The Story Behind the Car In the Mall

I hate it when I see it. There is nothing I can do short of being the person trying to stop people from doing the wrong thing. I learned a long time ago, you cannot stop a person determined to do the wrong thing.


This is my short VloMo 2012 contribution to take a humorous way to explaining.

Basically, a company rents a shiny car from a local car dealer. Then they rent car space in your local mall. People fill out a detail contest sheet with a lot of personal information, much more than what is needed for a contest.

On the back, in teeny tiny type they will tell you that you must fill out the info completely or it will be rejected. Or if you are under 18 it will be rejected. Or if your income is too low you will be rejected.

In some states you cannot will $100,000. You might have a chance at $5,000. Or $199. Depends on where you live.

If you "qualify" then you get to the next level, a timeshare meeting. You have to attended. You will then be given the hard sell on purchasing a timeshare. If you survive then you might walk out with steak knives. Or a radio. Not sure what the mooks who survive get these days.

Oh, should you happen to win the $100,000 you do know that you have to pay taxes on it right?

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Lessons We Need to Understand–Part 1

It has been a week of extremes. Excitement and disappointment. Sometimes it happens at the same time. I have facts but the interpretation of those facts I’m not sure I can do justice. I can tell you what I have seen and observed.

The ZeFrank Lessons

Once upon a time there was a web series called Le Show with ZeFrank. The two people below are not ZeFrank but part of the community at the time that participated in introducing the show. Roll that tape...


It was before Jon Stewart and Colbert and the show was a mix of whimsy, politics, audience collaboration and what ever can down the road. It lasted a year before Ze pulled the plug.

Last week Ze put out the word on Kickstarer that he wanted to resume the show and was looking for backers to fund it. He is going to, among other things, buy a new camera and hire an editor.

He asked for $50,000. Keep in mind that his show lasted only one year that ended in 2007. There were other sporadic appearances by Ze via Time Magazine and other places but folks had moved on.
As of this writing, Ze has $122,282 with four days to go in the campaign.

Ze has asked his backers what they would like to see in the new show. In full disclosure, I did chip in some cash which makes me a non-Hollywood fractional inconsequential non-power playing mogul.

• Most want him to do what he did before. Exactly the same things.
• Some want him to talk about religion.
• Others emphatically do not want him to talk about religion
• Those that want him to rip into the current political climate of yuck.
• Those that want a respite from the political climate of yuck and want him to make music or design or anything that is happening in the current world.
• And there is a fractional few that says “I trust you enough to let you go you way and see what you come up with.”

This is the creative community "put your money where your support is" type of participatory media. I keep telling folks that what we were raised up on is not how it is always going to be from this point forward.

There is events happening that we can’t continue to pretend it does not have an impact on our lives.  Like a broken record I keep saying this and I need to find a better way of communicating it or shut up.

I have it on good authority I can’t shut up.

Here is the thing. As traditional broadcasters look to restrict access to their content and at the same time create destination portals on the Internet we need to really step up independent content.
I don’t think it needs a Kickstarter campaign but you do what you got to do.  If you are good and people like what you do you will be supported.

We don’t have to be dependent on mainstream content. I’m not saying to totally give it up cuz that new Sherlock Holmes on the BBC has got a bunch of Baker Street Doxies going nuts.

I’ve moved to audio podcasting and video from non-traditional sources to replace television. I do watch traditional shows once in a while on the Internet but they do not fill my needs.

A new model is being established. ZeFrank is not the first person to do this; there are other producers who are doing the same things.We needs to pay attention.

That is all I’m saying.

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There Is Still Much to Say

There was a time when 999 was the highest amount of posts you could upload on Blogger. I wasn't too worried about it because I didn't think I'd reach 999 posts. I don't think about things like that because they intimidate me.

Here I am. Number 1,000 according to my post log. Dang! I feel good about it.

I wrote long before there was blogging. Use to do an e-mail news letter. Had a old school user page that required HTML. I never warmed up to Dreamweaver but I gave it a go because I had much to say and thought my voice was as valid as some of the others on the World Wide Web.

In 2004 I came to Blogger.


