We Need Workers, Not Volunteers
September 9, 2008
I’m just as excited as the next activist to see so many people engaging in the electoral process this year. People are phone-banking, canvasing, knocking on doors, calling their congress members, etc. All of this volunteerism is beautiful, an expression what passionate political participation by an informed and interested citizenry should look like in a democracy.
What’s not to like?
Well, there is actually one big thing not to like: Very, very little of this is sustainable. That’s right. 95% of this enthusiasm and participation will likely die the day after election day, with the other 5% dying the day after inauguration day.
Why is this not sustainable?
One word: money. Read more
Supporting the troops: soundbytes or action?
September 5, 2008
Anyone who knows me that if I am in town, I play pool with my dad…religiously. But last weekend I had a life changing experience. While my Dad and I were wrapping up our last game (and I did win last week, by the way) a White guy stumbles up to me with a beer in his hand (who we will call Dave) whose breath reeks of alcohol, spiked hair, plaid shorts, and flip flops. Through stuttering and some mumbling, Dave tells me that he always wanted to play pool with someone from Detroit.
Politely, I try to decline Dave and tell him that I am about to go leave. For some reason, Dave doesn’t quite understand what I am saying and I get the sense he is going to be heart broken if I don’t play pool with him. So I tell my Dad to pay for the time and tell the cashier to restart the time.
Dave was born and raised in Southfield, MI, a suburb that borders Detroit and his game is nine-ball and as I rack the balls, Dave reveals that he just got back from Iraq. He tells me about the horrors of war and how I should never ever join the army. Dave needs to vent more than anything so I listen as he says, “Man I would rather cut grass than scissors than go back over there. It’s like we’re sitting ducks just driving around waiting to get blown up…It’s nothing like the movies.” As we play, I am entranced at Dave’s anguish and misery, thinking to myself, “Dave will never be the same as a result of this war.” Read more
5 things you should be talking about
June 1, 2008
What’s up fam,
I wanted to hit a variety of topics today.
1) First off, why is there not more coverage of the relief efforts of people impacted by the earthquakes in China and Myanmar? In case you hadn’t read, nearly 70,000 people died in this earthquake and millions more are now homeless. To help put it in context, imagine instantly losing 7 people in your life without being able to say goodbye and multiply that grief by 100,000. I guess coverage of the earthquake is worth far less than what the DNC RBC planned to do with the Michigan and Florida delegates. Read more
The Future of the Civil Rights Movement
April 9, 2008
Our good friend and true SuperSpade Jill Tubman from Jack and Jill Politics put up this awesome piece about the future of the Civil Rights Movement and how technology figures into the equation. I have posted the piece in its entirety and it is a must read.
Monday, April 07, 2008
Civil Rights Groups Wither - New Ones Taking Their Place
This Washington Post story Civil Rights Groups Seeing Gradual End of Their Era ends with this sentence though I’d like to start my response with it. It quotes E. Ethelbert Miller:
“What would happen if W.E.B. Du Bois or Marcus Garvey had a laptop?” Du Bois helped found the NAACP in 1909, and Garvey, a rival, started a back-to-Africa movement around the same time.
We are the answer to that question. In the vacuum of black leadership 40 years after Martin Luther King’s death, it’s his spiritual grandchildren that are carrying his mission forward now and not the civil rights groups he might have recognized. From the WaPo piece (emphasis mine):
In New York, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), which helped shape the movement’s philosophy after adopting Mohandas K. Gandhi’s doctrine of nonviolent protest, is scarcely known outside Manhattan. CORE conceded that it now has about 10 percent of the 150,000 members it listed in the 1960s.
Gentrification of Detroit: Will Shiny New Projects Push Out the Old Residents?
December 31, 2007
Cross-posted at the Michigan Messenger
When Woodbridge Estates redeveloped the decaying Jeffries Projects site just west of Wayne State University in Detroit, they renovated one of the old towers that are visible from the Lodge Freeway and outfitted the tower with a giant clock. The clock is a tangible symbol that it’s a new time in Detroit.
Yet some fear such gentrification of the city will in time become a social problem of its own, pushing out current residents in favor of suburbanites with more money. Read more
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and firefighters
December 19, 2007
Michigan’s native son Mitt Romney falsely claimed that he watched his father, former
Not that I am surprised but when I think about the currency that King holds in the American psyche, I am trying to figure out if we need a new claim to truly honoring the civil rights movement…like working on civil rights!!! Lest Romney stand alone, I am specifically skeptical of people like Andrew Young and Jesse Jackson who can honestly say they have marched with MLK and have reaped (and sold unfortunately) an inordinate amount moral authority as a result. Read more
Money Management at Mint.com
November 28, 2007
What’s up fam,
As folks scramble to prepare for the holidays, I want to put you up on a financial management website called Mint.com
If you are like me, you are very detailed when it comes to keeping track of your money and this is a tool that might help. If you are paranoid about sharing financial info, this is not for you but if you can get over that initial fear, the website will help you categorize all of your expenses and make nice graphs to help you really understand where your money goes. More than that though, the site provides analysis on your spending trends and tips on how you can save money. Check it out, let me know what you think.
