victor's odyssey

Welcome!  Thanks for coming.  We are on a journey, and you are welcome to join us.  This is a place where you can share your ideas, thoughts and comments about any of our topics or others.  Welcome aboard.

Puerto Rico, the Argentine town in the province of Misiones near the Iguassu Falls and Brazilian borders, as described in an Argentine Tourist magazine, “In this Puerto Rico you won’t find an black men or juicy mulatta women dancing tropical dances and shouting, “ae, ae, chebere, oba,  oba, a little water, baby, I’m burning up!  You will find a purely European village settled by Germans, Swiss and their children.  The total population of Puerto Rico is 112, 000 inhabitants, all of them blond, with bule eyes and perfectly white skin”

A porteno, describing the parish where she lived, San Telmo, to some visiting friends “In our neighborhood the statistics indicate a minimum percentage of black settlement in comparison with the neighboring parishes of Monserrat, Concepcion, LaPiedad and Balvanera”

Several years ago, a student said, “Dr. James, with all due respect sir, that’s bullshit.  You are telling this class that there were Blacks in my Country (Argentina), they fought in our wars and that the father of my country, our first president was part black.  No. No.  When I was a child, my teacher had me to be him in a play because I am white like him.”

These sentiments are deeply rooted in the Argentine ethos, namely that there are/were no blacks in Argentina.  The Argentine ethos is embodied in the belief that its evolution is that of Euro-centric consensus; that is an assumption, an unproven fact, a myth or a patent lie.  Beliefs serve as the emotional core of one’s soul, the marrow of one’s bone, the core of a nation’s culture-the sum-total of all of a nation’s ways of doing things (its history, social organization, education system, legends, lies, traditions and creative motif), and its capacity to transmit them from generations to generations.  In a nutshell, it is the premise from which its history is written, its educational system evolves-textbooks are written, teachers and professors teach-from which economic, political and social industries are developed and sustained.

The Euro-centric consensus during the Renaissance was a form of scientific racism, namely that whites were superior and blacks were inferior intellectually; that white Europeans had evolved much further and faster than other non-whites.  Further, that human being are in a constant evolutionary process in which the fittest or enlightened will eventually weed out the unfit thus permitting them to die off so as not to weaken their fittest race.

Therefore, the irredeemable inferiority of the subservient race will doom Argentina to a secondary status in the world.  The only hope for the modernization and future greatness of the country was immigration-Whitening of Argentina. Their official immigration policy was titled and executed, “Whitening Argentina”, in which 3.5 million European were immigrated to Argentina, their domestic policy was miscegenation-race mixture, between black women and the European immigrant men to lighten Argentina, placing bounties the heads of Indians; in the Ushuaia region, Argentines would cut off an ears of  Indians as confirmation of their deaths to collect the bounties, and the most pernicious methods were the manipulation of the census data-omission and commission, and impeding the culture heritage of the Afro-Argentines.

In 1852, the Unitarians returned to power with their leader, 7th President, Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (1868 to 1874).  The Unitarians looked to Europe for capital, immigrants, and ideas to best develop Argentina.   He embraced Euro-centric model of scientific racism.  Sarmiento’s biographies touted him as the champion of “intelligent thought”, as represented in his book he wrote while in exile in Chile, “Civilization and Barbarism,” in which blacks are described as animals, monkeys, apes, childlike and uncivilized.  He is also touted as advocating education for children, women and democracy for Latin America.  It is also alleged that he took advantage of the opportunity to modernize and develop the train systems, a postal system, and a comprehensive education system. He spent many years in ministerial roles on the federal and state levels where he travelled abroad and examined other education systems,  all of which were embodied in the Euro-centric consensus model.

The Federalists, leader, Juan De Manual Rosas (1793-1877), became governor of Buenos Aires in 1829 and served until 1852,except a three year period, 1832-1835), vision a traditional Argentine State-diversity, broad participation of citizenry (included Afro-Argentine), rejected the Euro-centric model-discouraging European immigration.  He deliberately defaulted on British loans and successfully fought off the French and British efforts to blockade the port of Buenos Aires.  He was instrumental in attaining independence for Argentina. He was also instrumental in introducing a national sentiment to the Afro-Argentines. As Governor of Buenos Aires, Rosas realized in order to remain in power he must form a broad base of political support. For the first time in the nation’s history, he sought support of the masses and let them become participants in the political system; political participation aroused nationalistic sentiment among the Afro-Argentines. Under Rosas, the Afro-Argentines fought wars of independence against Uruguay, Paraguay, and Brazil. Free and slave Afro-Argentines fought side by side with white Argentines.

