The sky is falling.

No need to go outside and look for yourself. Trust me. I’m on the Internet so what I say must be true.

The sky is falling.

Rush to your neighbors and tell them too. Keep your head down as you do this as not to look at the sky because its falling and you don’t want to get hurt.

Tell everyone you know that the sky is falling but be sure to say it like this:

“I heard/someone told me/read somewhere the sky is falling.”

Make sure to say it with such conviction that they have no choice to believe you. In a panic they will then pass the same information along to their network.

Think you could never fall victim to the hype? Well guess again. This sort of thing happens all the time. We’ve become so accustomed to others telling us what’s news that we are too lazy to dig for ourselves.

Last week I wrote about Prez Obama’s health care reform plan. What amused me the most was some readers’ colorful responses, or should I call them verbal jabs, because I admitted to not having read the fine print of the reform plan.

Each week, the purpose of my column is to take social and political issues that are overlooked by Hip Hoppers add to them my opinion, a dash of humor to make it easily digestible, throw in some fact or links to some facts and leave it up to you to dig more and formulate your own view.

How many writers, bloggers, journalists will tell you when they don’t know the full facts? How many would have faked the funk and built themselves up to be an expert? Well I could have played the smarty arty role but I can’t lie to you.

Writing about non music related topics for an entertainment thirsty society has always been a challenge. I still fight with editors about their insistence that rappers photos be used as art for The X Fact(her).

You think I don’t know that Jay-Z has nothing to do with urban farming? Without his image, how many would have clicked the headline to read that article or any other of my columns that didn’t feature a rapper in the art?

When I was the News Editor at The Source I always fought to prove that we didn’t have to dumb things down in order for the readers to get it. Nevertheless I had to include the meaningless quotes of D-List rappers who could care less about the issue at hand because that was what the bosses felt the reader need in order to relate. I won’t even tell you who was on my “I need a political quote from a rapper” call list.

Since I began writing this column there are a couple things that I’ve learned:

- Knowing is half the battle. The other half is doing something with that knowledge. People like being in the dark. Its so easy to say you didn’t know and blame it on ignorance than to be enlightened and forced to do something with that knowledge.

- For some my race is really an issue. What does my skin color have to do with the merit of my work? (Going back to being misinformed, a simple google search of my name will turn up several pictures but I guess for some it much easier to sling mud than do some research.)

- Making people care about what’s going on in the world is a tough job

- Prez Obama has done little to nothing to restore Hip Hop’s faith in the government

Ultimately, the X Fact(her) is one woman’s attempt to spark a dialogue, a break from the monotony.

Sorry if I don’t tell you what to think or how to think it.

Spoon feeding you is not my objective. You get enough of that everyday.

- CH

Can someone please tell me why these people are mad?

Haven’t they watched SICKO? Well maybe their Senators should hold a town hall meeting where they watch the Michael Moore documentary about health insurance in America and let see if they continue to bitch and moan about Prez Obama’s proposed reform.

I won’t pretend to know the ins and outs of the bill that is on the table but I do know I need cheaper health care.

After being laid off in December, I opted to continue my health care coverage. If it wasn’t for Obama offering economic assistance for COBRA users I could not afford my health plan. The 65% reduction was just what I needed.

Don’t be fooled, I am a journalist but the well is drying up. My peers and I talk about how bad it is. Some of us have had to move, others are working jobs they would have laughed out just six months ago and some are getting in on the system. Even I’ve considered going down to get food stamps.

When it comes to health care, it’s something that I can’t afford to be without. It’s also something that I can’t afford to pay for each month as an independent journalist.

Seeing these people go ape shit over a health care plan that wants to treat everyone fair and equal further proves that

1 – People love to yell and scream

2 – We are a selfish country

3 – Senior Citizens think the government is out to kill them

4 – Most Americans have no idea what the reform really entails

To debunk these myths and fears, the white house launched http://www.whitehouse.gov/realitycheck. I suggest you check it out.

Perhaps if Prez Obama created another 30 minute long commercial that aired on all channels explaining his plan, Americans will get it. I suggest he enlists the creators of School House Rock to direct the spot. I envision little pills and syringes dancing on an examination table singing along about the virtues of a better health care system. Don’t act like you wouldn’t watch. How many of us today only know what a bill is because of this:

I’m telling you, animation and a cute song will win everyone over.

- CH

I’ve watched the video of Hillary Clinton spazzing out on that poor Congolese college student at least ten times and each time it gets me hype. She was in the Congo to speak on behalf of women’s rights specifically the epidemic of Congolese women and girls being raped and used as weapons of war. During a stop on her tour, she took questions at a town hall-style meeting on Monday.

