Afrosphere Bloggers Urge End to Israel Attacks on Gaza Strip

For Immediate Release

Contact: Atty. Francis L. Holland
AfroSpear Member
http://francislholland.blogspot.com
http://democratic-afrosphere.blogspot.com
55 (73) 9992-4127

Afrosphere Bloggers Urge Israel To
End Attacks On the Gaza Strip

It's being reported all over the world that Israel, with US support, is dropping white phosphorous bombs on the Gaza Strip - the same kind of incendiary skin-burning cluster bombs that Israel previously used in Lebanon and that the US used in Falujah, Iraq. African American Political Pundit attacks "the slaughter of children and women in Gaza", while Jack and Jill Politics says, referring to Israel,

We could solve a lot of things if we did one thing: cut off the funding to our 51st State. Then, maybe they’d be in the mood to listen to reason.

The Afrosphere's Black Agenda Report says,

Israel's aerial blitzkrieg and long-standing blockade of 1.5 million people is a crime against humanity for which its sponsor and champion, the United States, is equally guilty.

The Black Politics on the Web Afrosphere blogs says,

Israel has launched the deadliest bombing campaign against Palestinians in decades . . .

The outrages of Israel in Gaza are well-documented.

Human Rights Watch said Sunday that Israel's military has fired artillery shells with the incendiary agent white phosphorus into Gaza and a doctor there said the chemical was suspected in the case of 10 burn victims who had skin peeling off their faces and bodies.

( . . . )

Israel used white phosphorus in its 34-day war with Hezbollah in Lebanon in 2006. The U.S. military in Iraq used the incendiary during a November 2004 operation against insurgents in the city of Fallujah.

An AP photographer and a TV crew based in Gaza visited Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis on Sunday and recorded images of several burn patients. Yahoo News via Associated Press

The national newspaper O Globo from Brasilia reports that:

The United States is contracting a merchant ship to carry hundreds of tons of arms from Greece to Israel this month, according to documents divulged two nights ago, that cite dangerous materials, such as explosives and detonators . . .The Pentagon denied that these arms are related to the current Israeli offensive in Gaza.

The request for arms was made [by Israel] on December 31 (the offensive began on December 27) so that the first shipment would arrive before the 25th of January and the second before the end of this month. The shipment is to be effectuated by a German transporter, which would not reply to questions. The ship orginated in North Carolina and the documents stipulate that the ship must be capable of carrying 2.6 million kilos [5.2 million pounds] of explosive liquid.

President George W. Bush's position on Israel's offensive has been that "Israel has the right to defend itself." The President of "change", Barack Obama, has so far changed nothing in terms of the US's unbridled support for Israels military incursions into the Gaza Strip:

President-Elect Barack Obama has stayed largely silent concerning the conflict in Gaza. Whether any "change" in the American stance towards the Palestinians and Israelis begins under his administration is still highly unlikely. He himself has repeated the apologist and open-ended statement that Israel has the right to defend itself, yet the American's do not have the political will to define exactly what that entails.

At the moment Israel interprets it to mean that they can take military action, whenever, wherever and by whichever means they find suitable. Obama should help to craft some tangible guidelines for what "the defense of Israel" actually means if he hopes to make any leeway with the Arab and Muslim world. Real Clear World Blog

The United States has got to change its policy toward Israel, stop providing munitions for the complete destruction of Lebanon and now the Gaza Strip, and make it clear to Israel that there are strict limits to the US public's willingness to see Israel cluster-bomb its neighbors in the name of self-defense.

In fact, based on the US provision of intelligence and munitions to Israel on an annual basis and specifically during this war, I believe that Israel is enthusiastically doing America's bidding. It's got to stop, before seemingly powerless Palestinians turn their attacks outside the Israel/Palestinian conflict and begin killing Jews and Americans at random wherever they find us.

I am disgusted and furious over Israel's apparent determination to annihilate Palestine, and I am equally disgusted that our incoming "change" president seems no different from George W. Bush in his tacit support for Israeli outrages.