After the fall of Rosas in 1852, the Unitarians now had the power to proceed with their plan to restructure Argentina-making it a white nation, rewriting its history, developing its own social organizations, education system, legends, lies, traditions and creative motif, which were transmitted from generation to generation via customs, habits, practices, laws, rules, institutions, and a continuous aggressive immigration open door policy to the white nations of Europe; hence, a belief embodied in the nation’s conscience, as such that it becomes a source of pride in the nation.

Pride in Argentina’s European heritage was exemplified in in essays on the country’s demographic development, stressing the similarities between Argentina demographic rates and those of Western Europe, Canada, the United States and others in the vanguard of economic and social progress.  Another example of this drive towards becoming a white Buenos Aires, in a special issue of the magazine “Caras y Caretas commemorating the Argentine centennial carried articles on the ethnic groups that built the nation, “France and the French in Argentina, Italy and the Italians in Argentina, and Great Britain the British in Argentina.

No reference to Afro-Argentines’ contribution; notwithstanding their liberation of Buenos Aires (Unitarian Colonel Lorenzo Barcala and the semi-mythical “Facundo.”).  To acknowledge black participation in the development of the country (First President of the country was of African descent, Bernardino Rivadavia), and in a nation’s military history is to acknowledge their contributions which entitled black citizens to equality, and such acknowledgement would be inconsistent with the nation’s quest to become white-developing European economic, political and social models.

NEXT: PART 3– WHAT HAPPEN TO THE NEGROS (BLACKS) IN ARGENTINA—QUE PASO CON LOS NEGROS EN  ARGENTINA?

Tiger, congratulation on your recent win; it is part of the process of exiting the prison cell of Shame and Pain.  There are four Major steps to freedom-The Masters, The US Open, The British Open and The PGA Champion.  The tournaments between each major-win or lose, are part of the processes of unlocking the cell, each tournament between a Major is a movement toward each step, moving the combination to its final click-the PGA Champion.

You will win all four Majors again, this year, within their time frame (Bobby Jones).   I know that you will; just believe.   Just be Tiger-with the Eyes of an Eagle for perception-reading the details of the greens to line up that birdie or eagle putt, or surveying the details of the minds’ of your foes; with the heart of a lion for courage-sailing against the tide, facing popular opposition, shame and scandal with dignity and grace; with the hands of a woman for gentility-caressing and massaging the putter prior to sinking the putt, and in competition, with the ferocity of a Tiger, taking no prisoners.

Tiger, remember, retain mystery.  Silence enhances authority.   THIS IS YOUR TIME!  THIS IS YOUR MOMENT!

Several years ago, while enjoying my “weekly Thursday evening fixed”, dancing tango at the San Francisco Verdi Club, then hosted by Victor Meneses, an Argentine-American, today hosted by Christie Cote, she and her mom, Joan, long time personal friends, introduced me to a young beautiful Afro-Argentine dancer name Natalia Hills, Joan asked if would give her a ride back to her hotel. Of course, I said yes. We had a nice conversation. She invited me to her first performance in San Francisco with the “Forever Tango” dance troupe, and of course, we agreed to have dinner after her performance.

After her performance, as we were leaving the theatre for dinner, she was confronted by a veteran senior female member of the “Forever Tango” dance troupe, I think her name was Claudia (not sure); she was very loud and rude (barrio type); it was very embarrassing. She gave Natalia holy hell for being with a Black man, threatening her, literally scared her to death. In fact, as we left the theatre, Natalia refused to continue our dinner date; she would not get into my car nor talk to me. Instead, we walked backed to her hotel; during the five block walk, she refused to talk to me; my efforts to converse were in vain. After wlaking her back to her hotel, I bid her good night; I have not seen nor communicated with her since. Although, she has performed and spent time in the San Francisco Bay Area since, but I was either out of the country or out of town. I have always wanted to talk to her; I hope someday to get that opportunity.

