Where I Landed In The Kobe Aftermath

I couldn't watch any news about the crash and sudden death of Kobe Bryant until later that night. Someone on the street told me and I had to pull over. Sobbed off and on all day.... all week.... Lost sleep.... Partly, because for 20 years of my life... our lives... he's been a "part" of it.  But mainly because, years ago (around 2014?...) I read an article about Kobe Bryant that gave a glimpse of the masterpiece inside his HEAD, and I have never been more impressed with a human being in my LIFE. I have since looked for books for or about him and sadly found none.   Now, we have "The Mamba Mentality", which should be an engrossing read, but before now, I gleaned what I could from Sports Ilustrated articles and the works of Phil Jackson to get some peripheral insight into Kobe.  I thirsted to learn more of the "blueprint to greatness" that has been transcribed on the strands of Kobe's DNA.

I felt Kobe was the singularly most ferocious, focused, smartest, supernatural ENTITY on the planet! And, when I had the privilege of getting to see him play live in L.A..... he played like no one I've ever seen before. And that says a lot as a witness to the Chicago Bulls Michael Jordan dynasty... who I've also seen live. Ofcourse, they are LEGEND, but Kobe... even on the downward slope of his career, played with the quickness, energy, and jaw dropping precision of a CHILD prodigy! As quick and furtive as a SQUIRREL!!! It's something I will never forget. 

But, his MIND. His will. His determination. His laser like focus despite ANY nuclear attacks launched at him... That seemed to set him apart.  NOTHING could get him off his square! NOTHING. On or off the court. I felt so OVERCOME by the seeming "unfairness" of losing someone so EXCELLENT. His all around GREATNESS is unmatched by pretty much anybody in any industry, in any field. Except maybe Tiger. Legendary coach, Phil Jackson (who I also love), put it in a way that only Phil Jackson can: "Kobe was a chosen one—special in many ways to many people. Our relationship as coach/player transcended the norm. He went beyond the veil." Like I said, Kobe was a SUPERNATURAL entity.

I also had to realize that the shock was even more extreme for me because he's always looked just like my nephew. Or rather, my nephew always looked just like him. And, for the brief season in which he played basketball, he even played like Kobe. Getting this news about Kobe, and seeing their melded faces, infused me with an undercurrent of fear and made me enormously grateful that my nephew is still here.

Then, I learned that Kobe's daughter was with him and I cried for Vanessa having suddenly lost HER child and husband. I thought of her other daughters now without their father and sister. The baby, who just arrived like, six months ago, who will never know her father... the grandparents... the families of the other people on the plane... that he finally could spend more quality time with his family and now.... spending quality time with his daughter... It's just been too much to take in for many of us, I'm sure. And this crash.... witnesses say they heard sputtering and the sound of it falling.... just falling out of the sky...

Too many emotions. Too many questions. Too much loss.

But, I couldn't help but think of the fable, Icarus.  The character in Greek Mythology who desired to go beyond human boundaries, and the tragic consequences this brought about.  In an interview with Ice Cube, about Kobe, he said something that made me think of it all the more.  Cube said, "Kobe wasn't just satisfied with God's given talents.  He wanted to even be better than the talents God gave him."

Interesting.

It's one thing to want to BUILD on the talents God gives you, but to want more than what God gives you?... Where are you going to get more?

Then, his childhood friend and NBA Hall of Famer, Tracy McGrady tearfully shared that as a young, the then unmarried player, Kobe used to declare "all the time" that he "wanted to die young".  To become better than Michael Jordan, then die young so he could become "immortalized".

Hmnnnn....

And so, here we are.

The police, the fire department, the news crews... everybody was grounded that day, but Kobe's plane took to the air anyway.

There are a LOT of questions, for sure.  No Terrain Awareness system... no Black Box... witnesses hearing sputtering before the fall... but Icarus wanted to push the boundaries of mortality too.  The sun was getting hotter and hotter.  More and more feathers were "sputtering" and falling away.  But he too flew higher and higher... til the sun melted his wings and he fell.

Our arms are genuinely "too short to box with God" as the title of the gospel play proclaims.

Kobe was always a personality that wanted "more".

And, in many ways, he got it.

 BRILLIANT. Charismatic. Literally and clearly a bonafide genius.

Multilingual.

International.

Determined. (He studied the game and each and every opponent like a thesis. He took Tap dancing lessons to strengthen his feet and ankles and improve his footwork...)