Stay up fam,
Brandon Q.
Detroit’s urban garden
November 28, 2007
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Cross posted at the Michigan Messenger With its shortage of big-box grocery stores and the lack of enough fresh produce, much of Detroit could be said to be in a food desert. An urban agricultural movement is emerging as a solution to the problem. |
Until the Lions have their historians
September 18, 2007
I used to have a quote that I used in my signature that said, “Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters.” Fortunately, the people of
The tribunal was formed to hear testimony by experts and survivors of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. After 30 hours of testimony, the preliminary findings are unfortunately not surprising.
Jill Soffiyah Elijah, the Deputy Director of the Criminal Justice Institute at Harvard Law School and Chief Judge for the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, announced the Tribunal’s preliminary findings “It is our view that the U.S. government has committed crimes against humanity particularly in relation to its failure to maintain functional levees that should have protected the City of New Orleans from flooding; … it was the reckless disregard and, in some instances, negligence of the U.S. government, the state of Louisiana and the city of New Orleans that created the devastation we continue to see today.”
The Weekly Dream: Do Your Part
September 14, 2007
“And [God] delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked: For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds.”
-2 Peter 2:7-8
Everyday, I face a decision: either stick my head in the sand like an ostrich or be aware of what is going on around me. Why is this such a difficult decision. If I bury my head in the sand (i.e. work, routine), then I am in control. I am the King of My Comfort Zone. In this realm, I am King Comfort. And King Comfort is extremely selfish. However, if I choose awareness, I choose to be challenged, and on some level, see things I do not like. I choose to feel. And sometimes, feeling is frustrating.
The World’s Gone Mad…
Lately, this decision has become more immediate. Personally, the injustice in the world seems especially intense. From the Jena 6 to the Genarlow Wilson case, to the War, to the extremely poor race relations, to the woman who was tortured-our justice system has become a mockery. We are more concerned about the death of some dogs than our brothers and sisters. Our government has become mockery because it seems like it has silently and not so subtly declared war on its citizens.
The question I have really been dealing with is whether things have gotten worse or are things just the same. Throughout history, when law was born, so was injustice. I used to thing that the days were getting darker, but I am beginning to believe that it is just a re-run of the same fight, good v. evil. And each generation has had their own battle to fight to maintain and restore justice on the earth.
Righteous Lot
In the book of Genesis, Abraham’s nephew Lot followed Abraham out of Mesopotamia. When God had blessed them to where the land could not contain them, they parted ways. Lot settled by the city of Sodom. Sodom was extremely wicked, to the point where God could not find ten righteous people in the city. Lot lived in the city, but he did not condone their lifestyle. The new testament said that his soul was vexed. Lot was so righteous that the inhabitants were sick of him. So God decided to save Lot and his family and destroy the city (Genesis 19).
How many of you have been vexed by the injustice that you have seen? The next question is what have you done about it? Or have you been too “busy”? Busy is how most of the atrocities that take place occur. In the Book of Ezekiel, God calls us “watchmen.” What do watchmen do? They are aware and they sound the alarm when something happens that should not be happening. How have you been doing as a watchman?
I am not saying that it is your job to try to whistleblow on every injustice in the world. However, do not turn a blind eye to the suffering and injustice in the world, that way you know you are supposed to do something to make this world a better place. We can always do more, but do something small, repeatedly over time, is better than not doing anything at all. People are hurting, the world is hurting. I have been challenged in my spirit to do a better job. The least I can do is speak up.
That is the entire mission of The Superspade and that is what we work for. To not only be aware and speak up but to put our action, time and resources behind our beliefs. We and our readers are people of conviction and action. So, do not lose heart. I have not lost hope. All this madness that surrounds us is a call to action and a call to battle. We must fight until either peace is restored or the world comes to an end. That is the mentality of a warrior, it is all our nothin’. But it will not come easy.
We must do our part. And if we allow ourselves to get uncomfortable, God said we will be comforted. But you cannot comfort someone who is already comfortable. I just had to get that off my chest, because I am disgusted with what has been going on in this country and the world on all fronts. So, sign a petition, educate yourself and those around you, work your governmental system, discuss the issues. Just do something.
For the Love of God, we are WATCHMEN. And if you are already involved, push it to the limit and don’t give up.
Truth and Peace,
Steven M DeVougas
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