our children like every other ethinic group does for their own children. We must now take r<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1r3cvNB8SbWsx-HOYWiZJh-gGLdb50wrw9mpNovLjZW6MvSJ3yJ-vqfagJH4NVl8XcTVQYevJbNy2bVnJI4ie_zy4pDPMtuuri7PCWHaCc-NW02t47n1aZyWe2UwdcCL0_9fqZYpXGQhI/s1600/la-riots.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 242px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 167px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5607463634212577426" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1r3cvNB8SbWsx-HOYWiZJh-gGLdb50wrw9mpNovLjZW6MvSJ3yJ-vqfagJH4NVl8XcTVQYevJbNy2bVnJI4ie_zy4pDPMtuuri7PCWHaCc-NW02t47n1aZyWe2UwdcCL0_9fqZYpXGQhI/s320/la-riots.jpg" /></a>esponsiblity for our own community and stop looking downtown for the utimate solution to our problems. Downtown and big business can help, but it is up to us to put together the plan and carry it out.Let's get moving now! In this way, we can avoid a long hot summer in Houston, Texas.<div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-19931116729365519552011-04-05T20:35:00.009-05:002011-04-05T21:11:51.293-05:00Time to Decide What's in Our Own Best Interest<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD7qwKKG7jTLpgT2IpxSOu4KkX6d5oZawyUPmWF2-8DYk3ByAlGPFCW4j1fEg_XBeZIAW-UOGIDQrNI0xGOwIzWI939uAVvQW2W_9walEFs_7bo0ZE8Ww4rsRjovzZGKmSM-zGKQ1kOap/s1600/_1523100_atlantic_slave_trade2_300.gif"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 276px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 304px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592278528262122466" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKD7qwKKG7jTLpgT2IpxSOu4KkX6d5oZawyUPmWF2-8DYk3ByAlGPFCW4j1fEg_XBeZIAW-UOGIDQrNI0xGOwIzWI939uAVvQW2W_9walEFs_7bo0ZE8Ww4rsRjovzZGKmSM-zGKQ1kOap/s320/_1523100_atlantic_slave_trade2_300.gif" /></a> Black people have to decide what is in their own best interest. This is something we have to do for ourselves without outside influence or interference. </div><br /><div align="justify">The miserable conditions that Black people live under in America and around the world would make a brass monkey cry. Our condition in the Western Hemisphere is the direct result of the world's greatest crime - the transatlantic slave trade.</div><br /><div align="justify">Africans, Arabs, Europeans and Americans participated in the slave trade. Animist, Muslim, Christian and Jews have the blood of millions on their hands. The stolen labor of enslaved Africans in the so-called New World created untold wealth for Europe and made possible the Industrial Revolution that gave the West the technological advantage it enjoys today.</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8JM9sSFCDhDlk_Cjvja5VwCAfQk4D6pmlSVQ-KjRRU2l68iazCC4jsV2L6E3cwklnpwerl9XekURJT2Jrnp4psgatEH2rBJ3x2GoeyL5TgCxGmbp5QqbDEFPG4J3xnDAIJyn6Muvnv0X/s1600/blackface.png"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 233px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 292px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5592286363203636226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG8JM9sSFCDhDlk_Cjvja5VwCAfQk4D6pmlSVQ-KjRRU2l68iazCC4jsV2L6E3cwklnpwerl9XekURJT2Jrnp4psgatEH2rBJ3x2GoeyL5TgCxGmbp5QqbDEFPG4J3xnDAIJyn6Muvnv0X/s320/blackface.png" /></a> <br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">At the end of the day, any honest leader of Black people will have to lament over the terrible condition of our people. They will be forced to admit, it is not getting any better for the MASSES of Black people. Unless and until a decision is made to do that which is in the best interest of our people, nothing will change for the better. Nobody is going to do for us what we refuse to do for ourselves.</div><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">Now is the time to put all options on the table. Assimilation, integration, accommodation or separation, reparations, repatriation? Time is running out. Our people are suffering and dying. We can't afford to wait 40 more years for the answer. Black leaders have to decide whether they are truly Black leaders or the tools of others while wearing a black face. Decide now or we perish.</div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-73143590607110817102011-02-02T05:12:00.007-06:002011-02-02T06:36:33.262-06:00Long Live the Spirit of the Million Man March!<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgba6xox5Sc3F70QcJ-Yvn4_AAD3HHb4ZTQ8r6rc-FiRaNP_MycJhw4vg9gshf3_SnVMhaKaC4GloAkYXevx8tyevZhQdHDwqzbaMobVGMiwsC6BeG0BUSu4leGQSSN885bbtBSVqnYiPHN/s1600/MMM_Egypt.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 321px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 234px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569065651005992226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgba6xox5Sc3F70QcJ-Yvn4_AAD3HHb4ZTQ8r6rc-FiRaNP_MycJhw4vg9gshf3_SnVMhaKaC4GloAkYXevx8tyevZhQdHDwqzbaMobVGMiwsC6BeG0BUSu4leGQSSN885bbtBSVqnYiPHN/s320/MMM_Egypt.jpg" /></a> <div align="justify"><strong>Houston</strong>-Recent events in North Africa and the Middle East show clearly that the youth are exercising their power on the streets of Cairo, Tunis, Damascus, Beirut and Amman. Their demands for freedom, justice and equality are rocking the foundations of their governments and putting fear in the hearts of the ruling elite. What image, what idea and whose example are they following? Where would the youth of Egypt get the idea of a "million man march"? You have to look no further than right here in the United States of America for the answer.