Refined (In one championship game, Kobe structured his performance and the strategy of the game to the rhythms of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. In a 2017 interview, Kobe explained, “Every game has a structure, just like a piece of music has structure and momentum. You have to be conscious of how that momentum is building to be able to shift or alter it.”) 

A successful businessman.

A forward thinking visionary. 

An Oscar winner.

Author.

Dedicated family man.

Otherworldly athlete...

But, after a week or so of reflection, I'm forced to ask the age old question:  "What profiteth a man should he gain the whole world and lose his soul." -- Mark 8:36.

In this life, we are faced with countless choices.  The whole Bible is a book of choice.  Are you going to choose Me or choose your flesh?  Are you going to choose Me or choose your fears?  Are you going to choose Me or choose death? 

"I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: 20That thou mayest love the LORD thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."  -- Deut 30:19-20

When you want "more than God", you're entering into dangerous waters.  Not just for you.  Not just for now.  But for your seed.  Your CHILDREN.  And for eternity.  The glamour and glitz cannot compare to the "Glory" of God.  And, when He has Graced us with such lavish gifts... to then try to rise above the bestower...  there is such a high price.

There is another famous entity that tried to rise above his Creator.  Interesting that he met a similar fate.  "I saw Satan fall like lightening, from heaven, " Jesus witnessed.  While even the only begotten Son of the Father remained in a submitted position to His Creator...  the blasphmy of pride would provoke a mere created being to seek to usurp His Glory.

It didn't work then.

It doesn't work now.

Jesus sufferred, but was RAISED UP, incorruptible!   Offering eternal Salvation to all who would receive it.

Only when we are full of ourselves and the "love of the world", are we blinded to the true riches of our creation. 

God tells us to:

15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

17 And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.  -- 1 John 2:15-17

It's one thing to make the most of the gifts God has given us.  That is our duty.  But, it's a slippery slope when we instead submit in worship to the altars of THIS WORLD that puts US on their thrones.

And, isn't it interesting that the "Mamba mentality" is named for a serpent?  Wasn't it the serpent that first turned mankind away from God?

Even arriving at all this, I still grieve the loss of Kobe. I still feel like I lost a family member. The beautiful, brilliant, beloved, charismatic, superstar of the family. The one whose shine rubbed off on all of us and made us all feel like a part of his greatness. Like the child we watched grow up gone too soon. Conflicted by the realization that while we were watching, we somehow missed that he was focused on something we completely missed. That his commitment may have been to something so much deeper than "us". So much bigger than basketball.

And this was the melting point. Where his wings gave way beneath the heat of the Son.

Let us be careful of our affections and our allegiances.

That is where I have landed in all of this.

Be careful.

I was so moved by this, I just felt it was worth putting on my Blog.

All of us go through life with hidden hurts, smothered guilt, and sometimes limping along with near crippling shame, but nearly all of us "put on a happy face" and pretend our relationships are ok, our actions and inactions are ok, and indeed, WE are "a-ok"!

But, I believe Dennis Rodman got a standing ovation for this speech because it spoke to ALL of us as "walking wounded".

This is the "real-est", the "raw-est", and the most moving award acceptance speech I have EVER heard! No longer an flamboyant "oddity" to me, I see and FEEL his complete humanity. God Bless him!

...And the Stars Shine Brighter... Kirk Douglas dies at 103

Whether we realize it or not, these icons meant a lot to ALL of us. Inter-generationally... inter-racially... the images they represented lifted our spirits collectively, even if unconsciously. We may never see movies or "movie stars" of this ilk again, but their legacy will live on.

As I learn of the passing of Kirk Douglas, I'm reminded that I had the privilege of praying for and over another icon, Charleston Heston, when his health was faltering. He had been bedridden and mostly sleeping. But, when I laid hands on him and began to pray (Yes. I got to lay hands on Moses! :-D ), he opened those famous, lucid, blue eyes, turned his head toward me, and fixed that famous Heston gaze directly into my eyes. Even in his declining season, there was a "sharpness", a "light", a "power" behind those eyes, imbued by the Holy Spirit (He was a Believer and his whole nursing team were Spirit-filled Black women), that was inextinguishable and responded to the Power in The Word of God.

He held my gaze throughout the whole prayer (and my prayers aren't short. lol). His nursing team forming a cirlcle including me, holding hands around him. Then, with the chorus of "Amen" at the conclusion, those famous blue eyes softened, a slight smile formed over his smooth, lineless face, he closed his eyes, turned his head back to his side-lying position, and went back to sleep.