What's the purpose of the urgent US shipment of explosives to Israel? It makes the United States complicit in and supportive of the destruction of Palestine, and this has got to stop. President-elect Obama has got to stop parroting the US's pro-Israel party line with respect to this conflict, or he will fail to bridge the animosities of the past and merely preside over them, as have presidents of the Democratic and Republic parties of previous generations.

As Aaron David Miller said in Newsweek recently,

Don't get me wrong. Barack Obama—as every other U.S. president before him—will protect the special relationship with Israel. But the days of America's exclusive ties to Israel may be coming to an end. Despite efforts to sound reassuring during the campaign, the new administration will have to be tough, much tougher than either Bill Clinton or George W. Bush were, if it's serious about Arab-Israeli peacemaking. Newsweek

I am not anti-Semitic and I am not anti-American. It is not anti-Semitic or anti-American to demand that Israel stay within its national borders and stop dropping white phosphorous and other vile explosives on Palestine, with the support of the US Government.

Contact: Atty. Francis L. Holland
AfroSpear Member
http://francislholland.blogspot.com
http://democratic-afrosphere.blogspot.com
55 (73) 9992-4127

References:

http://news.search.yahoo.com/news/search?p=white+phosphorus

http://africanamericanpoliticalpundit.com/frontPage.do;jsessionid=6D2FE1A53CD78EFD777F1D978068C8E4

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/worldnews/article-1106542/Gazas-darkest-day-40-die-Israel-bombs-safe-haven-UN-school.html

http://www.jackandjillpolitics.com/2008/12/our-51st-state-gaza/

http://www.blackagendareport.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=956&Itemid=1

http://blackpoliticsontheweb.com/2008/12/30/former-ga-congresswoman-cynthia-mckinney-travels-with-gaza-protest-boat-into-lebanon/

http://oglobo.globo.com/pais/noblat/post.asp?t=eua-levam-armas-israel-em-meio-crise&cod_post=152686

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/01/05/bush-on-gaza-fighting-isr_n_155282.html?page=8

http://www.newsweek.com/id/177716

Young Talent

I have to recognize that this young brother has skills. Check his work out at Thelonious Thoughts.

First Post of 2009

Bonjour, 2009 is here and with it comes a new swagger. For starters, allow me to give a brief history of the blog. The concept of Fresh out the Box originated when I was approached by a close mentor, Francis L. Holland, during my junior year of High School. At the time, the idea of blogging seemed foreign to me but when Frank suggested I give it a try, it was hard to say no. My very first post was a history essay from class, in which I argued why black history should be extended beyond Black History Month. I have to admit that although my writing skills were not as refined as they are now, the very act of posting my work on a blog was a great feeling. That first essay set the tone for what Fresh out the Box would stand for in future posts.

Accordingly, it is 2009 and there have been many posts since the blog first started. I added some fun lists to blog and included links to the great Afrospear blogging group. In this New Year, my goal is bring Fresh Out the Box to a new level that is consistent with the ultimate goal that I once had for the blog-Addressing Societal Issues Through the Eyes Of the Younger Black Generation. Specifically, I am speaking of a stronger focus on the quotidian African American issues that readers can identify with. This is not to say that I look to single other groups out, but it is to say that I stride to raise awareness for issues that I can indemnify with as a young black man.

To put it bluntly, with President Obama in office, I believe more than ever that it is a great period of time to change the swagger and sincerely address African American issues. It is a new vibe so feel free to weigh in with what you plan to change in this New Year.

Demystifing the Hip Hop Culture

When I was a child, I used to think that hip hop artists were the coolest role models. My list of rappers I admired included the Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac Shakur to say the least. Although none of them have said so directly, present hip hop fans continue to fall victim to the same lures of fame and fortune that once swayed me during my childhood. The current issue is that whereas some are convinced that hip hop is unified culture, others maintain that it is a dead beat. In the purview of my knowledge of hip hop, I will not comment on the comment of the misogynistic and materialistic issues of hip hop that were covered during Wednesday's HUM debate. Instead I look to unobtrusively analyze and investigate the greater debate, is hip hop is truly a culture.