</div><br /><br /><p align="justify">The biggest state in United States is the state of denial. White supremacy in America is an idea and system that won't acknowledge the accomplishments and aspirations of darker people unless they have no choice or it is on their terms. Today, the events in North Africa and the Middle East are frightening to those who have lived lavishly on the backs of the poor darker masses of the world.<br /></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKR8fRIj-31_ButujRFZ8zDWFQmtZXmOuCZTsthRSu445oSMk-Ua4PQf9qpWAS8D-fhDbxZdTEDEkA_Dzi3uzI62wRQ8ihy0ehrpuqfZMlQvzQoWZEkDi0KqvPYfzpVBBGO0hEWg-xXsMb/s1600/MMM_USA.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 298px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5569067085642630098" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKR8fRIj-31_ButujRFZ8zDWFQmtZXmOuCZTsthRSu445oSMk-Ua4PQf9qpWAS8D-fhDbxZdTEDEkA_Dzi3uzI62wRQ8ihy0ehrpuqfZMlQvzQoWZEkDi0KqvPYfzpVBBGO0hEWg-xXsMb/s320/MMM_USA.jpg" /></a> <p align="justify">The pain in the faces of the network news commentators having to utter the words "million man march" as it relates to Egypt is evident. Why? The historic Million Man March of October 16, 1995, led by Nation of Islam leader Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was America's biggest nightmare. For nearly two million or more of their ex-slaves to come to Washington, DC on a Monday without permission - led by a man they didn't approve of - was traumatic. America thought they had written the Million Man March out of history. White America may have given themselves a collective pacifier by claiming only 400,000 attended the march in 1995. Now, they are reminded of that great day by the youth of Egypt and the Middle East.</p><p align="justify">My advice to the ruling elite is this: stop looking for the leaders of the revolt. The leader is Allah (God) Himself. It was Allah (God) who inspired the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan to call for the Million Man March. It is the example of the Black men in America that heeded his call that is inspiring the youth of the world. <strong>Long Live the Spirit of the Million Man March! </strong></p><br /><br /><p align="justify"></p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-48635139155397275292010-12-29T07:55:00.008-06:002010-12-29T08:42:08.771-06:00O-GOP Movement<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqI8tZ-zJfTi8TiBy029Yvf4fEAuznWjx2QnwANlnR_BJcEr4SgUXQzCKmvRX7CYBqUHXLzO3A99JadTy9idvve-RGgblcPXAKUnoZLjzXhVXyYTwJSeKiXE2Da1X0xD8MO9UHYgKDO-U/s1600/elephant-room11.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556103984714020322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 264px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuqI8tZ-zJfTi8TiBy029Yvf4fEAuznWjx2QnwANlnR_BJcEr4SgUXQzCKmvRX7CYBqUHXLzO3A99JadTy9idvve-RGgblcPXAKUnoZLjzXhVXyYTwJSeKiXE2Da1X0xD8MO9UHYgKDO-U/s320/elephant-room11.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div align="justify"><strong>Houston</strong> - Consider this: most eligible Blacks don't register; most who register don't vote; most who do vote, vote Democrat. What if those who are eligible, decided to register and vote in Republican primaries just to see if we can moderate or fire a shot across the bow of <strong>O-GOP</strong> (Our Grandparents Original Party)? </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">To my "Yellow Dog" Democrat friends: this is not a threat to your allegiance to the Democratic party. I know the Dems have done much for our people during the last half of the 20th century. However, they have also crippled our spirit of self determination with a Santa Claus like welfare state that is unsustainable and not in our best long term interest. There are issues we rarely discuss in our community like: master-slave relationship with party bosses, mental health, child molestation, abortion, separation, reparations, repatriation, and agriculture among other matters. Unless we are willing to put <em>everything </em>on the table for the liberation and salvation of our people; we who claim to be leaders will be nothing more than cowards. If what we have been doing over the last 40 years has been working so well, then why are Black people in such bad shape despite having our brother Obama in the White house?<br /><br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">You think you have a permanent friend in the Democratic party? Watch these Blue Dog Democrats vote like Republicans in the next Congress. Unless Black people take their destiny in their own hands and put everyone on notice that we have no permanent political friends and no permanent political enemies, just permanent interest - we will continue to be ignored by the Republicans and taken for granted by the Democrats. Politics <strong>IS NOT</strong> the panacea by which our people will be saved. But if we are going to play the political game,<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8atVDNAaWMspvt2RQNtAdYk2bsz5Lh_0nPrJwFkHCMc6Ef7IFhm0_JOPMxqZA1kuVEB6Cm3yuyPWDFP_d2-tN2qaYdDZBP_Qumh_Z4RQuqHF4OiVdwWw3eUxGJo6YrnPLB_Uqm04WDEh/s1600/Blacks+in+chains.