In one of my early post I shared the lyrics to Sky Pilot. There was no way to easily embed video. There was no YouTube and I would not have known about this video from the CBC in Vancouver.  This is a video montage created by the CBC performed by Eric Burdon and The Animals:



I have an attacment to this song because I would hear it on the radio. I might have been between 9 and 11 years of age. I don't remember. But I didn't connected the song with the Vietnam war.

I thought of Snoopy and the Red Baron. I was a kid.  I related to the world that I knew.

This is such a different place. I now understand about the price of war on human bodies and minds. I understand that there have been other wars and some folks are now shopping for a new one to keep the military industrial corporation going.

"You'll never, never, never, reach the sky."

There was a time when I did not have my face on the blog. In 1999 had read a book about being on the Internet that talked about this guy who was making serious cash money doing web work but it got out that he was a black man.

His work dried up. At that time there were people that would attack you for being "the other."

Not much has changed. There are increasing attacks on women and feminist bloggers.

I have learned that you can't hide who you are. There are people that need to see that an African American woman has a blog. That I write about a variety of issues and concerns.

There is no point in trying to pin me down to a specific topic, not in this blog. One day it is politics, the next is noticing that Brookstone in the mall has a bunch of vibrators on sale for the holidays.

Seriously, not the cheap stuff. We are talking the upper level stroke, stroke, stroke until le petit mort kind of gear.

I get distracted. Too much is going on these days.

I bought a fountain pen. I'm going back to writing on paper first and then uploading. Has more to do with eye and hand preservation. It also has to do with allowing the words to come at a contemplative speed. I want time to think, not just react.

I don't like Facebook but I check in on friends. I like Google+ better but I don't have the time to do more than and comment on friends and followers post. There is some new widget that allows me to copy my post here to my G+ page. I might do that. Not sure.

Twitter, which I didn't initially care for, has been my day to day catch up with folks.

My blog - this is my home ground. My stoop. I know it. I'm okay here. I haven't been posting much because I got stuff going on. I have to make decisions about my life in 2012. What do I want to do? What do I need to do?

No matter what those choices are I still intend to blog. And write. Maybe a video now and then.

This blog is what made the connections with other people possible.

There are days when I get fed up with the stupidity of human beings. The American branch has plum lost their minds. Not sure they are going to get it together, it will take something awful to re-connect with each other.

It doesn't have to be that way but not sure if we can come together. Too many forces profit from keeping us apart.

So I still blog. One post at a time. I hope I remain unpredictable but who knows what changes can happen. Be open to the possible has served me well. I commit to that and the future.

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Smoothies and Vibrators on a Thursday Afternoon

Yes there are more important things to do in the world. I have chosen to sit at my desk and drink an ice cold Strawberry smoothie.



As I peruse the Tweet stream friends are talking about that vibrator movie. I don't like the name of the movie, Hysteria, but that has more to do with the old pathology of doctors treating women as a literal bag of symptoms.







I like the idea of women going to a place where they can have therapeutic orgasms. So yeah, in theory the movie sounds okay.



As part of BlogHer 2011 swag I got two silver bullet things and a hunk of pink plastic with a disco ball at the end of it.



Thanks Eden Fantasys.com!



Not quite sure what to do with them. I'll figure out something.



Ok, yeah I know what I could do with them. It it is good to have tools in the kit. Diversify and broaden the horizons.

I think I want to put some mango, coconut water and tamarind powder in the mixer. Just to see what happens.

Watching a movie about repressed wealthy Victorian women going to the only place where their sexual needs are met under a cover of "illness" does not make me all gooey. I sure could use a good laugh though.



I remember going to the various on-line vibrator museums in the early days of the Internet. They were a hoot and not at all scuzzy.



Still clogging the tubes are:

• Good Vibrations Antique Vibrator Museum at GoodVibes.com
• The Vibrator Museum - old school web pages filled with twitching devices
  
  

I don't have enough mango left. Added it to the remaining strawberries and ice. Works just as well.

Where was I? Oh yeah. So it is 2011. It is almost okay to admit you have sex toys. But not really. It will make obtaining a new job more interesting. I'm okay at the Salt Mine for now but should I leave it this post could be problematic.