To put it bluntly, the underlying answer to this question lies with the universal consensus of what define a culture. According to definition, a culture is a community or group that is civilized, has set of learned beliefs, values and behaviors that are a way of life shared by the members of a society. In other words, a culture is a structured entity with members that share a common way life. To take case in point, hip hop boasts a unique way of life surrounded by struggle that has thrived in urban communities for over two decades. By this assertion alone, one may be tempted ask is that not enough to be considered a culture. Well, the truth is simple; no.

Though I concede that the unique way of life adds merit to the answer, much is still left to be investigated. A sober analysis of the hip hop culture reveals that it contains five elements. Not to be confused with the student organization, Five Elements, even though they are based on these key principles. The initial five elements of hip hop were the Rapper, DJ, B-boy Graffiti Artist and the forgotten element, knowledge. What is more important is that these finding were mostly conveyed through word of mouth until they were formally defined by the Zulu Nation, the first hip hop activist group.

Having just presented to underlying components of hip hop, let us now turn our attention back to the question of their role in the hip hop culture. Anyone familiar with hip hop should see that these five elements make up foundation of the hip hop society that thrives today. For example, each element shared the common motive of turning the struggles of the community into positives. The rappers created positive impact using words, DJ's hosted the events that brought communities together, B-Boys gave kids that would be otherwise causing trouble, a outlet to fight using dance moves, graffiti artists used buildings in their communities canvases to express the overall emotions around them, and the knowledge set the standard for the unified beliefs that continues to thrive in the 21st century.

What this investigation does then, is correct the mistaken impression, held by many onlookers, that hip hop is not a vibrant culture. Clearly the notion that hip hop is not a culture is debunked because these findings prove that rappers alone could not have taken hip hop further to create the multi-billion dollar market that we buy into today.

Furthermore, hip hop spans far beyond the basic examples that are presented here. As an illustration, different styles of clothing have been created, an elaborate language has emerged and many of the culture's top professionals are respected throughout the world. "Impossible" you say. "Your evidence must be skewed." Well, if hip hop were not a complex, constantly growing culture, its teachings would not have transcended the urban communities and venture across the world into the UK, Japan, and many other countries with members that promulgate its influence.

While I admit that the debate over the current state of hip hop continuous to be a contentious issue, this is not to say that everyone is apathetic. For example, organizations like the Hip-Hop Summit, run by Russell Simmons and Dr. Benjamin Chavis Muhammad, continue remind us of our rich heritage by working with leading artists towards unity to ensure progress and stability.

This understanding of hip hop in a different light should not be something new. I encourage follows of hip hop to delve deeper into discussion and understand the antecedents that truly make hip hop a culture. At the end of the day, the hip hop culture is only getting larger and it is difficult to undermine its influence around the world.

The Debunked College Experience

The standard way of thinking about college has it that students enroll to get a degree and learn to be independent. You would think that this idea resonates in every college student today but unfortunately that is not the case. A number of college support groups have recently suggested that some college students face several fundamental problems.

For example, Consumeraffairs.com observes, a fundamental problem is that freshman students get an "F" in personal finance. Although I should know better by now, I agree with that statement because my experience confirms it. It only been eight days since I arrived at Stevens and I caught myself falling into the proclivities of the freshman consumer base. Whereas I was able to identify this problem before things got out of control, the same cannot be said for the majority of college students that like to entertain their impulsive spending habits. Of course, many will probably label me frugal but I argue that regardless of financial situation, it is wiser to budget vs. spending impulsively. In other words, you can get your Starbucks fix twice a day but just make sure you set aside specific funds to entertain your habit.