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5556104712629545026" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 273px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 160px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ8atVDNAaWMspvt2RQNtAdYk2bsz5Lh_0nPrJwFkHCMc6Ef7IFhm0_JOPMxqZA1kuVEB6Cm3yuyPWDFP_d2-tN2qaYdDZBP_Qumh_Z4RQuqHF4OiVdwWw3eUxGJo6YrnPLB_Uqm04WDEh/s320/Blacks+in+chains.jpg" border="0" /></a> we might as well play to win. Mission Impossible? What are we afraid of? We don't have anything to lose but our chains. </div><div align="justify"></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-29644067979023137372010-11-05T18:22:00.005-05:002010-11-05T18:42:21.699-05:00I Am Not Going Away Quietly!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrg7TU0ZB9EiVaWd-WQeFPxiOcvAQZGGo5UzJV_3V7QlgJdyl90LHqYuiU2Z5Mb5HwtrXHMdy1g7nh45lZem4ZKF7zb0_AYIfszweVh-NlLJAoHOOOVq7n_qDQkONRX0eV7WYZ41dy_tNr/s1600/Slaveship.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 224px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5536214107217415378" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrg7TU0ZB9EiVaWd-WQeFPxiOcvAQZGGo5UzJV_3V7QlgJdyl90LHqYuiU2Z5Mb5HwtrXHMdy1g7nh45lZem4ZKF7zb0_AYIfszweVh-NlLJAoHOOOVq7n_qDQkONRX0eV7WYZ41dy_tNr/s320/Slaveship.jpg" /></a><br /><div><br /><br /><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Houston</strong> - For those who are hiding in a cave or in a closet, I say: "Come out of hiding and start fighting back!" I am sick of these hand wringing Democrats and so-called Progressives whining about how the Tea Party and Republicans have taken over the government. So what! </div><br /><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Does anybody see that the Republicans have conned the Tea Party? Can anyone guess what will happen when the Tea Partiers find out what the rest of us knew about the Republican ruling elite? If they think Democrats are elitist, wait until they wake up and see who they have gotten in bed with.</div><br /><p>In Texas, many are worried about the Texas legislature being two-thirds Republican, needing no Democratic votes to pass anything. "We can't stop them" is what I'm hearing. Well, they may go quietly into the night but as for me, I refuse to go to the lynching tree, gas chamber or reservation without putting up a hell of a struggle. </p><p>Man up Black folks! Man up Progressives! Grow a spine and stand up!</p></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-64041547004955400902010-11-03T08:25:00.006-05:002010-11-03T09:25:50.045-05:00Disorganized Love and Organized Hate<strong>Houston </strong>- In 1993, the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan said to me as we sat in a car at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas: <em><strong>"Brother, disorganized love can be overcome by organized hate."</strong></em> I never forgot his words and wise counsel. <div><div align="justify"></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535325275468264354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN-oEMZhLe3vt0VMctuX8b0kSKoHlQPeljiYChza6-NwnoLYF58JFWVHOQ3TSyqTBNAhfTHtZnUzMaYwu45qH1MqHnoVdAInaUsyIkFfJUjZgI5wtwEUq6NOBC4ZakQfh09c1hCh2p9GH9/s320/DSC_3818.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Last night, November 2, 2010, those who openly advocated <em><strong>"taking back their nation"</strong></em> and conversely putting us back in our place, completed one step in that process. The victory of the Tea Party is reminiscent of 1877, when post emancipation Reconstruction ended and Jim Crow began. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">The message from Tuesday's election is clear. Those who see the ascendancy of people of color as a threat have struck back like the sequel to Star Wars. Yes, the Empire has indeed struck back. The members of the Tea Party are NOT the majority; we are. How then were they able to win? The victory of the Tea Party is actually the result of our apathy and disorganization.</div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">In the end, they stayed on message and organized themselves accordingly. The same economic conditions that existed in the post Civil war America exist today. The same social and political climate hovers over this country. We must not go hide in a closet and cry our eyes out. We must challenge these hardhearted demagogues on their turf. </div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify">It is time to organize a winning strategy. That requires a message that resonates with our people and an organizational effort to bring what we envision into existence. No matter how much we love, if we are disorganized we can be overcome by those who hate us. Let's get moving brothers and sisters. Time out for siting around waiting on a mystery God to bring us food, clothing and shelter. President Obama has his hands full. We must organize for our own self interest. If we don't nobody else will. Be prepared for the Return of the Jedi! </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-90542471237702650582010-09-24T17:58:00.003-05:002010-09-24T18:45:24.122-05:00I'm Fighting Mad<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqUd2RQCwUauYXvy6vW11SVtehuKG_xfbkNxow5DuTtohlIYwGMnSumZyrwir3UmP8lLyO9VRiVvAdk5SE-wruR2i2r9R-RTe977f508CwsBgCsrptZczlPgVXligCL5dXBmw0L6gUTJH/s1600/fight-night-round-4-ss-9.