Death of Michael Jackson

This is a very sad day in America - the death of Michael Jackson, but is something this I anticipated for a long time. Michael Jackson was abused by his father, something that he never fully recovered from. Apparently, his father was a beast - he probably should have been locked up for child abuse. This is something that we as a society never own up to - the abuse of defenseless children. Yes, MJ was great, awesome, moving wonderful, a great talent, but at what price!! Frankly, in the African-American community, there is rampant abuse of children, verbal and physical. We never own up to it. It is about time we do. May God Bless Michael Jackson and his family!!

Intact America First Press Conference June 22, 2009 Part 2

Intact America First Press Conference June 22, 2009 Part 1

Shooting @ US Holocaust Museum

Terrible incident today in Washington, DC - a white supremacist, James Von Brunn, shot a security guard to death @ the US Holocaust Museum. This man was 88 years old - unbelievable! One would think extreme anger and hate would have dissipated by that point in life, but in his case apparently not. In recent weeks, our President has wandered out to purchase burgers among the public. I hope and pray the Pres will temper the need to hang out with the public. Too many nuts are among us and they have no respect for life nor limb.

Great line from "Law and Order" - New York is a Tough Town!

sympathy for... Clarence Thomas

I have thinking a lot about Clarence Thomas, one of the Associate Justices on the US Supreme Court recently and I must admit I viewed him with a great deal of skepticism and scorn for many years because of his conservative views and the revulsion that my fellow African-Americans had for him and his positions of concern to us, but I have come to see him differently. I read an old article about Thomas when his book was published almost two years ago and I was moved by his autobiography and his feelings. particularly during his confirmation hearings in1991 that he was being singled out because he was black and had the temerity to hold views that were not always liberal. He is right about that - people really do clock you good, particularly around here in the Northeast if you don't share the liberal orthodoxy on all issues. It is a pity but a definite reality. Years ago, I interviewed George Curry, who was at that time the editor of Emerge Magazine, a black public affairs magazine. Mr. Curry and his magazine were staunchly opposed to Mr. Thomas, causticly so; indeed, they had a caricature of Mr. Thomas on the cover of the magazine with a hankerchief on his head. It was funny at the time, but upon later reflection years later, I thought it a bit mean if not cruel. Then I heard the thoughts of Julienne Malveavx, a political commentator and educator who openly wished for the man to drop dead of a heart attack. Whoa! Some of this anger is totally misplaced and misguided and some of the arguments Thomas makes are not totally off-based. It is long past time to give Thomas his due and a little bit of respect instead of the manure that is thrown at him of a regular basis.

Big fan of sports promos - particularly with Pat Summerall and John Madden

I am a big fan of tv sports promos - The major TV networks used to hype events with style and gusto - now they go straight to the game - no foreplay, if you will!! Here is a small sample...

I am back

It has been more than five months since I last posted and it is good to be back. First of all, last weekend, I celebrated my 20th anniversary of my radio show, "Walden's Pond". It was a fundraising program for the radio station, WBAI, where I host and produce my show. Lots of things have changed in the 20 years since I produced my show - my politics, my friends, my family, but I am grateful that I have an outlet in spite of the fact that my views can be at odds with the vast majority of people on Pacifica Radio, although we are probably in agreement in more ways than one! I will be posting some details on some recent shows in the weeks to come. Stay Tuned!!

Answers to your questions on circumcision

Classic brochure on the questions people ask about circumcision

Who's Pulling Your Strings?

This January marks five years since Harriet Braiker passed away. She was guest on my show in 2003. She was the author of the bestseller, "The Disease to Please". She discussed her latest book, "Who's Pulling Your Strings" on my show. I will put on the podcast very shortly...

Reckless Israel endangering roots of our civilization

Reckless Israel endangering roots of our civilization

angry callers on my radio show today

rough day from some callers on my radio show - angry over my response to a caller over the Blago situation in Chicago. More on this later....

"Mugabe"style politics in Chicago

As an African-American, I am dismayed but not surprised by the "Mugabe" style politics we are witnessing in Chicago. President-elect Obama, who more and more appears in my eyes to be one of the best people to rise in politics, obviously knew how disgusting politics was in Chicago. So he got along to get ahead, tolerated the characters in Chicago in order to move forward. I know he must be relieved to be away from that shit. More on this later....