The nurses urged me to come back regularly but I didn't have that opportunity. And, I felt too that God had used me in that moment and The Holy Spirit could continue to do the rest.

I was struck that even at 84, his skin was beautifully smooth and it looked like the hand of God rather than a plastic surgeon to me. I was struck that as his time was counting down to his final visit here in this plane, this legendary, worldwide icon, recognized the power, the truth, the excellence and the love of a team of Black women who were doubly armed with medical expertise, but above all, a direct connection to the Throne room through fervent, effective prayers, to Our Heavenly Father, in the name of Jesus Christ. And, I realized that perhaps, indeed, it was THIS SPIRIT that made him THE only one to play the immortal role of Moses-- The only one who actually beheld the Glory of God. God knows who His servants are.

Life has an arc, but gratefully, there are those whose arc can be extended just a little farther by the magic of film. When it's used to uplift, like Mr. Douglass's "Spartacus" and like so many of these old films did, it reminds us that we too, can reach beyond our natural circumstances and become bigger. Brighter.

So, I'm saying thank you to Mr. Douglass and that entire generation of "movie stars" that encouraged us to "reach for the stars".

God Bless you!

My Girl, Chelsea

I love Chelsea Handler.  I literally remember the very first time I saw her.  I was walking past the t.v. late one night,  and was stopped cold by this pretty, blonde, utterly expressionless  white woman, saying the funniest, bawdy and biting things but with no apparent connection to ANYTHING.  Not her words.  Not the audience.   Not her own beauty..... but she was HILARIOUS!  I knew I had stumbled upon the launching of a star but it was like some kind of optical illusion!   The anger roiling inside her was so clear to me, it was like seeing a ghost no one else could see. "Man!" I thought as I stood there.  "This is probably the angriest white woman I've ever seen! She's so LOADED with rage!"  But I... like so many other millions... instantly connected to her.  Maybe because I suspected that she could ALWAYS see the hypocrisies of the world and had spent a lifetime trying not to.  She is, after all, a brilliant woman.

  Beauty. Boldness. Brilliance.... yeah.  I'm totally Team Chelsea.

 Since then, I think I've read EVERY one of her books, over the years, and laughed my butt off.

 Her LAST book, however,  "Life Will Be The Death Of Me", was surprisingly introspective!  Though characteristically funny and sarcastic, Chelsea very candidly takes us along through her reluctant dive into therapy and allows us to discover WITH her, her previously unexamined life.

Ya know,  Socrates said that, "an unexamined life is not worth living".  Chelsea has clearly decided to take this seriously.

  In the past,  she's taken us with her through her bedroom romps, drug trips,  and it's abundantly clear to me that only Jesus can give her the wholeness she's seeking (and I pray that for her), but COURAGE and HONESTY are definitely two things Chelsea has NEVER lacked. And THAT'S what makes me love her.

This documentary is typical, passionate,  headstrong, Chelsea (who another female comedian hilariously labeled,  "The Martin Luther King of Drunk White Blondes"-- That has got to be one of the funniest lines I've ever heard in MY LIFE! LOL... but I digress)

So anyway, In one of her interviews, years back, she recounted an injustice her Black driver experienced.   She was genuinely, visibly shaken to her CORE about how he would be subjected to that, and even more so, how she could be so oblivious to it.  She vowed to him and herself that she would fight this systemic racism, and when Donald Trump got in office, her rage went into overdrive.

 Hell hath no fury like a woman whose Black Driver is scorned.

But it's bigger than that, because CHELSEA is bigger than that. Her therapist identified her as "lacking empathy". This documentary is clearly the fruit of that.  Chelsea taking the bull by the horns to not only put herself in other's shoes, but making others, with the luxury of oblivion, do so too!  USING  her "white privilege" to strike some heroic blow at it.

You GOTTA love Chelsea! I'm gonna get Netflix just to see it!... and Dave Chappelle's "Sticks and Stones" too! Way to use your STAR POWER! :-D

"Can't You Just Say Hi?" The State Of Black Men & Black Women?...

The Logistics Of Prayer

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10219699316410778&id=1153614332&sfnsn=mo

From Michael, To Cosby, To Prince, Now Cuba..The Latest "Willie Horton"

Ok, gotta say something AGAIN.  Met Cuba Gooding years back, in L.A.  Nicest guy in the world.  Great conversation. Told him to WAIT THERE (in the aisle at Office Depot) while I went to get him a copy of my CD from my car.  He did! (Another reason I didn't want him to move was I had passed gas in the next aisle and I didn't want him to take one step toward it.  LOL!)

