S.O.N. and the Struggle

S.O.N. and the struggle
Bob Quellos explains why it's a good time for political hip-hop.

THERE'S A myth perpetuated in pop culture that hip-hop no longer produces relevant social commentary. And ever since Nas rhymed the infamous hyperbole "hip-hop is dead," the never-ending debate about the genre's vitality has exponentially increased.

Hopefully, with the release of The Art of Struggle by Son of Nun and DJ Mentos we can finally put this argument to rest.

Son of Nun (S.O.N.) is a former Baltimore City high school teacher, activist/organizer, cancer survivor, sickle cell battler and one killer emcee. His latest album The Art of Struggle, is only his second release, but calling S.O.N. a burgeoning hip-hop impresario would be an insult.

As S.O.N. will let you know, he's "got this rappin' thing down/It's a synch." And it's possible that after a few listens you'll be in total agreement, as you find yourself making room for S.O.N. on your list of top five favorite emcees.

From beginning to end, The Art of Struggle is thick with revolutionary political content. Check out S.O.N. on the end of "Reality Check" as he rhymes a cappella, "I'm a dark skin Marxist marksman/Sparkin' rebellion everywhere that I'm marchin." Without a doubt, these are some lyrics that are sure to send the entire FOX News posse into a panic attack.

On the first track, "Fire Next Time," S.O.N. begins with a lesson on the history of slavery and the Haitian Revolution. And within a couple of verses, he brings us to the present day, rhyming about a soldier in Iraq who only signed up for the U.S military because of a lack of jobs in his community. And the situation has him ready to revolt. S.O.N. rhymes:

You can call Bechtel on your Nextel

Tell them that their pipeline's about to catch hell

If they think I'm gonna die for them they ain't well

I'm the fire next time

And I'm at their doorbell.

"Pastures of Plenty" puts us into the shoes of an undocumented day laborer. As hard-driving beats by DJ Mentos accompany an orchestral loop, S.O.N. reaches down for a deep vocal tone that leaves the whole track with a gritty feel:

Up and gone at dawn to find work

By the street corner auction block

Where crime lurks

The line jerks, as gringos grind time into dimes

Taking the fruit of the labor, leavin us with the rinds.

Throughout the album, DJ Mentos makes sure your head is bouncing and the crowd dancing, especially on the b-boy tracks "Right On" and "The Reason." At the same time, S.O.N. changes the mood back in forth from serious to sarcastic as he takes on the personality of an emcee who has sold out on "Reality Check" or as he discusses the death penalty in "Litebrite," asking:

Why Christians always gotta to wear the cross

Christ don't want a flashback of how they knocked him off

Number one victim of the death penalty

But you still killin'

Try to call that shit a remedy.

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WHEN HIP-HOP meets politics, the result can be confused, cliché or just too overt, but S.O.N. never falls into any of these traps. Instead he takes a confident view that the world is made up of the haves and have-nots and crafts complex rhymes from there. Outside of the occasional hook, the message is never a one-liner.

It's a serious task, but The Art of Struggle seems to cover everything that is politically relevant--from the current state of hip-hop to gay rights. On "Speak On It," S.O.N. breaks down the politics of the U.S. military, Israel's war on Lebanon, Hurricane Katrina and the political execution of Stan "Tookie" Williams. Let's just say S.O.N. isn't your average "conscience" emcee.

And as far as "conscience" emcees, S.O.N. is hardly alone. Over the past few years, Dead Prez, Immortal Technique, EL-P and MIA are among a whole slew of artists who have been putting forward the hardest-hitting beats alongside some of the most relevant social commentary.

Recently, however, even the mainstream of hip-hop has responded to the changing political tide. The Source was once a groundbreaking hip-hop magazine, but has devolved over the years into a checkout aisle glossy that independent emcees (including S.O.N.) have made a sport of lyrically trashing.

But the latest issue of The Source (subtitled "The Politics Issue") is full of relevant political content that takes on the elections, Iraq, life after prison and the right of felons to vote. The letter from the editor even points out that "absent from the agendas of both Senators Barack Obama and John McCain are their plans for those incarcerated--and many of those most affected by the struggle of the hood."

It's seems safe to say that something is going on in that place where hip-hop and politics meet. And if you're still not convinced that hip-hop is alive and well, you should pick up the new album by Son of Nun and DJ Mentos, and just let them walk you through it.