One male student made the mistake of asking the Secretary of State: “Mrs. Clinton, we’ve all heard about the Chinese contracts in [The Congo]… What does Mr. Clinton think through the mouth of Mrs. Clinton…Thank you very much.”

For a split second I could see the sista in her, I think there’s even a visible neck roll and if you look closely I’ve been told you can see her lips mouth “Bitch, please!”

Her reaction is priceless.

Once she took her headphones out I knew it was a wrap!

Later, Congolese officials tried to say that the student meant to ask about President Obama and not Bill Clinton. If that’s true, that’s what I call a Freudian slip.

The world may love Prez Obama, but they are still very emotionally attached to Big Bill. His show stealing release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling from North Korea further cemented his legacy. Sure, the White House says they didn’t send him (yeah right), stating he acted on a personal mission. However, let’s not overlook the fact that North Korea requested Bill Clinton knowing that his presence would garner them a world stage. The man’s been out of office for nearly a decade and is still in hot demand.

All of this makes Hillary one pissed off woman. She had to put the muzzle on him during her presidential campaign because he was coming out of pocket and stealing her shine. Now, she is the Secretary of the State and is still being asked questions about her husband.

Hillary should have jumped into the audience and beat the crap out that college kid.

“Don’t you know who the eff I am? I’m Hillary Mutha-effing Clinton. I run this show. Bill is my bitch. Now, ask your question again.”

Behind the matronly headbands, knee length skirts and pearls she uncomfortably wore during her time as First Lady, I always knew that Hillary Clinton was a spitfire. I would have paid anything to see the smack down she delivered to Bill after his cigar antics were revealed with Monica Lewinsky. You can’t tell me she didn’t hit him with a one-two combo.

During her run for President, a major complaint from voters was that she wasn’t likeable. She wasn’t soft and pink. Sure she was a bit of an ice queen but that’s OK. After seeing her snap on ol’boy, I like her even more now.

If she was to become our President we’d need the Hillary that was about to break some necks in the Congo to prove to the world that she deserved to be in the White House and needed to be taken seriously.

Hillary Clinton is strong, damn it! She’s a beast.

I’m so in awe of angry Hillary that I think she deserves her own theme song.

Just change “Papa” to “Hilly” and “Man” to “Woman”.

- CH

Lubna al-Hussein is facing 40 lashes for wearing tight jeans.

On July 3, Sudanese “morality police” burst into a restaurant arresting 18 women, and al-Hussein, for wearing what they morally deemed to be inappropriate clothes. A journalist and former employee of the U.N, al-Hussein is making her case public in hopes of bring attention to the plight of women in Sudan. In preparation of her sentencing, she even sent out 500 invitations encouraging people to come see her flogging for a crime people here would laugh at.

I’m not trying to make light of the situation in Sudan or any other religious country were such drastic measures are taken to ensure that women are hidden, but where is our “Fashion Police”?

There have been times when I’ve walked down the street behind young men who have their entire ass out (usually covered thinly by some boxers) for all the world to see. They waddle like ducks in order to keep their jeans from falling down or resort to holding the waist. Let’s face it, fellas you look a hot mess. I applauded when the baggy jeans went out of style but the skinny jeans are just as bad if not worse.

Men aren’t the only ones in need of the “fashion police”. Women, some of you walk out with more flesh exposed than a butcher’s shop. There is no reason why I should be seeing your ass crack and belly roll.

Here in our community, we dress this way because the opposite sex deems it acceptable.

In Muslim countries, like al-Hussein’s, women dress covered up because men deem that the only acceptable style. There, men also deem what is acceptable for men as well. Go figure.

If all women collective stopped talking to men whose behinds were out of their jeans men would start to cover them. If every man told women their dunlaps and overflowing boobs weren’t sexy women would cover them up.

There is a way to be enticing to suitors and there is a way to not walk around looking like a fool.

Seriously, there are some great social repercussions from seeing men and women dress the way they do here in America. What message about body image and self-worth are we sending to our peers and the younger generation?

Back in Sudan, al-Hussein has become the poster child for a woman’s right to fashion freedom. She quit her job with the U.N., which would have granted her immunity, in order to have her day in court. Protestors support her and some are calling for revisions to the Muslim government’s public order law.

Re-writing the law is just a step but perhaps the bigger issues is changing people’s minds about the woman’s body. Let’s face it, Al-Hussein isn’t being punished for what she was wearing but rather how she would make others feel.

