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Below is what I would have liked the President to say to these Brilliant Black Graduates...

As I gaze into the sea of brilliance before me, I salute you men for your courage, your resolve, your discipline and your unwavering desire to succeed.  Your willingness to place your education as a top priority illustrates your understanding of the great power, which knowledge provides. I am here today to for one, congratulate you all for making it to the next level.  Although the road to triumph does not end here, you are most definitely on your way; I merely challenge you to continue on in the direction of achievement, advancement and financial freedom, which will benefit not only you and your families, but the entire community and nation as a whole.

When I look at you men, I see myself.  As a matter of fact, I see even better because most of you were raised to be technologically savvy and have already mastered what it means to create meaningful relationships with so many people around the world.  Might I add, you all are some of the brightest individuals, and have your entire lives ahead of you?  That is certainly something to admire. I also admire and respectfully recognize that some of you, in order to be sitting right here today, had to endure tumultuous storms, but emerged stronger, smarter and braver.  Nothing compares to your resolve.  Sure, I may be the first Black President, but as I look at all of you in your faces, I see clear signs of the second; the third; the fourth. 

I don’t have to tell most of you young men that you have beat some incredible odds and I’ll tell you the truth, when you go out into the world, you’re going to have to continue beating them.  But I strongly encourage you to toil on, brothers because although the mountain is high, if there were ever such a people capable of climbing it, it is you Morehouse men. 

However, as your President, I cannot stand by and just tell you to deal with things as they are when I myself ran on change and moving this country forward.  What I will tell you is that we are going to have to work together in order to reach our common goals.  We have been too divided as a people.  Together we stand.  Let us create a flood of positivity to wash away the mounds of propagated negativity.  Whether it be the privatization of prisons, which has accurately equated to placing a price-tag on the heads of too many young people who disproportionately and unfortunately, look just like you; or all of the negative propaganda delivered through so many sources of media and entertainment; or be it discrimination within all sorts of municipal authorities, we have most definitely got some serious cleaning up to do.  

So what can we do to make it so that young men like you, with all due respect; are the automatic product of the community?  And not only because you work double hard and disallow racism and discrimination to impede your success, but because you can act in this world like a normal human being, and not be targeted, profiled or discriminated against.  Men, use your intellect to think clearly.  If you could work together in class, you can work together in the community.  If you can participate in organizations on campus you can continue in that same spirit within your community.  You were successful here, now go be successful where you are most needed.  And it isn’t all about altruistic reasons either; please believe.  There is a wonderful abundance of financial opportunity right inside of the black community.  Where are the business degrees?  Work with those in accounting and add on everyone that can be of some support.  Two minds are better than one and so goes the pattern. 

I challenge you that are not immediately going off to work or on to more school, to go back to your communities and create businesses exactly there.  Do not worry about money because you can still be looking for work at the same time if that is what makes you happy.  However, with your degrees and with the gigantic technological ring that you all are walking into, I suggest that all of you who are willing to lead, open up and run your own businesses.   How?  Do what I did, organize.  Talk and meet with one another.  Reach out to those in your community who are willing to help and call up those folks that might have left and tell them, "we need you back here," or maybe, “lend us some of those many resources you have,” i.e. money, time, influence. 

Build your work experience by working alongside members of your community as well as your elected officials to create and develop an effective organization that can bring about change for the better.  Connect with your churches and co-sponsor programs, be sure to stay connected with your many brothers here at the school, investigate how to start non-profits and grant writing, fundraise, write books, mentor, run for office and teach.  And for those of you that are going off to professional schools to become doctors and lawyers, do that, but after obtaining your degrees, come back, and start practices in your communities.  I will do everything in my power to help you.  I’ve made some friends in some very high places, including all of you young graduates.  The train does not stop following my presidency.  I propose that we all come together, combine our resources and our profound intelligence, I’m talking me, Michelle, Oprah, Tyler, Al, you here, you at home, all of us, and work together to pull our community up so that it is entirely prosperous and plentiful.  Because we were never meant to struggle; not one of us, and I strongly believe that.  Too many ancestors already devoted their lives.  This is the age of abundance.  Let us build the wealth, the knowledge and the confidence in our communities. 