They will look at the two candidates. One will have grey hair and glasses. She'll look like some one's auntie. They run my name and "Oh, my Mr. Zlocknicledo, not her, the woman is to ... public with her opinions."



Too late. I done did it. But I have to speak out loud because women going through peri-menopause and menopause need to know there are options.



Sometimes you have a mate and sometimes you don't. Things have to be dealt with or there are consequences. You want no part of the consequences such as that energy builds up and you not only want to do the seventh fleet but afterwards you want to consign the whole ship to hell.



Intellectually you know that is wrong but intellect has no control over estrogen zipping all over the place and androgen saying "Peek a boo, baby."



You will apologize less if you take care of yourself, how ever you define it.

Me? I'm just drinking a smoothie.

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Rashad Robinson on Accountability and Obama

This is a short video that I recorded during the session Keeping It Real: Political Accountability in the Age of Obama. This was one of many sessions at the Blogging While Brown conference held in Los Angeles.



In this clip, Rashad is talking about how other groups network together to at least get their agenda on the discussion table. What can we learn and emulate is the question.

Rashad Robinson is the Executive Director of Colorofchange.org where 800,000 voice work together to deal with the issues of the day using the tools of technology.

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Quick Recap on Blogging While Brown Conference

I'm stealing a little of my shrinking morning time to say how much I enjoyed the 2011 Blogging While Brown conference in Los Angeles. I do have photos and videos that I will be posting in a few days.

I knew going into the conference my intent was to listen and meet folks. I messed up one time when I found myself talking in one of the sessions but it is the effort that counts.

I feel encourage that there are so many new folks coming on board wanting to use the tools of blogging for advocacy and to generate alternative sources of income. No matter what your purpose is you have to remember the importance of content, good content that will get you to your goal.

And to those misguided souls considering being a payola pimp for products? Nooooooo. Don't do it. Many have crashed and burned following that that path of broken glass.

There were a lot of photos and camcorders at the event so I'm expecting a bunch of good stuff appearing soon. Thanks to the sponsors who made the event possible.

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Why I'm Going To Blogging While Brown

I'm not a blogging newbie. I was on the Internet before blogging was birthed.

I remember when I had to work in HTML and then FTP web pages up to the server only to find that I had goofed on something and had to do it all over again.

I learned things. How to stay out of old school chat rooms that were not moderated. How to write gender ambiguously so as not to have my words dismissed from jump street. To lurk and get the lay of the land to see if it was safe to be my authentic self.

Then came my own blog. Videoblogging. BlogHer. Care2 and so much more. And yet for umpteen years I've manage to miss the Blogging While Brown conference. Mainly due to distance and/or financial constrictions.

Not this time. I have my ticket and I am going!



Here is why:

When dumb ass clucks want to suggest that a black child in slavery is better off than a 21st century free person and a presidential candidate signs off with pride I need to go and anyone who wants to start a blog to do so.

I need to talk with progressive and conservative folks to find the common ground and not light firewalls of division. I'm looking for people open for a dialog. I might find a few at the conference.

I ain't entertaining stupid. I've had my fill of bone stupid people from either side.

I don't care if you write about make-up, sports, power tools or sweetness of Auntie Renee's tea we need thinking, content producing folks, now, right now and soon.

Critical thinkers, for the love of God get to typing!

The crazy has brook loose and starting to multiply. All hands on deck.

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The Minstrel Show or I've Seen This Before?

I only have a surface understanding of the minstrel show. In the late 1960s and 1970s I was raised during a time of black power, affirmation and determination.

I knew about vaudeville. I knew about white performers in black face. It was a history I could read then walk away. It was gone. There were other things to learn about.

So I thought.

Some of you have no idea of what I am talking about. This is a clip with Slim Williams, performing in black face make-up, his mayoral political stump speech:

Have I Lost My Flipping Mind?

No.

I have been getting mighty steamed up by the constant flow of stupidity, mendacity and flat out hate on hate political expression. It is politics mixed with sexism, racism and the damn near avocation of gender repression in order to fix the economy.

