Prison Fellowship International - New Zealand

the PRESIDENT OF PEACE?

A lot of people on both sides are commenting on the nomination of United States President, Barack Obama for a Nobel Peace Prize. With only 9 months into his Presidential bid, Mr. Obama has managed to accomplish what few have in the same amount of time.

Thorbjorn Jagland,the Nobel Peace Prize committee judge, said the decision was "unanimous" and came easily."Only very rarely has a person to the same extent as Obama captured the world's attention and given its people hope for a better future."

The Huffington Post wrote; "Members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee said their choice could be seen as an early vote of confidence in Obama intended to build global support for his policies. They lauded the change in global mood wrought by Obama's calls for peace and cooperation, and praised his pledges to reduce the world stock of nuclear arms, ease American conflicts with Muslim nations and strengthen the U.S. role in combating climate change."

Obviously, there are individuals who disagree with the nomination and they are usually the ones who disagree with mostly everything the President does. It is their own survival that is at stake so spouting dissention and confusion is what is in their best interests, not the unity and effort of solidarity for the American People. I, like most Americans, have serious ideological issues with certain individuals and have learned over the years to agree to disagree or to have an intellegent debate about the differences and still manage to get a fair amount of sleep. With that being said, I can respect a person who has an alternate view point as long as they can intellegently defend it. I, not unlike the President, have found common ground with those I respect and disagree because it's not personal with me. However, I have found it rare that those who report from the extreme sides of the coins maintain their objectivity and fairness. Perhaps that's why they are considered extreme in the first place.

Nevertheless, I think when it comes to the President, it goes beyond extreeme. In fact, I would go on a limb and say it borders hate and intentional disrespect for our (and theirs) Commander In Chief. When Senators like Jo Wilson of South Carolina feel it appropriate to shout out "YOU LIE!" during a Presidential address instead of speaking privately with the President or through a vote on the Senate floor or when Joe Scheidler of the Pro-Life Action League as he describes Obama's receiving the award "tokenism or that it cheapens the award to the point that it means nothing, it's just a token....He hasn't done a thing except talk. ... So it demeans the prize to the point that it has no significance. And it's a shame because it belittles all those people that went before." These comments among the countless others including the infamous poster of the President's face being painted as the "JOKER" by an anonymous creator or the First Lady as a stepit and fetchit slave goes beyond the normal acceptable boundaries.

So what's all the fuss about anyway? Who questions the committee who has delivered the nominations for decades? Could it be the leaders of the south still find it difficult to take direction from a Black man? Could it be they are still in robot mode and cannot flip that switch off Hannity and Rush talking points and THINK for themselves? OR is it just what we call in the hood, "hating"? I'm not sure perhaps it's a combination of all. The bottoom line for the JEDI is; "RESPECT THE OFFICE of THE PRESIDENCY even if you disagree with who is in the spot." Where are your good intentions? It's perfectly okay to criticize the President and to hold him accountable for his actions and policies just as we did Bush, it is entirely another thing to blatenly disrespect the MAN who is Commander in Chief on the level it has been done since November 2008. Get your debate game on, haters. Stop yelling out from the sidelines without being ready to offer some substantive solutions to the table. I don't mean one-sided, all or nothing, my way or the high way solutions either. Real, inclusive measures that are designed to give those of us who have not had the opportunity for CENTURIES a chance to CHANGE things for the masses and not just the few. OH but wait, I forgot that's not in "their" best interests, just ours!

DEATH of autotune!

YES, Jay-Z is back! and back with a vengeance indeed. His 11th album, The Blueprint 3, is a variety of melodies mixed with hardcore beats to fill the soul of the hip hop enthusiast. Jay has dominated a discipline that is mostly reserved for the younger rapper. With a cool 40 on the horizon this December, Jay is re energized and definitely feeling his swagger peak. Although his album is full of variety and complex lyrics, there is a familiarity to it that is classic Jay. One of the more interesting songs is not the most likely. DEATH of Autotunes. This rendition is better appreciated when combined with the video.

The full context of the song “Death of Autotune” is a condemnation of the existing patterns of music that are dominating the airways by popular producers like T-Payne, Rodger Troutman and Jamie Foxx where the human voice is synthesized to give a computer like tone. According to Jay-Z, the Autotune techniques that are currently used to create songs have overshadowed the need to create intricate lyrics or to use real musicians in creating music.

Jay-Z is clearly frustrated with the state of music and emphasizes that in DOA. In his first verse he rants;

“This is anti-Autotune, death of the ringtone.

This ain’t for itunes, this ain’t for sing-alongs…”

He is attacking the way in which the music industry has endorsed the dumbing down and vast commercialization of music and its lyrical content subjugating it to a fad, especially in hip hop. On a recent appearance on Bill Maher’s show, “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Jay-Z described some of the music being put out as befitting of a “Wendy’s commercial”. He reiterated that point in DOA when he raps;

“I know we facing a recession,

but the music y’all making gonna make it the great depression.