 So, anyway, I got the CD. I RAN back because I TRULY didn't want him to fall out by walking into the bomb I'd left just a few feet away.  I was RELIEVED to see him still obediently standing there.  Cheerful.  Nonplussed.  Without a single air.  When I tell you THIS OSCAR WINNING ACTOR radiated innocent, joviality, it cannot be overstressed.

He not only patiently waited for a stranger to bring him her CD, but stood there without the least bit of self consciousness.
 He wasn't trying to get people around to notice that "the great" Cuba Gooding was there... he wasn't trying to rush me off... Instead, he seemed genuinely interested in listening to it!

We talked about music ( his father being a member of the R&B group, The Main Ingredient), he wasn't trying to flirt, or pick me up in ANY way.  He didn't even seem to be humoring me so I would tell his fans how "nice" he was (many do that, you know).  No.  He just stood there, chatting it up like an "average" person in the aisle of Office Depot!   Just ACTUALLY NICE!

I saw the video of the alleged groping.  His girlfriend was sitting next to him and not only the accusing woman, but the man who came up to join her, were CLEARLY wasted.

That NYPD and the MEDIA wanted to drag this CLEAN CUT BLACK MAN with an exemplary image, across the headlines IN HANDCUFFS is just one more stroke in the AGENDA to dismantle the image of Black people in the eyes of the world.

Just like in schoolyards and prison yards everywhere... you strike down the HEAD and the rest will lose heart... The powers that be, have taken "down" Cosby... Michael Jackson... Prince... and now Cuba Gooding is the latest on their list.  Once you ruin THEIR images... those "most trusted" Blacks in the eyes of the masses... you cast ample DOUBT over the entire RACE.... and you then can begin to get their approval for Draconian laws to remove our rights.

This is how they advanced slavery.  Whites were initially against it.  The Greek Philosophers  had long praised the African as a superior civilization so whites couldn't justify enslaving such an advanced people.  So, the powers that be hired Francois Bernier to write "The Doctrine Of White Supremacy" REPAINTING Africans as savages and lower life forms.    Eventually, over the years, people, indoctrinated in this "ministry of Propaganda", forgot about what the Greek Philosophers had written, and began to approve of the slave trade.  After all, they weren't "actually" human.  They were only ignorant savages!  TODAY'S MEDIA is the new "Doctrine of White Supremacy".  DO know there is a REASON they replaced shows like The Cosby Show and A Different World with Love and Hip Hop and Desperate Housewives of Atlanta.  I just wish OUR artists and producers would stop CONTRIBUTING to the media garbage heap.  The steady of stream of "mind poison" has a very nefarious long term goal.    This is a PLAN.  DON'T FALL FOR IT!

In Memoriam: Where Is The Love For Dennis Edwards?

My heart for Dennis Edwards and "The Legends":

Dennis Edwards died this week, at the "tender" age of 74, after a lengthy illness.

74 is not old.  We all are expressing our love and appreciation and that's good.  But this is how I see the "big picture ":

So many Black legends who gave us LIFE with their gifts, died sick, broke and broken... largely because the managers and label execs, through whom they shared their gifts, were "poverty pimps", exploiting our desperate Black desires to get out of the ghetto.  They let them enjoy some screaming fans while packing tour dates and working like Georgia slaves to keep up unreasonable schedules (Example: Prince performed like an OLYMPIC ATHLETE show after show, for YEARS, then gets painted as a "drug addict" after he dies, for taking pain meds.  Lady Gaga cancels a big chunk of her tour from pain, and a public doctor's statement is issued officially endorsing it as "understandable").

No such "understanding" has ever been granted Black artists, to my recollection... not from their contract owners OR us... the fans.  Many of them grow old, sick, penniless and without insurance, and with no help from us..  the people who claim to love them so much, after they die in that state.   I don't know if that was the case with Dennis Edwards, but I know it is way too common with the Black legendary performers who truly did give us "the soundtrack of our lives".

Furthermore,  I'm stunned and ashamed to learn that my hometown, Chicago, where he also lived and died, not only paid no tribute, but two of the top Black stations, V103 and 106.3, decided to do a late, paltry, and ill-timed "tribute", this afternoon... not only on the low listener day of Sunday, but on SUPERBOWL SUNDAY!
I have to ask what Roberta Flack asked: "Where is the love?"