Women often get punished for evoking a feeling in men. We’ve all heard “if she didn’t want to get raped she shouldn’t have been wearing that mini-skirt”. It’s as if people really believe that the only purpose of the woman’s body is to serve the needs of men.

This same sentiment dressing the please, is why women in America resort to showing the most skin to feel sexy and get attention. Is this the same reason why men walk around with their butts out? Ironically, we live in such a homophobic society yet we think nothing about young men walking around showing their asses to the masses.

Somewhere between women like al-Hussein being whipped for their attire and people here being encouraged to wear less material on their bodies, there needs to be a middle ground. I don’t honestly think law should enforce your personal style but dressing for the extreme (covered from head to toe vs bucky naked) isn’t working either.

- CH

Kudos to CNN for “Black in America 2″.

You get an A for effort and a gold star for correcting the lameness of the first installment. I even peeped a commercial for the upcoming “Latino in America”. Aside from them trying to educate the masses and convince everyone to empathize with our neighbors, let’s give CNN a round of applause for giving Soledad O’Brien something to do. It doesn’t hurt that her multi-racial background makes it more acceptable for her to tackle the issue of race. No one knows what she is. I’m sure she is going to ride this “… in America” thing until the wheels fall off or until Prez Obama is out of office and no one cares to talk about race anymore.

Sidenote: If you want to see an amazing documentary about Blacks in America watch ABC News’ Out of Control: AIDS in Black America. I love it when Terry Moran leaves Jesse Jackson dumbfounded.

While I was flipping the channel to purposely avoid watching “B.I.A. 2″, something occurred to me. I wasn’t interested in watching the series because I am black and I know what life is like for me. However, I would be inclined to watch a series on what it is to be “White in America”.

Don’t boo or hiss just yet.

Think about, black people have way more preconceived notions about what white people go through in America than they have about us. For the most part black people get categorized into three groups: ghetto, criminal, ignorant. How do we categorize white people? Honestly, most people of color don’t give white people much thought other than thinking they are all secretly racist or clueless when it comes to our struggles.

While watching Tyler Perry give Soledad a tour of his ATL back lot and wondering if he was hiring, I came up with an idea. Why doesn’t BET or TV One answer back and create a “White in America” series. I’ve already done the work and drafted a letter. Just copy and add your signature at the end and send off to their respective offices.

-         CH

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Dear (BET / TV One) Head Honcho -

After watching CNN’s series “Black in America Parts 1 & 2″ my initial thought was “Why didn’t (BET / TV One) do this? They are black channels, catering to black people in America. This is something that should have been right up your alley.” Well, I forgive you for dropping the ball and have come up with a suggestion that will help inform your core audience.

It’s time that people of color understand what it’s like to be “White in America”. I’m talking the full experience from white collar to rednecks and everything in between. I figure the program can be split into topics:

Angry White Men – Minority and women get all the breaks. At least that is how some white men feel. Where is the white man’s affirmative action or diversity programs? They are losing their grip on the controls and aren’t too happy about it. It can feature some KKK and white supremacists.

Poor White Trash – Black people are to the projects like white people are to trailer parks. I want to see some Feed The Children type -ish. Show me that not only people of color are on public assistance.

Wiggers – Show our influence on the white youth of America. Loving our music, men (and occasionally women) and swag, what is life like for white people who identify more with black culture? You can speak to Eminem, Michael Rapaport and Kendra Wilkinson about this.

The Drug Game – Black in America talked about D-boys, who got locked up for mainly weed and crack. Let’s flip it and show how the Meth-boys get it fired up. I want to see some white dudes with bandannas covering 2/3 of their faces as they show off their fancy Meth labs and show off their array of BB guns and hunting rifles spread across their NASCAR bedspread with dollar bills strewn on top.

Religious Zealots – This calls for a trip to either the Bible Belt or Utah where the religious movement is administering a beating to liberal America.

The Republicans - Now that Sarah Palin is one of the 9.7% unemployed in America, you can follow her around as she tries to claw her way back into the graces of the Republican Party. Maybe she can speak on the goal of the Republican Party in the upcoming years.

Middle America – This is a large one to cover. I personally think any state that isn’t on the coast of the U.S and below the Mason Dixon line is apart of Middle America. I truly don’t know what the Middle American look like, what they do for a living or what they believe in, but I have my assumptions. I believe the Roseanne show gave me a good idea.

Overall, “White in America” should set out to answer the question “Do they really have it better than us?”