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5520629960311595122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 180px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsqUd2RQCwUauYXvy6vW11SVtehuKG_xfbkNxow5DuTtohlIYwGMnSumZyrwir3UmP8lLyO9VRiVvAdk5SE-wruR2i2r9R-RTe977f508CwsBgCsrptZczlPgVXligCL5dXBmw0L6gUTJH/s320/fight-night-round-4-ss-9.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div>Have you ever just got fed up with crap people are saying and doing? I'm serious. The national, state and local political and economic conversation is just garbage. Nobody wants to take on the 500 pound elephant in the room. America has become a nation of paranoid naysayers, who can't think their way out of a wet paperbag. It is time for a new generation to come to the forefront and make a way for the rest of us. Any volunteers?</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-61137788670553989062010-06-12T08:42:00.009-05:002010-06-12T09:32:10.448-05:00Renew Houston: The Devil is in the Details<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacHOgNPu2vLKmWS0wz4p1Tl7LUEpWkD9BT4dsxWCne8YZxgVaBYE49l-gO3w1RB3uUUxvfZJvi64-IaSCM2y_eC1qZ0KripgVI82CSeqrnlSV0tM7O2Ryxvd_akFpjQLjeld4OVoB6oPI/s1600/devil-pointing5l.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481883603358866834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 149px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 206px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacHOgNPu2vLKmWS0wz4p1Tl7LUEpWkD9BT4dsxWCne8YZxgVaBYE49l-gO3w1RB3uUUxvfZJvi64-IaSCM2y_eC1qZ0KripgVI82CSeqrnlSV0tM7O2Ryxvd_akFpjQLjeld4OVoB6oPI/s320/devil-pointing5l.jpg" border="0" /></a> <div><div><div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">I agree with the overall goal of <strong><em>Renew Houston</em></strong>. However, the devil is always in the details. Will this dedicated fund for street construction and maintenance derived from developers impact fees relieve METRO of having to transfer .25 cent of $1 of sales (consumption)tax revenue for general mobility? If not, why not? The city gets 67% of METRO’s .25 cent. Are we being asked to pay twice for the same service? Will we once again go back to using 85% of METRO's resources for 15% of its suburban customers? METRO has 10,000 bus stops but only 2,200 bus shelters. Must METRO inner city riders be left in the rain at bus stops forever?</div></div><br /><p align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49cf23V-finEPDIGKnPOxkocvz0Zz8fwbATCWuPKprbP74nPYtGkpwKXlwPt3jIk9b2wyJcyMiKTT1IvKwzEcYhJd722sspj8k6W7ozmlK9kn1r9xsIHG6GCYzKYIpUfh8icdWtAwnuld/s1600/standing+in+the+rain+at+bus+stop.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481886227875410226" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 167px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj49cf23V-finEPDIGKnPOxkocvz0Zz8fwbATCWuPKprbP74nPYtGkpwKXlwPt3jIk9b2wyJcyMiKTT1IvKwzEcYhJd722sspj8k6W7ozmlK9kn1r9xsIHG6GCYzKYIpUfh8icdWtAwnuld/s320/standing+in+the+rain+at+bus+stop.jpg" border="0" /></a></p><br /><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify">Why do we keep building in or near flood plains anyway? Why do we insist on suburban style development in an urban core? Yes, private property is sacred in Texas, but that doesn’t mean the rest of us should have to pay for some exercising their freedom. Are there going to be any changes to existing regulations to increase density or insist that those types of development that contribute to flooding pay their fair share?</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkg3E72wrYzaaabNHEjM_Rh_eATkE2nWXsd52ZFUmfa7nhVJatN1SGZMxYjnvg3-qTEW8JlJaSme7aW4u8BSWIu9azUcQNzltrcUlZCimBVZiElGOwb27vXeSg7bK3VLHt9QpctvFL8GlD/s1600/alicia-flooding.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481887587351583394" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 174px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkg3E72wrYzaaabNHEjM_Rh_eATkE2nWXsd52ZFUmfa7nhVJatN1SGZMxYjnvg3-qTEW8JlJaSme7aW4u8BSWIu9azUcQNzltrcUlZCimBVZiElGOwb27vXeSg7bK3VLHt9QpctvFL8GlD/s320/alicia-flooding.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"></div><div></div><div>Lastly, will the promised construction jobs and contracts developed from this proposal be a true economic opportunity for all or will the usual suspects be found feeding from the public trough again? </div><br /><div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5481888712384384706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 178px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxp_yofANPlll2qmFIacqBb1-v_MPLByIUcDpl3i7NgVFANGbt5srNCMIXSfXXAbuL3t6fCsnHK_dzK9TQoec8-L2DiIvzQb1hfIAWwmPDUxa9TEpt78Zjdg-R0PWk2soT8i52QooE3Xs9/s320/Pigs_Trough.jpg" border="0" /></div><div align="justify">I need answers before I endorse this proposal.