Buju Banton Convicted This Week....Was It By His Own Mouth?

This past week Mark Myrie, known to the world as Buju Banton was convicted on conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense and using a telephone to facilitate a drug trafficking offense.  However, he was acquitted of attempted possession with the intent to distribute cocaine.  The funny thing is Buju was not ever involved with the sale or purchase of cocaine.

The saga began back in July 2009 when Buju Banton met Alexander Johnson on a flight from Spain to Florida.  On the flight, the conversation of drugs came up between Buju Banton and Johnson and by Buju's own admission on the stand he spoke about what he could do concerning a "hook up" on buyers or sellers.  Yet, on the stand Buju stated that what he was saying he could do was just talk, that he was only "talking crap" and that he was not a drug dealer.  I believe Buju, that he is not a drug dealer.  Buju is now 37 years old and was probably 35 or 34 when this began in 2009. 

Much like Iyanla Vanzantin her books, Buju is a master of truth, rights and Rasta wisdom on his records but, appears not to be able to wield these truths in his own life.   Sadly, here is another indigenous brotha behind bars.  In 2000 on his Unchained Spirit release Buju sings about being locked up without bail on the song Law and order;

Maybe, Buju predicted his future without conscious.  Maybe, Buju could not see what he was saying in public on the Law and Order song and in private "I was just talking crap" could set the course of events some months and years later.  Surely, we are the masters and mistresses of our destiny more than we are aware.  We hold our futures in our minds.  In 2001 KRS One released Sneak Attack.  I am sure this music was in Buju's music rotation and I wish he would have listened to the wisdom of the song The Mind. 

Buju Banton to the world, and Mark Myrie to his true friends and family, will have to face up to 15 years in the belly of the beast's penal system.  All in all, whether or not he had anything to do with hard narcotics, one thing is for sure, it's clear to see our mouths and our thoughts create much of the world we live. 

Negros, Blacks, Coloured & African American...Who are we?

Ok, I never found African American attractive as a “national title” I suppose, but I was certainly alive during the Afro American phase. Afro American preceded African American by a decade or so. But, to me it meant the same thing. By the time African American came I had had enough of the new name thang. During my lifetime if someone was called black that alone could cause a fight, nobody wanted to be black when I was young. But, when I was around 8 years old James Brown came and announced to the world that we are Black and proud. Yep, and I was. Still love James Brown’s original tune and the Brand Nubian cover.

So, I was Black and proud of it period. This would be for a very long time. The 80’s Afro-Centric author’s boom, just sent me over the edge. I was steeped, nah, I was sprung on all the books. Books like Stolen Legacy, by George G. M. James, African Origin of Civilization, by Cheik Anta Diop, The Auto Biography of Malcolm X, by El Hajj Malik El Shabbazz and Alex Haley, or Revolutionary Suicide by Huey P. Newton. Now, I had not only my belief in the power of being Black, but factual knowledge to back it up. Yep I am now Black and African.

Africa is where we came from. I could read all the factual books on slavery. Minister Farrakhan confirmed this in his many speeches. A slave ship named Jesus brought the first African slave here, 1609 to Virginia. Yes, I was African because our history taught us. I was African because I wanted to be connected with the great people of the Nile Valley Dr. Ben Jochannan wrote about and of whom Krs One rapped about. I even got more confirmation from reading a book by a British white guy, Robert Temple. Mr. Temple wrote the Sirius Mystery. He had connected with the Dogon people in Mali, that knew of an invisible star (black star) that revolved around the star Sirius. This star was not visible to the naked eye.

But, one of the most fascinating bits of information was that Temple states the Dogon people were physical descendents of the Ancient Egyptians that had migrated to west Africa. These people are in fact the physical relatives of the Ancient Egyptians and I could conclude relationship with them since we were stolen from Africa by the white Europeans and taken to America. Since we really had no evidence that we were not related to the Dogon, we could claim relation, right? Ah, yes, this really blew out the Cherokee blood my mother said we had.Dogon woman

All this information was proof that we were a homeless people, like the “lowly Habiru” as one Pharaoh wrote of the Hebrew. We are Africans in America. We have a home in the Americas but, we are not really American. I mean the European had done so much brain infusion on us in the U.S. He was the real American, and hell, most of us agreed. There was no way I was going to claim that title along with all the negative baggage that it carried. The U.S. had done and does some terrible things around the world including the Atlantic Slave trade. So, the Afro American I used to call myself had to go. I was just Black, I could be in relation to all the people in the world that looked like me.

I then rationalized that being Black was important on several points. As I stated, I could relate to all the people in the world that looked like me. I then realized, after meeting a Somali woman that Black meant those of us that were born in the U.S., as a way to distinguish us from Nigerians, Nubians, Eritreans or Ethiopians that all lived in San Diego at the time. When I first met her she said she thought I was Ethiopian, but as soon as I began to speak she knew I was Black. We (African American friends and family) used to get so angry at the Ethiopians and Somali’s when they would say “I am not Black, I am Somali or I am Ethiopian.” I understood then, that Black was being used as a “national title” for those of us born in the western hemisphere. Not that they were dissing their melanin.  

I would learn differently later. Black was my “national title” from then on. I could connect to all people with deep melanin. But, that would change in the years to come.

