Rights For Who?

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with unalienable rights, that among these are the Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.

   The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776...

   Have no faith in Constitution...

                    lyrics from the song "Spirits In The Material World", sung by The Police

I'm trying to think how long I tolerated the movie The Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith, before ejecting the DVD and placing it back in the case. I think it was somewhere around the 30-40 minute area. The last thing I can remember was this man accepting a full-time, no paying, intern position, while his living conditions greatly deteriorated, causing internal strife within the family, and ultimately leading to his wife leaving he and his son behind. He also spent the course of a year homeless while he pursued his quest for "happiness."

Today Chris Gardner, the protagonist of the movie, is touted as some type of shining example of "initiative", or as conservatives say "pulling up the bootstraps" and all that mumbo jumbo. Personally, I saw the movie as another scapegoat of avoiding the rights of the people upon its' government,  which is to insure justice among its citizens, by using media to persuade the ignorant masses that access to the basic necessities is a "privilege", and not a right.

What if this guy was unsuccessful in his pursuit? Would we have a movie entitled "Ni**er, Have You Lost Your Damn Mind?!" ? How many of us have been chastised or questioned for "quitting our day job," to follow our dreams, and pursue this ever-elusive "happiness"?

Looking back on this piece of propaganda now, and how it upset me so much, I think about the title itself and what it entails, and I think about the omission of the other "unalienable Rights" not mentioned in the title, which to me are more important than this "right" of the "Pursuit of Happiness", a vague "right" which was declared at the expense of the genocide of Native Americans, and the multitudes of African slaves who were exploited to the utmost degree while a few European immigrants sought their slanted interpretation of this pursuit, and to fulfill this "manifest destiny".

No Right to Life, and definitely no Right to Liberty for them. So don't even bother mentioning happiness.

Today when I look at this nation and its pursuit of happiness, I think of the constant propaganda campaigns by some liberals used to persuade people to be more concerned with legalizing certain drugs and certain lifestyles, same-sex marriage, instituting transgender bathrooms and gentrifying areas the local or state government neglected, forcing the current residents to flee due to the inability to afford high rent and property taxes, while neglecting what this nation seems to be doing to those who don't have access to the basic essentials of life itself; food, clothing, shelter, general health care, and so on.

Yasmin Nair, an LGBT activist, spoke last year about what she felt was the real intention behind this push for same-sex marriage. 

TRNN Video: Gay Marriage Victory Is Not About Equality

At the same time I see some conservatives denying people of colors' Right to Life, defend the killing of unarmed Black men, criminalizing the poor, justifying mass incarceration and disenfranchisement of Black men, using this so-called War on Drugs and the profits generated from it, legalize mass exploitation of people through banking systems, using Big Gov to fund their imperialistic endeavors, inflate prices upon the populace, and demonizing other governments and beliefs by accusing their way of life as backwards and barbaric in an effort to assure no one would look for alternative ways of life.  

In all of this furor, these "Rights" endowed by Creator, as the Declaration claims, seem to look more like privileges to those without any political voice, means, and definitely no media to articulate their concerns.

And BET and TV ONE do not count as Black Media...and definitely not OWN...so don't begin to kid yourself.

Deep in the heart of Texas, more people on food stamps are being "re-orientated" to get back into workforce, obtain jobs, or to get "better paying" jobs, in an effort to make themselves "self-sufficient". Recipients are being sent blue sheets of paper which state that it is a requirement for those on food stamps to look for work. This scheme requires a collaboration between the State Department of Human Services and the Texas Workforce Commission.

In this program people are being required to submit a certain amount of entries to businesses every week for a number of weeks in order to keep their food stamp benefits. Those who are working, but not working a required amount of hours are also being placed in this program as well.   

In order to sell this, propaganda, or PR was used, and you know the usual culprits; racial anecdotes of Black people and their "treacherous" ways of manipulating human services, selling their food stamps for money to buy drugs, abusing their Section 8 privileges by allowing uncertified people to live with them, and so on. This propaganda perfectly fits the analysis given by Mumia Abu Jamal of how the impoverished are portrayed in America as possessing "character flaws", or a "defect of the spirit".