Why I am seeing this inane fear based rhetoric again and again? Something familiar but cloaked in time.

I think I can show that there are contemporary 2011 examples of this old theatrical art form. Or hate speech. Institutionalized power plays at being powerless in a safe fantasy world. Stage craft.

Call it whatever you feel comfortable with but understand that genesis of the minstrel show was based on observation and exaggeration of Africans and African Americans.

It is a theatrical form of bondage and domination where the oppressor gets to play at being a smart happy submissive. Not that I know anything about bondage and domination except for that workshop I sat in on a few years ago by accident.

Very informative. Honest, it really was a good workshop about power and control issues. There is an element of that in the structure of the minstrel show.

I want to look at modern political and entertainment videos that communicate power and control messages. Before I can do that I need to share the reason for doing these posts and the structure of minstrel performances.

This is a difficult exploration. This can be painful and not the ways you might think. My goal is to point out the performance style that is being applied to contemporary videos and by political operatives.

You might not want to come down this path for dozens of really good reasons. That is okay. I guess I'm trying to give a blanket trigger alert but it is impossible.

One more thing. This is not about white people bashing. There are black folks and other types of minstrel shows masked as advertisements and music videos. I saw a young black woman in a wig bathed in infrared light who performed a sexual jig with her amplified white lips.

A straight up minstrel performance. She isn't the only modern performer doing 21st century race based American minstrel performances.

Research Starting Points:

There is a web site that I've been hanging around for a few days. Ken Padgett's Black-Face.com where I've been reading about the origin and history of these types of performances. There is also a YouTube channel that has scenes from a 1951 film called "Yes, Sir Mr. Bones" that showcased some of the white and black performers.

I have been researching other sources as well from a theatrical and sociological perspective. In the next post, Minstrel 101.

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I've Never Been to Me on the Finally Friday Freakout

I'm still searching for an adventure to juice my imagination. I've become a drone. I was gong to take a cooking class just to experience taking a day long cooking class. It was cancelled.

I just missed out on a photographic workshop in New Mexico. It was happening this weekend. Couldn't do it on short notice. Ah me. Unlike the lyrics of this song, I need to find a bit of paradise so I can get my bearings.

This is Charlene singing her hit, "I've Never Been to Me."



I've made mistakes this week and survived them. Took naps when I needed. Finally faced up to the fact that concepts like organization and planning are not dirty words. I've never been to this part of me that is spending time fighting information and task overload.

I've never wanted to be so organized it would take the spontaneity out of life. I use to be able to hold everything I do in my head. That is past tense. Or just tension cuz I can't do that anymore.

There are reasons why you need to write things down and then make sure you read the list. What got me moving toward being more willing to accept organization skills was iTunes.

I was looking for a podcast to subscribe to and I cam across Merlin Mann's 43 Folders.

Took a listen. Let me forewarn you that Merlin sometimes uses the full breath of the English language. The ancestors would say he "can be a little salty."

This means that he has the potential to cuss up a storm. Sometimes. Only when he needs to get you to focus. Or he is ticked off.

Rooting around the podcast archives there is good stuff about creativity, procrastination and making changes that may or may not involve tools. Merline also calls B.S. if the tool becomes more important than the task.

I like his videos even more than the podcasts. Dude take it to the edge and bring it home more of the time. You should view his presentation at Webstock.

Dang. So yes, go visit yourself and then if you have time check out some of Merlin's videos or podcasts.

One more thing. I now understand that Merlin is a really famous Internet person. Some are gonna say "Duh, where have you been?" "Why didn't you know?" or "For real?"

I didn't. I was not in a time or mental place that I would have listen to a podcast on organization and creativity. Creativity yes, organization, no.

When I was ready I found the right person at the right time.

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The Bard Speaks - I Have Sex Video

This Bard being the students of Bard College. This video was created in support of Planned Parenthood.



You don't have to be a young person to use the services of Planned Parenthood. There are middle aged and older people having unprotected sex. You have to know that sexually transmitted diseases do no respect age or how much hair dye you use.

Planned Parenthood is a resource you can use to get tested for STDs at any age. Let folks know that this is more than about abortion services. It is about access to sexual and reproductive health care.