There you have it.

I’ve done all the work for you.

Don’t screw it up.

Sincerely,

[Insert Your Name Here]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

]]> http://99problems.org/2009/07/the-x-facther-white-in-america/feed/ 6 http://99problems.org/2009/07/the-x-facther-a-dollar-no-make-that-an-amero-and-a-dream/ http://99problems.org/2009/07/the-x-facther-a-dollar-no-make-that-an-amero-and-a-dream/#comments Wed, 22 Jul 2009 15:53:36 +0000 Chloe http://99problems.org/?p=3832

Last week Prez Obama stood before a packed audience and essentially preached to the choir. He spoke about the great accomplishments of the NAACP and how the organization ironically celebrated its 100^th anniversary the same year he became the country’s first (official) African American president.

Then he did something that was quite surprising. He addressed Black America, by name:

“We have to say to our children, ‘Yes, if you’re African-American, the odds of growing up amid crime and gangs are higher’…’Yes, if you live in a poor neighborhood, you will face challenges that someone in a wealthy suburb does not.’ But that’s not a reason to get bad grades, that’s not a reason to cut class, that’s not a reason to give up on your education and drop out of school. No one has written your destiny for you. Your destiny is in your hands and don’t you forget that.”

In the speech (his boldest statement on race in America to date) Obama admitted that African Americans had it tougher than their white peers.

• Young black children are 5x more likely to be arrested than whites.
• African Americans have higher unemployment rates than whites.
• Blacks are more likely to not have health coverage.

Of course what made for the biggest quotable moment was Prez Obama’s urging that young black kids have more role models:

“I want them aspiring to be scientists and engineers, doctors and teachers, not just ballers and rappers. I want them aspiring to be a Supreme Court justice. I want them aspiring to be president of the United States.”

How do you tell a kid not to follow the money?
Kids aspire to be whatever will yield them the most money, recognition and respect. A couple decades ago every young boy wanted to be a cop or doctor while little girls wanted to be teachers or housewives.
Today, little brown and black boys want to be rappers and ball players because even during this recession the see that Kobe is still worth an estimated $200 million and Jay-Z is about to release his 14th album, which is sure to go platinum even with bootlegging and downloading. (Sidenote: what do little brown and black girls want to be?)
In order for you to live a comfortable life in this country you have to be rich. The US dollar ain’t worth much these days. European tourists arrive with loads of cash and pillage our stores and real estate market. Chinese investors even plan U.S. home buying trips where the goal is to snatch up a residence in a great location.

Meanwhile, the average American can’t get a line of credit to save their lives. Renters are being evicted for not being able to pay rent, while home owners are getting crazy bail outs.

Perhaps it’s time the federal reserve team up with Mexico and Canada and get this elusive Amero plan off the ground. Like the Euro, which is whooping the US dollars behind, the Amero will be a unified currency accepted all along North America. One little hiccup in the plan is Mexico.

Not sure if you know but right now it is like Miami circa 1984 in Mexico. Nicky Barnes, Frank Lucas, Griselda Blanco have nothing on the drug lords that are terrorizing Mexico and basically strong-arming the country’s government.

If little poor kids in America aspire to be rappers and athletes, one can only imagine how hard Mexico has it discouraging its kids from becoming drug lords. The peso can’t hold a candle to the US dollar yet drug lords in Mexico are making it onto the Forbes Magazine list of the world’s richest people.

Here rappers sing about their exaggerated tales of being on the block. In Mexico drug dealers pay singers to pen songs about their recent real life drug trafficking adventures. They call the genre “Narco Corridos” or drug ballads.
Now, that is whole ‘nother level of gangster-dom.

Again, How do you tell a kid not to follow the money?

My parents always stressed going to school and getting a college degree so that I can have more earning power. Years after graduating from a “good school” my degree is still in the envelope the university mailed it in, on the bottom of my book shelf collecting dust. I, along with most of my friends, have fallen victim to lay offs and we half-heartedly joke about taking a trip downtown to apply for Food Stamps.

It’s real out here.

If I was a ten year old kid, I’d look at my options hard. I’d aspire to be a rapper, ball player, teacher and president. I’d throw as many darts at the wall and see what sticks.

At the end of the day (the most overused term ever!), don’t we all want to be able to walk into a store and drop a stack of Ameros on whatever we want?

