Taser Death: Howard Cook (York, PA)

It happened again! This time a 30-year old father of four has been ripped from his family because of extra-judicial electrocution techniques of a couple of York (PA) City police officers. [SOURCE]

It turns out that Howard Cook was a passenger in a car that was pulled over for a traffic violation by the Pennsylvania State Police. Mr. Cook had some outstanding warrants and the sight of the flashing lights made him nervous ... so he made what turned out to be a fatal mistake ... he got out of the car and ran.

The police had no way of knowing about the warrants when they began chasing Mr. Cook. They simply saw a Black man running and they pulled out their taser guns. They shot the man once with a taser gun during the chase ... and evidently they electrocuted him once more when they caught him near his home.

The York Police Department took Mr. Cook into custody and then noticed that he wasn't breathing. He was taken to the York Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

"He left four children by themselves. He has a great wife. He left a lot of family members and a lot of friends that really loved them," said Claudia Ortiz.

The two unidentified police officers involved are on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.

The coroner says an autopsy did not determine the cause of death.

I can't imagine that it is rocket-science. The police pumped 50,000 volts of electricity into the young man's body twice ... and his heart stopped. The young man was UNARMED and there is no evidence of drug use. He simply made the same mistake that most Black men make when they see flashing lights on top of a police car ... he got scared.

Now his four children no longer have a father. When will the police admit that there is something wrong when a so-called non-lethal weapons continue to kill American citizens on a weekly basis?

Wordless Wednesday: Obama Fried Chicken

As reported by Daily Mail

Taser Death: Glenn Norman (Camden County, MO)

It happened again! This time unidentified Camden County (MO) sheriff deputies electrocuted a 46-year old man until he stopped breathing and died. I'm sure that the deputies didn't mean to kill Glenn Norman. That doesn't change the fact that another 5'3", 140-pound UNARMED man is dead.

As I understand it, the Camden County Sheriff's Office responded to a 911 call stating a man had knocked on the caller's door and forced his way into the caller's home. The man turned out to be Glenn Norman. Norman's fiancee said that he was visiting the house to ask for a drink. The homeowner didn't think so. That explains why the 911 call was placed to ask for police help.

The Camden County deputies arrived on the scene and approached Norman, who began to resist arrest. That was Norman's fatal mistake.

Deputies used their taser gun to subdue him with 50,000 volts of electricity. Norman was handcuffed ... and then he began to have trouble breathing. Paramedics were called ... but it was too late. Norman was pronounced dead at the scene.

No cause of death has been officially ruled. However, it shouldn't be too hard to figure out. The guy was alive ... then he was shot with a taser gun ... then he was dead. The cause of death seems self-evident.   You have to wonder who's life was in danger when the tasers were deployed.   There were four deputies on the scene and this UNARMED man was small in stature -- only 5'3" tall.   Were the police in fear of their lives?

The family is now telling their side of the story. [VIDEO]

The Missouri State Highway Patrol has been requested to conduct the official investigation of the incident, and an autopsy is underway.   Glenn Norman did a stupid thing by resisting arrest ... however the penalty for being stupid should never be the death penalty.

Is Sherri Shepherd Wrong for Negative N-Word Reaction to Barbara Walters?

I don't watch The View, so my soulclap goes to Your Black News for pointing me to the following video that shows a tense exchange between the women on the subject of the N-word. The ladies were discussing the recent 'Niggerhead' controversy with presidential candidate Rick Perry.

Watch the video and let's talk afterwards.





The most remarkable part of this discussion came from one of the Black panelists -- Sherri Shepherd. She had a negative reaction to hearing Barbara Walters use of the N-word. Shepherd was candid in noting that she didn't have any reaction to Whoopi Goldberg when she used the word at the beginning of the discussion.

The word is the same in either case. The only difference is the skin color of the two women who uttered the word. Whoopi is Black. Barbara is white.

I've heard this commentary from many Black people over the years. However, it became obvious to me that there is no excuse for a distinction. If we think that the N-word should be eliminated ... it should be eliminated by EVERYONE ... not just white folks like Rick Perry or Barbara Walters.

It dawns on me that Sherri Shepherd's position is the same irrational racism that we hate when we hear it from members of the Ku Klux Klan. Shepherd had an emotional response because of the color of Barbara's skin. Period.