In other words, sex isn't just for the young folk and if your retirement fund is a little skimpy you might want to have a reproductive health back-up plan.

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A Understandable Explanation About Fukushima Reactor

Professor Martyn Poliakoff is at the University of Nottingham does a great job of explaining science topics to N00bs like me.

I've been watching the Periodic Table videos for a long time. This is a video of what is going on with the reactor, the problems about using salt water to cool things down and what is the deal with iodine tablets.



The professor does a really good job of explaining what is going on with the nuclear reactor in Fukushima, Japan. I don't know about you but every other thought is about that reactor.

When I'm not succeeding about thinking about something else I also am getting mental reminders about the 1954 Sci-Fi classic movie Them!



There may be an ad in front of the trailer. Those of you not into surfer chicks you can skip it in 4 seconds. Those of you that are into surfer chick hold on for about 4 seconds and then enjoy.

The rest of us, do what you can where you can.

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Update on the PBS and NPR Funding

Most of you know that I am a Contributing Editor at BlogHer. It is a challenge when I have to fit in writing, research and the day job. All this and poetry videos too. In January I wrote a post about do we still need the Public Broadcasting System. So much has happened regarding attacks on PBS and governmental jockeying of resources.

Back in the day our favorite sweater dude, Fred Rogers made a heart felt plea to Congress to fund public television.

Watch the full episode. See more Mister Rogers.

No lie, I miss this dude. I miss what he represented as an adult male public figure. I can't think of a reasonable contemporary successor. There is one but I can't place him at the moment.

Hell, off track again. I do not question the importance of funding public television and National Public Radio. I have benefited and had my world expanded by the programs on both services.

I do wonder if constantly having to go back to a partisan knock down drag out fight each and every year just to ensure survival is the way to go. One of the things that crossed my mind is to perhaps make it similar to the United States Post Office in that it is taken out of the congressional budget, given a dedicated line of funding and allow it to find ways to generate income.

Just a thought.

Those in favor of funding:

• PBS Public Funding Information Page
• Mary Kate Cary US News What Congress Needs to Know
• Ken Burns talks with the SF Chronicle About Public Broadcasting's Value
  

Those in favor of cutting funding:

• The U.S. House of Representatives Vote to Bar Public Funding of NPR
• From 2010 Bill O'Reilly PBS Funding Should Be Cut Too
• ReNew America Blog We Should Have Stopped Funding PBS and NPR A Long Time Ago

It is up to us. I don't have too much faith in a nation that worships coke-a-holics and jewel thieves and rewards them with adulation.

Maybe the world will end in May.*

But if not, what are we going to do?

*Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. There is a religious group that believes that the end time is actually May 2011. Some folks have left their jobs, homes and everything because they anticipating the mothership, chariot or the heavenly night train to make a pick-up around that time.

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Los Angeles BWN Business Career Networking Forum

I get the Black Women's Network brochure every year. I usually can't go because it is on a weekday. This year it is on a Saturday. They almost had me until they said the LAX area. Los Angeles airport to the out of towners. Just can't do and make other commitments that day.

This is a bit of the history of the network from the web site:

Black Women's Network (BWN) was formed in March 1979 as the result of the energy of the Black women who attended a regional career conference in Los Angeles, California. Many of these women in attendance realized the potential strength that could be derived from creating a supportive organization that could serve as a vehicle for addressing the specific needs of professional Black women.

There will be a vendor marketplace, speakers and exhibitor booths. If you are in the area and you would like to check it out visit www.blackwomensnetwork.net.

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Dealing with Thread Hijacking - Civil Debate Session at BlogHer 2010

We've all seen it happen. Folks are having a discussion and someone plunks down a screed or a twenty page smoking gun on why the rest of us are so pathetically wrong.



In this clip Denise, Pam and Suzanne share methods on how to deal with that problem. This is from the Change Agents: How to Start, Engage in and Moderate Civil Political Debate session at BlogHer 2010 in New York City.

The panelists are Denise Tanton, Pam Spaulding and Suzanne Fortin.

