THE SAUDA VOICE

Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum Pander to Hate by Reigniting 'Welfare Queen' Stereotype

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With almost spot-on predictability, two contenders for the 2012 GOP presidential nomination have begun using a popular conservative campaign tactic: the "Black Bogeyman" card.  Don't know what that is?  Well, let me explain. 

 

Whenever politicians, traditionally conservatives, want to obtain votes and political ground quickly (usually to prove they are true Republicans) they target the fringe element of their party by appealing to these people's intolerant and racist belief systems.  Typically, the politicians use code words and thinly-veiled "us vs. them" commentary. 

 

However, occasionally, a few of them get bold and say it how they really mean it.  This usually happens when they're in their comfort zone, a safe environment wherein most, if not all, the people surrounding them look like them, share similar life experiences and hold the same opinions.  Such was the case with Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum this week. 

 

At an Iowa campaign stop on Sunday, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum told his supporters:

 

"I don't want to make black people's lives better by giving them somebody else's money. I want to give them the opportunity to go out and earn the money."

 

Check out a brief news clip of the remark.

       

Okay, what?  Once again we have a politician reinforcing the grossly unfounded and forever-enduring stereotype that blacks in this country refuse to work (i.e. are lazy).  According to Mr. Santorum and others, we'd rather collect a welfare check every month (i.e. don't "earn" what we have; abuse the system).

This sentiment is a slap in the face to all the hardworking black Americans who get up each morning and earn a living.  A living that feeds, clothes, houses, and all around supports both themselves and their families.  Last time I checked, this was the vast majority of the African American community.  I know it represents my reality and that of my friends, family and loved ones.  So why the continuous lie, Mr. Santorum, if not to pander to hate? 

But, wait.  Mr. Santorum is not alone in his pandering to the lowest of the low in his party.  On Thursday, Newt Gingrich, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, told a crowd of supporters at a town hall meeting in Plymouth, New Hampshire, that if the NAACP invited him to their annual convention this year:

"I will go to the NAACP convention and tell the African American community why they should demand paychecks instead of food stamps." 

So, what are we to take away from this comment?  Yet again, it presupposes that: (1) all blacks are receiving welfare, and (2) we don't want to work.  For reasons already stated, this statement is beyond offensive.  Politicians should be working toward knocking down racist ideologies and stereotypes NOT reinforcing them. 

SHAME ON YOU RICK SANTORUM AND NEWT GINGRICH

 

STUCK ON STUPID ALERT: 15-Yr Old American Teen Wrongfully Deported to Colombia

How did this happen?

 

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After searching for her missing granddaughter since November of 2010, Lorene Turner finally discovered her whereabouts - Columbia.  Apparently, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) wrongfully deported Jakadrien Turner, 15, in April of 2011.  The question on everyone's mind is:  How did this happen?  Especially to an American teen. 

 

According to Ms. Turner, then 14-year old Jakadrien became distraught over the simultaneous death of her grandfather and parents' divorce.  She ran away from her family home in Dallas and somehow made it to Houston where she was eventually arrested for theft.  She gave a fake name.  Unfortunately, the name she provided matched the identity of a 22-year old illegal immigrant from Colombia with warrants out for her arrest. 

 

Now, here's my question: Knowing it's commonplace for people who come in contact with police to sometimes give a fake name in order to avoid more serious punishment, why didn't ICE confirm this young girl's identity before deporting her to a foreign country? 

 

ICE took Jackadrien's fingerprints, but when they were unable to confirm her identity (probably due to some bureaucratic mix-up or oversight), they deported her anyway - an African American minor who didn't even speak the language.  Red flags should have gone up all over the place.  Not to mention the fact that it should've been impermissible, even illegal, for ICE to deport this child to a foreign country by herself.  If nothing else, the child's family or guardians in her "native" land should have been identified, contacted and transported to an agreed-upon pick up location, either in the U.S., at the Colombian Embassy or at an appropriate Colombian government facility. 

