Movie Preview: The Princess and the Frog

Ok, so call me late to the party. I don’t follow kid’s films much, nor do I follow Disney. So I missed a bunch of the controversy that is The Princess and the Frog. Perhaps you missed it as well.

The film will be released in December of this year. Here is a trailer.



If you think I might have problems with this film, you should hear what friends of mine mentioned when they heard about this film. The more we thought about the film the more issues came up.

The story originally went like this:
A prince from a fictional African nation comes to New Orleans to listen to jazz. While here he meets a spoiled brat rich White girl, and her Black maid. Both girls find him attractive. Somehow he comes afoul of a bad Voodoo priest that turns him into a frog. He gets the Black girl to kiss him, turning her into a frog. They both go to a good Voodoo Priestess and get changed back to humans, fall in love somewhere along the way, and live happily ever after.

Thus Disney gets to cash in on the influx of positive Black films, the popularity of President Obama, and make a claim at being racially sensitive.

Except there are problems. First the name of the Black girl has changed from Maddy to Princess Tiana. This is odd since America has no royalty. And why would royalty work as a maid?


Second, this is billed as the first Black Disney princess. Hello, did anyone watch Aladdin? The entire movie is filled with Black people. Princess Jasmine was the first Black princess, it’s just that everyone seemed to skip over the permanent suntan she and every character had. But as a friend mentioned, this will be the first American Black princess, which goes back to what I said above.

Third the film is situated after the Civil War and the 13th Amendment. But it is a period piece around the late 1800’s to early 1900’s. This means that Jim Crow and segregation were in full effect. Meaning that the prince would never have seen or spoken to Tiana, and if he did she likely would have been hung for her boldness. That was how the South was those days.

And of course this says nothing of the fact that a prince would never speak with a commoner in those days. Even now it is highly unlikely, and generally occurs due to other circumstances like Prince Edward fighting in Iraq.

Lastly, a White Southern woman of that time period would never be seen after a Black man, at least in public. Even if he was a prince. Her family would have disowned her, and likely killed or given extreme suggestions to leave to the prince.

What is effectively happening is that the South is being romanticized yet again. Facts are being thrown out the window so Disney can make money. And our youth are losing a piece of the truth and history of the nation yet again.

Add to this the fact that the animators at Disney seem to be very lazy of late. Princess Tiana looks remarkably like several other Disney princesses, just with a tan. She is hardly distinct, or drawn with any relative connection to any racial group.

But the film has a huge list of top names. Oprah Winfrey, Terrance Howard, John Goodman, and Keith David head the leading voices in the movie. Tiana will be voiced by Anika Noni Rose, who seems to be a singer (never heard her sing) and actress (she has been in several plays as well as the movie Dreamgirls). I really can’t recall her in anything, but I’ll blame that on being older.

Expect to see lots of hype about this movie. It goes with the trend right now to show a lot of Black people in things. Like the background of ads, or as additional characters in television shows. It’s the Obama effect. A limited effect where you get to see more people of color without them gaining any real importance or positions of leadership in anything.

Because if Disney really cared about being racially sensitive, or even aware, they could have added Black characters into movies for decades. They even could have promoted Aladdin as such. But instead they played down the thought of leading, or secondary characters, as anything but White. Up until now. [Though I should note that Lilo and Stitch did have a full cast of people of color – and were intended to be seen as people of color.]

Honestly, I don’t find the fact that this is a film focused on a Black character from Disney as a positive. It’s not like they never knew the color black was in their coloring inks. It just emphasizes that with the Civil Rights Movement, and decades of laws and action, it has taken nearly half a century for Disney to acknowledge African Americans. It just reminds me that taking all the people of color in front of and behind the cameras all add up to less than 10% of the people in Hollywood.

Perhaps I’m too sensitive, but that is my nature. At least I’m honest about what bugs me. At least I try to look at America’s past with open eyes to the good and the bad. At least I’m not trying to profit on the back of President Obama, like this is one big marketing experiment.

Disney is doing a film about a Black woman. It’s about time. Now let’s hope it’s good.

Police, murder, African Americans. Never Again. Stop The Game

In 1946, in Georgia, a mob lynched 4 Black men. That event led to the desegregation of the military, and arguably set the stage for the Civil Rights Movement.