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Rory Sutherland at TED - Sweat The Small Stuff

I was explaining to a friend about the TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) conferences, the main one and the spin-offs.

This is a talk by Rory Sutherland talking about how solutions to problems don't always need a blunt force effort to effect change.



I have to pace myself cuz I'd OD on trying to consume all of the talks, even the ones I don't have a clue about what they are talking about; this one is no problem but some of the science videos are killers. Entertaining but they can make you feel a bit small in the cranium.

This post is also dedicated to my friends who keep asking why I don't turn on my television set or subscribe to cable. I am not against advertising to support television programs. I am against bad programs and constant commercials both within and outside of the program.

I don't like bone stupid TV all of the time. I can do 3% stupid. I need something for the other 97%.

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National HIV Testing Day or Do You Have A Spare Condom?

I need to talk to the mature women, aunties and the grammies about protecting themselves when they have sex. June 27, 2010 is or was HIV Awareness and Testing Day.

I know it was because I was walking around outside of Vroman's Bookstore. There were condoms everywhere. It was a beautiful sight. Yet something was missing. Not enough info for the Boomers. Cuz, you know we ain't gonna stop with a little snow on the rafters.

With the right amount of imagination that rocking chair can be a sensual enhancement tool.


True, peri-menopause and menopause might have you up against the ropes. It is all you can do not to kill something. I say make love, not war. The libido is not dead, just getting reconfigured. One of these days a good looking chunk of opportunity is gonna walk up and say "Hi."

It will be all you can do to say "Yes." "No." or "You are serious, right?"

A Pause for the Cause

Step 1 - Have 21st Century Condoms

If all systems are go and before you get to shucking your clothes you need to ask yourself is there is a condom in the house, car or purse. I like to reduce complexity. I have condoms. Specially after today cuz I picked up a few condoms. And some lube. Water based, of course.

There are things that do not age well. Condoms is one of them. They expire. Make sure you have current stock within reach.

Step 2 - Dude Has To Wear It

You can help him put it on, make it worth his while but that condom has to be in place before you crank up Boogie Nights. This is not negotiable. This is about your life and how long you get to live it.

Step 2a - There are Female Condoms

Really, if the guy refuses to wear a condom and he won't get tested why are you with him?

Yeah, I know. Ok. If this is just a hit it and quit and you really want to do this with this reckless inconsiderate man then you need to use a female condom.

This is a non-sexual demonstration of how to insert the female condom:



It is a one use device. No recycling here. You can use it for the front door or the back porch however you have to use a new condom for each orifice. Female condoms are much more expensive but you are so worth it if you cannot get cooperation from your stud muffin.

Step 3 - You Might Have to Lube the Groove

We change. Body chemistry is no longer in sync with immediate desire. We may need help to ease the points of entry. There are all kind of lube products. Some contain icky petroleum chemicals. Bad for condoms, worse for your body.

When possible, go natural but not Crisco. Seriously, I know it was the thing back in the day but No, leave that in the bad old days. This is future tense.

You need to read the label to make sure the lube is compatible with the condom and with your body. There is a video about Green/Organic lube at Treehugger.com. Another source is the product line of Good Clean Love.

For more info:

• Carnal Nation post on How to Put On A Condom
  
• Center for AIDS Prevention and Studies Fact Sheet for Adults Over Fifty
• Mayo Clinic on Sexual Health and Aging
• National HIV Awareness Days from U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
• Planned Parenthood information about female condoms
• Third Age Guide to middle age and senior sexuality
• Violet Blue has a Safe Sex Page with a free download of her Modern Safe Sex Guide. Violet's web site is not safe for work but there are things a person could learn from Violet.

There are not enough easy to find middle-age and senior specific sex health pages so I will keep an eye out for them and post what I find.

In the meantime, in the spirit of the boogie put a lid on it.

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Memorial Day and What I Learned About Black Confederate Soldiers

It is a pip of a topic. It came to me on the serendipity flyer. I was cruising through Ms. Lady Deborah’s Renaissance Gallery blog. My eyes locked on the name of the video, Black Confederate Soldiers.