</div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-12134695493466262132010-05-13T15:50:00.006-05:002010-05-14T06:35:54.985-05:00The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan: Misunderstood and Misrepresented<div align="justify">One day the world will know what so many of us know of the Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan. If he was the ugly racist and anti-Semite he has been made out to be, hardly any of us who follow him would follow him. Hate's not us! When you learn who he really is, you will literally go for the jugular of the political, religious and media sources who fed you a Hefty bag of garbage about this man.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95c7r45Ljibct7wybEtQYsV_wzkb4MHY5W2VBmgj6vIHaKDcysSFJtSej9zCj6vSDxOD2t-nPV1hDNUxPo1yvgaJEJLRAfpWq-M7HBbIl4z61Ru6a1WO-tJqcNdWE07K3aPWekloLGzAB/s1600/HMLFJamacia.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470860145111277602" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi95c7r45Ljibct7wybEtQYsV_wzkb4MHY5W2VBmgj6vIHaKDcysSFJtSej9zCj6vSDxOD2t-nPV1hDNUxPo1yvgaJEJLRAfpWq-M7HBbIl4z61Ru6a1WO-tJqcNdWE07K3aPWekloLGzAB/s320/HMLFJamacia.jpg" border="0" /></a> Time grows short. Unlike our leaders of the past that were vilified during their lifetimes, Minister Farrakhan will be vindicated in his lifetime. But what will those who have been deceived do to those who deceived them when they find out that all that was said about this man was purposely misrepresented to them? The time has come for all to sit down and have a rational discussion about Minister Farrakhan. Forget the name calling. Consider the time and consider his place in history. Watch the Cathy Hughes interview of Minister Farrakhan and judge for yourself. Peace!</div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.tvoneonline.com/shows/show.asp?sid=1120&id=2718" target="_blank">http://www.tvoneonline.com/shows/show.asp?sid=1120&id=2718</a><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGi3DPsHqIs&feature=related" target="_blank"></a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-10628611945611461342010-04-16T19:07:00.012-05:002010-04-16T21:12:15.691-05:00Drinking the Anti-Metro Kool-Aid<div><div><div><div align="center"><em>Kool-Aid, Kool-Aid tastes great! Wish I had some -can't wait!</em><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZaPoquF3oUEOH47eCpvTzOMZjISMX8VuCCq8x6OlBR3kxhMDRRb394svrjOZrakgXYvnu0EK-gu3pFwXafaLefOKaiJPBbXZOKfiY3V_W3gCfn9XM7TIbirMvJl7OjgEB2xarr2W_y3-/s1600/Drink+this+much.jpg"><em><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460891765243602498" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 242px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 216px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtZaPoquF3oUEOH47eCpvTzOMZjISMX8VuCCq8x6OlBR3kxhMDRRb394svrjOZrakgXYvnu0EK-gu3pFwXafaLefOKaiJPBbXZOKfiY3V_W3gCfn9XM7TIbirMvJl7OjgEB2xarr2W_y3-/s320/Drink+this+much.jpg" border="0" /></em></a> </div><br /><br /><div align="justify">Ah yes, that famous Kool-Aid jingle from my youth. I thought I would never hear it again, but I was wrong. My ears are bleeding everyday from the non stop anti-Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County Kool-Aid in the media and in political circles. For the employees and contractors that work for Metro, it is becoming unbearable. The latest glasses of Kool-Aid have been served up by KHOU 11 News <strong>Did Metro try to deceive feds to get $900M? </strong>and KRIV Fox News <strong>CEO Frank Wilson to Leave METRO.</strong><br /></div><br /><div align="justify"><strong>KHOU 11 News'</strong> report was very interesting - not for what they reported, but for what they didn't report. By pulling a partial quote from FTA's statement in the news story, KHOU 11 Metro sales tax scam story would leave one to believe that the Federal Transit Administration was contradicting Metro about the sales tax revenue projections in question. To be fair, KHOU 11 covered their ethical butts by posting the FTA's entire statement on their website. But what they didn't put in the news story was what they actually asked FTA and FTA's responses. </div><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Below are the questions KHOU 11 submitted to FTA and FTA's answers. Read and decide for yourself.</strong> </div><div align="justify"><br /> </div><div align="justify"><strong>KHOU 11<br /></strong>1. Can you please confirm if Metro did indeed transmit the sales tax revenue forecast information from page 24 of that document to FTA/DOT in November 2009 (the date on the front page of that document)? If you received that information on a different date, please provide that date.<br /><br /><strong>FTA<br /></strong><em>The financial plan dated November 2009 contains the latest projections of sale tax revenues FTA has received from METRO. We received it in November.</em><br /><br /><strong>KHOU 11<br /></strong>2. Has Metro received any updated information since you received the information I'm referencing from above? If so- what are those new projections- and when did you receive them?<br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong>FTA</strong><br /></div><div align="justify"><em>We cannot comment on what information METRO has received or not received with regard to the sales tax projections since November. You should ask METRO that question. FTA has not received updated sales tax revenue projections from METRO since November 2009.