- CH

Perhaps I’m not surfing the dark corners of the Internet closely enough but I haven’t come across any amazing conspiracy theories in a while. I’m sure paranoid people are still out there telling anyone who will listen that Prez Obama is the Anti-Christ (why the first black President has to the be the devil, I don’t know), the government flushed drugs into the hood (are they still doing it? If so why wouldn’t they make weed legal so that they can make more money off of it?) and America, Mexico, and Canada are looking to become a unified state (with all the drug wars going on in Mexico. . . I’ll pass).

I’m sure there are more than enough conspiracies out there regarding our government to scare the crap out of even the biggest critics. Thanks to Youtube.com I did some research and was able to find some for your viewing pleasure. For the record, I’m not stating that these are real or truth (nor is 99problems.org!) but they do make you think and can be amusing. Here are some of the best ones I’ve found:

1) It is pointed out how the US education system has been deteriorating through the years, which is linked to efforts to control the populace.

2)Spike Lee believes that the government detonated levees in a poor area of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina

3)This last video shows the power of the Federal Reserve over the American Economy.

What are some theories  you’ve come across?

- CH

Everyone wants to be a journalist but very few know what the real job of a journalist is. It’s not about two hour lunches, corner offices or red carpet events. Calling yourself a journalist isn’t all about entertainment journalism or blogging about your favorite rapper.

Journalism is a thankless job. You will not make millions, no one really knows your name nor will they value your work.

Everyday around the globe a journalist is killed, kidnapped, tortured or exiled for doing their job. Right now, two American journalists are sitting in a North Korean prison, sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for – of all things – crossing into the country’s border with an assignment.

Laura Ling and Euna Lee work for former Vice President Al Gore’s San Francisco-based Current TV media venture. North Korean guards arrested Ling and Lee near the China-North Korean border on March 17. The two were reporting about the trafficking of North Korean women at the time of their arrest, and it’s unclear if they strayed into the North or were grabbed by aggressive border guards who crossed into China. A cameraman and their local guide escaped. Details of their arrest are sketchy since the media of North Korea is government controlled. Monday, after a five day trial, the two women were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor for “hostility toward the Korean people.”

You may be thinking, 12 years for that?

In order to understand the absurdity of North Korea’s verdict, you need to understand the country that is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Following World War II, Korea was split into two occupied zones. The north was occupied by the Soviet Union. The South as occupied by America. In 1950, the two sides began a war for total control of the region resulting in the Korean War. Three years later, a truce was drawn, but on May 26, 2009 North Korea withdrew from the truce.

North Korea is a loose cannon. It is a communist dictatorship masked as a democratic state. It’s current leader is Kim Jong-il, the son of the country’s one and only president Kim Il-Sung who passed away in 1994 but was proclaimed the “Eternal President”. Freedom of expression is outlawed in North Korea including culture, religion or speech. Anyone who speaks out against Jong-il and the government is swiftly imprisoned and never heard of again.

Here’s an interesting look at life in North Korea:

src="http://video.google.com/googleplayer.swf?docid=-3742145385913859804&hl=en">

Some are hinting that the imprisonment of Ling and Lee isn’t just about the ladies crossing a border. It’s no secret that Americans in foreign land are highly prized chess pieces. Usually, American politicians go over and mash out a deal to release the Americans or get a lighter punishment. There’s no word on who, if anyone, President Obama plans to send over and work thing out.

The Taliban has captured Americans in an attempt to get people released from Guantanamo Bay. Earlier this year Somali pirates held and American captain ransom. There is a possibility that Ling and Lee’s sentence was so severe in a passive aggressive attempt to stick it to South Korea and its ally the United States, which are pushing for U.N. sanctions to punish North Korea for its latest nuclear blast and barrage of missile tests.

In case you didn’t know, North Korea hates America and all countries that associate with us. For years, they’ve been illegally building nuclear weapons and recently started testing them. By hell or high water, North Korea’s goal is to become a dominate world power.

Political ploy aside, should these two women who were doing a job they love have to suffer for this? Would you want to be a journalist if it meant every story you covered lead to your possible death or arrest? Would you rush to the comments section of your favorite website if you know your views would be held against you by the government? Well, the growing popularity of citizen journalism and blogs in oppressed countries is resulting in just that.

Journalists needs to receive the same respect as a firefighter, solider, cop, doctor. A journalist has the ability to saves lives, make change, heal wounds. Dare I say it, being a journalist, a real journalist is one of the hardest jobs in the world.

- CH

Peep the Rousing Applause

I know more about Sonia Sotomayor than I do my next door neighbor. Since being announced as Prez Obama’s pick to replace retiring Justice David Souter of the U.S. Supreme Court, her life has been plastered all over the media. The last time I took note of a Supreme Court nominee was Clarence Thomas, whose hearings regarding his tryst with Anita Hill made him a household name.