That is wrong in my view. The rule should be clear -- don't use the N-word. Period. What say u?

Gov. Chris Christie Announces That He's Available for Vice-Presidency

I see that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced AGAIN that he will not be running for president in 2012. Christie, 49, has said for months that he would not seek the Republican nomination to run against President Barack Obama next year, saying he is not ready.





Maybe people ought to take him at his word.

I understand that Republican Party donors (like Karl Rove) and party activists were putting a full-court press on Christie (known to some as Gov. Krispy Kreme) to reconsider his decision. However, Christie saw what happened to another governor ... Rick Perry ... when he was unprepared for big-time presidential politics. The lesson learned from Perry is that you shouldn't try to do what you're not prepared to do. You'll only embarrass yourself (NOTE: Sarah Palin is another example!).

I suspect that the next call-to-action for Christie will be answering questions about the vice-presidency. I wonder if he wants to be on the ticket with Mitt Romney?  Christie said that he wouldn't be interested ... but, methinks that Christie has said that he didn't want dessert a few times and then later changed his mind.  So, why don't we think he can change his mind on the vice-presidency?

Hank Williams Learns That It is Never a Good Idea to Compare ANYONE to Adolph Hitler

Country singer Hank Williams was on a morning television show the other day where he thought it was a good idea to compare President Obama to Adolph Hitler.

Fox Anchor Gretchen Carlson asked Williams who he liked in the GOP race, which he replied “Nobody.” A shocked Steve Doocy exclaimed, “Nobody!?”

This triggered Williams to bash Obama and Boehner’s golf game and compare the president to Hitler. All three Fox and Friends anchors sat nonplussed in utter bewilderment.

”Yeah, I don’t understand that analogy, actually,” responded a perplexed Brian Kilmeade.

“Well, I’m glad you don’t, brother, because a lot of people do,” Williams snapped. “You know, they’re the enemy. They’re the enemy.” Kilmeade was thrown for a loop. “Who’s the enemy?”

“Obama!” Williams thundered.

The Fox News anchor tried to step back from the comparison of the president to the Nazi leader. “I just want to say that we disavow any of those comments or analogies that he’s made, at least I’m going to say that, disavow the analogy between Hitler and the president.”





ESPN has been paying Hank Williams for the past 20 years to start every Monday Night Football broadcast with a rowdy song that we all know -- Are You Ready for Some Football?! The sports network pulled the video from its broadcast last night as a result of the 'Hitler' comments earlier in the day from Williams.

Williams understood that he messed up big-time and he tried to apologize:

“Some of us have strong opinions and are often misunderstood. My analogy was extreme – but it was to make a point. I was simply trying to explain how stupid it seemed to me – how ludicrous that pairing was.

They’re polar opposites and it made no sense. They don’t see eye-to-eye and never will. I have always respected the office of the President.

Every time the media brings up the Tea Party it’s painted as racist and extremists – but there’s never a backlash – no outrage to those comparisons… Working class people are hurting – and it doesn’t seem like anybody cares. When both sides are high-fiving it on the ninth hole when everybody else is without a job – it makes a whole lot of us angry. Something has to change. The policies have to change.”

I find it interesting that Hank Williams tried to deflect responsibility for his own stupidity by (a) blaming the media and (b) using the race card. Williams brought this shyt-storm down on himself. There was no mention of race by anyone in the interview. The idea of race must have been rollin' around in his head. It seems that Williams and other Tea Party types are becoming bolder and bolder. They feel that they can say and do whatever is on their mind without consequence. Williams learned this week that there are consequences when you go too far!

Obama's Weekly Address: Fighting for the American Jobs Act

President Obama knocked away the claim from Republicans that he didn't have a written plan for creating jobs when he introduced the American Jobs Act last month. Evidently, he has been receiving letters of support from American citizens. In his weekly message he discusses these letters that ask for action on jobs. Mr. Obama also calls on Congress to pass the American Jobs Act right away to cut taxes, create jobs and provide a win for the American people.

Watch the video or read the transcript.

Time is Running Out: Check Out Your Ohio Voter Registration

There is still time to check and change your voter registration.

Check your voter registration to make sure you are registered. Check here.

