When the student becomes the teacher...

   

The Art of politics.

A young Master learns from a True Master of the Art of War

The passing of the torch

*evil grin*

I haven't had much reason to blog for quite a while.

Maybe because I found it easier to just spew short post on other social sites that made Me lazy.

Until I found Myself shortening My post at times that what I felt like saying was just not complete in 200 words or less..

lol

But as I watched the character of this country flip through so many flavors of love and hate as of late?

I could not wait for the right words to formulate in My mind enough to fold it's self into a challenge.

How do I express the mess we have gotten ourselves into?

As a Nation of people

divided

And never been defeated.

But it's no secret that mass amounts of American people have been picking sides and drawing lines in the burning sands of progress and depression.

While guessing

Who is messing

With our lives

And livelyhoods.

And the goods are less than the bads.

And the sadness and frustrations have forced forecast of fear of failure.

If someone does not 

TAKE BACK

some image of hope that we lack the knack to attack

Because the facts have become fiction

Depending on what side you see from.

But I digress...

Because I would guess that just as the predictions professed.

We are faced with a mess

Of problems and no formula to solve them.

That anyone can agree upon.

And gone are the simple days

When one vote was all it took

Buy hook or crook

To change the ways

For better days

And speaking of dazes?

These are our our last days

Our last ways

To praise

What used to be.

2012

Is not a end

It's a new beginning

But nobody is winning

Because all bet are off

Because we are now on the boarder

Of a new world order

And let's not pretend that it was expected that the world would end

That depends on who you ask

The task of a fix fast

Has past

And at last

We are free

To be a whole new we

The people

United

Will never be defeated

And repeat it

Until we see it

*evil stare*

But the world is shifting faster than any location or nation can guess the rotation of power.

This very hour

Has put a sour note

In the very Constitution they wrote

And hope

Is the new dope

On a bigger scope

The slope is unpredictable

There is no form to this new formula.

The formality is you and Me

And Unity is a fantasy

And we have too much future to repeat our history

Not from memory

And that brings Me back to the student

The Master

And the Teacher

When the lessons to be learned have not been invented as of yet?

You can bet

That the best teacher

Is the creature who has not become a Master yet

But has honored the challenge of becoming a Master student

Of a New Order of a World

That has not changed as of yet.

But it's 2012

The end is near

And aint no future in our front'in

Respect

Where do American Eagles go when they don't fly no more?

When Eagles die

When they don't fly the sky

Do Eagles cry?

denver and the west

Eagle bodies, parts for Indian rites are collected, sent from Colo. morgue

Articles of faith

By Electa Draper
The Denver Post

Dennis Wiist, a specialist at the National Eagle Repository in northeast Denver, looks for a spot to hang eagles ready to be sent out in one of the center's two freezers. Below is a headdress constructed of adult golden-eagle feathers at the repository. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

For some Americans, practicing their religion requires a federal permit and a long wait for a controlled substance — eagle parts.

The National Eagle Repository, Building 128 at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal, is a one-of-a-kind religious-supply house that processes about 2,000 dead golden and bald eagles a year for American Indian rituals.

Under the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 and amendments, an eagle may not be taken or killed — not even a loose feather may be picked up. Only dead eagles can be salvaged — and only by the federal government.

The bald and golden eagles at the northeast Denver repository have been found dead in the wild, or they come from zoos or licensed rehabilitators.

The eagle remains are shipped frozen to the center.

"The majority are in bad condition," said supervisor Bernadette Atencio. "These birds come in from all over the country. These birds go out to all over the country."

A two-person staff fills orders for the feathers, heads, talons and whole eagles used by many of the 500 federally recognized American Indian tribes.

About 6,000 orders are waiting to be filled at the repository, Atencio said.

"There is a lot of red tape for Native Americans to practice their religion using eagles. It is a very big hindrance," said Myron Pourier, a cultural-affairs official with the South Dakota Oglala Sioux tribe, or Lakota.

Demand for the limited supply of eagles is high, especially among Plains, Navajo and Pueblo Indians.