My brain had an instant system scramble. It made no rational sense to me. Then I started to think; maybe it is a parody video or some kind of joke. It wasn’t. Every history book I picked up contained white men in a grey suit holding a gun. I do not ever recall seeing a photo of black man in a confederate uniform.

This is another video that has footage of the Confederate soldiers and a discussion of Nathan Bedford Forest who had 41 of his slaves go with him into battle:

I’m not sure if this is propaganda or a historical distortion. It could also be the truth or a part of a greater truth. So for two and half hours I've been looking for verifiable sources of information.

What is My Agenda?

For me, I want to know if this is true or not that there was voluntary service of free black men in the Confederacy. More importantly, I want to know why. My 21st century personhood really wants to know why.

When you start to research a controversial topic you need to be clear as to what you are searching for and what is my expectation of a result. Then you have to be prepared to jettison the expectation.

The Facts and The Truth

There were people in the U.S. Army and in the Confederate Army who wanted to conscript slaves and former slaves.

Once word got out that there was going to be military action the free blacks and former slaves rushed to enlist. They were turned away because of a pre-existing Federal law that barred Negroes from bearing arms for the U.S. Army.

The U.S. Army resisted as long as it could until there was a drop in white enlistment. Things changed. The rest is history.

Over on the Confederate Army side of the fence is a little more complicated and to me, psychologically mind boggling. Confederate offices and slave owners did bring their slaves along with them into military service.

Slaves were conscripted to assist and support confederate troops. Not a big deal, kinda thought that would have happened. This was not voluntary action by the slaves. There was no choice in the matter. Slaves had to serve their owners.

The bigger question is did people of color try to or indeed voluntary serve in the Confederate Army? Yes. And No. Really, I am not playing words games here.

This is complicated. There is a very good article at the University of Maryland Baltimore County America History site that started to clear things up for me.

Things were not going well in the Confederacy. After black recruitment shot up in the Union Army the Confederacy started looking around for allies and assistance.

One of those places was Louisiana. There was a large number of free people of color. Some who called themselves Creole. In their perception of reality they were not Negro, black or of African decent.

A Creole person of that time would have had a stroke being called Negro or African. It did not matter what they looked like on the surface. They were Creole. Not white and certainly not African. They had their own society and business concerns.

Looking at the odds between the Underdog and the long term Big Dog a certain percentage of the free and Creole population that went into the Confederacy figured that the Big Dog (the Confederacy) was gonna win.

It was in part an economic decision. Some of the Creoles were slave owners themselves. They had property and a lifestyle negotiated long ago. They had more to lose with the Union than with the southern states.

The narrative goes on to talk about the decision of Virginia free and slave populations to consider joining the Confederate Army. It wasn't necessarily love of Dixie, more like being between a rock and a hard place.

Having said that, there were black confederate soldiers that were proud of their service. Their descendants also want it known that these men served in honor. That is not something that can be dismissed.

Knowing When to Back Off

I found the first level answers. But the questions those answers generate are far more complex and deep than I can handle in 1500 words. I'd need 300,000 and a couple of Ph.Ds after my name. There is a important context to the answers that cannot fit a sound bite or a quick post.

I'd want to find diaries and recordings of these gentlemen, if they exist, to really understand.

I want to know living conditions and how do you deal with inter-troop and external racism? I'd want to know if they felt that a life in slavery was better to them than a life as a free person?

Those questions take time and respect for the truth to find the answers.

Final words. I will not be a party to revisionist history for the sake of advancing a political agenda. There are bloggers who are doing this now - searching through every historically prominent person of color writings to find "the hidden Republican or conservative streak."

Also, if you think you found a sympathetic African American that understands the right to praise the Confederacy think again. I neither praise nor condemn. The Civil War is a historical fact with many dimensions. Each soldier and the family he or she was attached to has a viable story.

My only commitment is to find the truth and validate as best I can.

I don't play it the other way either. I have words for some liberals; you can't continue to ignore Booker T. Washington either. If the system is going to collapse then damn well we better be prepared to build anew.

Somebody needs to hip the hydroponic boys to diversify the crop. Pop some veggies in between the ganja if you catch my drift.

As for me? I have to find something else to write about.