  I remember going to a UNCF fundraiser in 1996, where The Ohio Players performed.  The UNMATCHABLE guitar legend, Sugar foot, looked like he'd pulled himself out of a hospital bed to perform... scarily thin, more missing teeth than present ones...  I can only imagine that he had to take the gig because he needed the money.  Still, he flirted, from stage, with one of my friends and we all got a big kick out of that.  Sadly, he died not long after that.  I could tell he was sick!

  These labels that own their catalogs, and profit enormously and eternally, at their expense, ought to, AT LEAST, set up a fund for the aging artists from whom they profit.  The LEAST they can do is establish a housing and Healthcare fund for them.  When Prince had "Slave" written across his cheek, he was right!  Now, post death, they tried to profit off him with a hologram performance at today's Superbowl, despite his specific request to NEVER let them make a hologram out of his image.   His family and Sheila E were able to successfully block it.... for now. 

Some of you are sayimg that its the artists' fault for squandering their money.  Well to this I say, Sam Cook didn't.  Jackie Wilsom didn't.  Michael Jackson didnt. And Prince did all an artist can humanly do to control his product, his image, and ownership of his art.

But they all met the same fate.

Destroyed slowly if you do.... Destroyed abruptly if you don't.

The bottom line is that the ivory tower "owners" stay anonymously secure, moving the artists like pieces on the contract checkerboard until they've cornered them and checkmated them.  Then they loot the archives.

 Now that the Black pioneers are dying, the corporations own all their music, and white performers  comprise 90+% of the Billboard charts, DO know that they will be rifling through those catalogs to take the sounds...the genre our artists invented,  and reintroduce it as their own.  These new generations will never know because they weren't around to hear the originators!

  Look at Bruno Mars and Cardi B's new song, for example!  This new generation wasnt around to hear the emergence of Teddy Riley and New Jack Swing or watch In Living Color from which the video was COMPLETELY swiped!  To them it looks "fresh"!   Oh its gonna get much worse folks.

Tragic.  Tragic.  Tragic!  Like I said, as the "Creators" die, the least the pimps can do is throw them a few crumbs to help them die comfortably.  This isn't happening.

But this is the thing.  Music is woven into the Black DNA.  It's ethereal, celestial and is as much a part of us as our breath.  No matter what gets co-opted... our culture, languages, health, wealth, or liberty, as long as we are breathing,  we will always create.  "Our breath stirs the winds that raise the tides.  Our song wakes creation at dawn.  WE are history's heartbeat." ** and we will ALWAYS be legacy builders, no matter what they steal.

There's a reason it's called, "Soul" music.

God Bless you,  and thank you, Dennis Edwards.  I can only hope you felt the love we had for you while you were on this side.    I pray you are now soaring high on "Cloud 9".

**Lyrics from my song, "Reminder", on my CD, "Evolution Of A Woman".  Www.Reverbnation.com/Rayelity
Copyright Lisa Rayel Jeffrey
 All Rights Reserved.


#MakeUseOfTheSacrifices

Pee Wee Herman Was a Prophet!

In the movie, "Pee Wee's Great Adventure",  Pee Wee Herman sets out across the country to find his most cherished possession:  His beloved, bicycle, stolen from him in broad daylight.  Along the way, he meets a menagerie of interesting and odd characters and even phantoms, who, ultimately form an unlikely nationwide band of supporters for what will ultimately, and unexpectedly become the trip of his life.

First, for the record, let it be said, that I always loved Pee Wee Herman.  I loved that movie and I think Pee Wee got a bad break.  Today, Hollywood "stars" form entire careers on scandals much worse than his and unlike 99% of them, HE's actually talented!... But I digress.... The point is, I'm finding myself in my OWN little "Big Adventure" as I find myself for the third day, in a tiny little motel in a tiny little town in Arizona, waiting for my car to be fixed.... AGAIN.

Where was I going?   "Home"... back to Chicago after 14 years in California... and after making all kinds of new friends among the self-described "hillbillies" around the tiny little town of Seligman, Arizona, I can't help but think of Pee Wee Herman.

In the movie, Pee Wee met so many people about as far unlike himself... on the outside... as one would imagine... truckers, cowboys, bikers and more, I find myself laughing it up, dancing, hugging and exchanging contact info with the same eclectic crew!