 

There is absolutely no excuse for doing what ICE did.  Anything could have happened to this child.  And, for all we know, bad things did happen to her once she was dropped off on foreign soil to fend for herself.  

 

Lucky for Jakadrien, her family didn't consider her a throwaway like ICE apparently did.  Her grandmother searched for her diligently from the moment of her disappearance, combing social networks and other resources until she came across a clue on Facebook.  That clue turned into the eventual discovery of Jakadrien in Colombia where she was working as a cleaner.  It seems the Colombian government issued the teen a work card upon her arrival in the country. 

 

Check out brief news clips of story (below).

 

The Colombian government has since been informed of the "accidental" deportation and has placed Jakadrien into custody.  She has now spent over a month in detention and it was recently discovered that she is pregnant.  To make matters worse, the Colombian government refuses to release Jakadrien into the custody of her family.  In effect, Jakadrien is in limbo and it is all courtesy of the U.S. government. 

 

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: 

Would ICE have been so quick to deport an underage white teen under the exact same circumstances and characteristics as Jakadrien (underage, no confirmation of identity, doesn't speak language of supposed native country, etc)?

 

AKIRA WHITEWASHING STUPIDITY CONTINUES: Warner Bros Thinks Japanese Actors Good Enough to Play Villains, Just Not the Leads

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Two weeks ago, I brought you the story of Akira, a popular Japanese anime series that was being brought to the states by Warner Bros. in the form of a blockbuster Hollywood adaptation.  Sounds exciting, right?  It is. That is until news spread that Warner Bros planned to cast ALL lead and major roles with white actors. 

 

This fact alone would not normally cause outrage if not for the following realities: (1) In original Akira manga series and anime film, not only was the backdrop set in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, but the key characters were ~ gasp ~ Japanese; and (2) Instead of honoring Akira's original diversity by hiring Japanese and/or Japanese-American actors in many of the key roles, Warner Bros. chose to disregard it and intentionally hired ONLY white actors for these roles - effectively whitewashing the film. 

 

Of course, all this was done under the guise of needing to "Americanize" the film.  You've heard this before.  It's the usual excuse Hollywood gives when it wants to get away with practicing racism. 

 

Last time I checked, the American public was comprised of a multitude of colors and ethnicities.  Thus, Warner Bros. could have easily "Americanized" the film simply by employing a multiethnic cast, with a substantial representation of Japanese/Japanese-American actors in light of the film's origins.  To do the opposite - whitewash it - makes the film anything but American as it represents an America that does not exist, especially in the urban setting where the film is set to take place (i.e. Neo-Manhattan). 

 

It seems Warner Bros. may be trying to backtrack on the mess it's made, but only a little.  Apparently, the deal with actor Gary Oldman fell through - one of the many white actors.  So Warner Bros. has now offered his part of "The Colonel" to Japanese actor Ken Watanabe (Inception, Last Samurai, Memories of a Geisha, Batman Begins).  We should be happy, right?  Not so fast. 

 

Ken Watanabe

 

"The Colonel" is the villain of the story.  Now do you see the problem?  Do you also see the offensive pattern perpetuated by Hollywood?  Once again, we have a story where ALL of the "good" characters are white and the "bad" character is a person of color. 

 

NOT GOOD ENOUGH WARNER BROS!!  SHAME ON YOU!!

 

Here's a brief snippet on what actor George Takei had to say on the matter recently.

 

 

 

STUCK ON STUPID ALERT: Hollywood Whitewashes Another Film Based on Minority Characters ('AKIRA')

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Why is this still happening?  As a person of color, I am beyond sick and tired of Hollywood making TV and film adaptations of projects (books, plays, comics, etc) originally based on or inclusive of characters of color and whitewashing them.  In other words, changing most - and sometimes all - characters of color to white people in TV/Film versions of the original work. 