Resources Used and Discovered For Those That Are Curious:

• Article on Black Confederates Jim Garamone, Armed Forces Defense Services accessed at the Department of Defense web site.
• Federal Resources for Educational Excellence - long lists of Civil War topics and references.
• Library of Virginia Civil War List of Publications and Resources.
• North Carolina Civil War Sesquicentennial - A three year recognition of the Civil War and hopefully a complete and inclusive history. Also check out the section on North Carolina freed and slave persons of color page.
• National Archives - Teaching With Documents, the Fight for Equal Rights: Black Soldiers in the Civil War. You can click on a recruitment poster that explains the Emancipation and a request for service.
• UMBC's Did Southern Free Men Fight for the Ideals of the South? The pdf link doesn' t work but if you click the Topic Background you'll get the full scoop.
• UMBC's Teaching American History Lesson Plans

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Lisa Schrader's Awakening Shakti Video

I might be meeting a bunch of new people today so let me explain that Out On the Stoop is my personal blog. I have a wide range of curiosities and interests. I am open to exploring my world and environment.

So the topics and posts you see are what I have come across in my real world and cyber travels. It doesn't mean I accept or embrace everything presented but it is a moment that I want to pay attention to or share with my friends and extended community.

This is a video by Lisa Schrader, who I gather has a business that involves re-connecting people to their inner light and spiritual nature.



I was doing research on spiritual sexuality for a post on BlogHer. I came across her video. She has a presence that seems to be calm and relaxed. I don't know, I guess the video is a window to a kind of place I would like to live in some day. A place of love, nature and non-hostile community.

I'm not promoting her company or service. I'm really looking and listening to her describe a kind of internal and external place we could construct if we were willing to see each other as equal loving beings.

This is not easy with some of the jokers and chuckle heads on the planet. At times I have been the joker or chuckle head so I have sympathy for both sides.

I guess I'm looking at how still she is and being physically quiet. I have to work on being physically quiet.

It might take time for me to truly understand the enlightenment thing.

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Ina's Video on What Women Really Need

I do understand that there is a portion of the population who needs chemical assistance with the hydrologics but it ain't me. For one specific person take you pill pushing behind someplace that has a penis. I do not have one, okay?

Being that I am solution orientated I want to heap increase the natural and pleasurable friction between partners. In order to stem the perceived need and fear of not getting any on-going action, I bring to you men folk words of wisdom from Ina Mlekush who will help some of you guys to stop worrying about the plumbing but instead being in the moment.



For those of a delicate nature, Ina does use words that you might not want to have resonating in the office. NSFW if you catch my drift.

Now as I have just learned from Ina, Menfolk feel the need to be doing stuff. We can work this out. Here is some of the stuff you fellas need to consider doing.



In the interest of equal time and because we all could stand a little touch-up of technique this is what the men folks want from us.

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Julie Morgan's Pasadena YWCA - Day 4 Videoblogging 2010

There are some people that are trying to erase portions of history that they don't like. There are others that are trying desperately to discover what they never have been told. Mainly by the people trying to pretend the other group does not exist.

The Pasadena YWCA building was designed by Julia Morgan. She was the first woman in California to have an architecture license. I did not know that she designed and worked on Hearst Castle/San Simeon as well as having designed and built 700 other buildings.



I volunteered in this building so I have a small, tiny connection to it. It was a place of overstuffed couches and long tables. It it where I saw a proto-version of the world wide web (It didn't work very well if at all.) The steps creaked and the noise of children was a constant reminder not to take life so seriously.

I remembered I hated going to the bathroom. It was so small. It might have been a latter day retro-fit but it was creepy especially at night.

Other than that it was a place where women came with their children to find work, exercise, have a bit of community and that is in addition to all the other YWCA stuff.

Because of the earthquakes and the cost of rehabilitation the building had to be closed. Once in a while there would be an art exhibit but I don't think they even do that any more.

Last I heard the city is about ready to tear it down. So goes another piece of womenfolk's history.

More on Julie Morgan:

California Museum Hall of Fame Inductee Page

Julia Morgan.org

California State Polytechnic University Special Library Collection on Julia Morgan

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