In 1981, in Alabama, Michael McDonald was randomly selected and lynched.

In 1998 James Byrd Jr. was dragged to death in Texas.

These were horrible acts of violence. Thankfully in each case some degree of justice was enacted. But these are not isolated events. And they are reinforced by actions of a group in America that should never be tolerated. Police officers.

There is a pattern in America that has been accepted and hidden by the news media for far too long. In each occurrence it is passed off as an individual act and unrelated. I disagree. I believe we need to bring these connected events to light.



In 1991 Rodney King was beaten by 4 officers with excessive force. This was one of the first times such an action by police was seen by the public, as the event had been videotaped by a bystander. Even with this evidence a jury essentially slapped the wrists of the officers involved. This lead to riots in 1992.

Since that time several other events have been video taped with the media less willing to give it public attention. One of the most recent was the execution-style murder of Oscar Grant, in Oakland California on New Years Day 2009.

The killing of Grant was witnessed by at least a dozen witnesses. Grant was unarmed, on the ground face down, with an officer on his back, and was not resisting arrest. He was shot 1 time in the back at point blank range, killing him. The entire incident, some 4 minutes long, was caught on multiple cameras. It took 14 days for the officer firing the shot to be charged with a crime. The incident reached the national media 2x (an ABC news 30 second video clip and the opening memo on the O’Reilly Factor), both focused on the riots that occurred a week after the event.

On that same day, Robbie Tolan was shot in his driveway, while on the ground, in Texas. Robbie Tolan has been a minor league baseball player, was unarmed, and coming home from getting fast food when he was confronted by police. He currently has a bullet lodged in his liver. The officer in question has not been charged to date, though an investigation appears to still be underway.

Again on that same day, in New Orleans, Adolph Grimes was shot at 48 times, and struck 14, by 9 police officers. 12 of the 14 shots struck Grimes in the back. There is no clear explanation of why Grimes was shot at, or how he was struck so many times in the back. At this time no charges are pending any officer involved, though an investigation is said to be underway.

In 2008, Philadelphia, 19 police officers surround and beat 3 men. The officers believed the men might have been suspects from a shooting earlier that night. The men, not resisting arrest and unarmed, are kicked and beaten while lying on the ground. The result of this unquestionable act of police brutality enacted on African Americans is 4 officers fired, 3 suspended, and 1 demotion. No charges were brought.

Sean Bell, and 2 other passengers in his car, were shot at 51 times in NYC in 2006 by 5 police officers. None of the men were armed. Sean Bell died, the other surviving men were critically wounded at the time. None of the police officers were found guilty of wrong-doing.

Also in 2006, in Atlanta, Kathryn Johnston (age 92) was shot by 3 officers and killed. The officers entered the home with a no-knock warrant – prying off burglar alarms and breaking down the door - Johnston fired a shotgun once in the ceiling. No officer was injured by Johnston. Police fired 39 shots and hit Johnston 6 times. A failed cover-up of the incident included false claims of Johnston being a drug dealer. It was later proven that the Atlanta police routinely lied to get warrants All 3 officers that shot Johnston have been found guilty.

In 2005, in New Orleans, Robert Davis was beaten by 4 officers (2 of which were in fact federal agents). This incident was videotaped by the Associated Press, during which one of the newsmen was physically assaulted for videotaping the event. The federal agents were never charged. 2 officers were fired and 1 received a 120 suspension. 1 officer was cleared of all charges by a judge.

In 2004, NYC, Timothy Stansbury Jr. opened a rooftop door and was shot and killed by a police officer. He was unarmed. The shooting violated police procedure. The officer was never charged.

In 2001, in Ohio, Timothy Thomas was shot and killed by a police officer. The initial statement by the officer was that his gun accidentally went off. He then later stated that Thomas, wanted on non-violent charges, had a gun. He later revised the statement that he believed Thomas was reaching for a gun. Thomas in fact was unarmed, and is believed to have been holding up his baggy pants. The officer was not charged.