Inspire your younger brothers and sisters to walk with their heads up and in the direction of their glory.  Let them know that whatever they do you support them.  Rap isn’t a bad profession, but it is if you’re hurting your community.  Simply put, there is absolutely no reason why the black community should be trailing behind in anything anymore.  Sure, we just went over a few hurdles, but they are made for hurdling over.  The way that we fight discrimination is by assisting one another in avoiding these types of situations.  And we do this by working in and strengthening our communities.  It is no longer a time for excuses because as many of those in fraternities and sororities here today would surely attest to, excuses are tools of incompetence that build monuments of nothingness.  No excuses.

Every one of our children should be reading at grade level and we want 100 percent high-school graduation rates like the young men in my home town of Chicago at Urban Prep Academies  who have succeeded at a 100 percent graduation rate for the past four years.  All of our young men should have an opportunity for college.  It can be done. We can make sure it happens.  You don’t need a teaching degree to teach, you need a caring heart.  We have programs in place for you to train with your current degree and go back into the communities that need you most and teach the children there.  There is also assistance on your loans for participating. 

Go back to your police and fire departments and apply to protect your communities.  Be about the business of policing yourselves.  Begin to create and invent products that can be sold within your communities and consistently support one another.  Again, we have to work together.  As I said before, those of you going on to obtain professional degrees, come back, and open up clinics and law firms, and do so with the help of the government, and this goes for all of you because despite contrary belief, your President does care about you, and he does recognize the many lives that were given before you to make this country what it is today.  I will no longer allow America to ignore the horrific ills administered to a group of people with no steps ever provided to them for resolution.  I will not condone the continuation of this behavior.  I am just as much your President as I am everyone else’s.

I have enacted a civil rights agency to look into allegations and suspicious actions of possible racism and discrimination.  I have signed legislation decreasing some of the disparities in the criminal justice system by putting an end to the unfair and discriminatory applications of the crack/cocaine laws and sentences.  But young brothers, don’t get it twisted; I do not somehow believe that just because we’ve done a few things to decrease some of the disparities, that this is enough to fix all of the systematic wrongs, but I do call it a beginning, and it is up to all of us to carry out the mission of change and to also move this country forward.  You men are a core representation of what my campaign and my presidency have been all about.

I recognize the struggle.  Our ancestors endured them, many of the parents, grandparents, and great grandparents, here today and all over the country had to endure them.  Further, I am here to tell you that even as the President of the United States, the struggle continues.  However, we can do something about it, we will do something about it and may God so help me, it starts today.  It starts with you.  It starts with our partnership.

As I said, I admire you young men greatly for having obtained your excellent and prestigious degrees from the most illustrious Morehouse University, the alma mater of Dr. King, not to mention the entire world stands before you.  But yet I must ask you: what good is it to have the world, and not your brothers and sisters to share it with? 

In a time where a plethora of negativity finds itself within your reach and wrapped in a cloak of temptation, you all resisted what so many are doomed to accept, and were able to overcome that, which subdues so many.  You men are great, you men are powerful; you men are the new leaders of tomorrow.  You all have risen to a level high-high above, and today is the day, you all should rejoice and be marry.  I am so very proud of you.  Congratulations Graduates!

Release of Benghazi Emails Point to State Department as the Culprit

            

           
             Republicans have demanded the Benghazi emails be released to the public for months, and today, their demands were finally answered.   I admittedly once thought that the deep concern shown by Republicans was unwarranted, and it was only a continuation of their stanch desire to discredit the current administration, but after commencing my own research into the matter and actually reading the emails for myself, I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that there was indeed, a flag on the play. 
 

Read the Benghazi emails here

From my understanding, the function of the State Department is to handle America’s foreign affairs in a way that benefits and protects its citizens.  It is not the function of the State Department; however, to mislead the American people only in order to prevent their  own unwelcomed scrutiny.

In "a draft note to the DIRECTOR," intelligence officials appear to have identified the State Department as driving the changes to the CIA's drafts. "The White House cleared quickly, but State has major concerns," an official, whose name was redacted, wrote.    The White House claims to have only made stylistic and rudimentary changes to the talking points.

The early versions of the talking points, drafted entirely by the CIA, included references to the al Qaeda affiliate Ansar al-Sharia and to previous CIA warnings about terror threats in Benghazi. State Department spokesman Victoria Nuland expressed concerns about including those references in the talking points.

