http://www.indybay.org/news/2005/10/1772589.php
On MALIK RAHIM: Yesterday's Radicals Devolve into Today's (feelgood/checkbook) Liberalism by by Joseph Anderson, Berkeley, California Tuesday, Oct. 04, 2005 at 1:56 PM
Yesterday's Radical Consciousness Has Devolved into Today's "Just Get Over" (feelgood or checkbook) Liberalism
by Joseph Anderson, "Joseph from Berkeley" Berkeley, California October 4, 2005
Last night (Mon, Oct 3) at Berkeley's Unitarian Fellowship MALIK RAHIM, former Black Panther, community activist from and speaker on the Common Ground Wellness Center in Algiers, New Orleans, said that he was "NOT POLITICAL" and that, "HE WAS GOING TO RUN ANYONE, WHO COMES TO NEW ORLEANS TALKING ABOUT POLITICS, _OUTTA TOWN_!!"
(See event: http://indybay.org/calendar/event_display_detail.php?event_id=7721&day=3&month=10&year=2005 )
Rahim said this when informed about the fact that not only was the U.S. spending *over* A BILLION DOLLARS EVERY WEEK IN IRAQ -- which I hope he knew -- but that the U.S. was funding Israel's relocation of Jewish Gaza settlers to FREE HOMES in the West Bank and at least $250,000 (or was it $350,000) *APIECE* spending money! Furthermore, those Jewish Gaza settlers were originally moved into the Gaza strip *ILLEGALLY*, according to internaitonal law, for FREE too! So, Israel has a lavish "housing program" -- paid for by U.S. taxpayers, including flood victims in New Orleans -- but those flood victims don't. The U.S. military has a great (and air-conditioned) housing program in Iraq -- whole ALL-AMENITIES-&-CONVENIENCES, *WELL*-FED military *CITIES* with banks of electrical generators, constructed IN THE *DESERT* -- but the New Orleans flood victims don't.
When asked, "WHAT ABOUT FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION AND DEMOCRACY?," Rahim said, "I don't have any time for democracy, I only care about survival!" Correct me if I am wrong, but doesn't GEORGE BUSH SAY THE VERY SAME THING as he carves away our civil liberties and the Bill of Rights?
Furthermore, how does Malik Rahim get to decide for the people of New Orleans what they get to hear? Or is this former Black (or is it "Negro") Panther turned, indeed, common street thug? In other words, "IF YOU DISAGREE WITH WHAT *I* SAY, I'MO RUN YO' ASS OUTTA TOWN!"
Later on, Rahim said that the problem [presumably with liberals/leftists] is that we need to come together in PEACE and stop disagreeing with each other -- i.e., *HIM*! That's what LIBERALS (and ex-radicals) really mean when they say, "We've got to stop disagreeing with each other -- [i.e., You've got to stop disagreeing with ME]."
This phony cover story about "people [progressives/leftists] disagreeing with each other being "the cause of the destruction of the movement from the '60's" is TIRED, WEAK & **INTELLECTUALLY SHALLOW**. Maybe the problem is too many "former" whatever icons and demi-icons, coming to town wanting to talk *AT* the community (especially politically serious people), but not *WITH* the community. (And, to them, if they don't already know your name and if you're anybody in particular, then you're nobody.) I mean, Republicans disagree ALL THE TIME -- yeat they seem to be able to get things done toward their goals, if you haven't noticed over the past 15 years.
Furthermore, if "our all not coming together," is another reason, then HOW does lashing out at another brotha (and progressive who wants people fed and housed too) "bring us all back together"? What, in part, "destroyed" the radical movements from the '60's was that they faced a enemy WITH MORE POWER and A **LOT** MORE **MONEY** who -- it unsuspectingly turned out -- was willing to do almost ANYTHING to suppress and destroy that movement! Can you say "COINTELPRO"!?