Maria Lamadrid, who founded Africa Vive,a few years ago enroute to Panama, submitted her new Argentine passport to the immigration counter when the immigration officer saw the passport and began to scream that “it was a fake”, she was initially detained; the only reason given for the detention was that “there aren’t any blacks in Argentina.”

I have traveled to Argentina numerous times over the years, from Ushuaia to Cordoba, Posada, Iguazu Falls (both sides-Brazil and Argentina), and to Asuncion, Paraguay. I have asked my friends there and others that I met why Argentina is considered to be South America’s “whitest” nation? Some would invariably responds “por que no hay negros en Argentina”. I wondered how could a country have practically no black presence when at one point in Argentine history, blacks outnumbered whites five to one. How could a country, which had blacks account for about 30-40% of the population in the nation’s capital, Buenos Aires from 1534 through 1810, and today more than 1,000,000 Argentines are of African descend. What elements of this early African presence still remain present in the culture of Argentina today?

The first president of Argentina, the father of the country, was of African ancestry, Bernardino Rivadavia; he was called Dr. chocolate by his opponents, because of his mixed parentage. J. A Rogers, an international recognized 19 century historian, listed him as one of eight great Latin American men of color in his biographical anthology of great men of Color.

He resisted British invasion in 1806, lead the movement for independence from Spain in 1810; he became secretary to the revolutionary junta in 1811, dominating the revolutionary triumvirate, organized the militia, disbanded the Spanish courts, freed the press from censorship, ended the slave trade. His cultural initiatives would ultimately be his lasting contribution to Argentina. These included promoting education at all levels, founding the University of Buenos Aires, establishing museums (Museum of Natural Sciences) and the national library, and establishing the Theaters, Geology and Medicine academies (schools); he introduced the concepts of land-value taxation, municipal bonds to finance government projects, and the construction of large avenues (Avenida 9 de Julio), paved and lighted streets. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1780 and died in Cadiz, Spain in 1845.

The additional influences of the Afro-Argentines are the music and tango dance. The origin of the word tango is still not clear, it could be African in origin meaning “reserved ground” or “closed place”. It is also speculated that the Africans on the slave ships could have picked up the Portuguese word “tanguere, which means to touch. One thing we do know is that the word “tango” came to define the place where African slaves and free blacks gathered to dance. The earliest tangos began to be danced in the streets, bars, and the brothels in Buenos Aires, in the 1800s. Tango formed from older African based dances and musical forms of the milonga, candombe and canyengue, and habanera. The rhythmic patterns of candombe were brought by the Afro Argentine slaves, while the habanera was brought in by the Afro Cubans. Milonga is the product of the steps of the candombe and the habanera.

One of the greatest composers of Argentina tango music is Horacio Salgan, 97 years old today, born June 15, 1916, in Buenos Aires. Salgán began studying piano at age six. At age 18 he joined the cast of Radio Belgrano as a soloist and back-up musician. At 20 he was discovered by orchestra leader Roberto Firpo, who hired Salgán for his orchestra. In late 1942 he made his first recording, and in 1944 put together his own orchestra, which lasted until 1947. Salgán then devoted himself to composing and teaching, and in 1950 he returned to Argentina with a new orchestra. In 1960 he saw the formation of the Quinteto Real, he on piano, Enrique Francini on violin and Pedro Láurenz on bandoneón. The goal of the group was to create instrumental tangos designed for listening rather than dancing. In 1998 he appeared as himself in the Oscar-nominated Best Foreign Language Film Tango, no me dejes nunca as part of El Nuevo Quinteto Real, an incarnation of the original group.

Some of Salgán’s most well-known compositions include Del 1 al 5 (Días de pago) (1944), Don Agustín Bardi (1947), Entre tango y tango (1953), Grillito, La llamo silbando, Cortada de San Ignacio, and A fuego lento.

Eventually, tango would become very popular with the European immigrants and Euro–Argentines. It was very common to see the bars and brothels of the “barrios” (districts) frequented by European immigrants to learn the dance. Once they learned; they would take it with them to the upper echelons of European and American societies.

NEXT: What happened to the negros (blacks) in Argentina?

The saying, “Thinkee, Believee, but don’t Speakee” is embodied in the character of the American Culture Ethos. In other words, there are no consequences for thoughts and beliefs, but there are for spoken words.