All your lack of aggression

pull your skirt back down, grow a set, man

n---a this shit violent

this is death of Autotune

moment of silence.”

In the previous line of that DOA verse, Jay-Z also attacked the current culture and the way in which they have concentrated too much on the appearances and producer’s studio gimmicks and not the substance of not just hip hop culture but the integrity of it when he writes;

“You n----s singin too much,

Get back to rap you T-Pain’n too much

I’m a multi-millionaire

So how is it I’m still the hardest n—a here?

I don’t be in the project hallway

Talkin’ bout how I be in the project all day

That sound stupid to me

If you a gangsta this how you prove it to me

N---a just get violent

This is death of Autotune,

moment of silence”

What Jay-Z is also showing in this verse is the hip hop culture was meant to embrace the struggle of the streets. Jay-Z believes his financial success should have placed him in an obsolete position, he feels he should not be still relevant in hip hop. Yet because of the mentality and the current obsession with commercialism (i.e., ringtones), he still is able to not only navigate the system but dominate it. He challenges the young rapper to stop talking about menial topics and expand his lyrical and musical base to say something worth saying and to say it in a clever way. He also gives him a “Blueprint (3)” of how to go about accomplishing this.

While hip hop has always been about describing the conditions in the inner city, including those in the projects, the intent was not to deify the lifestyle but to bring like to them and find a way out. In songs like DOA, Jay-Z challenges those who are self-described as “gangstas” to do what so-called gangstas like Sinatra and himself have done, innovate, create, and expand the base while keeping the integrity of the discipline alive.

IF we look deeper into the metaphoric symbolism of the lyrics we will notice in the beginning of the song, Jay-Z compares the gritty baselines and grimy feel of the DOA song with that of a “deadly weapon.” Despite what has been put out in the media and in commentary such as the one listed in the October 4, 2009 Sun-Times; "Letters to the Editor," he isn’t advocating physical violence in this song at all. What he is doing is creatively and intelligently using symbolism to characterize how hip hop music should be represented. He suggests the real essence of hip hop music is hard core in its presentation and that has been lost to trivializing it to ringtones and jingles. We he tells the listener “IF you a gangsta this is how you prove it to me, n---a just get violent…” he isn’t suggesting to go out and commit random acts of violence or to even engage in violence. What he is saying is get back to the basics, get back to substance and cultivate the lost art of hip hop music. Re-energize the integrity of the music through lyrics and through real musical approaches. REST IN PEACE, AUTOTUNES!

Iran in unrest

Thousands of protesters fill the streets of Tehran to show their anger over the allegations of stolen votes for President. Opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi is trying to convince the religious leaders to overturn the re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as President of Iran. This request has gone largely unheard with the supreme leader casting his affirmation for the President. These types of demonstrations have the potential of being a game changer and the US is looking on with renewed interests.

Okay, so Indicted Governor, Rod Blagojevich has seemingly thumbed his nose and a not so affectionate middle finger at the US Prosector's office and Patrick Fitzgerald by appointing Roland Burris to the vacant US Senate seat previously held by President-Elect Barack Obama. Many are questioning the Governor's sanity and his judgement through this appointment. Others are saying he is within his "legal" right to do so. What do you think? Voice YOUR thoughts here on the Jedi Blog and share that with your friends. Remember; "The WORLD needs to hear what you have to say!"

the SPEAK OUT!

(images belong to the companies they represent and their duplication and presentation is not meant to assume an endorcement of the blog posting in any manner.)

I received this via email from a friend. I hope you guys voice your opinions about the way our money is being handled and our fellow citizens are being treated by the Government. If you stay silent, no one will know what you have to say. Do you agree? Do you disagree? "The WORLD needs to hear what YOU have to say!" -Jedi '08