</em><br /></div><div align="justify"><strong></strong></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"><strong>KHOU 11<br /></strong>3. What is the most current status of any monies (my understanding is $900 million) slated to come to Metro in relation to their application to the federal government for "new starts" funding to begin construction of new rail lines in the Houston area (i.e.- has the money been formally approved to come here yet- and if not, what is the update on that status)? </div><div align="justify"><br /><strong>FTA<br /></strong><em>Both the North and Southeast Corridor light rail projects are expecting $450 million in New Starts funds, for a total of $900 million. While some of that money has already been appropriated by Congress and awarded by FTA in grants for preliminary engineering and final design work, the majority of the funds will not be provided until after full funding grant agreements (FFGAs) are executed and Congress appropriates the additional funds. <strong>FTA expects to execute FFGAs for the projects sometime this summer</strong>, following our internal review and a required 60-day Congressional notification period.</em></div><br /><div align="justify"><br />Now does anything in these answers resemble a surprised FTA being alerted to a scam perpetrated by Houston Metro? In fact, the answer to question number 3 is an affirmation that Metro will have a full funding agreement by this summer pending final review.<br /></div><br /><br /><div align="justify"><strong>Here is Metro's response to the KHOU 11 News story. Read and decide for yourself.</strong></div><br /><div align="justify"><br />Khou Ch. 11 aired a story at 10 PM last night alleging that METRO submitted outdated sales tax projections to the FTA last November to intentionally deceive so as to win federal funding (because 2008 projections were higher than those made in 2009). </div><br /><div align="justify"><br />The allegation is completely and utterly false. In fact, much of what was reported in the story was inaccurate and misleading. . METRO has been working closely with the Federal Transit Administration for over five years and has followed the federal funding process to a "T." METRO developed sales tax projections in June, 2008 and provided those figures to the FTA in September, 2008. The most recent sales tax projections were developed jointly with the FTA in July, 2009 and were submitted to the FTA in August, 2009 for entry into Final Design. (Note: FTA requires that all financial assumptions are frozen at Final Design entry.) It should also be noted that METRO and its outside financial advisor, First Southwest, independently prepare a financial capacity analysis which utilizes sales tax projections from September, 2009. That forecast was discussed publicly at the December, 2009 Board meeting.<br /><br /></div><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_Fs3NBD0ZWw49vGZhgvhttFMULL5PJ7EIKcl9slgNDQRALpQby1g3iGCWinN_njSL2gKl6rlcuzsVsB9wizBA78Fr2f9nMDH5ufdtzJqUjDd8LBU4PZSvy9BnT2l36SnJnh0ItGicVw5/s1600/kool_aid_man_with+cup.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460907163233052434" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 184px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ_Fs3NBD0ZWw49vGZhgvhttFMULL5PJ7EIKcl9slgNDQRALpQby1g3iGCWinN_njSL2gKl6rlcuzsVsB9wizBA78Fr2f9nMDH5ufdtzJqUjDd8LBU4PZSvy9BnT2l36SnJnh0ItGicVw5/s320/kool_aid_man_with+cup.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />What is really going on here? Anti Metro, anti-rail, anti-Frank Wilson Kool-Aid is what. You don't have to be a fan of Frank Wilson, light rail or Metro to know that the powers to be want him out. Instead of honoring his contract, it has been decided to do the <strong>Texas Two Step</strong> - create a scandal, convene a grand jury to indicte - then offer to drop the charges if the target resigns (the old Wilson better get out of town by sundown without his loot or else trick).</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460919237046559170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 247px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 258px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2WtJTDHpWjRWUEstYrwsLvlCnmRln0iRUWlxvjoefSRxtpEYuWypMeptIMNMvR1O2DGZ1xHl0nIU5mU0fA_Q_DurMVxpenr_mzaWM5EoBq4BfQMqRHob8gKmhN-4VBiO-Y7txWCVldKyC/s320/whitecollar_handcuffs_black_and_white.jpg" border="0" /><br /><br /><div align="justify">Let me tell you what my sources told me this afternoon at 4 PM CST. Metro CEO Frank Wilson has no intention of resigning unless and until Metro honors the terms of his contract. No amount of muckraking is going to scare this tough South Philly boy off. If they want him to leave - they should pay up! This doesn't appear to be a case of the books being cooked - but more of an attempt to book the cook! </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"><strong>Warning</strong>: My sources in government and the transportation industry are saying this ill advised, ham handed attempt to get Frank Wilson to resign via character assassination is endangering Houston's federal transit funding and will have a chilling effect