Take Bev &  , Vicky and Gary-- a couple of retired couples who live a good hundred miles up in the mountains on 80 plus acres each.  We found ourselves in a delightful conversation a couple of afternoons ago at "The Pizza Joint"-- the adjacent little diner next to The Stage Coach Motel, where I'm staying.

Bev and

CONGRESSMAN ALCEE HASTINGS SPEAKS ON IRAN NUCLEAR DEAL

By:  Rayel

August 6, 2015

..........................................................................

On August 5th, Congressman Alcee Hastings spoke before the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), to express his opposition to the Iran Nuclear Deal and the reasons why.  Hosted by the Jewish Temple, Kol Ami Emanu-El, in Plantation, FL, the event sought to educate the receptive audience on contents of the deal, and share what they can do to encourage their legislators to stand the bill down.  "Preaching to the choir," as we would say, given Israel's proximity and difficult history with Iran, Congressman Hastings outlined 5 key points in the bill, that he, as well as AIPAC, found particularly unacceptable and vowed to fight.

Before addressing these points, I think a summary of what the deal is and where we currently are is in order.  In a nutshell, in July, Iran and a group of six nations led by the United States reached what has been dubbed an "historical" accord to significantly limit Tehran’s nuclear ability for more than a decade in return for lifting international oil and financial sanctions, which followed the Iranian Revolution in 1979.  A victory, for President Obama who won, in part, due to lingering ill feelings about the Iraq war.

Obama has asserted that the deal, which will give billions to Iraq, is the best way to avert war and prevent them from building a bomb, and that everyone in the world, except for Israel, is in favor of it.  The critics disagree.  Next month, Congress will vote for or against it.

The 5 Key points at issue are:

1.  Inspections & Verifications.  According to Congressman Hastings, who spoke with the deal in hand, not only are there no "anytime, anywhere" inspections allowed in the deal, but Iran must be given 24 days notice before inspections and of the 150 inspectors, NO AMERICAN OR CANADIAN Scientists will be appointed.  Furthermore, the inspectors will be blindfolded and taken to the inspection sites so they have no knowledge of where they are being taken.

2.  Possible Military Dimensions.  The oversight agency, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has not made public its' information sharing agreement with Iran, so no specific consequences are outlined should Iran violate the agreement.

3.  Sanctions.  The sanction relief is immediate rather than gradual.  The estimate is that Iran will receive $50 to $150 Billion dollars, in full, after just 6 months of perceived compliance.  Plus, the U.S. has pledged another $20 Billion in investments in Iran, so the entire amount given to Iran could be as much as $200 Billion.

4.  Duration.  Key restrictions on Iran's nuclear capability are lifted after just 8 years, and almost all restrictions after 15 years.  In 5 years, they can buy/sell any kind of weapon.  And, in 10 years, they can make more centrifuges.

5.  Dismantlement.  According to Congressman Hastings, Iran's current, extensive nuclear infrastructure is left intact.  It alters Iran's plans for the Arak heavy water reactor, but requires no dismantlement of any present centrifuges or any Iranian nuclear facility.

Proponents of the deal ask “What’s the difference?”  The U.S. has long sent over a million dollars a day to Israel, who are widely believed to have nuclear weapons.  They argue it would be ridiculous for either Iran or Israel to use them since they are neighbors.

Others point out that the money we are "giving" them is actually the money we TOOK from them back in the 1980's under the reign of The Ayatollah Khomeini.  They ask, how could we put stringent stipulations on the RETURN of money that was theirs in the first place?

Still, the concerns prevail.

After a Q&A, Rabbi Howard Needleman closed the meeting by challenging the audience to "give it everything you've got to kill this deal.   For the next 44 days (when Congress votes), call your members of Congress.  It's your responsibility to your kids and your grandkids... and to yourself."  When asked what happens if Congress rejects, he explained that The President can veto Congress’ vote and the funds, held in an “Executive Order bank” overseas, will be disbursed to Iran anyway, even in the event of a Congress override.  “Then,” he said simply, “It is what it is”.

(VIDEO) RAYEL READS! Dick Gregory autobiography, "Nigger" Intro. Pt. 1

Legendary Activist,  Comedian, Gatekeeper shares his life in a must read account of a history that we all share.

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Thank you.

