“A Glory Over Everything:” History’s Invisible Veil

For Mother’s Day, Hariett Tubman, Sarah and Angelina Grimke and many other women show up as first person sources in my new book-length conversation (60 pages) about faith and obstacles, family and triumph in the 19th century. It shares the stories of several Charleston’s families; at home, in Philadephia, Washington, DC, and at Hilton Head for the nation’s first emancipation celebration.

The book includes photographs by Dorothea Lange and Marion Wolcott Post from the Library of Congress FSA collection, art by Sarah Whitman Wyman, a pioneer book art designer (courtesy the Boston Museum), and period engravings from Harper’s Weekly and Leslie’s Weekly.

Politics today favors setting up an artifice fitting bits of experience and data into the categories of the artifice–a clever way to expedite deceptions. Yet in the American tradition, the heart sees and reflects experience, the inner voice explores the yoke and logic found inside of key contradictions, rather than turning the contradictions into a foil, enabling defeat.

American politics in the 19th century nurtured and raised the inner dialogue of conscience to a highly visible public discourse. The words of the heart met reason, clashed in fierce, high debate, and exhibited physical and moral courage.

Using first person sources from abolitionists, slave brokers, women, the enslaved, poets that include Sarah Grimke, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Archibald Grimke, Henry Laurens, Susan King Taylor, Harriet Tubman and others, the Griot’s ebook is “a seamless historical narrative that negates the mistruths of today’s mythmakers (the words of one reader!),” told thru stories of women and families that faced the physical and moral challenges and dangers of 19th century politics. If you are interested in those voices, and their contrast to today, listen to what their words and lives have to say.

The book commemorates the 147th jubilee of African-Americans, and is my gift to all!

View this document on Scribd

The View From Mitt Romney’s Balance Sheet

English poet John Donne understood something Mitt Romney doesn’t get; in his poem, “Devotions on Emergent Ocassions: Mediation XVII.” Donne writes the familar adage, “no man is an island,” telling we are connected in ways beyond profit and loss.

Mitt Romney sees the world as a balance sheet, devoid of connection to real human lives. For him, the social causes of death thru inadequate health care or insurance coverage, food aid, medical supplies are no different than a GM recall, a supply chain issue or by-product of poor quality control–or simply the cost of doing business. His suggestion for the housing bubble, to let the banks absorb the defaults and the market dispense the inventory, expresses the same central idea: profit and loss counts for more than its effect on people and families; a principle at the heart of his business activities at Bain.

Take into account his offshore banking. Does America want a President with offshore accounts, the same way that African dictators hold money in Swiss accounts? I remember the noisy flap about Barack’s American flag pin, but silence meets the issue of Romney’s PIN numbers and his offshore millions.

Telling in the Times article on JPMChase is the unwillingness of anyone to speak for the record. Yes, investigations are ensuing; yes, they are unauthorized; but the muffling of voices, the almost palatable fear, is a compelling reason to impose controls that cannot be done internally. Without it, “the center will not hold.”

Mayor Booker’s Desire

Where was Mayor’s Booker’s desire for an election that “will not be about the small things, will not be about divisiveness, will not be about denigrating, will not be about painting with a broad brush,” when his governor said the President is the most ill-prepared President in our history, or when Gingrich called him the “food stamp President,” or when daily  Romney deliberately, repeated distorts, exaggerates, and misrepresents the President’s record and words?

Booker, a Stanford MBA, simply revealed his corporate stripes. He’s a mayor chasing corporate jobs and investment for his city, whose skills at diplomacy went blank in a moment that betrayed his true allegiance to the agenda of the 1% in the hopes that they will call Jersey City home.

And About Rev. Wright

(Comment)
As a pastor ordained in the same united church of christ denomination as Jeremiah Wright, it pains me to see him again being held up as some sort of black racist by the republicans whilte democrats silently seem to agree. Wright has done more for blacks in chicago then any mayor and certainly more than any who condemn him while never stepping into his church or listening to any complete sermon other than pre-selected soundbites. He and his church have sent hundreds of poor kids to college, housed seniors, worked to combat AIDS and on and on. The diatribe about black liberation theology is more a sign of people’s ignorance about a theology which has informed thousands of people including white catholic priests in south america. But then even the pope got nervous at the thought of poor blacks having a voice and bannished them so I guess Wright is in good company.

Poetry, Girl Friends and the Political Muse

Hummh? Except for Bill Clinton, few 18 years are thinking about 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW. Which may explain why he acted like an 18 year old when he arrived.