Hey, you senators: Thanks for nothing! A few parting words for the senators who squashed the auto rescue By MITCH ALBOM - FREE PRESS COLUMNIST Do you want to watch us drown? Is that it? Do want to see the last gurgle of economic air spit from our lips? If so, senators, know this: You’ll go down with us. America isn’t America without an auto industry. You can argue whether $14 billion would have saved it, but you surely tried to kill it.We have grease on our hands. You have blood. Kill the car, kill the country. History will show that when America was on its knees, a handful of lawmakers tried to cut off its feet. And blame the workers. How suddenly did the workers — a small percentage of a car’s cost — become justification for crushing an industry? And when did Detroit become the symbol of economic dysfunction? Are you kidding? Have you looked in the mirror lately, Washington? In a world where banks hemorrhaged trillions in a high-priced gamble called credit derivative swaps that YOU failed to regulate, how on earth do WE need to be punished? In a bailout era where you shoveled billions, with no demands, to banks and financial firms, why do WE need to be schooled on how to run a business?Who is more dysfunctional in business than YOU? Who blows more money? Who wastes more trillions on favors, payback and pork? At least in the auto industry, if folks don’t like what you make, they don’t have to buy it. In government, even your worst mistakes, we have to live with.And now Detroit should die with this? In bed with the foreign automakers Kill the car, kill the country. Sen. Richard Shelby, Sen. Bob Corker, Sen. Mitch McConnell, your names will not be forgotten. It’s amazing how you pretend to speak for America when you are only watching out for your political party, which would love to cripple unions, and your states, which house foreign auto plants. Corker, you’ve got Nissan there and Volkswagen coming. Shelby, you’ve got Hyundai, Honda, Mercedes-Benz and — like McConnell — Toyota. Oh, don’t kid yourself. They didn’t come because you earned their business, a subject on which you enjoy lecturing the Detroit Three. No, they came because you threw billions in state tax breaks to lure them. And now you want those foreign companies, which you lured, and which get help from their governments, to dictate to American workers how much they should be paid? Tell you what. You’re so fond of the foreign model, why don’t you do what Japanese ministers do when they screw up the country’s finances? They cut their salaries. Or they resign in shame. When was the last time a U.S. senator resigned over a failed policy? Yet you want to fire Rick Wagoner? Who are you people?More money for the lords of Wall Street There ought to be a law — against the hypocrisy our government has demonstrated. The speed with which wheelbarrows of money were dumped on Wall Street versus the slow noose hung on the auto companies’ necks is reprehensible. Some of those same banks we bailed out are now saying they won’t extend credit to auto dealers. Wasn’t that why we gave them the money? To loosen credit? Where’s your tight grip on those funds, senators? Where’s your micromanaging of the wages in banking? Or do you just enjoy having your hands around blue-collared throats? No matter what the president does, history will not forget this: At our nation’s most uncertain hour, you senators stood ready to plunge hundreds of thousands of American families into oblivion. Leave them unemployed, with no health care, on public assistance. And you were willing to put our nation’s security at risk — by squashing the manufacturing base we must have in times of war. And why? So you could stand on some phony principle? Crush a union? Play to your base? How is our nation better off today now that you kept $14 billion in the treasury? Are you going to balance the budget with that? Don’t make us laugh. Kill the car, kill the country. You tried to slam a stake into our chest; you don’t realize how close you are to the nation’s heart. Shame on your pettiness. Shame on your hypocrisy. This is how lawmakers behave two weeks before Christmas? Honestly. What has become of this country?

Is it time to forgive Michael Vick?

Former Atlanta Falcon's multi-purpose quarterback, Michael Vick pleaded guilty to a Virginia state dogfighting charge. The plea agreement was a calculated move that now positions Vick to be eligible to leave Federal Prison early. In exchange for the plea, Vick received a three-year suspended sentence, a fine and four years probation for his role in the 2007 dogfighting incidents which resulted in him being suspended by the NFL. The fine will be suspended if Vick pays court costs and keeps the terms of the probation. The charges against Vick carried a maximum sentence of 10 years.

Vick is scheduled to be released from federal prison July 20, 2009. The state plea agreement allows Vick to participate in the Federal Bureau of Prisons re-entry program. The program may include an early release and a stay at a halfway house for up to six months.

The question is: Is it time to forgive Michael Vick for his dogfighting role and allow him to return to the NFL? He most likely will receive a rough reception from many animal lovers around the nation if an NFL team has the guts to allow him back not to mention the public relations nightmare the brave team who accepts him into their fold will receive. But has Vick paid enough for his crime? He's serving a 23 month Federal Prison Term, he's lost all of his income, he's filed for bankruptcy, his NFL future is in jeopardy, he's a father and has to earn to support his family. So, has he paid enough? Should he be banished for life like Pete Rose was in Baseball? What do you think?

Ladies & Gentlemen, MR. PRESIDENT!

I dont' think words can really express this historic moment so, I give you the 44th PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, BARACK HUSSEIN OBAMA! -photo from the front page of the Chicago Sun Times Newspaper.

This past Sunday, American Forces raided a small farm inside the Syrian Border killing eight people. The US claimed it was hunting Al-Qaeda members who were responsible for the recent number of insurgents found crossing the Iraq border and causing some of the damage to our American soldiers. Some see the raid as part of the ongoing war on terror where the US has vowed to following terrorists wherever they are. Yet, still others look at this as a well planned "October Surprise" instituted by the GOP and the Bush Administration as an attempt to alter the Presidential Elections and to stall some of the momentum recently enjoyed by Democratic Presidential Candidate, Barack Obama. Whatever the reason, whatever the outcome, we have to be critical of the motives considering the past revelations of the Bush Administration. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Is this an October Surprise or is this a legitimate raid on a threatening nation? Post your comment because, "the world NEEDS to hear what YOU have to say!"

Remix: Al Gore's Challenge to Repower America

I think we ALL should begin to think for ourselves about energy in AMERICA. Stop letting those who have been running this country into the ground for YEARS tell you we need to keep drilling. It's insane logic. There are other countries who are almost 90% free from oil and fossil fuels. So what does that mean? It means the technology IS HERE NOW! The powers that be are trying to block innovation and progress because the benefit from the oil destruction. STAND UP, Jedi Followers.