While many may think this orientation process is admirable, the reality is that this scheme's ultimate purpose is to reduce the state's' "burden" of  having to provide access to decent nutrition to its citizens, a "right" or "entitlement" to the citizens of the state. The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of those on food stamps are not on it due to lack of employment, or of substantial employment, but the inability to afford sufficient nutrition for themselves and their families. 

But when the masses of people hear the constant rumblings in the media about LaQuita and her 5 children by 4 different men, the tendency of Americans is to welcome these "reforms" presented to the nation as a way to get rid of this "welfare state", or as Bill Cosby put it once, a "culture of poverty".

 Edward L. Bernays, the late psychoanalyst and nephew to Sigmund Freud called it "The Engineering of Consent."

So forget the statistics that show most food stamp recipients in America are White, you can't use them as the boogeyman, that won't go over too well. You need to reach deep down and pull out the most sinister culprit to remove people's entitlement to the basic necessities of life. Sorta like when "radical Islamists" are used to remove people's entitlement to privacy.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, under this program those considered able to work but unable to find "gainful employment" are subject perform "community service".  So now not having a job sounds like a misdemeanor. Just like the Black Codes. And you know what that lead to.

No wonder so many disenfranchised and poor youth either take the grimy road of hustling, or voice their displeasure of the way things work here in America, such as lyrics like these:

F**k your American Dream

That sh*t's not real

It's really more of an American Scheme

Cuz ' When I think of the American Dream

 I think about

Student Debt, Inflation, and how my Ancestors screamed

Look the corporations really hate you

and almost every institution is tryin to rape you

 But they don't care...

 lyrics from the forthcoming song "Like Us", performed by Knoxie-Ty.

All I'm asking....R-E-S-P-E-C-T!!!

Peace all,

Hoping that this blog reaches everyone in great health and spirits. I know it's been awhile since blogging, but all of my social media has suffered as well, especially Twitter and Blogger. In reality all of this networking became a serious burnout and a source of depression for me after releasing some of artwork to the public to little or no response. I felt that I was doing something wrong, and that people weren't getting what I was trying to convey to the public, as well as people were being somewhat finicky and sometimes downright disrespectful in my work. Take for example last month a "fellow artist" came to my local library, saw my work and loved one of my pieces, and wanted to purchase it. I made the mistake of asking how much she thought it was worth, and she replied that she didn't want to disrespect me, but told me $100. This was for one of my prize pieces that everyone seems to like and related to. I felt disrespected, but regardless I asked could she pay $200(which is STILL lowballing) and she stated she would have to save up. I told her no problem, gave her a card, and tried to make it accessible for her to purchase it. She emails me a week later saying she can't do the $200, and tried to negotiate again for $100. With that I refused to reply to her at all. Lesson learned... I'm realizing there is more to this thing than meets the eye, but I won't go into it right now. My spirit is now starting to rejuvenate to the point where I'm enjoying what I do again and go out to just shoot pictures and do more artwork. This was not a positive summer to say the least, but I hope things will pick up for me. This coming Sunday some of my work will be on display and for sale at an art fair in Dallas. I won't be present due to other priorities, but someone is going to display it for me. I hope that I will spark some type of interest when it's all said and done. I hope to be back real soon to talk about my next exhibit and the meaning behind it, so stay tuned family. Take care! Luv Ya!

Nonstop...Don't Stop...

Peace all...

Well it's 12:42 pm, and my toes are freezing! Sitting on the floor on a Sunday January Morning watching old Andy Griffith reruns, thinking back to days where old shows like this were not placed on a DVD and/or placed in the back of the cable tv lineup...Quality entertainment, and I still find myself laughing at Otis and Barney...Some people think this reveals my age, although I disagree. Some people just are not into being bombarded with the sexual uninhibited, free floating so called contemporary entertainment. I remember in 2006 I met a young lady at my job who loved 50's music, and had a serious collection of old hits, although she was only 26 at the time...Some people just look for quality.

Anyway, good news on the homefront. After all of that worrying about losing the opportunity to gain employment, I went into the office Friday, took the test, and was able to pass, and so now my start date will be January 31st. That gives me one more week of freedom.