The colonial-cosmopolitan narrative of the new book has been around since before China’s Zhou Enlai came to Paris to study in the 1920s. When Leopold Senghor, Aime Cesaire, and Leon Dumas, students from Africa and the Caribbean, wrote poetry in Paris in the 1930s, (hailed by Sartre, Camus, and Gige!), they founded the negritude movement to reclaim a heritage denied. Barack attempts to resolve this dilemma more broadly. His view of T. S. Eliot had depth and originality—say two Eliot scholars who wrote Times critiques of his letters. Girl friends? The letters show a facile intellectual depth and reach missing in American politics, except in the era of the Bundy boys, Abe Fortas; that crew.

But Barack’s hottest relationship is the one in plain sight. When eagles select a mate, they lock talons and go into free fall; a complete surrender, sharing the risk of death to establish their thourough trust in each other. I believe the GOP reacts in silent outrage at the Obamas’ chemistry because it pales other Presidential partnerships.( Their unadmitted inadequacy directs their collective ire to women.) The Obama White House reinforces love and family in a celebration we can see, share, and cheer. Every kiss on the cheek has heat; the sounds of talons locked.

(Comments)
–It’s so refreshing to see a politician who read and had profound insights into poetry. I will vote for Obama just for that!

–”On Sunday mornings “drinking coffee and solving The New York Times crossword puzzle, bare-chested, wearing a blue and white sarong.””

–My boyfriends back in the day were more likely to be drinking a brewski and firing up the bong on the fire escape while thumbing through the East Village Other on Sunday mornings during my college years in NYC. But, instead of the 80s, the UWS and Columbia, it was the ’60s, East 10th St, and the School of Visual Arts.
I don’t think any of them became President, but it was all such a big blur.
You can bet I’m voting for the guy in the sarong. Weee ohhhhh!

–Once again, Gail tries to define the upcoming election as anything but a referendum on Obama’s first term in office.

–A referendum requires no comparison with the alternative. Given the nature of the alternative, it’s no wonder they want it to be a referendum.

Our Silence Means Consent

My good friend from California had the highest recommended New York times editors pick today on Charles Blow’s column regarding the latest thrust against Barack, a plan funded by billionaire to smear the President as a metro-sexual. Hers, and an additional comment appears below.

“No president can be knocked for such an ambition.”
You’re right. No president can be knocked for trying to do well by his fellow citizens and wanting to be remembered well for it.

Mr. Obama’s opponent, however, can be knocked for repeatedly staying silent when confronted with obviously racist talk, or initiating it himself, as he did last February. In my book, Mr. Romney is as guilty of racism as any of the discredited Republicans of just the last six months. The list begins with Pat Buchanan and ends with the most recent one, John Derbyshire.

There is no excuse for what the GOP has been doing these past 4 years. None. I know in my heart that our young as well as many of my contemporaries do not want racism, sexism and many of the isms we’ve tried so hard to do away with, to become the law of the land again. I believe in our nation’s will to effect change and repudiate the old ways. I can’t wait for November 6.

(Second comment)
I grew up white in the white suburban Midwest, a late Boomer. I admit it. I fully expected we would be on Mars by now. I fully expected we would all be driving electric cars by now. And although my high school of 1800 had maybe 20 African-Americans, I fully expected that racism and unthinking prejudice would be cured by the 21st Century. I suppose my naiveté caught up with my optimism, both of which ran straight into the wall of 2012 reality and now lie on the ground in a pile of shattered dreams. Yes, much progress has been made but when I see a white man who made a billion bucks–a billion–just turn back the already tardy clock of social progress, I have to wonder how it is we still make a virtue of wealth divorced from simple human decency.

The Economy? No! The Sexual Images of Black Males Is the Billionaire Secret Campaign Weapon

Consider three American images: the African Mandingo; the erotic, savage brute, with urges unchastened; restrained only by force, law, and Western civilization, made productive by profit; Goat cart Porgy (Porgy and Bess), deneutered, cut off at the knees, harmless, a little pathetic, but a misty-eyed dreamer a “go along, get along” guy who presented no threat and was endearing and safe; and now, the newly but rapidly cultural construct generated for the single purpose of redefining black male sexuality for the intent of supporting an agenda that targets the “invisible man” (remember the “missing” years?) who kept on running and figured out how to win the last Presidential race, and is now being tar brushed with the whispers of deviance, evil allusions, so wrong their untruth creates numbing pain, the tightening of breath–a construct that has as many levels of evils implied as video game kills, and America seems rushing toward a prurience that is crude, ugly and morally violent, casted as fun and discussion, while claiming no effect on public psyche , simply an all-fair, convenient shorthand in a memo.