Former Amb. Edward Peck on Walden's Pond 12/28/2008

Former. Amb. Edward Peck, a critic of Pres. Bush's current Iraq war strategy was a return visitor on my radio program on Dec. 28, 2008. He gave some predictions and insights on US foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East as we move forward...

Eartha Kitt passed away on Christmas Day 2008

The great Eartha Kitt- dancer, singer, actress, tour de force - passed away on Christmas Day 2008. I interviewed her on July 28, 2002 on my radio show "Walden's Pond". You can hear the interview at the above link. She was a terrific life force for good on the planet. Among other things, she was blacklisted for her views on the Vietnam War by the Johnson Administration - she discussed that with me on the show. May she rest in peace!

Happy New Year 2009

Happy New Year to all - hope 2009 is a good year for everyone, particularly me!!!

Will Smith in "Seven Pounds"

On Christmas Day, I attended the film "Seven Pounds" with a friend. We watched the film @ the AMC Empire theatre in Times Square. It was the first time in a long time I had not stayed @ home on Christmas - I was particularly surprised how many people were in the streets - the city was FULL of people. I remember Times Square from my youth - it was disgusting and seedy - the streets were full of drugs and prostitutes. Now it is well lit and CLEAN. It spite of the criticism that Mayor Giuliani engendered for getting rid of the "Squeegee men", it was necessary for the city's sanity. So kudos to the former mayor for his efforts.

Speaking of the movie, it was a wonderful movie, a real tear-jerker - my movie companion was completely distraught, in a positive way by the movie. It is a must see and Mr. Smith should receive an Oscar nomination.

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!!

More pictures from the genital integrity play @ Purchase College

NOCIRC Book on 1998 Circumcision conference

This book is the definitive guide to the 1998 anti-circumcision conference held @ Oxford University

Bodily Integrity for Both

LeYoni Junos, a great woman, was head of the Bermuda section of Amnesty International a few years ago. She attempted, with limited success, to get Amnesty International to recognize male circumcision as a human rights violation. She published this bulletin to help publicize this shameful situation.

The Prepuce

The following is a 1999 paper written in the British Journal of Urology on the history and function of the prepuce

OJ Simpson - a look back

OJ Simpson, the notorious one, was sentenced recently in Nevada for some insane stupidity. In 1994, I was part of a CBS News special on the OJ case(that is my voice you can hear @ the beginning of the segment)....

Denmark considering ban on circumcision

The Danish government is considering a ban on male circumcision. As someone who has been an advocate against the forced mutilation of children for many years, I welcome this possibility. Males AND females need to be protected against this procedure and frankly, the efforts to end this procedure one person at a time is not going to end it. It will be another one thousand years before circumcision ends and even THEN, it still will be going on. We need a law - NOW!

I hope progress is made in Denmark!!

Death of Odetta

One of the greatest blues singers of the 20th century, Odetta, passed away in New York City last night in New York City. I met her once when I was an engineer @ a radio station in New York City. She was to be a guest on a program and she entered the enclosed studio on the arm of the station's general manager. Odetta sat down and promptly pulled out a cigarette. I mildly protested due to the fact that there was a prohibition against smoking in the studio and there were no windows. The general manager, shot me a dirty look. I left the studio and they found another engineer who would allow her to smoke uninhibited. I remember that today on her passing in reading the accounts of her ill health in recent years. May she rest in peace.

anti-circumcision play @ Purchase College

James Dier, a senior @ Purchase College in Purchase, NY produced and directed an anti-circumcision play called Cut/Uncut. I attended the play last weekend and it was a good effort to dramatize a shameful condition here in the US. Bravo to James and his production team for their courage and compassion.

Westchester-1.com link

Check out my posts on Westchester-1.com - I am the political commentator on that site which is devoted to all things Westchester. Also... check me out regularly on WVOX Radio 1460 AM in New Rochelle.

Psycholgical weather conditions of Harlem, NY

In speaking with a friend late yesterday, I was commiserating about the architecture and the general psychological weather conditions of Harlem. We both agreed that Harlem is a TERRIBLE place. There are people who live there who DESPERATELY what to leave, but cannot afford to. The are obviously people who live there who WANT to be there and think it is wonderful, but personally I think these people are delusional. Harlem desperately needs a makeover and rid itself of the mildew both figuratively and literally that hangs over the neighborhood like a nightmare.