In 1999, in NYC, Amadou Diallo was shot 41 times by 4 police officers outside of his home. He was unarmed. At least one of the shots to Diallo was fired through the bottom of his foot, meaning he was lying on the ground when the shot was fired. None of the police officers involved were found to have committed a crime.

1998, in New Jersey, State police officers fired 11 shots at Danny Reyes and 3 passengers in the van. 3 of the men in the van, including Reyes, were shot. Reyes was hit 4 times, and was unarmed, as were all the men in the vehicle. All the men were on the way to professional basketball tryouts in North Carolina. The State troopers were charged with attempted murder after having initial charges dropped by lower court. I am unaware of any trial date having been set or occurring to date.

In 1997, in New York City, 4 officers arrested Abner Louima on questionable charges at an incident not originally involving him. When Louima was brought to the police station the officers proceeded to beat Louima with fists, nightsticks, police radios, and then sodomized him with a plunger. The entire event was attempted to be covered up by multiple police officers in the police station. 2 officers received time in jail, 3 other officers had convictions overturned and never served time.



I mention all of these events for 1 reason. They are not separate. They are all related. This is a pattern that has been occurring since before the 20th century started. It happens across the nation. And it could happen to your brother, sister, mother, father, children or yourself.

Police officers are routinely given carte blanche to violently act against African Americans without cause. Even when that action results in death, or extreme unjustifiable violence and torture, police are routinely excused.

The media almost invariably ignores these events. Even when presented with evidence from independent sources. Right this second more people in America know of the Florida Caylee Anthony case than all of the above cases (with the exception of perhaps the Rodney King event). While the Anthony case is horrendous, it is an individual act – reported on for a year – whereas we have a pattern of systemic abuse of power allowed by the legal system that remains virtually unseen. And it is anyone’s guess how many other cases of a similar nature occur and are not reported on.

This is unacceptable. This is wrong. We cannot allow this to continue.





The news media must live to its obligation to report on patterns that violate the rights and lives of American citizens. The news media is not an entertainment program, nor does it have the right to ignore facts that affect a huge segment of the nation while trying to garner ad revenue.

The police are employed to protect the rights of all the people. While many do this every day successfully, there are more than enough officers that do not. For every case resulting in the unwarranted death of an unarmed African American how many more cases of lesser violence slip thru the cracks? For every case of violence that catches the local (almost never national) attention how many are unreported, or successfully covered up?

We may never know. Especially if this is allowed to be viewed as individual events that are unrelated. Especially if we cloud our eyes to the fact that officers in these events are routinely placed back on the street, and inevitably train future officers the tactics and mentality they employ.

We need to wake up America. We need to shed light on this subject. We need to make people aware of the danger that exists. Because if 1 Black man can be shot at 51 times without question or repercussion, any man woman or child in the nation could be next.

I present this clothing line, found at www.cafepress.com/nova68, with one thought in mind. Attention to the wrong that is happening right now, in this “post-racial” America. Police cannot murder innocents without concern if they know they will be punished for it. Police departments will not abide criminals wearing a badge if they know that they have the support of the public.

I cannot say that the Never Again, or Stop The Game, clothing lines will prevent another Abner Louima, Kathryn Johnston, or Oscar Grant – but if enough of us have this, wear this in public, open the debate and thus increase awareness it just might. If enough of us can wear this, and it starts people noticing the obvious connected pattern of abuse and death things can be changed. And that change could save the life of a child, a father, a family. This change could save you.

Isn’t that worth it?

The Librarian: Quest for the Judas Chalice

So tonight was the 3rd installment of the Librarian series on TNT Network. The series stars Noah Wyle as the titular character, essentially the foremost uber-nerd. His character is the vessel of facts both obscure and pertinant as documented throughout written history. And he is our vehicle to plumb the truth of many of the legends we have all heard of, to some degree.

The start of the program takes us through a very specific path through the prior 2 features. It focuses mainly on the first adventure, and the assistant to the Librarian Nicole. I found that interesting to note since the female lead in the 2nd feature was about as emaciated as fish after a cat has gotten thru with it. Seriously, all I could think about when that actress was on the screen was how anorexia is so pervasive and acceptable in Hollywood.