Tiger Woods’ former employee, Caddie, Stevie Williams, was in Shanghai, China at the Annual Caddy Awards dinner. Williams was given a tongue-in-cheek award for the year’s best celebration. After StevieWoods fired him, he signed on with golfer Adam Scott; when Scott won the Bridgestone Invitational Tournament, Williams had an over the top cocky celebration that included him talking about it being the best victory of his career. During the presentation of the award, he was asked what was he thinking during that celebration, Stevie responded, “My aim was to shove it right up that black asshole’s ass”

And, in accordance with the American culture ethos, the sports and golf writers, the sports news commentators and golf channel anchors, all rose in hypocritical righteous indignation, throwing Stevie under the bus, just as they had previously to Tiger and simultaneously lauding Stevie for his professionalism and the manner in which he comported himself during Tiger’s personal saga. They wanted Stevie punished for “Speakingee,” saying what they thought and believed. They wanted Stevie punish for violating the culture code. They wanted their positions to be legitimized by the international press and Tiger Woods.

Prior to Tiger’s arrival at the Lakes Golf Club in Sydney, Australia for the Australian Open, the international press corps had assembled for the Tiger Woods’ Press Conference. One British newspaper, expressing their indignation, indicated that there should be an investigation. Others suggested that the entire sport was tainted. They waited, along with the golf channel network, planning to carry it live. The pre-conference comments of the anchors and commentators were of the presumptive indignation nature, namely expressing what they thought Tiger would be or ought to be expressing-anger, hostility and/or strong negative emotions toward Stevie.

Tiger entered the room with the elegance and grace of a Prince, looked into the eyes of the hostess and proceeded to survey the assembled international press corps; instead of acrimony, anger or hostility, he was considerate, kind and gentle, providing unmerited sanctification to those who previously demonized him, and now looked for him to legitimize their “indignation.”

He did not provide them with the legitimacy they sought nor did he demonize Stevie; he acted rightly, as he previously did, in the face of popular opposition, shame and scandal, providing moral courage and dignity. He was amiable, kind and understanding in his responses to questions, and making it unequivocally clear that Stevie was not a racist, and that they had resolved matter between themselves.

Tiger’s elegance was effective and simple-clear, cogent and coherent. His presence and words represented the best in us not the worst. He addressed the way we ought to be not the way we are.
His elegance and grace continue to puzzle, to mystify, to stir the imagination, to provide images that others cannot explain……..SILENCE ENHANCES AUTHORITY.

Maria Shriver filed for divorce Friday, July 1, 2011, moving to end her 25-year marriage to Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California and Movie Star, just weeks after the former governor publicly acknowledged fathering a child with a member of their household staff.

We have all taken a breath and settled down since May 17, 2011, when all hell broke loose upon learning that the former California Governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, father a child thirteen years ago with a member of his household staff. The negative public reaction ranged from accusations of betrayal and lying to a history of groping. Up to May 17, he was lauded as a great movie actor, a devoted husband, a loving and doting father and a popular and successful Governor. At one point during his tenure, there were moves afoot to amend the Constitution of the United States to allow foreign born citizens to be able to run for the Office of President of the United States.

So, what has changed-the man or our perception of the Man? The only distinction is that we learned on May 17th what happen 13 years ago; namely, he had sex with his housekeeper that produced an unintended pregnancy and a child, and the public went bananas, calling him everything from groper, cheater, to liar, and trust betrayer.

He was called all of these things because he promised to be her to be her lawfully wedded husband, her constant friend, her faithful partner and love her from the day of their marriage to days in the future. In the presence of God, their families and friends, he offered her his solemn promise to be her faithful partner in sickness and in health, in good times and in bad, and in joy as well as in sorrow. He promised to love her unconditionally, to support her in in goals, to honor and respect her, to laugh with her, to cry with her, and to cherish her for as long as they both shall live.

In reliance on his promise or set of promises to be or not to be in the future, she married him, had his children, defended and supported him privately and publicly, and suspended her successful career as a journalist to be a devoted wife and mother to their children. In a nutshell, she believed that he was clairvoyant or God, namely that he could promise today what he will or will not do something in the future.

And, when he was unable to perform today as he promised yesterday, she was hurt tremendously, humiliated and embarrassed. The pain was so excruciating that she and the public wanted their hundred pounds of flesh. She wanted the agony and pain to go away, but they just stuck to her soul like glue. In the process of attempting to sever the adhesion, she reported it to the newspapers and filed for divorce; the public continued their outcry of Groper, Cheater, Liar and Trust Betrayer. He was still the loving and devoted father; he still loved his wife and he is still the popular movie star.