on any capable, competent and qualified candidate wanting to come to our great city to head our transit agency. </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="center"><strong>Connect the Dots</strong></div><br /><br /><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseJB5GDylrxS-F1G2AkzWGCZHc9_ovHsND7UbjtSjxUKBYy_6-wegVNyn33lYg0HvUZWIcCzP5DP2VOdVp-93HNNIiHs4DH8gxZTDaPzROij9dLI1gYric-fPxhJFHfiuTA9HBAFeZWth/s1600/whitecollar_handcuffs_black_and_white.jpg"></a></p></div></div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-15497003772856051032010-04-16T08:08:00.009-05:002010-04-16T08:44:02.158-05:00TEA LOSES IN COURT OF APPEALS AGAIN<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MzSC7H_QdBOpwe_QbZbE6Jnr0VYE8k4WxLmRJ1oFRsB7DgxM2OP7MaLCGaeNUO55HvaJSDdZ5duAg_cVf_N__ImDGJBjB-dRdjbDhwI9gA4WpmHjvF0e3_EQn9HCFYkkpVdXzquprJaT/s1600/robertscott08.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5460723425551023426" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 183px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9MzSC7H_QdBOpwe_QbZbE6Jnr0VYE8k4WxLmRJ1oFRsB7DgxM2OP7MaLCGaeNUO55HvaJSDdZ5duAg_cVf_N__ImDGJBjB-dRdjbDhwI9gA4WpmHjvF0e3_EQn9HCFYkkpVdXzquprJaT/s320/robertscott08.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />TEA Commissioner Robert Scott<br /><br />COURT OF APPEALS<br />THIRD DISTRICT OF TEXAS<br />P.O. BOX 12547, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78711-2547<br />www.3rdcoa.courts.state.tx.us<br />(5 12) 463-1733<br /><br />J. WOODFIN JONES, CHIEF JUSTICE<br />JAN P. PA'TTERSON, JUSTICE<br />DAVID PURYEAR, JUSTICE<br />BOB PEMBERTON, JUSTICE<br />ALAN WALDROP, JUSTICE<br />DIANE HENSON, JUSTICE<br /><br />April 13,2010<br /><br /><br /><strong>RE:</strong> Court of Appeals Number: 03-06-00003-CV<br />Trial Court Case Number: GN503667<br /><strong>Style:</strong> Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education v. Alphonso Crutch Life Support Center<br /><br />Dear Counsel:<br /><br />On the date noted above, appellant's motion for leave to file post-submission letter brief was granted by this Court, and appellant's post-submission brief was filed. In addition, <strong>appellant's (Robert Scott, Commissioner of Education) motion for rehearing was denied</strong>.<br /><br />Very truly yours,<br />JEFFREY D. KYLE, CLERK<br /><br /><strong>Note</strong>: This means the lower court's and Court of Appeals ruling favoring Alphonso Crutch stands. TEA can either abide by this ruling or appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. Either way, TEA keeps stalling to try to run out the clock on the school by with holding funds. There will be a hearing in Austin, Texas on April 22, 2010 in the Court of Appeals on another District Court ruling against TEA in favor of Alphonso Crutch. Join us there if you can. Or better yet, call TEA Commissioner Robert Scott at <strong>(512) 463-9734</strong>. Urge him to stop wasting taxpayer's money and denying poor children with no other school to attend an education. Demand that he dismiss TEA attorney Jim Thompson from the Alphonso Crutch case and negotiate a fair settlement with the school. </div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-79226144693887363572010-01-22T16:53:00.014-06:002010-01-22T17:48:22.823-06:00Democrats: Don't Abandon Heathcare!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjv5Z0eChGExtnLHBHIKBJQMzPSwpBb84fALmiXrhMbQ4UyCVspV_DNahHxQZ6OTxrc7__ZXqFpxmL0gaZlPzaaUOthzav0JvxLwHmNdp3C1CuzOJoomllFxh5AisCTHra9CLDDQ-AYO5/s1600-h/hospitals.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429713531719587522" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 273px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXjv5Z0eChGExtnLHBHIKBJQMzPSwpBb84fALmiXrhMbQ4UyCVspV_DNahHxQZ6OTxrc7__ZXqFpxmL0gaZlPzaaUOthzav0JvxLwHmNdp3C1CuzOJoomllFxh5AisCTHra9CLDDQ-AYO5/s320/hospitals.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div><div><div align="justify"><strong>Houston</strong>- Democrats are running scared after losing the late Senator Ted Kennedy's seat in Massachusetts. So what do they do? Abandon healthcare reform and shift to the economy and jobs. This maybe good for mid term elections, but it is bad for the country. My perspective is personal. My wife just completed a 7 hour brain surgery by a skilled surgical team. She has been afforded the best of healthcare in the world at the renown Houston Medical Center. I wonder if she would have been sentenced to a slow death like 45,000 others a year who lack healthcare in America? I am greatful to have good health insurance, but what about others? </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRNKa9IS8bGlPJmFH_voRdUfHgQgFPA9SJEpWDpMNFKNefwvKiHQFs_tpYiNgJ9sfb-TXphN8UDJhn1jvxBoRfeao6fINKCzLf8uXkNGyPJRY1danb-OziFqdNKSe7Yc9qIuFLla-bv0z/s1600-h/house_of_frankenstein_revive.