But focusing on this new story we find that our near hapless hero is stressed out. He can't keep a single girlfriend for more than 6 months, and its driving him mad. Or at least highly unfulfilled. And so he needs to take a vacation.

This program being what it is, the mystical and legendary take a strong role in what we learn of. Thus it is a vision of a woman calling for our hero that determines where he will vacation. And many is the guy (or woman) that wishes the person of their dreams would lead them on a vacation.

This then takes our adventure to New Orleans. The plot from this point takes it's cues from various Anne Rice and other similar pop culture on vampires.

The real question is if this entire television movie is worth the time to see it. And the answer is both yes and no. The majority of the program is enjoyable enough. Wyle is a good actor and his portrayal is humorous and likeable. At this point in the series though his character is both terribly naive and more than a bit gullible. You have to wonder, and as Bob Newhart's character notes, does he realize where he is work?

The location shots are nice. The plot is thin if not constantly in motion so as to hide the plot holes as much as possible. And the acting of all the other characters is par in general. Were this a movie in a theater it just wouldn't do, but for the small screen it's better than most offerings.

But the main problem the series has had is the casting of the female leads and love interest. For me I have to wonder why they have run from the attractive, interesting, and feminine Nicole character to generally women that look like they are suffering from starvation. Even the vampiress is woefully in need of a cheeseburger. For a woman that was born some 400 years ago, a time when only the poorest of peasant women were so thin, you wonder why a vampire would pick her as a victim.

Of course the series further developed the storyline of the purpose of the Librarian, the battle of good and evil it represents, and the boss of the librarian. This means that barring all the actresses in Hollywood going to a McDonald's and eating a burger - and thus being incapable of performing - there will be a 4th telemovie.

Perhaps in this next movie we will finally see the uber-geek get and keep a girl. Perhaps the Librarian will finally come to full terms with his job and the oddities that exist in the world. I mean he does practice swordsmanship with a floating self-aware Excaliber.

In all, I found Quest for the Judas Chalice to be a fair program. It was not on par with the first and marginally better than the second. IF the series further devolves it won't make it past a 4th. Which would be a shame as it has the potential to be a quasi-mystical geek version of James Bond. But if you see it on TNT and there isn't a copy of one of the Jason Bourne movies, or Die Hard, or so on take a look.

World Cup Qualifier: USA vs. Cuba in Cuba

The qualifying round of the next World Cup are currently on-going. The U.S. team has started of well with a win versus Guatemala, though it was a mere 1 – 0 score.



But the next challenge to Team USA is perhaps the most steeped in the unknown.

On Saturday, the U.S. will be facing Cuba. Now in general that is not such a daunting task. History of games versus Cuba bode well for the U.S. There have been 5 wins and 1 tie in this match-up. But there is one big difference this time. The U.S. is playing in Cuba.

That one difference adds a lot of intrigue to a game that should be won by America. What are the local Cuban fans going to do when we take the field? How will the mood of the game be? Will the players be allowed to speak to each other prior to the game? Will the American players be allowed out of their hotel, or left to feel trapped inside like prisoners?

And of course there is the big issue that is beyond sports or politics, the effects of Hurricane Gustav – which hit Cuba several days before devastating New Orleans. Not to mention the impending onset of yet another hurricane possibly in the next week.

The experiences of Landon Donovan against Cuba may give us some insight

“They've always been nice and respectful when we've played them," he said. "I don't expect there to be an issue.”

And

“Yeah, we should beat Cuba in Cuba. If Trinidad beats Cuba in Cuba, we should win.”

Now is this accurate? Well only time will tell. The only other time that a U.S. soccer team has set foot on Cuban soil for a match was back in 1947 for a friendly game. The U.S. lost that match 5 – 2.

On Saturday we will get to see if history will repeat itself 51 years later, or if this match will have the chance to rise even above futbol and the World Cup and make a statement about the human spirit overcoming disasters like Hurricane Gustav. For me, if it becomes the latter then I don’t care if the game is a tie (ok honestly it wouldn’t matter if we lose either, but I want to see them win).

Reader comment: Christy in Utah

I had to stop and catch my breath after reading the comment made by Christy about my post The most dangerous people in America - 11.4.2007.1 (and part 2 - 4.9.2008.1). By this point I would have thought that I was used to these kinds of comments, but sometimes I’m still taken for a loss.