 

This practice is both grossly unnecessary and offensive, especially in light of the reality that people of color will soon outnumber whites in America as they already do across the globe.  We are here.  We exist.  It's about time our cinematic imagery reflect this reality.  There's a reason the original works, with people of color, became popular in the first place. 

 

The latest offense?  Warner Brothers' upcoming film adaptation of the wildly popular 1980s Japanese manga series and anime Sci-Fi/cyberpunk flick Akira.  Akira was originally created by Katsuhiro Otomo.  Set in a post-apocalyptic Neo-Tokyo, the story unfolds as follows:

 

"The Third World War began in 1992 with the explosion of a new type of bomb over Japan. Thirty-eight years later, the world is at last recovering. But in Neo-Tokyo, near ground zero of the original destruction, a strange encounter takes place.  

Kaneda - young, restless, committed to defying authority - nearly runs down a child with his motorcycle. A child with the wizened face of an old man. A child with powers beyond physical science. The child is number 26.  He is the harbinger of deadly events that sweep Kaneda into a struggle between powerful and secret forces. At the center of this struggle is something feared and prized for the potential to shake the recovering world. Someone or something known only as ... Akira.

Tetsuo has a tremendous psychic power growing within him, consuming him. Kaneda, his former best friend, the Colonel, leader of Neo-Tokyo's defence forces, and Lady Miyako, leader of a psychic/Buddhist society, all want him dead. And, if they can't kill him, it could mean the end of the world." (Source)

Okay, so this might go without saying, but since the series is based on a post-apocalyptic Tokyo, the characters, in large part, are Japanese.  And, in case that fact is still unclear, one only needs to look to the original manga series and anime film to further support this reality since the characters are obviously Asian.  So what gives with changing these characters from Asian to white for the Hollywood adaptation?

 

Albert Hughes was originally slated to direct the film, but left the project upon learning of Warner Bros' plan to cast all white actors in the key roles and the resulting fan outcry it caused (with Japanese-American actor George Takei ("Star Wars") being one of the most notable and visible critics).  I applaud Mr. Hughes for standing up against this ugly practice. 

 

To date, Warner Bros has courted the following male actors for the roles of Kaneda and Tetsuo: Robert Pattinson, Andrew Garfield, James McAvoy, Garrett Hedlund (officially offered role of "Kaneda"), Michael Fassbender, Chris Pine, Justin Timberlake, and Joaquin Phoenix - pictured below (Source). 

 

Notice a pattern?

 

And this week, it has been confirmed that actors Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham-Carter have officially been offered roles in the film - pictured below (Source).

 

Do you see the pattern yet?

 

Oh, and I almost forgot.  Kristen Stewart ("Twilight") has been offered the part of Kei, Kaneda's love interest - pictured below (Source).

 

I know you see the pattern now.

 

What's next? 

• Painting white people in blackface (to represent blacks while still maintaining white cast) and casting them as servants, mammies, criminals, promiscuous sexual deviants / rapists / sluts, lazy abusers of government assistance, and stupid/child-like human beings? 
• Or maybe painting white people in brownface (to represent Latinos while still maintaining white cast) and casting them as servants, criminals, promiscuous sexual deviants / rapists / sluts, and abusers of American resources? 
• Or better yet, painting white people in tanface (to represent Native Americans while still maintaining white cast) and casting them as savages, criminals and overall uncivilized beings? 
• Or better better yet, painting white people in yellowface (to represent Asians while still maintaining white cast) and casting them as asexual (except for the women who are cast as exotic and submissive sirens), dorky, physically unappealing, and overbearing human beings.   

OH, WAIT!!  Hollywood has already done that.  Although, nowadays, they've graduated to casting people of color into these stereotype-induced roles - if they cast them at all. 

 

And when a project comes along - usually created by a person of color - that has the nerve to include (1) characters of color (2) who are fully-fleshed out, intelligent, interesting and thought-provoking, and (3) involved in creative and exciting circumstances and storylines, Hollywood typically ignores it unless it can rape its popularity for profit, complete with race elimination.  