Alienated from Harlem-like politics

One. more thing... attending the event @ the Schomberg, I had an uncomfortable feeling. It was something I had been thinking about for a long time - I felt really alienated from Harlem. Maybe it was that I have heard the same things over and over again, the same arguments, the same angry people. People in general are angry, maybe a little less so since the election, but I have felt that black people are still TOO angry and bitter, particularly left-wing black people and this atmosphere dominates the political landscape. I will write more about this in the future, but this political stench permates every aspect of political life in this city and throughout the country. Maybe because my politics have changed and I have grown more conservative, I can see the smoke and I can smell the stink. It is not good.

Charles Rangel under fire @ACP event

Charles Rangel, who represents Harlem in the US House of Representatives, was under constituent attack @ the event honoring Adam Powell. Many people in the audience verbally attacked Rangel for, in their view, allowing Harlem to become gentrified and forcing out long-time residents due to high rents. Rangel, in his own defense, said that the event was devoted to remembering Powell and the audience should show some respect. He also said that he was available to the community at all times, lives in the community and has always defended Harlem. Personally, I think Rangel has been a good congressperson - he followed in the shadow of Powell - that alone would be a daunting task! Additionally, the boundaries of his district has changed - he is not serving Central Harlem alone, but other ethnic groups and interests. Finally, many people tend to romanticize Harlem and its supposed glory. For many years, Harlem was a cesspool, full of crime and drugs. Many hard-working BLACK people moved, including my mother when we lived there in the early sixties. Some of the difficulties Harlem faced then and now were the result of city, state and federal policies, some were the result of racism, warehousing and dumping policies that squeezed a community to its breaking point. Many people now want to blame Rangel for gentrifying the community -he was doing his job, trying to bring federal dollars and attention to a community that is now on the rebound, so much so that white people who had avoided Harlem, currently live there in relative comfort and safety. That is the way it should be - where people of all races should live in peace, free from threat to life and limb and property.

notables dominate the scene @ the Schomberg

among the people in these pictures are Cong. Charles Rangel, Rev. Al Sharpton, Adam Clayton Powell III, Adam Clayton Powell IV & Gil Noble

Remembering Adam Clayton Powell 11/29/2008 100 years after his birth

More pictures from Saturday's event....

Adam Clayton Powell event

...as I mentioned in an earlier post, today marked the 100th anniversary on the birthday of the late great congressman Adam Clayton Powell. This morning I attended an event @ the Schomberg Library Center in Harlem, NY that honored Mr. Powell. It was a rather interesting event indeed. Both of the late sons of the congressman were there, including his grandson. When I walked into the library this morning, the first person I saw was Adam Clayton Powell IV, who is a New York State assemblyman. Even though he is 46 years old, he still has a stark resemblance to his late father. Handsome, with an erect bearing, he could cause one to have a double take and presume that his father was standing there. I first Assemblyman Powell in 1991, when he was my guest on a WBAI radio show. He has had a rather shaky political career, most recently involved in some embarassing personal incidents. But I suspect he will always be in political office, primarly because of the wonderful memories of his late father.

tragedy continues in Mumbai...

...five hostages found dead @ the Jewish center in Mombai. Curious to know who is behind all of this horror in India? Obama's plate continues to be filled!

Interested in your future prospects...

..check this site run by a good person, Lance Ferguson

Wesley J. Smith

Read this gentleman - groundbreaking posts on the value of human life - recent guest on my radio show, Walden's Pond - www.wbai.org

100th Anniversary of Adam Clayton Powell

This Saturday, November 29th marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of the late congressman Adam Clayton Powell - more about him in a later post....

Manly Magazine for men

Terrific reference guide if you are a guy!!

mombai massacre

All night coverage continues on the massacre in India. Who is responsible - unclear at this point - but we do know that Obama will have a full plate on January 20th!!

Thanksgiving eve thoughts

Barack Obama just finished a press conference today in Chicago - announced more choices for his economic team. Less than two months before inauguration day - still cannot believe he will take the oath of office. May God bless him and his family!!