Fabulously Feminist Poetry (don't worry it's not by me)

Luciel
By Carole Clarke

Luciel
Brown skinned mother from Jersey City.
Light skinned father from San Juan.
Grew up black, grandmother raised,
and in beauty.
Temper Caribbean.
Purely northeast united states
African wit and cunning.
Tough and genteel.
Hands so delicate and bejewelled.
Lovers always amazed at how
big she could make her fist.

No justice for Alaskan and Native American Women

A Summary of Amnesty International's Findings

Sexual violence against Indigenous women in the USA is widespread -- and especially brutal. According to US government statistics, Native American and Alaska Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the USA. Some Indigenous women interviewed by Amnesty International said they didn’t know anyone in their community who had not experienced sexual violence. Though rape is always an act of violence, there is evidence that Indigenous women are more like than other women to suffer additional violence at the hands of their attackers. According to the US Department of Justice, in at least 86 per cent of the reported cases of rape or sexual assault against American Indian and Alaska Native women, survivors report that the perpetrators are non-Native men.

Sexual violence against Indigenous women is the result of a number of factors including a history of widespread and egregious human rights violations against Indigenous peoples in the USA. Indigenous women were raped by settlers and soldiers in many infamous episodes including during the Trail of Tears and the Long Walk. Such attacks were not random or individual; they were tools of conquest and colonization. The underlying attitudes towards Indigenous peoples that supported these human rights violations committed against them continue to be present in society and culture in the USA. They contribute to the present high rates of sexual violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and help to shield their attackers from justice.

Treaties, the US Constitution and federal law affirm a unique political and legal relationship between federally recognized tribal nations and the federal government. There are more than 550 federally recognized American Indian and Alaska Native tribes in the USA. Federally recognized Indian tribes are sovereign under US law, with jurisdiction over their citizens and land and maintaining government to government relationships with each other and with the US federal government. The federal government has a legal responsibility to ensure protection of the rights and wellbeing of Native American and Alaska Native peoples. The federal government has a unique legal relationship to the tribal nations that includes a trust responsibility to assist tribal governments in safeguarding the lives of Indian women.

Tribal law enforcement agencies are chronically under-funded – federal and state governments provide significantly fewer resources for law enforcement on tribal land than are provided for comparable non-Native communities. The lack of appropriate training in all police forces -- federal, state and tribal -- also undermines survivors’ right to justice. Many officers don’t have the skills to ensure a full and accurate crime report. Survivors of sexual violence are not guaranteed access to adequate and timely sexual assault forensic examinations which is caused in part by the federal government’s severe under-funding of the Indian Health Service.

The Federal Government has also undermined the authority of tribal governments to respond to crimes committed on tribal land. Women who come forward to report sexual violence are caught in a jurisdictional maze that federal, state and tribal police often cannot quickly sort out. Three justice systems -- tribal, state and federal -- are potentially involved in responding to sexual violence against Indigenous women. Three main factors determine which of these justice systems has authority to prosecute such crimes:

- whether the victim is a member of a federally recognized tribe or not;

- whether the accused is a member of a federally recognized tribe or not; and

- whether the offence took place on tribal land or not.

The answers to these questions are often not self-evident and there can be significant delays while police, lawyers and courts establish who has jurisdiction over a particular crime. The result can be such confusion and uncertainty that no one intervenes and survivors of sexual violence are denied access to justice.

Tribal prosecutors cannot prosecute crimes committed by non-Native perpetrators. Tribal courts are also prohibited from passing custodial sentences that are in keeping with the seriousness of the crimes of rape or other forms of sexual violence. The maximum prison sentence tribal courts can impose for crimes, including rape, is one year. At the same time, the majority of rape cases on tribal lands that are referred to the federal courts are reportedly never brought to trial.As a consequence Indigenous women are being denied justice. And the perpetrators are going unpunished.

In failing to protect Indigenous women from sexual violence, the USA is violating these women’s human rights. Indigenous women’s organizations and tribal authorities have brought forward concrete proposals to help stop sexual violence against Indigenous women – but the federal government has failed to act.

Amnesty International is calling on the US government to take the first steps to end sexual violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women:

- Work in collaboration with American Indian and Alaska Native women to obtain a clear and accurate understanding about the prevalence and nature of sexual violence against Indigenous women;

- Ensure that American Indian and Alaska Native women have access to adequate and timely sexual assault forensic examinations without charge to the survivor.

- Provide resources to Indian tribes for additional criminal justice and victim services to respond to crimes of sexual violence against Native American and Alaska Native women.

Find out about the Maze of Injustice one year later. Read Maze of Injustice: One Year Update (PDF) (Spring 2008)

eHarmony settles lawsuit by launching same-sex matching service

From our friends as feministing.com....