It’s safe to say the reason why Sotomayor is getting so much coverage is because she is Latina and grew up poor. Period. End of Story.

Don’t believe it? Check the headlines:

• “Sonia Maria Sotomayor rose from the projects”
• “Sotomayor seen through filter of ethnicity”
• “Sonia Sotomayor: a Role Model for Kids with Diabetes”

Why, after the historic election of President Obama, are we still awe struck by accomplished folks of color? The focus on Sotomayor growing up in the projects (for the record she only lived there for a few years before her family moved to a co-op), her parents being from Puetro Rico and her being diagnosed with child diabetes is touching, but should that matter? Is that more important than her stance on abortion, gun control, civil rights and employment discrimination?

Then there’s the flipside to her nomination, or shall we call it the race card.

Manu Raju writes on Politico.com:

Republicans may face a backlash if they’re seen as charging too hard against a nominee who’s both a woman and a Hispanic. Red-state Democrats will be under pressure from the right, which will make sure that their conservative-to-moderate constituents know all about Sotomayor’s most controversial views. And some GOP Senate candidates may find themselves on the horns of an unhappy dilemma: Do you play to the conservative base or to Hispanic voters who could play a huge role in their 2010 races?

While Republicans and Democrats plot political gains from Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court, what will it mean for the rest of us?

Black people of America thought Clarence Thomas was going to do major work on our behalf once he was appointed to the Supreme Court but haven’t heard as much as a peep out of him.

There is no denying that Sotomayor is a success story. She’s the result of a single mother household who received a world class education, from attending private school to graduating from Princeton and Yale Law School. Prez Obama spoke so highly of her during this week’s press conference stating that Sotomayor is more distinguished than any current Justice was when they were nominated. Talk about a diss to the sitting judges. But that got me to thinking about something my parents always told me, “In order for you to compete in society you have to work twice as hard just to be acknowledged.” It’s true; it takes a lot of work and accomplishment for folks to see past your skin color so why are we focusing on Sotomayor’s pigmentation and not her platform?

Forgive me for not judging a book by its cover.

]]> http://99problems.org/2009/05/here-comes-the-judge/feed/ 0 http://99problems.org/2009/05/the-x-facther-when-soldiers-snap/ http://99problems.org/2009/05/the-x-facther-when-soldiers-snap/#comments Thu, 14 May 2009 13:58:34 +0000 Chloe http://99problems.org/?p=1903

Soldiers have perhaps the hardest job in the world. They wake up in the morning happy to be alive, strap on their gear and go kill people before they kill them. It’s like being an inner-city police officer but worse.

When news of a U.S. solider opening fire on a stress clinic at Iraq military base Camp Liberty (these military names are great propaganda) broke, it came as no real surprise to me. Monday’s attack is the sixth time that a serviceman was killed by a fellow serviceman since Operation Iraqi Freedom began in March 2003. This week’s shooting ended in five dead. A suspect is alleged to be in custody.

What makes a solder snap?

To help understand this, let’s look at Hip Hop’s weird fascination with the military. The most memorable being Master P’s No Limit soldiers. They even had army tanks in their music videos. Now, most crews emulate the ranks of the military. 50 Cent is probably the hardest drill sergeant there is forcing his foot soldiers to obey command or risk being stripped of their rank. Ask Young Buck what happened when he stepped out of line. For every rapper that goes against his platoon’s orders there is another willing to write away his rights as an independently thinking man and fall right in line.

A good reason why soldiers snap is due to the insurmountable pressure put upon them to perform (in the case of Hip Hop, to sell records) and to not question authority. No-hit wonder Cannibus was actually a former solider yet he couldn’t survive the minefield that was the music industry. In Camp Bad Boy, any artist that doesn’t follow the rules of Master Chief Diddy gets the boot. The Lox questioned things and went AWOL. On the flip side Shyne tried to protect his superior as a show of gratitude and ended up in prison. It’s almost as if being a solder, no matter was field you are fighting on, is a no win situation.

The fact that this week’s slaying took place at a stress clinic isn’t just ironic but sad. How can you help a person that is going to walk out the door and return to the same stressful situation that made them walk in the door?

Imagine waking up every morning with the weighted stress of having to liberate the world, kill people (innocent or guilty) and march blindly into warfare at the command of your superior officers. At some point whether you agree with the mission at hand or not, you will begin to question if this is the right thing for you to be doing. Then comes the guilt of taking part in the killing of thousands of people. Let’s not even get into the soldiers who victimize the innocent people they are deployed to liberate.