Mis-Education Of The Negro then....African American Today

In his 1933 book Mis-education of the Negro, Carter G. Woodson largely criticizes the educational system and the wicked cycle that results from mis-educated individuals, graduating from school and later teaching the mis-education to others.  It's largely a critique of history taught in schools with little to no mention of the accomplisments made by the Negro.  Woodson believed the lack of Negro history would crystalize into deep insecurities, intra racial divides and greater racial hostilities.  Certainly, this has become a reality in recent history and evident in our dissolution as the "top" minority, if you will.  However, the concern at hand is the continued mis-education of the now African American by those that look just like us.

 We are at a time of utmost vigilance due to our condition in the U.S., our relevance to white America, more aptly our postion with the U.S. government as to how meaningful our existance is within the country.  I submit, that we need not concern ourselves with how relevant we are to the government, but how relevent we are to each other and to the rest of the world that world be referred to as 'black."  This would require re-evaluating ourselves, who we are and what we know.  What we know about history in general, and know about ourselves historically.  Not only historically, but legally who we are in this country and the western hemisphere.   As Woodson points out, it  is crucial for our collective social consciousness and mental well being as a group to have a true understanding of ourselves.

 Education should be an ongoing process.  What Dr. Woodson learned and knew should no longer be a mainstay of our "curriculum" so to speak.  Or, more accurately, we should now utilize his knowledge and understanding as part of an educational foundation, but no longer the cornerstone, since we have learned of our status here before the advent of Columbus.   All too many "leaders", ministers, teachers, educators and speakers are mis-educating African Americans by tying them to certain labels and classifications.  These labels that were acceptable at one point in time of our history, should now be dispensed with.  I submit, that by classifying ourselves with such misnomers we are paving the way to our own mental subjugation and political/economic demise.

Immediatley, we should dispatch such labels and terms as descendents of slaves, African diaspora, slaves, minority, middle passage, maafa, Negro, African American, Afro American, Black, or even African unless you were born and raised on the continent.  And, even calling one's self an African, being native to the continent is questionable.  These labels and terms like slave, descendents of slaves, Negro and African American tend to bind people to just that, and some of which we never were.  This infection is so deeply entrenched, that when mentioned to a sister that there were free "Black" people during the times of the enslavement in the United States and western hemisphere, she exclaimed in disbelief that such was true.  Unless we surpass the former education we will wallow in the muck and mire of ignorace and remain enslaved to this system.

Do You Understand The Words That are Coming Out Of Your Mouth???

Words are simply verbal symbols that conveys messages to and from us to others, or from other sources such as the news.  Yet, we take for granted we that we know what we are saying when we talk.  Here are a few words I am sure we are confident we know the meaning.  But, do we really?

Nice - Agreeable, delightful.  Thoughtful and kind.  From the late 13th century meaning foolish, stupid, and senseless.  From Old French Nice meaning silly, foolish.  From the Latin nescius meaning ignorant.

 Bad - Normally best described as inferior in quality stemming from the 1200's, coming to mean evil, vicious or wicked.  Originating from the Old English baeddel or baedling meaning effeminate man, hermaphrodite.  Also meaning to defile.

Care - From Old English caru or cearu meaning "sorrow, anxiety or grief also "serious mental attention."  Old German chara meaning sorrow "wail or lament."  From German karg meaning scanty or stingy.  Gar meaning to cry out, scream to grief.

Black - Old English blaec "black,dark" From Old Nordic blakkr "dark" From Old High German blah "black", from Proto Indo European bhleg "meaning to burn, gleam, shine or flash, to bleach."  Old English meaning "bright, shining, glittering, pale.  Middle English it's doubtful that blac, blak, blake means black, dark or pale, colourless..."  Black when referring to people first appeared around 1620's, possible coming from the 1540's term blackamoor meaning "black as a moor."

Do your really know what you're saying when you say it?  Do you understand the words that are coming out of your mouth:

Going To War Without A Shield

We've all been taught that we must make money.  Not simply make a living or make money alone, but try and make as much money as possible.  And, we should endeavor to make money.  Make money to feed ourselves and our families, make money to pay our bills, make money to save for a rainy day, purchase property.  All to often in an attempt to do this people take on second jobs, work overtime on the job we may have.  Those of us that are business owners work to increase the volume of whatever product or service to increase income.

Unfortunately, in our all out effort to increase income, no matter the way we do that, we may not be taking the proper steps to keep what we make.  I am not simply talking about putting money away, saving.  But, shielding those funds from the biggest gangster in the U.S.  The U.S. government, taxes.  There are so many stories of people raising themselves up from nothing to becoming wealthy or at least wealthier than they were and end up returning from where they started.  We've all read their stories, seen and heard their testimonials, but rarely are there stories on how to survive the tax onslaught that may hit them.  This is going to war with a sword but no shield.

There are several solutions for protecting your money.  Simply going onto the IRS website is a first step to search for certain tax breaks.  Investing in a Roth IRA provides some tax shelter, a traditional IRA is another form of tax protection.  There are certain spending accounts available that can help to reduce your tax liability, and if your are a wage earner investing in a business of your own will provide not only additional income but, also provides some tax benefits.  Of course there are other measures one can take.  Creating 501(c) 3 charitable organizations not only provide certain tax exempt status' but, in turn you will help to better your community.  There are certain ecclesiastical benefits for religious organizations, in addition to being a not for profit 501 (c) 3 incorporation or Unincorporated associations may provide some tax benefits.  These are just tidbits that may be helpful along your journey, however nothing exceeds your own ability to learn and study the system in which we all live inorder to protect the money we all work so hard to attain.  Don't be a fool and go to war with a sword never giving mind to protecting yourself with a shield.