Along the same lines of financial management, the whole growing up idea is a bit debunked. When I asked some college students if they felt they are growing up, the majority of replies were the opposite, no. One student put bluntly that college is almost like an extension of high school. At first glance, students appear to be mature and independent. But only closer inspection, classes have become easier, professors are less strict, and RA's make dorms feel like a playground. Consequently, college students have less responsibilities and freshman year has the appeal of being 13th grade.

As Charles Murray of Forbes magazine puts it, "Once upon a time college was a halfway house for practicing how to be a grown-up. Students couldn't count on the dean of students to make allowances for adolescent misbehavior. If they wanted to avoid getting kicked out, they had to weigh the potential consequences of their actions, just as in adult life. The student-teacher relationship was more distant and less nurturing than in high school, and more like the employee-supervisor relationship awaiting them after graduation. Students had to accept that they no longer got hugs for trying hard. If they didn't get the job done, they were flunked with as little ceremony as they would be fired by an employer. This apprenticeship in adulthood has been gutted." What Murray means by this is that when he attended college, it was less fuzzy and warm.

Here many students may want to dispute the claim that college has become a joke. In response, I add that not all colleges are tendentious to this view. What is more important is that there is a benefit from college. For instance, anyone familiar with the college experience will tell you that networking is the key to success. One student believes that "college only useful for networking". Admittedly this view may be a bit parochial, but if you talk with different people and get involved, history shows that you will go far.

So with all this said, what advice does a parent give to their child in college? To put it succinctly, if parents want their kids to be properly equipped, I recommend they prepare them to get wasted, only attend class to get by, and spend all their money. Ultimately, it should come as no surprise when we reach the day my college degrees will be up for sale on Ebay. Until that day comes, I will continue to give a "sober” analysis of the matters involving college students.

Obama Wins The Democratic Nomination

This is Historic

The Necessary Endorsement

In recent news, Rep. Jame E. Clyburn of South Carolina, endorsed presidential candidate Barack Obama on NBC's "today show". Clyburn is the highest ranking African American and the third-ranking democrat in Congress. In his own words, Clyburn said, "Today the [primary] process ends, And I hope that enough of us will announce our intentions today so that this evening our candidate, our presumptive nominee, can get to 2,118." Basically Clyburn is saying that Barack Obama should the official nominee after today's primaries.

In discussion of Clyburns endorsement, a controversial question is whether his endorsement was necessary. On the one hand, some might argue that Clyburn's endorsement is meaningless because he waited until the nominee was clinched to publicly support Obama. On the other hand, others contend that since there is no deadlock between Clinton and Obama, it seems perfectly fine for Clyburn to go ahead. My own view is that Clyburn's endorsement was necessary because it creates good political posture for other super delegates to follow.

Those that argue Clyber's endorsement has no impact overlook the fact that he is the House Majority Whip which makes him third ranked only behind Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Majority Leader Steny Hoyer. In essence, the majority whip is responsible for ensuring that party members vote along party lines for major legislation. An endorsement from the House majority whip is a great scenario for any presidential nominee because the whip has a strong influence that can rally party members together.

What is more important is that, Clyburn was unanimously elected Chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, and won a coveted seat on the powerful Appropriations Committee. In 2002, he ascended to Vice Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, and to Caucus Chair in 2006. Clyburn's leadership in the Congressional Black Caucus is significant because he gives the final stamp of approval that Obama is cool with the "Old Heads", or in other words, the older African American congressmen. According to Clyburn, Obama "is elevating the political rhetoric, he's elevating our party, He is bringing to the process new voters, young voters, elder voters. People who are in thirst of a new vision for our country."

Ultimately, the endorsement of Rep. Jame E. Clyburn is a signal that the democratic party is ready to unite behind a single presidential nominee. With both the old and young generations of African Americans rallying behind Brack Obama, it makes a perfect segue for the candidate to make his acceptance speech on the 45th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King's "I have a dream Speech".