What also "destroyed" the radical movements from the '60's were other "progressives/leftists" (and their fromer-BP and former-FSM counterparts) who kept leading us RIGHT BACK to spending all our time every four years supporting the weakest political tokenism DEAD-END DemoPublican presidential candidates. This, instead of remembering that it almost doesn't matter who is president as long as we put enough POLITICAL pressure on him IN THE STREETS, on the campuses, and in the communities, and yes at city hall. The Vietnam war was brought to an end under *NIXON* (and affirmative action was achieved under *NIXON*, as well as major environmental legislation); divestment was achieved and apartheid was brought to an end under *REAGAN* -- apartheid South Africa's biggest supporter (next to Israel); and Brown vs. the Board of Education (countering conservative "states' rights" claims) was achvieved during a *Republican* administration.
Of course, when mentioned that KPFA also abandoned the poor and largely Black New Orleans victims to cover the mulitimillionaire RepubliCrats' club good-cop/bad-cop dog-&-pony rubberstamp show at the John Roberts Supreme Court nomination hearing, we inevitably got an interrpution by some irrate audience member, irrate over KPFA being criticized for its abandonment of New Orleans victims too -- but, interestingly, she waited until the issue of Israel came up (needless to say she wasn't from Flashpoints), so was her then criticism 'plausible' cover?
Rahim's reaction is interesting since it was Gloria La Riva of ANSWER who was down there with him and even shot the documentary shown before he spoke. But, Rahim insisted that *GLORIA LA RIVA* NEVER SAID *ANYTHING* ABOUT POLITICS WHEN SHE WAS DOWN IN NEW ORLEANS!
WE'VE SEEN THIS BEFORE: former FSM icons gone politically soft (see Anderson letters, http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2000/12/18/ED182052.DTL and http://www.berkeleydaily.org/article.cfm?storyID=2681 ). Other former/supposed leftists and radicals who become KerryCrats. It's the age of "JUST GET OVER!" And even many people from the '60's want us to "just get over" the '60's political consciousness and "just get over" -- meaning hoodwink or be hoodwinked however you/we can get by!:
FUCK ANY TIME FOR "DROPPIN' SCIENCE" AND EVEN THE BRIEFEST FRAMING OR ANALYSIS! IT'S EITHER PRAISE THE ICON (almost as long as you want to) OR GET YOUR SOUNDBITE QUESTION OUT NOW.
THIS IS THE AGE OF 'JUST GET PAID' & GET PRAISED, FEEL GOOD, AND HUG THE WHITE FOLKS CHECKBOOK LIBERALISM. AIN'T GOT TIME FOR NO ONE SERIOUS.
It's not any real opposition to the sytem anymore.
I would never write a check or give my hard-earned money -- AND I WON'T GIVE A *CENT* -- to anyone who says that he going to run anyone else (any progressive/leftist) out of town who he doesn't agree with. If he's a would-be petty tyrant already, then what would he become controlling thousands or tens of thousands of donations dollars in his community for other people's survival?: 'I don't agree with your political incisiveness, so you don't get nothing.' (And apparently, the local East Bay Green Party was one of his sponsors!) 'You either come praise me or hit the highway!'
So, for Malik it's, apparently, 'We've got to feed stomach's, not consciousness,' not realizing that the issue of who gets fed, indeed, is a matter of consciousness and politics. But give a person a can of soup and s/he will eat today. Give them some 'science' and deeper political knowleged and awareness and they'll eat tomorrow. For, SURVIVAL ITSELF -- who gets to survive and who doesn't -- including who gets to stay and rebuild and who doesn't -- and indeed who gets to organize the community and who doesn't -- IS A *POLITICAL* ISSUE!
add your comments
Check it out by JA Tuesday, Oct. 04, 2005 at 2:20 PM
Former Panther turning liberal-do-gooder.
(Also uncritically says that San Francisco is "A GREAT CITY" -- even as Blacks have been physically and ecomically moved out of there for decades to the point where Black people, except those penned up in projects, have become a residential endangered species in San Francisco.)
_________________________________________________________________ Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/