Liberal Democrat

Liberal Democrat
Father of American Liberalism

Saturday, May 11, 2013

RBG Street Scholar: James Baldwin and Dick Gregory- 'Baldwin's Nigger (1969)'


Source:RBG Street Scholar- about James Baldwin's 1969 documentary.
Source:The Daily Times 

"RBG-James Baldwin and Dick Gregory Baldwin's Nigger (1969)" 

From RBG Street Scholar

James Baldwin’s message seems to be about individual empowerment and individual freedom, that African-Americans should empower themselves and standup for their own lives and take charge of their own lives. And perhaps even stop complaining. Not forget about all the injustices that came to this community before, but for this community to move forward, they need to take control of their own lives and build their own lives and communities.

James Baldwin, who what I’ve heard from him, sounds more like Martin King, then Malcolm X, when it came to the civil rights movement, or the Black Power movement. Someone who not only believes in non-violence, but believes in social democracy and democratic socialism when it comes to solving the problems of the African-American community. In this speech, sounds more like Malcolm X. Talking about personal responsibility, to go along with individual freedom and empowerment.

In this Baldwin speech he seems to be arguing that African-Americans, should stand up and take their freedom and build their own community. And not expect others to do that for them. Sounds very much like Malcolm X. Fighting violence with violence, which is essentially what Malcolm X preached when it came to racist Caucasians who abuse African-Americans, would’ve not of accomplished what was needed to end racist laws and state-sponsored racism. Because it wouldn’t have brought other communities to support the African-American freedom fighters. 

But individual freedom through education and economic development and infrastructure in underserved communities, would give African-Americans the tools that they need to live in freedom.

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

George Carlin: 'Jon Stewart interviews George Carlin'


Source:George Carlin- being interviewed  by fellow comedian and political satirist Jon Stewart, in 1997 or 99.
"Jon Stewart Interviews George Carlin from HBO 40 Years of Comedy."

From George Carlin:

What separates George Carlin from let's call them other counter-culture satirists and comedians on the left (let's say) who critique American society and culture, is that for one George Carlin is often more right than his other colleagues. But he also doesn't have a political agenda that he's pushing. He's not trying to get government to do this or that for the country. 

Also George Carlin's satire is bipartisan, he doesn't critique politicians in both parties just to look fair, but he critiques politicians that he disagrees with. No mater their political or ideological affiliations.

Carlin is a classical rebel in the sense that he's against the establishment whoever it.  Because he doesn't have a political agenda of his own. His real political message (if he has one) is about education and that the people need to educate themselves and stop reelecting people that keep the same system in place and that we should take responsibility for our own lives. 

Carlin didn't believe in blaming people that we elect and reelect for giving us the system that we have or where we are in life, but the people who elect and reelect the politicians who give us and maintain the current system. It's not Carlin's consistency that I admire so much, but that he's consistently right. 

You can also see this post on WordPress.

PBS: NewsHour- 'Five States Move to Restrict Access to Abortion Services'


Source:PBS NewsHour- Ilyse Hogue from National Pro-Choice America. 
Source:The Daily Times 

"The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and television program distributor.[6] It is a nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational television programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing series such as American Experience, America's Test Kitchen, Antiques Roadshow, Arthur, Barney & Friends, Between the Lions, Cyberchase, Clifford the Big Red Dog, Downton Abbey, Elinor Wonders Why, Finding Your Roots, Frontline, The Magic School Bus, Masterpiece Theater, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, Nature, Nova, the PBS NewsHour, Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Keeping up Appearances and This Old House." 

From Wikipedia 

"Five states have moved to adopt tighter abortion regulations, including North Dakota, which has the nation's strictest abortion regulation, outlawing abortions as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. Jeffrey Brown gets perspectives from Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life and Ilyse Hogue of NARAL Pro-Choice America." 

From the PBS NewsHour

All of these abortion restriction laws are coming in red states that like to complain about big government and government interfering in our lives and so-forth and yet they write laws that do exactly that. And interfere with the most personal of decisions that Americans will ever make which get’s to our healthcare.

In this case women’s healthcare and who decides whether women give birth or not after being pregnant. Apparently big government in red states is government they do not like mainly as it relates to the economy. But big government that they do like as it has to do with our personal lives is okay, because: “It’s in our national interest to have government making these decisions for us. Rather than individuals have the freedom and responsibility to make these decisions for ourselves.”

And then you get to the constitutional and legal aspects of this where these laws will be ruled unconstitutional. Because of the rock solid pro-choice majority on it. And you have states defending laws in court with taxpayer funds that will be ruled unconstitutional. Money that would’ve been spent for other things that would not get thrown out.