The deadline for voter registration is October 11.

Check to make sure your name and address are current.

Change your name if it’s different from the last time you voted.

Change your address if you’ve moved since the last time you voted.

Note: Ohio does not have online voter registration, nor can you change your name and address online. You must mail or hand-deliver the registration form. The form to change your name and address is the same as the one used to register to vote.

Get your voter registration form and see the drop-off locations here.

Election Day is November 8, 2011.

Get more information to protect your vote at http://www.acluohio.org/issues/VotingRights.

Ain't No 'Niggerhead' Presidential Candidate Worthy of Our Vote; Rick Perry Should Seek to Eliminate the N-Word!

I 'spose that Herman Cain will think that I'm 'brainwashed' for thinking that its not cool for a presidential candidate to bring his family to a vacation lodge known by the locals as 'Niggerhead'. The Washington Post reported the following:

Ranchers who once grazed cattle on the 1,070-acre parcel on the Clear Fork of the Brazos River called it by that name well before Perry and his father, Ray, began hunting there in the early 1980s. There is no definitive account of when the rock first appeared on the property. In an earlier time, the name on the rock was often given to mountains and creeks and rock outcroppings across the country. Over the years, civil rights groups and government agencies have had some success changing those and other racially offensive names that dotted the nation’s maps.

But the name of this particular parcel did not change for years after it became associated with Rick Perry, first as a private citizen, then as a state official and finally as Texas governor. Some locals still call it that. As recently as this summer, the slablike rock — lying flat, the name still faintly visible beneath a coat of white paint — remained by the gated entrance to the camp.

Not cool. I don't want the leader of my nation to be so insensitive to the impact of the N-Word on African Americans. Even Herman Cain realizes that there is absolutely no place in the White House for a man who feels comfortable hunting and relaxing at a place known by that name.

Rick Perry should join us in working to eliminate the 'N-Word'.

Sunday Inspirations: Eliminate the N-Word (VIDEO)

Originally Posted: 8/29/2010


There was a time when the N-word was never used in our music or 
even by those of us who played the 'dozens' on our block. I'm old enough to remember when hearing the N-word out loud on the Roots mini-series was shocking and demeaning.

I've never been a hip-hop music fan. So, I guess I missed the transition to a time when the N-word became cool and fashionable. Heck, it is so cool nowadays that white female doctors feel free to say it loud and proud 11 times in a 5-minute rant on radio.

Personally, I've never thought of the N-word as a term of endearment. In my view, the word is a racial slur no matter who says it. I wouldn't use the word "Nazi" as a term of endearment for a Jewish person ... and my preference is that the other N-word not be used as a term of endearment for a Black person.

I've seen how the N-word can lead to ugly situations in our society. I think of lynchings whenever I hear the word. I don't see it as a friendly term that can be used by white folks or Black folks. In my view, whenever the N-word is used ... we are being disrespectful to our ancestors. My mother and father taught me better. My grandmothers and grandfathers taught them better. I pray that I'm teaching my three children better.

Villagers, it's time that we simply eliminate the N-Word entirely from our lexicon. It's not a word to use as a greeting ... or to complete sentences ... or to start conversations.

An 11-year old child, Johnathan McCoy, says it best in the following video clip:




I challenge all villagers to make a personal commitment to eliminate the N-word from their vocabulary. What say u?

Blog Safari #47

Join our rhino guide, Nyabingi, as she takes you through the afrosphere to find some truly creative Black bloggers. We use this semi-regular blog safari to expose you to some Black bloggers that you might otherwise overlook. Visit the links below to enjoy these suggested blog posts!

• At The Bar - Why I'm Sitting the Next One Out
• Field Negro - 'Sweet Home Alabama' is Only for the Documented
  
• Politics 365 - Obama, Smiley, West and the Politics of the Messiah
• Science Careers - Are African Americans Surging in Computer Science? 
• What About Our Daughters - TBS Prepares to Air Birth of a Nation: The Black Women's Edition Weekly

Let us know if you come across any remarkable posts that should be shared in our next Blog Safari!

Robert Johnson is Still an Obama-Hater (Video)

Robert Johnson is the former owner of Black Entertainment Television. He made over $3 billion when he sold that company a few years ago. He was a big supporter of Hillary Clinton when she was running for president back in 2008. He allowed his love of Hillary to cloud his view of Barack Obama. He became a very visible 'hater' of candidate Obama back in the 2008 election cycle.