Shouldn’t we be surprised that more soldiers aren’t losing it? Hell, in the ’80s postal workers were murkin each other over the pressure to deliver mail on time (hence the term “going postal”).

War doesn’t just kill our enemy; it damages our young men and women, who join the armed forces in hope of having a better life. Instead they come back mentally and physically broken or in a pine box.

- CH

For a long time, when I saw kids who were out of control, hugging the block, angry and violent I’d think, “It’s the parents’ fault.” While I still consider the lack of parenting and solid family structure as contributing to the demise of young people, I’ll admit that there are other factors outside of the home that are leading our youth to fail.

Congressman Robert C. Scott wants to save the kids or at least prevent them from falling victim to the lack of resources in their communities and ending up either dead or in jail. He recognizes the flawed and failing infrastructure as well as policies that are making it hard for young black and brown kids (as well as white) kids to succeed. Scott represents Virginia and serves as the Chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security.

If passed, Scott’s Youth Prison Reduction through Opportunities, Mentoring, Intervention, Support and Education (“Youth Promise”) Act will:

1.)         Form a local council called a Promise Coordinating Council (“PCC”) within communities facing the greatest youth gang and crime challenges

o       These PCC will include representatives from law enforcement, court services, schools, social service organizations, health and mental health providers and community-based organizations, including faith-based organizations

o       The PCC will then develop a comprehensive plan for implementing evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies

2.)         Hire and train law enforcement officers as youth-oriented police to work with PCCs, other community-based organizations, and high-risk youth. Establishes a Center for Youth-Oriented Policing

Supported by over 40 House members who are co-sponsoring the legislation and more than 140 organizations across the country including 99problems.org as part of The League of Young Voters Education Fund, the Youth Act has a good chance of passing when it reaches the floor.

But will it do what it’s set out to do?

If you look past all the political jargon, the Youth Promise Act plans to funnel government monies into local organizations that in turn will create programs (mentoring, after school, gang and drug prevention groups) to keep kids off the streets.

While this Act is commendable and has the potential to make a difference, I think it looks at a small percent of what the problem with our kids really is. Sure, the pressure to be paid and protected leads some kids to join gangs and sell drugs. There is no doubt that the lack of libraries, books, computers, etc is stifling the learning process of kids in the hood. Either way you find yourself assed out and caught up in some drama your mama can’t bail you out from.

These are the obvious.

I’m talking about the other factor: The kids, themselves, not wanting anything different.

The condition of young people is so set that even their conditioning has been conditioned. It’s like setting a caged animal free after 15 years. They might not know how to walk on grass or hunt for food. Where is the legislation to deal with youth people’s low self-esteem, psyches and shattered dreams? We could call it the “Youth Therapy Act”.

Or, what about legislation that teaches parents how to parent. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I strongly believe that men and women should have to pass a written exam and provide bank statements before being allowed to have children. There is no reason why it should be harder to adopt a dog or rent an apartment than it is to bring another life into the world. This would be the “Act like a Parent Act”.

The reality is the Youth Promise Act will pump money into poor communities, build new programs and offer support to existing youth-oriented programs.  The other reality is only a small percentage of the targeted kids will show up. Reason being the disenfranchisement of our youth goes deeper than lack of money, programs and opportunities. Still in all, I applaud Congressman Scott for this attempt at making a difference.

Now if only we can get someone in Capitol Hill to present a bill that stops the building of prisons.

- CH

Once again American forces have saved the day, popping up in the Indian Ocean to body the four Somali pirates that held U.S. cargo ship captain Richard Phillips captive for five days. Now all the European countries that had been punked by the water thugs for the last couple years are rallying on the heels of America to punish the pirates.

No doubt, more blood will be shed and the already frail country of Somalia—a country that hasn’t had a solid government since 1991, no economy and watches helplessly as mafia run shipping companies dump toxic waste on it’s shores—will be further devastated by those who want to punish it instead of help it.

The pirates vilified by the media are no more than fisherman, who made a living by selling fish and seafood caught off the shore of Somalia, dubbed the Horn of Africa. Left to their own devices they banded together and created a network that manned the shores and waters. Frustrated by the dumping and the damage to their livelihoods they began to tax and hold for ransom boats that entered their territory.

Their mentality: “You not just gonna up in my hood and f*ck my land up. You got to pay!”

Does this sound familiar?