But who has freedom when you are an artist? I mean c'mon! As far as I am concerned I am very far behind on things I wanted to accomplish, and now I only have 7 days to show that my time off from work was not a total waste of time.

I admit I became very distracted and very depressed when things did not take shape like I wanted to last year. I began to look for instant comfort in food and online friends. I lost focus and plenty of times I wanted to chuck it in. Even at this moment I feel I am embattled, and it just gets tiring. Nothing seems to go right. This past fall a fellow artist and Facebook friend from across the seas agreed to do a swap with me. She did a beautiful painting of two Kenyan women and agreed to swap with me for one of my bags. She sent the picture via regular parcel December 9 and it has yet to arrive. We've been trying to find some information on the package, but to no avail. Very depressing for me.




I keep trying to convince myself something better is on the way, but it gets hard. It's hard for me to keep going sometimes for fear that I'm going to start all over again, and it just gets tiring. I can relate to the Roots song "Rising Down" where he says, "Yo I ain't trying to floss, yo I lost my passion, and I ain't trying to climb I done lost my passion" and "My contents Under pressure do not shake!"




I'm not complaining at all, I'm just telling it like it is. Sometimes if you don't share your feelings, your feelings will eat you up, so I put it in forms of poetry, art or blog.

I have done a couple of videos and hope to finish another one for an interview I have with a writer friend of mine, and I have plans to contact the director for the Stewpot, a collection of artists who sell their art, and give some of the proceeds to help the homeless. I hope to get some positive feedback from that.

Sabrun Jamil...

I'll keep you posted...Love y'all...Take Care.

Moving on...

Peace all,

I've been away for awhile, conjuring up new things to bring to the table. Things are happening so fast and so much that one can lose sight of the bigger picture, however at least I can say most of these things that are happening are on a more positive note. I usually balance my blogs so to give the reader the ups and downs, and not just a lot of fluff involved. I have a couple of blogs in mind coming soon, but in the meantime, kick back and relax while I smile a bit....LOL.

Still no word on the job status, and it is getting more frustrating by the day as I travail through this terrain trying to seek out some employment( ALL THOSE T'S...LOL)but I feel the end of the search is near, and pray that something good comes along. I can't help but feel apprehensive however when I find myself filling out an application for a call center position, knowing the last 3 jobs I've had were in those environments, and they have done so much to my mental that I can truly say I don't know if I can be effective in such an environment anymore. But I keep looking and applying. Anyway...

During my time away I am gaining more confidence in working with Photoshop Elements and with a pen tablet, yeah you've guessed it, Q is into digital arts too! I use to have some apprehension to technology as a whole, due to believing that it was not as "pure" and "natural" as maybe other forms of visual artistry, but now I feel it can only enhance my repetoire, especially in mixed media which can use a lot of photography and clippings, so stay tuned! Ol' Q looks to switch it up a bit here!

I've also been asked to give another BlogTalkRadio interview, more to come on that later.

Gotta go all, the library is closing up and I gotta get back home to watch the rest of The Wire....Until then..

Peace all...LOVE YA!



PS...This piece here has yet to be finished...I can truly say it has been my most troublesome piece, trying to find what can complement this piece...I'll get to it, God Willing..

You Wouldn't Understand

Peace all,

Here at the lab working on the pictures from the upcoming art exhibit in Shreveport, LA this coming August. I have made great progress(thank God) and things are going full swing. I am in the process of making 8-9 original works along with 3-4 prints of previous works. I am very excited about this possibility to call to attention the ills of the society as well gain exposure about my art, and maybe make some money in the process. I have been bouncing around like a pinball, hitting different areas, some people don't get it, thinking this works against me, however I assure you it works in my best interest. It's great to concentrate solely on one piece, but what happens when you run out of ideas or hit that fork in the road on a particular piece? In my case i pull up another piece and get to work, never stopping for just one piece.

Speaking with my friend and fellow artist today she revealed a sad case wherein her parents have basically given her the boot due to her insistence of working on her passion instead securing a "real job"... I ask you, especially in today's world, what the feezy is a "real job"? Is it one of these jobs that you feel safe in knowing you have a paycheck every two weeks, although you are still unable to cover the costs of living? A job where in the bulk of the people working are also struggling with some type of vice or addiction that crept up on them as a result of trying to deal with the stress of overwork and underpaid? Disrespected? Don't people realize that the days of working for these plantations for 20 years, collecting pension, social security and profit sharing are now OVER? That they don't give a fick about you and your family's well being anymore?