"The repository takes a bad rap because of the time it takes to fill an order," Atencio said. "A lot of people don't realize how much work we do to fill an order."

An American Indian who requests a whole bird can wait up to four years after getting a permit. The wait for 10 loose, high- quality feathers is typically six months.

Specialist Dennis Wiist looks over a dead bald eagle at the repository. Some Indians think the sacred work should be done by them. (Joe Amon, The Denver Post)

Seen as an elder brother

The eagle's role varies from tribe to tribe, but for the Sioux and many others, Pourier said, the eagle is a relative, an older brother, and a direct link to ancestors and to the Creator.

The eagle is used in healing and in strengthening ceremonies for warriors, including soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan.

After Indians have received an eagle, they give it a proper blessing — a show of gratitude for its gifts — before sending it on to the spirit world, Pourier said.

Before an Indian, who must be 18 or older and enrolled in a federally recognized tribe, can order an eagle or eagle parts, he or she must obtain a permit from their state of residence's Migratory Bird Permit Office. The Colorado office is in Lakewood.

Getting a permit, which is good respect for a lifetime, can take months or even years.

"Everyone in Indian Country agrees the whole process needs to be streamlined," said Don Ragona, an attorney with the Boulder-based Native American Rights Fund. "It's an outrageously long wait."

At the national repository, the small staff must work within the law and a small budget.

The biggest demand is for immature golden-eagle feathers, which are white with black tips.

The repository does not examine the birds it receives for a cause of death. If the West Nile virus is suspected, the bird is not sent to the repository. The staff does not remove maggots or otherwise clean the birds. The recipients do that.

The two specialists who work in the eagle program lay the birds out on stainless-steel tables and examine them from head to claw for usable parts. Whole wings and tails may be used in fans. Tiny ulna bones are sometimes used as whistles. Small pinfeathers might be used on Hopi kachina figures or placed in medicine pouches.

30 birds shipped a week

The repository cuts and mixes parts from different birds but does not mix species. Workers also try to group together parts from birds of a similar age. They fill orders on a first-come, first-served basis and ship once a week.

They make 100 to 150 shipments of loose feathers a week. They might ship 30 whole eagles a week.

"It's piece work, really," Atencio said. "Some just want the tails. Some just want the wings. A lot of people are holding out for the perfect whole bird. Perfect is hard to come by."

Seeing the national symbol, with a wingspan of up to 8 feet, processed something like poultry is unsettling for some. The clinical approach to handling the birds disturbs many American Indian applicants.

"We hear that a lot," Atencio said. "They will ask us if we're Native American. They feel Native Americans should be doing this work here. But anybody can do this job. We have our protocol. Our staff is sensitive."

The repository, Atencio said, works with all types of American Indians, from traditionalists, whose primary concerns might be with blessing and ceremonial burial of the eagle, to modern tribal members, whose concerns are often about the aesthetics of the regalia for dances.

"These birds mean a lot to them," Atencio said of the applicants. "You know that just by talking to them on the phone. They are sincere and humble about what they're asking for."

Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or edraper@denverpost.com

---

Why the repository?

The Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act of 1940 says dead eagles and their parts may only be removed from nature by U.S. Fish and Wildlife officers or by cooperating state game officials.

No one — not even American Indians — can sell or barter any part or anything made from eagle parts. They can make a gift of it, or bequeath it upon death, but only to other American Indians.

Violations of the act can result in a $100,000 fine and up to a year in prison, yet there is a thriving black market. If you find a dead bald or golden eagle, do not touch it; report it to a federal or state game official.

...

respect

My 9/11 Story... The day My life changed too.

Everyone has a story
9-11

The day everything changed
Including
"We the people"

...

I have my own memories about that day
And the many days after that day

And how my life changed

Because of not just the event
But the actions of many of you simple people

And I do mean many of you people

Do YOU remember how YOU acted towards other people?