If you live in any hood across America, you have witnessed something similar. Impoverished neighborhoods treated as dumping grounds and its people as pawns. Children attend schools with no windows and cracked roofs, no supermarkets or chain stores will build on the underdeveloped lands, mass transit is sketchy, business are forced to close, homeowners are beaten over the head by inflated mortgages.

Yet, on this side of the pond, what is the hood doing to change the situation?

Where is the grassroots mobilization, the community within the community that says, “we understand you don’t respect us but we respect ourselves enough to keep what money we have in this community, to create jobs, teach ourselves, etc…”

The Black Panthers did it and were quite successful…for a period of time.

Ask young black or brown kids living in the hood what’s the problem and their response:

“We killing each other.”

“We hungry, tryna eat.”

“It’s hard in these streets.”

Americans have no idea what hunger and poverty is.

Life in Somalia: Personal stories

Eight residents of Somalia’s capital, Mogadishu, tell us what the new government’s priorities should be and how they have survived 13 years of anarchy.

Mahamut: Scrap metal worker

“I smash the foundations of the US embassy wall to get steel rods to sell”

Halima: Refugee

“I am too busy looking for food to think about the peace process”

Abdi: Refugee

“I see a dark future for my children. There are no schools or health services”

Gangs here fight with each other over turf, small time drug trade and egos. Nothing is done to better the community. There is no structure or hierarchy or goal outside of selfish ones. This isn’t to say that the people of Somalia aren’t the victims of gangs who are taking advantage of the country’s weak state.

Let’s not even call them pirates anymore…the community activities of Somali saw their people dying and their land being raped and did something about it.

They are really starving.

They are really trying to eat.

They are really fighting the man.

Can you say the same for the goons who claim to run your hood?

- CH

I haven’t been food shopping in over a month.

I should grow my own food, but don’t. Jay-z said “dig a hole” and maybe I should. Fill it with some seeds, sprinkle with water and some TLC. I’ll be feasting on next season’s dinner in no time.

Seriously, I would love to eat fresh, organic produce every day. A while back I came across this documentary about eight UK adults picked to live in the monkey section of a zoo and eat the exact same diet as monkeys—all fresh and raw fruits and vegetables. One man never saw cauliflower before. In the end they all lost weight, felt better, had improved some of their medical conditions and vowed to each healthier. There is even an American documentary out about the same sort of thing.

Don’t know about you, but I’m not trying to live in a cage in order to eat right nor am I willing to go broke buying overpriced organic produce. This leaves me with another option: urban farming. As part of 99problems.org, I’m always looking for solutions to problems facing the urban community. Perhaps bringing farming to the hood will end the on-going battle for quality supermarkets and fresh produce in poor communities as well as educating people about the power of Mother Earth.

Living in the big city means more concrete than grass. Where would I plant my seeds? Martha Stewart broke down how to create your own compos heap but I’m not trying to be labeled the funky neighbor hording banana peels and potato skins in a box.

During my weekly radio show, the topic of eating healthy was raised. This got me to wondering: At what point in society did we transition from farming our own foods to living off of processed foods, McDonald’s and High Fructose Corn Syrup?

You’d have an easier time finding bin Laden than you would a boxed/canned or bottled food that didn’t have high fructose corn syrup in its list of ingredients. Fun Fact: the higher up in the list of ingredients something is on the label, the more that product contains it. (i.e. If you pick up a bottle of apple juice and apple juice is the last thing on the list, put it down! Buy a bag of apples and juice them yourself.)

Perhaps farming in the hood would catch on if it was marketed right. Folks would house their mini-gardens on their window sills. Dudes on the block would start selling 100% Columbian dirt. When a fella asks if you’ve seen his hoe, he really means a hoe. Seed packages would be sold in corner stores and 7 Elevens and endorsed by Hip Hop celebs with great taglines:

Jay-Z Apple Seeds: One Jay-Z apple a day keeps the hate away

Lil Wayne Zucchini: It goes with everything, and makes bread too!

Beyoncé Butternut Squash: So pretty, so yellow, so smooth

Notorious B.I.G. Eggplant: Black and ugly as ever…however good for you.

I’ll rope up the ox and you grab the seeds

- CH

For the last seven years, Chloé A. Hilliard has been a culture/entertainment journalist, writing for the Village Voice, Essence, Vibe, King, and The Source. In addition to writing The X Fact(her), a hip hoppers humorous look at politics, she co-hosts I’m Sayin’ Radio, a weekly talk show, and aspires to be a vegan. Learn more about her on chloehilliard.com.