The full comment can be seen at Black & White Blog, where I an a co-author. I am reproducing it here verbatim.

Christy

Perhaps Mike the reason why you always hear of black youth being killed by the police is because they are the violent ones. I live in Utah, which is predominatly white. They dont go around and shoot at eachother, or attack eachother. Yes, they act like boys and yell and tease people. That is hardly killing people or carrying guns.

I think you are in a bit of denial there Mike. Use the recent floods as an example. People are pulling together and working their own way out. They help thier neighbors and help themselves.\\

Then look at New Orleans, when there was flooding they all fell apart, started to rape eachother and shoot eachother. They were shooting at the helicopters trying to help them for hell sake.

It is the mentality that is the problem here. Whites for the most part have the opinion that we need to take care of ourselves and take responsiblity. Blacks, however are of the opinion that they are somehow owed something, and cant pull thier heads out of thier butts long enough to figure out how to take care of themselves.

That is what makes blacks more dangerous then whites. Their inablity to take any kind of responsiblity.

The amount of ignorance being spewed in these few words is enormous. I can say that the friends I have in Salt Lake City, and my experiences in Utah have never reflected the thoughts of Christy. But it reminds me that when any group of people in America is isolated from everyone else ignorance and blatant stupidity is rampant – like Eugene Oregon.

First of all Christy, you ignored all the facts I provided in the post and follow-up comments. Either that is because you chose to ignore factual data provided by the Government, or you could not allow yourself to understand the data’s meaning as it would invalidate your views.

And what views they are. Talk about simplistic racist denial. I am aware that New Orleans had issues after Hurricane Katrina. That is after the flood was over and the streets continued to hold bodies of the dead, and the Government failed to provide the populace with enough food and shelter. I am also aware that the issues that were occurring after the flood were not restricted to a single race, though the major news media had a great time inferring that it was a Black issue only. Had you looked for the full news stories, and not relied on the 15 second news video clips, you would have easily seen that Christy.

And don’t forget the fact that often the media, during the New Orleans floods, showed pictures of Whites and Blacks in the flood waters. The difference was only that when Blacks were shown they were referred to as looters, and Whites were said to be foraging for survival. The bias was blatant if you could look with clear eyes and an open mind.

Still I am unaware of helicopters coming to aid civilians that were being shot at. I’d love to see a link to that news report, provide it if it exists as I never found such a story in all my coverage or following of the story.

Christy, you are as ignorant of history as you are of using a spell check program. You state that Whites take responsibility and care of themselves. Let’s walk through a bit of history. Modern math, which enables Mankind to walk on the moon and have the internet, is all based on the number 0, created and used by the Middle East and Africa. The cradle of civilization, the beginnings of trade, and formal written language, all created in Africa.

Let’s move forward in time. The major wars of the Ancients were virtually all started by White countries needing to dominate the rest of the world. Roman, Greeks, Huns, Prussians, Saxons, ect. It’s a huge list. And how civilized were these hordes? They proliferated the single greatest plague known to humanity, the Bubonic Plague. Who found the cure for the Plague, the Moors – who were African.

The mentality that has created some of the worst conditions and history in Mankind can be summed up as such – European Whites believe themselves to be elite and superior, thus they fought near continuous wars across every part of the world they found. In each part of the world they brought disease, and with their barbarism forced their system of life onto every other culture they encountered. They stole nearly ever advance they could understand and militarized it. The effects are still reverberating across the world.

That is history.

In more modern times we have seen a slow progression towards understanding other cultures. America lags many nations in this effort. Our separation form the rest of the world has allowed us to be isolated and retard our interactions with other cultures. Thus we have never fully unified as a nation of multiple cultures.

Where, Christy, is the responsibility of Whites for the enslavement of Africans? The Government has never offered an apology – and the mere mention of such an act enrages millions. One of the greatest peacemakers ever known was Dr. Martin Luther King and it took over 20 years to provide him with a holiday, which was fought severely against by politicians in office right now like Senator McCain. It’s still a holiday that is not fully observed throughout the nation. Is that responsible?