My mother use to say and instilled in me that trust next to giving your life for another, is the highest honor one human being can bestow on another, because you are providing another with the weapons to harm you and believing that he/she won’t. In other word, you make yourself absolutely and totally vulnerable to being stabbed in the heart with a dagger and believing that be won’t happen. Maria was stabbed in the heart.

Is it reasonable to hold someone accountable today for a promise or a set of promises he/she made yesterday about his behavior today? Was Maria’s wound self-inflicted by seeking the Knowledge of her husband’s affair to satisfy her suspicion? Without the knowledge, no trust is betrayed. Does Betrayal of Trust turn on the Act or the Knowledge of the act?

TO BE OR NOT TO BE IN THE FUTURE, THAT IS THE QUESTION.

Tiger, you have heard the COULDAS, SHOULDAS and WOULDAS, the GREATS, ALMOST GREATS and the NEVER GREATS say, “He will never be the same; he will never dominate; Jack Nicklaus’ record is safe; he will never intimidate the other golfers; the intimidation factor is gone; he has to get the respect of the other golfers, etc, etc, etc.” HOGWASH! Don’t drink the KOOL-AID.

Those who are pouring the kool aid are your inferior; they have never been where you have nor have they performed as you have, and, nor have they experience the kind of superior force or circumstance that altered their lives as you have. If you drink the kool- aid, you will diminish yourself, becoming a person of self doubt, pity and anger rather than the person you are-a kind and gentle person with the elegance, grace and sophistication of a Prince and, in competition, ferocious as a lion.

Your only sins were being human and getting caught. You armed some women, your ex-wife and the public with swords and daggers to harm you, believing they would not, but they did, stabbing you in the heart. Your trust was betrayed; the pain and shame became continuous, excruciating and paralyzing. The pain and shame can become permanent or a temporary life altering experiences. Your is to drink or not drink the kool aid.

The weapons that you armed the women with were the knowledge of your marriage and celebrity status, having sex with and paying them for it, and believing they would not kiss and tell, but they did. The weapons you armed your wife with were agreeing to admit that you had a sexual addiction, that you would get help and that you would reveal to her the names of all of the women you had sex with, believing, as she promised, that she would remain married, but she didn’t. The weapons you armed the public with were to publicly admit that you had sex with numerous women, that you cheated, that you were arrogant and selfish and that you had a problem and was getting help, believing they would forgive you, but they haven’t and don’t care.

Your trust was betrayed; you feel dishonored and disgraced. You are locked in the prison of shame and pain; the key to existing from that cell of pain is to change the brain. You may change your swing; you may change swing coaches; you may buy in to some sexual addiction theory; you may build the 8th or 9th wonder of the world-a home with all of the golf and living amenities, open it to all to admire, but if you don’t change the brain, you will remain a prison of the pain. Changing the brain doesn’t mean changing who you are; it means, notwithstanding all, having the discipline to remain who you are- if you enjoy women, continue enjoying; if you enjoy seclusion and being distance, continue. In a nutshell, just be true to you.

The key to unlocking the prison cell of shame and pain is to identify those things that bring pleasure and happiness to your life, as your relations with your father, mother, childhood experiences, golf tournaments, winning, friendships, travels, famous people you have met and etc etc. Write them down on paper and every time the pain surface, think of the one or more of the plethora of pleasure, positive and happy experiences of your life.

Now, you have to continuously juggle the key to the cell; that is every time those negative impulses rise, you suppress them with the positive, pleasant and happy experiences of your life. As you continuously remove those things that cause your pain, you will change the brain. The key unlocks the cell, freeing you from the prison of self doubt, pity, anger and losing golf tournments, to the freedom of reclaiming the essence of you—a kind and gentle person with the elegance, grace and sophistication of a Prince and, in competition, ferocious as a lion.

Hence, Tiger wins the Masters, British Open, US Open and the PGA Champion. Free at last, Free at last, Great God almighty Tiger is Free at last.