But its outer actions are revealing very strange inner voices . . .

In the cultural atring above, some of the words alude to cultural ideas from other eras to show how cultural meanings are woven into our thinking and acts. But this newest construct is deliberate, thought up and planned with the express idea of making a popular cultural appeal to damage Barack Obama’s image.Culture is often bottom up; this is top down–with funding!

Some say this legacy takes root in Lee Atwater’s tactics. His legacy goes back to Nixon’s southern strategy to scare whites from voting for Democrats, to use race as a wedge, but not a stick (yes, I’m splitting hairs!). Lee worked for Thurmond, and by Dukakis’ run, he and Mark Goodin created the nightmare of Willie Horton. I actually had a direct conversation with Googin before a meeting he had with Marily Quayle. The Horton ad emerged from Mass. intelligence, Horton’s furlough and crimes scored Dukakis’ highest negatives in his home state; it was a no brainer for political operatives to use. I protested the racial attitudes embedded in the commerical and got an acknowledgement that they knew they were present.

My hair splitting point: Lee, Mark told the truth about using racial context. But they didn’t aim it at candidates–Jesse Jackson, or House members. Jesse Helms did in NC, and for them, he crossed a line: use race as an appeal but not as a personal attack (wedge ok. stick no.) We have edged far from that line. A group of us who eat together nightly keep waiting for the first direct racial appeal by a candidate: “I’m white! Vote for me.” This new mix of sex into the racial brew hasn’t been seen since Scottsboro (the rape case) in the 30s, and school integration in the 60/70s. And it really is the first time a black male has been denigrated for imagined proclivities virulently anti-woman. Even popular gay media cross-dressers/characters were femine, and admiring of feminity. This image of Barack is the open ark of exreme hate.

The Whole of David Cameron’s Speech of the 12th on the Economy

The British Prime Minister’s speech is presented here below in its entirety without edits or changes, directly from his official web site. /wr

We are living in perilous economic times. Turn on the TV news and you see the return of a crisis that never really went away. Greece on the brink; the survival of the Euro in question. Faced with this, I have a clear task: to keep Britain safe. Not to take the easy course – but the right course. Not to dodge responsibility for dealing with a debt crisis – but to lead our country through this to better times.

My message today is that it can be done. We are well on the way in this journey.

Since we took office two years ago, we have cut the deficit by more than a quarter. Yesterday, we had encouraging news on unemployment, too.  The number of people in work – up by 100,000 in the last quarter. And the number of new business start-ups last year was one of the highest in our history. So now more than ever this is the time to stand firm.

Let me be clear: we are moving in the right direction – not rushing the task, but judging it carefully. And that is why we must resist dangerous voices calling on us to retreat. Yes, we are doing everything we can to return this country to strong, stable economic growth. But no, we will not do that by returning to the something for nothing economics that got us into this mess.

We cannot blow the budget on more spending and more debt.

It would squander all the progress we’ve made in these last two, tough years. It would mean tough decisions lasting even longer. It would risk our future. It’s not an alternative policy, it’s a cop-out.

The Challenges

In keeping Britain safe and building the recovery we face three challenges.

First, the struggle to recover from a long and deep recession at home.

Second, the turbulence coming from the Eurozone.

And third, the uncertainty over whether the world is on the right economic path, with debates about trade policy and how to support growth.

We need to find the right answer to all three. And our answers must be rooted in the reality of the global situation. This is not a conventional economic crisis, of the kind Britain has had to deal with in the recent past. This is a debt crisis.

Deficit reduction and growth are not alternatives. Delivering the first is vital in securing the second. If markets don’t believe you are serious about dealing with your debts, your interest rates rocket and your economy shrinks.

Britain can not cut itself off from what happens elsewhere. As our biggest trading partner, the problems in the Eurozone are affecting Britain too. As we prepare for the potential storms we should be both resolute and confident. Resolute because we will do what it takes to shelter the UK from the worst of the storms.

Outside the Euro we do have greater flexibility. We have our own currency and our own central bank with responsibility for monetary and financial stability. We have trade relationships with all parts of the world.