Now we are entering into the 2012 election cycle and it appears that Mr. Johnson wants to continue his efforts to bash the president whenever possible. Here is video interview that he gave to CBS earlier this week:







What do you think about Robert Johnson?

Taser Death: Bradford Gibson (Mt. Pleasant, MI)

It happened again! This time Mt. Pleasant (MI) police Sgt. Sean Paull used his taser gun on an unarmed man who was being disorderly at a bar on Saturday, September 24. Paull pumped over 50,000 volts of electricity on two separate occasions from his taser gun into the body of 35-year old Bradford Gibson.

Gibson died a few hours later while in police custody. Speculation is that the death was directly related to the taser gun usage.

The police indicate that Gibson was "out of control" and didn't comply with orders in a timely manner. It seems that Gibson was being quite a jerk inside of the bar. He is accused of grabbing women and such. Of course, the police seem to forget that the penalty for disorderly conduct or resisting arrest is not supposed to be death.

The police issued a report yesterday that included the following:

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When told he had to leave the bar, Gibson at first did as he was instructed but then, when Paull arrived,

"It was apparent to me at this time that Gibson was not going to leave the property as requested," the officer said in the report. "I then asked Gibson to take a seat next to a cement pillar. I asked Gibson to sit down multiple times before he eventually complied and sat down in front of the pillar."

When Gibson stood again, Bliss told him he was under arrest for trespassing, and got his right hand cuffed, before Gibson began resisting, according to the report.

Police eventually got Gibson into the back seat of their patrol car.

Still, Gibson continued to try to get out of the car, Bliss drive stunned him twice on the leg, which moved him backwards enough for officers to shut the doors, according to the report.

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An autopsy has been completed but results could take as long as two weeks.

Herman Cain Insults Black Community When He Calls Them 'Brainwashed' for Not Supporting GOP

Herman Cain is feelin' his oats. He won the Republican president candidate straw poll held in Florida last weekend and now he's shot up 11 points to 3rd place in the polls. He's spouting off that he can win 33% of the Black vote if he runs against President Obama.

I can understand Mr. Cain feeling cocky this week. He's this week's GOP fad in the 2012 presidential campaign cycle. Rick Perry was the the most recent fad. Michelle Bachmann was the fad before that. Heck, even Donald Trump was a fad for awhile.

I cannot understand Mr. Cain being so arrogant and uppity as to indicate that Black people are 'brainwashed' because they don't vote for Republicans. That is how he responded when asked to explain why the Republican Party basically poison for so many African Americans?

Godfather Cain's reply, "Because many African Americans have been brainwashed into not being open-minded, not even considering a conservative point of view. I have received some of that same vitriol simply because I am running for the Republican nomination as a conservative. So it's just brainwashing and people not being open-minded, pure and simple."

My guttural response to Godfather Cain is simple -- 'Phuque You'. African Americans have looked at the GOP platform and policies ... and they've concluded that the GOP simply doesn't care about the Black community or its issues.   I still don't have a clue how any self-respecting Black man or woman could be part of the Republican Party.

GOP Enacts Voter Suppression Laws to Rig 2012 Election Results

The Republican Party is trying to suppress the votes of African Americans, elderly and students. Chris Matthews talks about voter suppression on his show recently.





The best way to combat these voter suppression efforts is to learn the new rules and follow them. Voting is our right ... and elections have consequences.

President Obama's 3rd Annual Back to School Speech: 'Set Your Sights High' (Video)

I remember when the president gave his first 'Back to School Speech' that was broadcast to the nation's students was quite a controversy. Republicans thought that he was brainwashing the youth to be Democrats for life. The 3rd annual speech was delivered earlier this week without the same level of concerns.

The President encouraged America's students to use their time in school to try new things, discover new passions and hone their skills to prepare themselves for the kind of profession they want in the future.





I appreciate Mr. Obama for continuing to highlight the importance of EDUCATION as our nation seeks to win the future.