Let me re-paint that picture for you

Two days before 9-11
I was on a mini tour with Gladys Knight
I was the "Back line tech" for her band
She was one of my principle groups I teched for often for about 5 years
The others included The Isley Brothers, Tina Marie, and a few others

I set up their band gear for them and did some lite production
As well as other clients I worked for as a A/V tech and Sound tech and a Stage Hand
I had been doing that kind of work for over 15 years
As well as being a party promoter and percussionist and a DJ
Based in the Atlanta area

I was spoiled
I lived Downtown
I was a freelance tech and a artist
I made good money and was respected by many

And my name is
HAFEZ

A muslim name
But I digress so you can see how my name played into this
"Shituation"

I was in Dover Downs for two nights with Gladys Knights band
Two great shows
And then we had to be in Canada the next day
So we packed up the gear and loaded the truck by ourselves
And headed through New York to get to Canada

We saw the towers and the traffic a day and a half before 9-11

We barely made the show due to the long drive over the boarder
And got there just in time to set up the show while the opening acts were preforming
Local 103 London Ontario rocks!

And that was the last show on that weekly tour
And we had busted ass to get everywhere they were due to play that week
And just like the other gigs with other acts
We got paid
And now we were off with money in our pockets
And time on our hands

I remember us trying to get into the only club/bar that was still open after the show

And they would not let us in
At first I thought is was a Black thing because they would not let "my kind" into their club/bar
But my truck driver "Dallas" who was white was told the same thing
As we asked why we could not get in they told us
"Because you are American"

And we was pissed!

So we took our money back to the hotel and talked mad shit about them racist ass bitches
And packed and got ready to go home
America

As we got to the boarder we went shopping at the duty free store and then crossed the boarder on the way back down south from Canada

We went through Pa, Ohio, and headed down I think 75 to Ga

The ride was interesting
We talked about how fucked up it was to be discriminated on in Canada by the cops at the door at that club/bar
And how there was plenty of people who looked like us who were let in even after we left
And we compared Canada to America
And as we argued down the road we noticed that the sun had not come up as usual and how time seemed to drag as we got through Pa and Ohio with ease

And then came this freaky ass fog

It was thick and moved over the road like something out of the Twilight Zone
It also turned blue, then red, then green too
And that freaked us out
So we rolled up the windows and drove through it as fast as we could until we got to the moutains
As we went up the mountains the fog cleared to see that the sun had been up for some time but you could not see any sun due to the fog

As we drove up the mountain we noticed the road crews had stopped working and was all standing at the edge of the mountain looking out as if something was wrong

We didn't pay it much attention until we came back down the mountain to notice the fog was back and the sun was barely out in the mid day

We gassed up at the station and that is when "Dallas" my driver saw the TV fr the first time

They were showing the first building falling over and over
He called for me to come see as he went to the pay phone to call home as we gassed up

I was shocked to see the tower falling but even more shocked to see the faces and the moods of many of the people who were running around seemingly with their heads in a cloud

And all we wanted to do is get out of Tenn and get to Ga to drop me off so he could head down to Fla where he knew some Radical white groups who had compounds in Fla that he could hide at just in case this was the end of the world

*blank stare*

And we hauled ass back to Ga

I lived down town
And as we drove into down town it looked like a ghost town
There was not even a homeless person on the street

Most of the people in my building was gone too
It seemed as if everyone was thinking that Atlanta was gonna be next

And I stayed next to the Eleventh court of Appeals and the old Treasury Department building
So most folks thought it would be next

So I unpacked my gear, got my money, and went inside to watch the news like everybody else

And I knew there was no real place to run at that time and felt that if it was my time to go? I was gonna go in my crib

And all day it was cloudy and lonely

And then the hate came

What hate you ask?