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429711777133055474" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 267px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 218px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLRNKa9IS8bGlPJmFH_voRdUfHgQgFPA9SJEpWDpMNFKNefwvKiHQFs_tpYiNgJ9sfb-TXphN8UDJhn1jvxBoRfeao6fINKCzLf8uXkNGyPJRY1danb-OziFqdNKSe7Yc9qIuFLla-bv0z/s320/house_of_frankenstein_revive.jpg" border="0" /></a>I am so angry at the Democrats, I could scream! Why are they so concerned about "bluedog" Democrats. These Republicans in Democrats clothing are the creation of Dr. Howard <em>Yee-Haw</em> Dean. The former DNC Chair's monster, just like Dr. Frankenstein's, has turned on its master. Howard Dean should shut his pie hole and go away. It is time for the party to purge itself just like the Republicans are doing. Let Democrats be liberal to moderate and Republicans conservative to moderate. We independents will keep ourselves were we are - ahead of both of them.<br /></div><br /><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><div align="justify">The Supreme Court recently gave big money the open door, window and everything else to take what little sense of democracy there is away from the people. If you think politicans are puppets of special interest now, just wait until the next election. For the most part, the people are screwed. Stand up now and tell the Democrats to do what we independents put them in office to do: make a change. Forget Wall Street and K Street. Do the people's work.</div><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429713173793899986" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 238px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFrm9joMpnYKZSye-3nxqxumdN9cc8dgj21QKJUifxUa8Pd7UK_wFFLW2EIgpp4jJIZCGqw8p_Eh50U8ayJxJDd4FKIieDarDOYyHT3GTsapfimYPa__udnpzSjSU3hig9X1nmj2MTMjl1/s320/71014_MoneyHappiness_vl-vertical.jpg" border="0" /> </div></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-42826985516358280312010-01-14T11:55:00.004-06:002010-01-14T12:13:55.292-06:00Teddy Pendergrass RIP<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcHfPg82aQ8B0ipJJCrQSKHsP-gvRmoOQu1GVajAk7WACReFZ2qfnqOyR72ZyzvjDRDLqxy2-fpmBDSgH_Xa2Dj7t6yM_zQZ298Lv60Rlsl2WHbVHAb1ax2cxwrPK-rbc2YI013ZW6eG5/s1600-h/Teddy_Pendergrass-_Teddy_Pendergrass77.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426656169738345634" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 316px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMcHfPg82aQ8B0ipJJCrQSKHsP-gvRmoOQu1GVajAk7WACReFZ2qfnqOyR72ZyzvjDRDLqxy2-fpmBDSgH_Xa2Dj7t6yM_zQZ298Lv60Rlsl2WHbVHAb1ax2cxwrPK-rbc2YI013ZW6eG5/s320/Teddy_Pendergrass-_Teddy_Pendergrass77.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="justify">When I got the news that soul singer Teddy Pendergrass died at the age of 59, I was saddened. I don't know why, but I have been playing his solo and Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes performances on my I-Pod lately. I love the song <strong>Pretty Flower</strong>. It is one of my favorites of his Bluenote days; while <strong>Come on Go with Me</strong> is my favorite solo tune. </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Like he sang on <strong>Come on Go with Me</strong>, "<em>believe me you're not under any kind of pressure</em>" to agree with me about my favorite TP songs! However, on this we all agree, he will be missed. </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify"> </div><div align="justify">Thank you TP. May you rest in peace.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8175833333751009460.post-58239128024091055932009-11-27T04:34:00.005-06:002009-11-27T04:56:54.094-06:00Join NBA Hall of Famer Elvin Hayes and Minister Robert Muhammad for Groundbreaking Business Opportunity<div align="justify"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NnAU4QQ9UTYGqfofGC66twgL8Y2MBMCaF2s0k41RDamSAtHlUIejZ2DfXrd_-ebCXybDeJNmV-s4pBM7z-O_IDy6nk8EJlUZeQDY8clAF8BJy1QlfEVfXKjjk4WqoUKrlzwjyXTIYvgf/s1600/Elvin_Hayes_UH_retired_number.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5408733243376972514" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5NnAU4QQ9UTYGqfofGC66twgL8Y2MBMCaF2s0k41RDamSAtHlUIejZ2DfXrd_-ebCXybDeJNmV-s4pBM7z-O_IDy6nk8EJlUZeQDY8clAF8BJy1QlfEVfXKjjk4WqoUKrlzwjyXTIYvgf/s320/Elvin_Hayes_UH_retired_number.jpg" border="0" /></a><strong>Houston</strong> - On <strong>Saturday, November 28, 2009 at 3 pm CST</strong>, NBA legend Elvin Hayes will host a meeting to introduce a groundbreaking business opportunity to the community. The "Big E" will be joined by local Minister and urban planner Robert Muhammad in an effort to promote grassroots economic development during these difficult economic times.<br /></div><div align="justify"></div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">The University of Houston </div><div align="justify">Campus Recreation and Wellness Center</div><div align="justify"><strong>Room 1038A</strong></div><div align="justify">4500 University Drive</div><div align="justify">Houston, TX 77204-6056</div><div align="justify"><br /></div><div align="justify">For directions go to the website: <<a href="http://www.uh.edu/recreation" target="_blank">http://www.uh.edu/recreation</a> or call 713-743-4844 office - 713-703-8525 Cell</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.ntellc.cieaura.com/">www.ntellc.cieaura.com</a></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">Tune in to Connect the Dots every Wednesday 3-4pm CST on KPFT 90.1 FM or www.KPFT.org</div>Brother Robert Muhammadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05812639463099210650noreply@blogger.com0