In one email, previously reported by ABC News, Nuland said that including the CIA warnings "could be used by Members [of Congress] to beat the State Department for not paying attention to Agency warnings so why do we want to feed that? “

A senior administration official said that Deputy CIA Director Mike Morrell agreed with Nuland's concerns and made the changes himself, but there exists no email record showing that Morrell shared Nuland's concerns.

There are a total of 12 versions of the talking points in all.  Extensive revisions were made, most substantially by the State Department, and important information was removed.  What did get removed was the CIA's saying that it believed Ansar al-Sharia took part in the attack and that the CIA had warned of the terror threat.

The recent release of these emails creates a more insightful understanding of the discussion between federal departments, the intelligence community and the White House about Benghazi. Throughout the drafting process, intelligence officials had included the idea that the Benghazi attack was spawned by a spontaneous demonstration.

In conclusion, it seems that the State Department used their authority in an inappropriate way.  They decided to change or omit information in the talking points addressed to the American people by the CIA for the purpose of protecting themselves, and their personal objectives, not the American people.  I believe this to be wrong. If the State Department disagreed with the CIA, fine, but choosing only to allow information that strictly holds them in their preferable hue is unacceptable. 

What do you think about the State Department’s handling of the CIA talking points? 



Rush Limbaugh in Risk of Losing Show

Could this actually be the great and terrifying reign of Rush Limbaugh finally coming to an end?  Mr. Limbaugh has reportedly been in an ongoing struggle with parent company, Cumulus Media, over the deep decline of advertisers bidding to advertise during his show.  This decline, according to Cumulus CEO Lew Dickey‘s public comments is due to the controversial conservative radio personality’s  startling 2012 “slut” comments about Georgetown student Sandra Fluke.   Mr. Limbaugh’s slip of judgment is reportedly costing the organization millions.

I must say; however, that I don’t believe Rush is going anywhere anytime soon, and if he does, it won’t be outside of earshot.  Rush Limbaugh is the most listened to person in radio, and you don’t have to like him, but as long as his show is bringing in the dollars, he will be heard.   I still feel good talking about this though because Mr. Limbaugh is indeed a dangerous man.

I for one understand Mr. Limbaugh’s immense strength in the art of persuasion and am admittedly fond of his witty commentary and uniquely unsettling style.  As a sales manager I had to do a great deal of traveling on a daily basis and I would listen to Rush Limbaugh and Al Sharpton to sort of get a taste of both worlds.  Both are extremely ostentatious characters in their own ways, but I have to admit that Mr. Limbaugh takes the cake.  He is truly a profound source of entertainment.

With that being said; however, and with all entertainment aside, Rush Limbaugh is a nasty person who prides himself on delivering lie after lie to the American People.   The quicker his show is off the air, the better.  Now I am in no way, shape or form, about the business of silencing voices that I disagree with because as I said I enjoy the discourse, but I do not see the significance or actually I should say that I do see the detriment in allowing a radio personality of Mr. Limbaugh’s enormous public stature to spew lies into the psyches of so many impressionable Americans as they drive home in their cars and on a daily basis.  I have personally heard Rush Limbaugh, on several different occasions, tell incredible lies on a show that masquerades as news.   For example, in 2012 President Obama moved his democratic nomination speech from an outside football stadium to an inside arena due to bad weather (it was raining with thunderstorm watches and warnings throughout the area).  Mr. Limbaugh proceeded to tell his listeners that there was no bad weather, and that President Obama had moved the speech because he could in no way fill up an entire football stadium.  He went on to say that President Obama had committed similar actions on separate occasions.

Let me be clear, I find nothing wrong with clever rhetoric, but I do take issue with blatant lies. Talent is no excuse for irresponsibility and purposely delivering nonsense and calling it news.  Call it what it is: Comedy Central and then everyone can take the show for the joke that it really is rather than actually giving it the credence and respect of real news.   I think Mr. Limbaugh should retire, go out on top and take everyone that thinks like him with him.  It’s time for a new day and age, a time for hope, not hate speech.

What do you think about Rush Limbaugh potentially losing his show?  Does it surprise you that he is the most listened to person in radio?