National Syndicated Columnist, Ruben Navarrette Jr.’s received an e-mail from a friend, Dee Dee Garcia Blasé, President & Founder of Somos Republicans, a national organization of Hispanics, whose mission is “to keep the Republican Party from saying and doing dumb and destructive things that might further alienate Hispanics”, indicating that she was glad that the tragic killing of six persons and the wounding of 13 was not done by a Latino; she then asked, “ Aren’t you relieved, the suspect was White?”

A day after the shooting, some Republican and Democratic leaders sought to project a nonpartisan civility on various television and radio programs; President Obama called for a national moment of silence and the Speaker of the House of Representatives Said, “ This inhuman act should not, and will not, deter us from our calling to represent our constituents and to fulfill our oaths of office. No act, no matter how heinous, must be allowed to stop us from our duties.”

Some began to questioned whether the public branishing and wearing guns to political rallies, heated Republican and conservative attacks against Democrats and the government over the past two years had contributed to a climate in which the gunman found a target in a member of Congress.

The engine that seem to continuously drives these attacks is embodied in Patrick J. Buchanan’s book, The Death of the West, in which he argues that the United States is no longer a “Healthy Melting Pot” but instead a confused, tottering conglomeration of peoples with almost nothing in common. He argues there are four compelling reasons for this unhealthy melting pot: declining birth rates (Whites), uncontrolled immigration of peoples of different colors, creeds and cultures; a rise of anti-western culture antithetical to established religious, cultural, and moral norms; and a defection of ruling elites to the idea of world government.

He longs for the history that was taught in elementary schools yesteryear: George Washington never told a lie, Columbus discovered America, David Crockett, the king of the frontier, Robert E. Lee, great confederate general and George Armstrong Custer, fearless military genius.

As Mr. Buchanan stretches back in his swivel chair at his desk and reflects on his perspective of history, he leaves us with this, “Seated on his coffin in the wagon carrying him through the Virginia countryside to his place of execution, the old abolitionist John Brown was heard to say softly, “This is a beautiful country.” And so it is. And that is why we must never stop trying to take her back.” (The TEA Party’s rallying cry—WE MUST TAKE OUR COUNTRY BACK)

Conversely, “This is a beautiful country.” And so it is. And that is why the Unhealthy Melting Pot must never stop fighting for America’s Diversity and Pluralism.

The irony is The killer was a White Male who shot a Jewish Congresswoman in the head, killed a nine year old girl and a Republican Federal Judge. The person credited with saving the Congresswoman’s life was a Mexican American student; the doctor who operated on her was a Korean-American Neurosurgeon; and the person that presented words of solace to the nation was an Afro-American President of the United States, “America’s Unhealthy Melting Pot.” And, so it is.

Are you feeling nervous and queasy? Do you feel the whims of the market? Are the whims of the market giving you psychological ups and downs? During times of uncertainty one gets the urge to act because action is more comforting than inaction.

The past market turmoil and financial crisis probably had you wondering what to do. Should I get out of equities? Should I convert everything to cash? How strong is the American economy given he scandals, layoff, bankruptcies, terrorism and international crisis? Part of the fears is that there is no place to hide, no safety valves.

It is my belief that there will be more corporate scandals, new accounting rules and regulations, new accountants exposing old accounting and business practices-hence market ups and downs. However, according to the Federal Reserve, our economy is fundamentally sound. Therefore, given all of the aforementioned, my long term recommendations are threefold: take advantage of tax rules and reposition of assets, take advantage of this tremendous buying opportunity and buy more or STAY THECOURSE.

Race is America’s crucible, a trial that continuously festers like a sore then runs, and from time to time explodes. During the last eighteen months, there have been three explosions that produced a concept called, “Teachable Moments”, using each explosion as a basis to bring about a change.

The first explosion occurred during the 2008, Presidential campaign of President Obama when a conservative television host reported the Liberation Theology of Pastor Jeremiah Wright, former Pastor of Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Ill. The premise of Liberation Theology is, according to Chapter 4 of Luke’s gospel, Jesus’ mission is to eradicate poverty and to bring about freedom and liberation of the oppressed.

In one of his sermons in 2001, he said, “We bombed Hiroshima, we bombed Nagasaki, and we nuked far more than the thousands in New York and the Pentagon, and we never batted an eye.” That “We have supported state terrorism against the Palestinians and black South Africans, and now we are indignant because the stuff we have done overseas is now brought right back to our own front yards. America’s chickens are coming home to roost.”