Wordless Wednesday: Republicans 2012, Keeping Millions Out of Work

Am I Not Human? UNESCO-Obiang Science Award

Most of us know so little about Africa. For example, I didn't know very much about Equatorial Guinea. I didn't realize that the leader of Equatorial Guinea is now the longest serving ruler on the continent. What I sadly do realize is that being in office for a long time does not make you a good person.

Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, the president of Equatorial Guinea, is not a good person. Obiang and close family members have diverted tens of millions of dollars from their country's natural resource earnings to their private benefit. In spite of having attained the highest GDP per capita in Sub-Saharan Africa, 60 percent of Equatoguineans live on less than $1 a day in conditions comparable to Haiti or Chad. President Obiang has neglected to invest available resources in basic social services, resulting in declining primary school attendance, poor health indicators, and needless poverty.

President Obiang is trying to purchase a good image for himself by funding a life sciences prize via the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The $3 million UNESCO-Obiang Nguema Mbasogo International Prize for Research in the Life Sciences was set up in 2008 but has never been awarded. Implementation of the prize was frozen last year after an outcry from concerned Equatoguineans, human rights groups, anti-corruption campaigners, and prominent literary, scientific, and cultural figures. That action came about after prominent African figures, Latin American writers, Nobel laureates, scientists and public health professionals, press freedom groups, Cano prize winners, and rights organizations from around the world came together in an unprecedented effort to challenge the prize, citing serious concerns about Obiang’s record of corruption and abuse.

This issue is back on the UNESCO agenda at their next meeting in Paris on October 6, 2011. 

An effort by the Obiang government to reinstate the prize in May failed to make it onto the agenda.

But the current initiative has the nominal support of other African countries following an African Union (AU) resolution at its summit meeting in Equatorial Guinea in July, which Obiang hosted as this year’s AU chairman.

"UNESCO should not honor President Obiang," said Tutu Alicante, executive director of EG Justice, an organization based in Washington, DC. "If he wishes to fund science and education around the world, he should start with his own country, where many still lack basic services such as electricity and clean water, while the president and his family flaunt an extravagant lifestyle that is the subject of legal investigations around the world."

Public figures involved in the campaign against the prize have included: Nobel laureates Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu, Wole Soyinka, Mario Vargas Llosa, Claude Cohen-Tannoudji and John Polanyi; author Chinua Achebe; human rights advocate Graça Machel; and over 60 professionals from Equatorial Guinea.

You can join these world leaders by signing an online petition against the prize. 

I encourage all of our villagers to learn more about Equatorial Guinea. My hope is that UNESCO will put an end to this transparent effort by President Obiang to change the narrative of his life.

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Roots of Humanity feels that each of us can fight against human rights abuses in the world. We simply need to do something. Protest. Meditate. Pray. In the case of bloggers ... we want you to blog on the 27th of each month. Just share information on behalf of our human siblings in all suffering areas who are either barred from communication by their governments, or lacking in technology to ask: Am I Not Human?

Charlotte Police Want a 'Safer' Taser Gun

The Charlotte Police Department suspended use of taser guns after the taser-related killings of 17-year old Darryl Turner and 21-year old La'Reko Williams. After a two-month review the Charlotte Police Department wants to throw out their current inventory of tasers and spend $1.8 million to purchase a new model that is supposed to be safer. [SOURCE]

Among its safety features: the shock stops at five seconds regardless of how long an officer holds the trigger down.

The Charlotte City Council agreed to spend the money for the new tasers.

This blog feels that such a safety feature is a good one. It's a shame that it's taken weekly taser-related deaths for safety to be factored into the creation of these taser guns.

Obama's Speech to Congressional Black Caucus (Video)

There has been so much angst by folks about the remarks that President Obama gave to the Congressional Black Caucus folks over the weekend. He talked about a number of things including the American Jobs Act. He was in a fiery mode. Some call it his 'campaign' mode. Personally, I like this flow from him ... much better than trying to work with the folks on the other side of the aisle who simply 'hate' the guy.





Obama received about 95% of the African American vote in his 2008 election. He is polling much lower right now. I guess that Black folks are not feeling the love from his administration as much this year as they did in the past. 16% unemployment in the Black community is a big reason for the decline in popularity. I suspect that some are wondering if the situation would be any different under a President Mitt Romney or President Rick Perry.

What did you think about his speech to the Congressional Black Caucus folks?