Do they not think that independent artists have what it takes to succeed artistically and still make ends meet? Do they not know all of the avenues that are available to artists to express their true talent as well as make profit? Have we lost touch with what's going on in the world so much that we have given these slavemaster corporations the idea that we can't live without them? I grew up being taught that I could not live without God, now it seems we have allocated power to human beings that they do not deserve. They cannot create, produce, provide for anything here, and they too will die, so subjecting myself to them is not only wrong, but foolish. All that you see as a result of their doings (for many of them misdeeds is more like it) is really an illusion that has no foundation in truth. Truth will prevail.

I have reserved May 23, 2010 as a day I call my Independence Day, and I have no wish to go back. My attitude is now "I can work with you, but I can't work for you!"

Take care all, love you...Peace

Some Cool Poetry....

Peace Yo.

It's 2:35am, yeah that's right AM NOT PM(lol)

I'm about to crash, just finished working on a small piece, very interesting me thinks.

Anywho, I have a blog coming up, but I saw this on one of my NING sites, and thought I'd share it with you. It's a nice poem by Kirk Nugent entitled 21st Century Slave.

Catch Ya Later, and oh yeah, MUCHO LUV for the well wishes for my sister. She is getting better, thank GOD. Take Care.


Find more videos like this on iseecolor

THE POINT OF NO RETURN......

Peace y'all

It's 10:09am, I just went out to my car, and it was dirty again from the storms that came from the recent arctic blast. I washed this thing last week from all of the dirt that had collected from the storms before. My car was beginning to look like I had just competed in a Monster Truck exhibition. Now it looks a repeat performance.

Anyway, I was unable to attend the exhibition at the South Dallas Cultural Center last week. The weather was brutal. I'll give it another swing this week. I want to get to it before they go to another exhibit in February....

I am feeling much better since the cold/flu thingy has subsided. This one lingered longer than usual, keeping me from having sustained sessions with my artwork. Thank God I was able to finish a piece to be revealed in the near future, but this working at another job, then coming home to work on another piece is really becoming a strain on my body. It is one of the reasons I get sick more often, as my body does not take time to regenerate the immune system. On several occasions my body gets wrecked from stress, and by the weekend I feel like I played extensive hours of football without any padding. I learned at my job yesterday that I will be moving to another team, due to my present performance. When they brought me into the office, I thought they were going to complain about my recent work, so when they asked me how's everything going, I let them know I was feeling serious burnout. They told me the team I am going to will be more focused on one client, so the stress factor would be considerably less. The less stress that I really need is the less stress of switching modes that I endure on a weekly, if not daily basis. Switching from one mode where I have to hear constant complaints without the ability to respond except in what they say is a "professional" manner to a mode where I get to say whatever is on my mind is not an easy task; thoughts have to be gathered, and time to reflect in this Bluetooth Society that I call it(I'll explain that later) is at a minimum. There have been times I have thought of hanging up this art thing, but then I think of why I named myself and my artwork Quwwa...Determination... Will Power....Maybe I'm being tested to see if I practice what I preach..

I've come to the realization that I have reached the point of no return. I have met people who have become touched by the work, and since that is part of the objective, I feel I can't go back. This thing has become a part of my being. I have started something that needs to be finished. I can't think of chumpin' out and going to hide in the corner now. Plus I got a family at Iseecolor that will hunt me down and find me if they ever heard of me puttin' it away.

Maybe, God Willing, just maybe I will be able to make this full time. Then all of the stress and anxiety endured will be a purification for my soul. People at my job comment on my demeanor and stated that although I expressed burnout, they never saw it. I read during the past Ramadhan that one of God's attributes is that of forgiveness, even to the point of not letting the troubles and afflictions we put on ourselves become obvious to the people. One young lady commented that they have never saw me sad or upset, they always found me smiling... God is Great..



SHAKE IT OFF......Take care y'all