In 2003, he said “The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes a three-strike law and then wants us to sing ‘God Bless America.’ No, no, no, God damn America, that’s in the Bible for killing innocent people. God damn America, for treating our citizens as less than human; God damn America, for as long as she acts like she is God, and she is supreme.”

The second explosion occurred in 2009 when Black Harvard University Professor, Henry Louis Gates, pre-eminent African-American Scholars, was arrested in his home after a neighbor thought he was burglarizing his home when he and a friend were trying to force open his jammed front door, upon his return from a trip to China. Notwithstanding the facts that he was in his home with proper identification, he was handcuffed and arrested. President Obama responding to a reporter question, at one of his news conferences, “Cambridge Police acted stupidly”.

The third explosion occurred July 2010 when Shirley Sherrod, Georgia State Director of Rural Development for the United States Department of Agriculture, was forced to resign from her position after a blogger posted video excerpts of her address at a March 2010 NAACP event, in which she was sharing her story of transformation and redemption. The excerpts posted on the blogger’s web-site portrayed her as a racist, anti-white, federal employee, causing her to be fired by the Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack. After all hell broke loose and he realized his mistake, he, the President of the United States and the NAACP all apologized and offered her he job back.

The “Teachable Moment” concept suggests at a particular point in time that moment will bring about a change to someone who has not been willing to be taught is now freely and willingly and agreeing to become accustomed gradually to a new position or attitude. The premise is that the particular point in time will drive the stakeholders to relinquish their present security for future insecurity. The present security of Whites is leisure, money, power, privilege, property, position and status. The present security of blacks is no leisure, no money, no power, no privilege, no property, no position and no status. Why should Whites freely and willingly become accustom gradually to a position or attitude that will require them to relinquish some of their present security for some future insecurity? Conversely, why should Blacks freely and willingly become accustom gradually to some position or attitude for something in the future? Therefore, the challenge of the Teachable Moment” is how to motivate someone, who has in hand the benefits of change, to become accustomed gradually to a new position or attitude and conversely to motivate someone, who has no benefits in hand nor has experienced the benefits of change. The premise of change is future, and future is change yet to come; the ability to see change yet to come is based on belief, experience and discipline; a confidence in and an identification with the polity based on being rewarded tomorrow for today’s sacrifices. And, conversely, punish those that are perceived as not identifying with the polity, can’t see or believe there’s a future and therefore lack the discipline to sacrifice today for tomorrow’s rewards, hence, seeking immediate gratification.

The challenge of a “Teachable Moment” is how to bring together those who can see a future, and have been rewarded, and those who cannot see a future and have been punished by the polity when the polity is unequal.

The premise is that man is born free but via acculturation, socialization, mores and folkways, he becomes prisoned by organize society, hence-contract between man and man driven by the contract between man and God. Notwithstanding all, he seeks perfection.

The contract between man and God is a recognition that future behavior is not a guarantee, and to acquire some assurance, man is required to enter into a contract assuring future performances and consequences if breached. The breaches are embodied in redemption, the act of forgiveness.

The Buddhist religion argues the mass of humanity is seen as asleep and unaware of the reality of the human condition. And, those who attain heaven or paradise by destroying the pollution of living become free of sensual craving and ignorance. Islam argues that all of one’s previous sins are forgiven and one starts a new life of piety and righteousness when one accepts Islam. He in essence repents from the ways and beliefs of his previous life. One need not be overburdened by sins committed before his acceptance. The person’s record is clean, and it is as if he was just born. He should try as much as possible to keep his records clean and strive to do as many good deeds as possible.

Now, if one is a Christian, the contract between man and God is embodied in the Ten Commandments, which is premised on the fact that human beings are flawed-we will not honor our mothers and fathers, we will lie, steal, cheat, commit adultery, kill, bear false witness against our neighbors and covet our neighbors’ wife- “Thy shall not, Thy shall not, Thy shall not, etc., etc.”. Now, If we ask God to forgive us, then we won’t burn eternally in hell. We are forgiven by God and we are welcome to the gates of heaven.

“Sensual craving, Impiety and Thy shall not’s” are promises that we cannot keep, because they are the human condition. And, our insatiable need to honor our contracts, we are continuously seeking redemption-churches, synagogues, temples, songs, books et. al..