The hate that was advertised by the media about who possibly did this act

Muslims

And the country shut down

And when something tragic happens and people stay home?
The entertainment business gets hit hard
Because nobody wants to go out and spend money
And so I sat and waited to find out how bad it was because I was booked solid for mounths

But all my artist was not feeling like taking a plane or bus or running the risk of being killed in another terrorist attack

So I was stuck

And then I watched as the hate spread

Anyone with a muslim name or a look was shun
By everyday people
And as work started to pick up I noticed how many of my clients were not calling me or speaking to me
I wondered why at first
And then I remembered my own name
And wondered if that was the case

I got one call from the Union for a private gig that I was told that I had to go work
I wondered why me, but it was work so I went to the GWCC for the gig

When I got there I saw few people in the building but then noticed Secret Service around and as I asked they told me it was the Presidents first speech after 9-11
"We the people"

And I was one of the only stagehands that was allowed to secure the stage that the President was to speak behind his bullet proof podium to the country for the first time after 9-11

And at that point I thought my fares were over
The government trusted me to secure the platform that the president spoke on top of
So maybe the rest of these other Americans would trust me too

Not the case

As I sat along with everyone else in America and watched his speech on the platform I built
And listened to his words in hopes that my struggle was over and I would be treated like I was
As a Vet (USMC) as a American Black Man
And as a skilled laborer with a skill set of over 15 years

And after that speech I sat hopeful

And the phone did not ring
The same feeling I got before the speech came back
I called people and they acted like I was Usama's son or something

I got one call from my client to set up a show for Gladys Knight in Memphis at the Fairgrounds

And as the truck came to pick me up we hit the road again
And I was happy to be back working and making money

Prior to that gig I took all my money out the banks
I didn't want to risk loosing it
So I stashed it in damn near all the places I could find around my crib
But I digress again

So as we got to Memphis to set up the show
I met a little black man who was security at the back of the stage
He spoke to me
He said
"How you like Memphis? ... You know WE killed King here!"
With a smile as if he was proud to brag on something
I was floored
But I shook it off and set up the band for the show

I have watched many of these artist preform for years so I could tell what mood they were in

And Gladys was scared shitless!

She could barely sing for fear that something was about to happen
She cut her show short and sang
"GOD Bless America"

And left the stage
And that was the last time she played until she took the offer to do her show in Vegas

And the last time I set up a show for the rest of that year and it was on the beginning of October

I didn't work for 68 more days!
Nobody wanted to touch me

My friends were also the same way

I was not happy
Because if I was trusted by the government to keep the president safe
Surely I should be ok for everybody else

But work was slow
People were still out of work
And what little work that was being had I wasn't getting

And then I called a old friend of mines who had a circus that he needed help with getting started
And asked me to help
But could not offer me much money
And I was so desperate for work I took it
It was 27 weeks on the road working the second tent for
Universoul Circus
With a bunch of Canadian Verilight techs
My nic name was
"Pimpy the clown"
Because every city we went to I found people in the area that would service the crew
lol

Anywho

As the tour got going I was unable to go back home to go to court about my late rent
I was sending money back to the land lord so that he would not have to use that "rit for posession" that I got for not showing up due to work
But I have lived there for over 4 years and never had any issues and the and lord was getting payments from me
So all was good

And then while working I got a call from my cousin say'n that I had made the news
I ask how and he told me that all my shit had been evicted on the street of down town and there was a feeding frienzy that stopped traffic for 3 hours in down town rush hour

I found out that the land lord had gone on funeral leave and had left the desk to a ex con dyke chick who along with some of the cleaning crew had found alot of shit in my apartment to steal
And they covered it up by evicting my belongings

And the land lord had my money that I had to get back
But I had loss much more than my stuff
I lost my money that was hidden in my stuff too

And I was on the road working 3 shows a day for 5 days and two shows on the weekend and then we broke the tent down after the last show on Sunday and was off to the next city
So I had no time to do nothing but work

As I talked to the owner about the improvement of the second tent on tour, he told me that he was not making enough money to keep the show out on the road and that he had to curb cost somehow
So he hired a crew from South Africa where we had been the year before
And I helped train them with the agreement that I would not be let go too
Because I had nowhere to go
In theory