We invest more around the world per capita than America. And last month our trade in goods with countries outside the EU hit a new record at £13 billion. We will make the most of this flexibility to drive the strong deficit reduction programme, and secure the strong banks that will be necessary to keep interest rates low. And we should be confident because of our strengths.

Just today General Motors has given Britain and its workforce a fantastic vote of confidence by backing continued production at Ellesmere Port.  The UK Government gave this its full backing.  The unions supported the necessary changes. The workforce has responded magnificently.  It is a British success story. And General Motors are not alone.

Look across the country, at Honda in Swindon, Jaguar Land Rover in the West Midlands, Toyota in Derby and Nissan in Sunderland. Britain’s car industry is growing.

Indeed, this week our balance of trade in cars turned positive in the first quarter – for the first time since 1976 when Jim Callaghan went to the IMF. And it’s not just our car industry which is strong.  Life sciences, pharmaceuticals, information technology, aerospace, the creative industries, services.  Britain has a stronger base from which to grow.

We have a global language. A time zone where you can trade with Asia in the morning and America in the afternoon. Some of the best universities in the world. And a government that’s committed to making Britain the best place in the world in which to start a business.

With these strengths I believe we can see Britain through the storm. But to do so we need to act at home, and together with our European and global partners.

Pages: 1 2 3

Cameron Roars Like A Lion, But His Economy Performs Like A Lamb

British economist had this to say in a recent blog post:

When I’m asked in interview or articles to sum up concisely why I think the government should change course on fiscal policy, I usually say something like this:

“with long-term government borrowing as cheap as in living memory, with unemployed workers and plenty of spare capacity and with the UK suffering from both creaking infrastructure and a chronic lack of housing supply, now is the time for government to borrow and invest. This is not just basic macroeconomics, it is common sense. “

The charts below (click on each to enlarge) try to illustrate this. They show, first, that the economy has now seen essentially no growth at all since the autumn of 2010. Output is still more than 4 percent below its peak in 2008, and probably won’t regain that level until sometime in 2014. This is a far longer period of depressed output than the Great Depression.

Click here to read the entire, very useful full article, with charts and graphs.

Five European Finance Ministers Speak

These five videos offer a snapshot of five of the seventeen Ministers of Finance who are members of the European Council, responsible for managing and resolving the individual and collective economic problems that affect its members. They vary in length. Rarely seen in US media, even a brief glimpse offers an assessment of the persons who hold the economic fate of Europe in their decisions. Several videos I wanted to post did not have English translations. This is a part of a continuing effort to be better informed about global decision-makers, who they are, what they think. Comments are welcomed.

Pages: 1 2

“A Glory Over Everything” Book Talk on Twitter Transcript

2 MIN: Book Talk

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

Let’s begin. I’ll answer questions and post @ 2min. Thank you for following. Click my profile to read and reply.

Welcome to all, esp. my 1200+ community, who w/ their community represent 500,000 strong!

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

The New Griot Ebook is “A Glory Over Everything” takes its title fr Harriet Tubman. A YA book in the 80s also has that title.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

Writing often begins off-topic. Did u know no slave was killed when freed in the Civil War? After, yes. But not at the pt of freedom.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

No slave holder murdered the people who protected his family for 4 yrs. But this common moral ground broke down.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

In the 1800s, moral discourse was public discourse.Public discourse was moral discourse. Truth was revealed not concealed. Itsdifferenttoday

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

The book “A Glory Over Everything,: is abt the highest levels of moral discourse; individual acts as public acts, faith as inclusive policy.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

The book is dedicated to all of the women in my tweet community, and my daughter, and all who have Gone On.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

Its also a series of stories about a group of remarkable families.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

In politics today, the voter is often on the back row. These stories put you on the front row.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

At times, I do talk in my own voice, but only to share what these stories have to teach.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

What are the lessons? The importance of faith, patience, perseverance

My favorite story is the descriptions of the emancipation celebration at the end. It’s the first time these accounts have been tied together

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

It’s amazing that Harriet Tubman was there!

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

My favorite insight is Susan King Taylor’s account of the skulls.

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

NEXT Book Talk , 3:30p/EDT.”A Glory Over Everything,”wp.me/p1mBVu-RlRT!

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

Any Qs? Thank you for taking part!”A Glory Over Everything,” wp.me/p1mBVu-RlRT!Historic images, Beautiful design, free!

— Walter Rhett, Writer (@walterrhett) May 16, 2012

Pages: 1 2