Christy, you seem to think that the stereotypes of African Americans are true. Yet you ignore the great actions that African Americans have made throughout the existence of America. It was Blacks who learned how to provide blood transfusions that save millions of lives a year. It was Blacks that created the stoplight ensuring safe travel for tens of millions on our roads each day. The list of inventions and advancements is to long to list, and I bet you can’t name 2 of them.

And I again present you further facts.

“So we get this realization, Whites committed 4,297,146 acts of violent crime against a single person, and 759,079 acts against multiple victims that were White. Including the 40,249 multiple Black victims we get a total of 5,096,474. Thus once we move away from percentages and look at real numbers we learn that Whites are far more likely to commit a crime of violence against anyone, especially other Whites.

...

Crimes of violence 2,010,170 Under age 12 - 0.3% Ages 12-20 - 46.9% Ages 21-29 - 13.9% All over 30 - 5.7% Mixed ages - 25.9% Unknown - 7.2%

Thus 61.1% of all violent multiple crimes are committed by those at or under age 29...“

That says nothing of high school shootings – never committed by a Black or Hispanic child even in inner cities where guns and drugs are easily available – or acts of terrorism by fringe groups – like those that lead to the Oklahoma City bombings.

Christy, you don’t see the truth because you chose not to. You allow the major news media to deceive you. You cannot accept the responsibility in front of you because you are too busy heaping blame on others that aren’t exactly like you.

Christy, I accept that there are some African Americans that are not upstanding citizens of America. I accept that there are some that are not nice. Just as I accept that this is true of every race and culture. Yet I also accept that Whites in America overwhelmingly have more issues with people of color and are more violent –even against themselves – than ANY other group in America.

And the fact is that when given facts and examples of how lopsided the landscape is people like you, Christy, chose to wrap themselves in a blanket of old half-truths and misconceptions rather than deal with the situation.

I’m glad to say that most of the Whites I know are not like you Christy. They are good people that give respect to anyone that deserves it. They do not have rules or criteria for each color of person they meet. They deal with all people in the same manner, and can admit that some people are just trash – even if they are White. You are not among those people Christy.

I have lived or traveled through about 1/3 of this nation, I have lived overseas. I love this nation with every problem we have because it is the greatest in the world. But I am not in denial that through all those travels and experiences in my 40 years on this planet, there are some that dislike me just because of the color of my skin. I have had those experiences up to this year, and in reading your comment I am sure that my nephews will have them as well, sadly.

Christy, the point is not that all Whites are bad. It’s not that Whites have a history of barbarism and violence. It’s not that America seethes with an undercurrent of racism. But it is the point that reality is warped by the media in an effort to disguise the issues facing the nation, and to allow those with a mentality like yourself, a mentality that is better suited for the 9th century than the 21st, to be able to sleep at night.

I sleep well at night knowing the truth. I have no fear of people because I see and know the truth. I have friends of ever nationality and color found on the earth because I accept the truth. I have a full life and success because I do not deny the truth. Can you say the same, Christy?

Excerpt of President Obama - a what if press release

Excerpt from VASS

**A fictional press release**

Major City in America – A date some time between 2009 - 2012 -- America still reeling 3 days after the shocking assassination of its leader.

On the 1st day after the assassination of President Barack Obama, by at least 3 men from a fringe radical group, America is still in turmoil. Across the nation riots continue to encompass most of the major cities. New York, Los Angeles, and D.C. are all in states of emergency as huge crowds of African Americans continue to express rage at the murder of the nations first Black President.

The riots started shortly after President Obama was shot while addressing the nation, offering an official apology from the United States Government to all the descendants of Africans enslaved in America from 1619 to 1865. The apology was a huge political hotbed of debate prior to the speech, with dozens of legislators and governors of both political parties publicly disagreeing with the President’s intent to issue the apology. Several hate groups had been actively suggesting that if the apology were made that it was the final straw and that action would need to be taken against President Obama.

While President Obama had encountered consistent death threats since his election win in 2008, and 2 prior attempts on his life, he had stated that he would go through with the speech. Even pressure from within his own political party was not enough to sway his determination.

“There has been too much time ...

Full post can be seen at here>