And as we broke the tent and packed up in Loisville Ky I was given a letter that stated:
"Thank you for assisting the Universoul Circus, we will no longer be needing your assistance"
With a check for bus fare back to Atlanta in a check

And there I stood in the lobby of a air port hotel with two g=bags of work clothes and a lap top

And I had to find a friend off of Black Planet who I had met while there and ask her to stay there until I found a place to go and what my next move was gonna be

It was Derby week and no hotels were available

And stay'n with people you don't really know can get scary
And it did
lol

So I talked to my little brother and moved to the DC area
Why DC

Because DC has a Union that is the 3rd highest paying union in the country and the only one that staffs black techs with the backing of the union in masses
No other place in my craft respects tech of color but Dc
Because DC had a black and a white separate union
At one time

So that was the only place I could get work with the skills I had without being treated like a nigger
No offense but that is real

Anywho

i="" here="" and="" got="" set="" up="" with="" the="" union="">
And found a hole in the wall spot in Dc to live and got to work

And then the Snipper came
And shut down the city

And I was stuck again

And it took a long time to rebuild to where I am not

I had lost alot

I lost over 200k in finances and personal property
I lost my home
I lost friends
I lost respect

And I will never forget the mindset of so many people who had issues with people of Muslim names and ethnic backgrounds
During 9-11

I will never forget the vision of them Towers as we drove by

I will never forget how proud I was to see the President of my country standing comfortably on my stage as he spoke to the nation

And I will never forget the respect I got from so many and so few

And Usama is still alive
Sadam is dead
A war is still killing my people and theirs

And everybody is still walking around with their heads in their butt

And I am still just getting on my feet

In a new town
With new people
Starting almost all over

And I will never forget
9-11

And all the people who changed that day too
Many of you

And all I have now is what?


>






respect

You better THANK what you try'n to do for Me. I didn't say THINK!

Now see Mr.&Miss "whoever"

That's the damn problem here.

I aint got to have a light side I have to come back home to for safety.

snicker

I got a Lifetime PASS to the Dark Side with no doors closed to Me.

And I aint got no curfew or no collar.

Some of yall have to be good boys and good gurls, because yall was raised to be THAT way first.

Now, most of yall are just SNEAKING over to The Dark Side and getting back home in time enough to go to Church!

evil stare

And hating on Me because every time yall try to cross that fine line into some Dark Shit?

My Black Ass is up in here, getting in your way!

snicker

So how many other people on My friends list consider Me Something Lower than The Devil outside of a few POCs who don't like My title of The Devil's Dominant!

And some of yall think I got jokes, and I do.

But what else I got, is no need to tuck tail and go to the light!

And some of yall don't like not being able to party in hell, not because they MAKE you be around some evil shit. But because THEY should NOT have to worry about and of you being able to be fine with THAT too!

And the people around Me who claim to be from DC are scared to BE in DC like We Be. 24/7 aint heaven, but aint none of us here worth being called trash. and none of Us Evil little people in Hell have to explain to you people why we aint talking about visiting the Dark Side.

I mean being a Fuckin Owner of the Dark Side to which I live and Dwell in Hell.

And if your ass ever get stuck in Hell, and we are on speaking terms. You may not know where to find and Angel to save you.

blank stare

And you wonder why the few people who LOOK like Me seems to be feuding with Me?

That's because THEY aint like Me.

And I don't want to digress to express My sympathies for some of you.

Noooooooooo, My brother.

You aint reading what I said correctly.

I said THE DARK SIDE AINT FOR WHIMPS!

If you aint a card holding Member and Owner and investor of the District?

Then your a tourist = "a Dark Side"

And I'm the Devil's Dominant!

For REAL!

And the Devil likes Me fucking with most of more than your asses know what being Devilish is about!

I aint Fake'n Da Funk!

I'm Funkier than most of these other loud Mouthed haters want to tell you they AINT ALLOWED to be but they want to look like they are more than Me. And They aint Met Me and survived quite well in Hell either.

So what You think?

That's right!

You don't have to think on the dark Side!

respect