 

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH  

(If you agree, spread awareness about the whitewashing of this movie)

 

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FAQs About Akira and Anti-Whitewashing Campaign (courtesy of Racebending)

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(VIDEO) SHAME ON OAKLAND POLICE: Police Brutality at Occupy Oakland Results in Serious Injury to Iraq War Veteran

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Food for Thought:  First, why was this massive police presence dispatched to "Occupy Wall Street" / "We are the 99%" protests around the nation and not for the Tea Party protests?  Second, why were police departments and local governments around the country attempting to stop these protests and disband these protesters, often with heavy handed tactics and unnecessary force, when they did not do so with Tea Party protests and that movement's protesters? 

 

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On the night of October 25th, Occupy Oakland, a regional installment of the national Occupy Wall Street movement, marched on the streets of downtown Oakland.  Most accounts support the protesters' claim that they were demonstrating peacefully and not throwing bottles and rocks at authorities as the Oakland Police Department alleges - an explanation offered to justify officers' use of unnecessary force on protesters. 

 

Police approached protesters in full riot gear, arresting them as they shot baton rounds, tear gas and flash bang grenades INTO the crowd (not above the crowd), a transparent attempt to intimidate protesters and prevent them from exercising their First Amendment rights - a gross abuse of power by Oakland law enforcement. 

 

Such brutality and disregard for the health and well being of the protesters was not without consequences.  Scott Olsen, 24, an Iraq war veteran and Occupy activist was hit in the head, at close range, with a police projectile, resulting in a skull fracture and swelling of the brain.  He is now in critical condition at Oakland's Highland Hospital and under the care of a neurosurgeon.  Mr. Olsen survived two tours of duty in Iraq only to return home to America and be injured by the very people sworn to protect us. 

 

When a group of protesters came to the aid of Mr. Olsen, who was rendered bloodied and motionless on the ground, police officers continued their assault upon them.  A nearby police officer shot what appears to be another flash grenade or tear gas canister directly INTO the crowd of protesters.  Not only could this action have seriously injured a protester, it could have easily injured Mr. Olsen for a second time.  A video captures the entire incident on tape.  

 

 

 

Occupy Wall Street released the following public statement:

 

It is unconscionable that American government officials would sanction the use of such extreme force against peaceful citizens.

Occupy Oakland has been a public forum, set up on public land, concerned with critical public issues about the nation’s financial crisis, consolidation of wealth and power, and the ability of citizens to meaningfully participate in the democratic process.

This brutality carried out on the orders of city government, sends a chilling message to those who want to engage in civic processes to work for social change.

Over a month ago, we went to the doorstep of Wall Street to say "enough!" That message has resonated across the country and around the world. Occupy Wall Street continues to build, and a national movement of peaceful occupations and civic engagement has sprung up in every corner.

Public officials must listen to the grievances of this popular movement. It is absolutely unacceptable to attempt to dissuade civic engagement through the use of brutality, repression and retaliation against movement participants. This is America. All Americans have the freedom to peacefully protest our government. That right defines who we are as a country and a people, and when it is denied, all of America is the poorer for it.

The Mayor of Oakland — and mayors and city governments across the country — should get on the right side of history and honor all Americans' freedom to peacefully assemble and to civically engage.

We call on all concerned people to send Oakland Mayor Quan a message that the actions she sanctioned are unconscionable. We ask supporters to please sign this petition to Mayor Quan ...

Supporters can also call Mayor Quan at (510) 238-3141 to register disapproval.

Tonight in Manhattan, we will hold a march in solidarity with Occupy Oakland (9:00pm. Details to be announced.)

We will continue to build a movement to empower the 99% and to hold Wall Street and government accountable.

 

Learn More About Scott Olsen

See Raw Video of Occupy Oakland Protests from that Night

Make a Donation to Medical Fund Established for Scott Olsen

(courtesy of Iraq Veterans Against the War)

Sign Petition to Stop Police Repression of Occupy Oakland (here and here)