Intro PART 1 of Dick Gregory autobiography, "Nigger"

(VIDEO) RAYEL READS! Intro to book. "Nigger", by Dick Gregory PT.2

INTRO, PART 2
The late, Legendary, Activist,  Comedian, Gatekeeper shares his life in a history we all share and need to know.
Please WATCH, LIKE,  and SHARE.

Thank you.


PART 2 INTRO, Dick Gregory autobiography, "Nigger"

Arizona. Why the trouble (VIDEO)

Historical perspective on Arizona, taped August 2017.  Please WATCH, LIKE, and SHARE.

Thank you

Why is Arizona a historical holdout? ...King holiday?... Immigration reform?...

THE WATERFRONT TAKEBACK Pt. 1 (VIDEO)

 This was shot just before "Waterfront Takeback Pt.2"  Please WATCH them both, LIKE, and SHARE.
Thank you.

Recorded this in the aftermath of Ferguson and subsequent riots. You need to know the real agenda.

CAPITALISM NEEDS POVERTY. Pt.1 (VIDEO)

The Emancipation proclamation and Civil Rights Acts were "small things" compared to what REALLY riled up the beast.

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Thank you.

What Lincoln, Kennedy & King had in common actually might surprise you. PART 1

CAPITALISM NEEDS POVERTY. Pt 2 (VIDEO)

"We wrestle not against flesh and blood,  but against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual wickedness in high places"...  Ephesians 6:12.     This thing gets DEEP.  What you really need to know.

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PART 2 of the real threat to the status quo and the TRUE solution

TOP 20 THINGS I'M GLAD MY PARENTS TOLD ME. (VIDEO)

SOOOOO glad my parents gave me these nuggets of wisdom!

What The N. Koreans Have Actually Been Wanting (You'd Be Surprised)

"A hope deferred makes the heart sick"- Proverbs 13:12.

I had the recent honor of attending a "Conversation" presentation by President Jimmy and Rosalind Carter.  Long and STILL in the trenches of diplomacy, international stewardship, and world peace, you'll be saddened and surprised to know what North Korea has long wanted from the United States, and how we have contributed to this dangerous standoff.

"A Hope deferred..."

Is the #45-NFL" Drama Just a Smokescreen?

Thr Big Picture is pointed out by Congressman AL Green of Texas.  Trump has essentially Declared nuclear War (a legal amd millitary term) with North Korea ( and one that they have taken irrevocably seriously).  If this NFL controversy can serve as more than a smokescreen, but a catalyst for impeachment, then great.  But, would an impeachment RESCIND THE Declaration of War?  Would Pence rescind it?

History tells us that people are reluctant to change administrations in times of war... that's how we got stuck with Bush for 8 years (see "Iraq").  If we are to potentially  and litetally SAVE  THE WORLD FROM A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST, we need to STAND for resolving the ULTIMATE threat, and TAKE REAL MEASURES towards turning this Titanic around.  I stand for getting him out of office asap.  The world cannot wait.  #MakeUseOfTheSacrifices

 Worth watching in its entirety.

Who Are The REAL Patriots?

Ahaaaa! A very meaningful back story to the Colin Kaepernick saga.  And I'd like to add one point... the subtext of the "debate" is that Whites have fought for this country while Blacks are ungrateful for "their"sacrifices.  THIS PRESIDENTS FIVE DRAFT DEFERMENTS ASIDE,  It should be emphatically noted that Blacks have fought... and died... in disproportionate numbers... in EVERY war this country has EVER waged.  In fact, the FIRST casualty of The American Revolution, that established the foundation of this country, was a Black man... Crispus Attucks.

Despite our DEMONSTRATED zeal for our country (and yes, its ours too)...and despite segregated millitaries, denied veteran benefits (I had a front row seat as a hospice worker),  and innumerable other indignities in war and after war,  they STILL came back to a country that refused to acknowledge their rights as citizens (which includes the right to peaceful protest), until barely 40-odd years ago, when we STILL had to fight... and die...in a war INSIDE this country, for the right to vote... not be lynched, redlined, segregated... you get the picture.

We are EVIDENTLY a HIGHLY Patriotic people, despite its broken promises.  Even now, as this president sets the stage for war, do you really think OUR children won't be on those tragic front lines? Sadly,  they will.  Sadly, he will not.

So, as you read this backstory, appreciate the big picture of "listening ", but be careful not to get lured into the unspoken subtext of "us vs. Them" that the media may have been unconsciously advancing.

Thank you very much. #MakeUseOfTheSacrifices

Now listen...