Oh eHarmony, you shouldn't have! Actually, you wouldn't have if your asses weren't brought to court for discrimination.

While this should be considered a victory, it still pisses me off to no end. After the New Jersey Attorney General's Division on Civil Rights (DCR) brought eHarmony to court for their discriminatory policy that doesn't match same-sex couples on the site (not surprisingly, the online dating service has ties to Focus on the Family), eHarmony settled by agreeing to launch a same-sex matching service, Compatible Partners in 2009. eHarmony attorney Theodore B. Olson said:


"Even though we believed that the complaint resulted from an unfair characterization of our business, we ultimately decided it was best to settle this case with the Attorney General since litigation outcomes can be unpredictable. eHarmony looks forward to moving beyond this legal dispute, which has been a burden for the company, and continuing to advance its business model of serving individuals by helping them find successful, long-term relationships."


A day after the New Jersey settlement, a woman in California was ok'ed to file a class action lawsuit against the company.

Salon's Rebecca Traister conducted an interview with Christian evangelical founder Neil Clark Warren a while back where she asked him why he wouldn't include same-sex marriages in eHarmony. He first claimed there wasn't adequate research on how to match same-sex couples, then got into rhetoric about the Bible, yet followed that with a story about his best friend's daughter being gay, where he concludes: "She's a dear person to us, and a very strong spiritual person . . . And when I start seeing things like that, I think we've got to start to think about that maybe this can work."

Apparently not; this interview was three years ago. So three years and a lawsuit later, yay for eHarmony?! What also irks me is that they're creating a new site rather than integrating same-sex matches into eHarmony.com. Obviously having an online dating service just for same-sex matches is not a bad thing, but I don't doubt eHarmony decided to go through the trouble of building a whole new site rather than integration to avoid the infection o' sins of their beloved hetero online service.

With all that being said, would you use Compatible Partners once it launches?

Fabulously Feminist News

California Supreme Court Will Hear Arguments on Proposition 8


California's Supreme Court said Wednesday that it will consider the constitutionality of Proposition 8, which eliminated same sex marriage in the state earlier this month. The proposition, which passed 52 percent to 48, overturned a May ruling of the state Supreme Court that legalized same sex marriage.



According to the New York Times, the Supreme Court will also consider the legality of the nearly 18,000 same sex marriages that were performed in California before Proposition 8 was approved by 52 percent of voters. The Court will also consider the question of whether same sex couples have been denied equal protection under California's state constitution. According to the Los Angeles Times, lawyers representing gay rights will continue to argue that the proposition denies protection to a minority group that has historically been discrimination against.



Until there is a final ruling, same sex marriage ceremonies will be unable to resume. Shannon Price Miller, a litigator in the case and a lawyer for the National Center for Lesbian Rights, told the Los Angeles Times that "we are concerned that there may be some couples who will never be able to marry because of this." The Court does not plan to hear oral arguments until March.





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Annual Transgender Day of Remembrance Honors Those Lost to Violence


Today (November 20) is the tenth annual Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors those of the transgender community lost to violence. Several recent incidents of violence against transgender individuals makes the day more poignant.



Yesterday, a former Memphis police office pleaded not guilty in the beating of a transwoman, Duanna Johnson, according to the Associated Press. The beating, which took place at a local Memphis jail, was caught on tape by a surveillance camera. At the beginning of this month Johnson was shot and killed in Memphis by an unknown assailant.



Friday night, Lateisha Green was shot and killed outside a house party in Syracuse, according to Edge Boston. Though an investigation is underway, Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund Executive Director Michael Silverman told Edge Providence that "Lateisha's senseless death demonstrates the increased risk of violence transgender people face."



According to Edge Boston, at least 15 people have been murdered in transgender related hate crimes this year.





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ACLU Questions Limitations on Reproductive Services for Undocumented Teens


The American Civil Liberties Union requested documents from the federal government Monday on current US policy that limits teenage refugees' access to reproductive care. According to the Richmond Times Dispatch, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) initiated a policy earlier this year that limits reproductive health services for undocumented teenagers, including access to contraceptives and abortion. This policy was implemented following a Virginia case in which employees of Commonwealth Catholic Charities assisted an undocumented 16-year-old who procured an abortion in January of this year.



According to an ACLU press release, an injunction requesting government documents on the issue was filed in a US District Court of New York.



Brigitte Amiri, an ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project staff attorney, said: "many unaccompanied teenagers come into the U.S. fleeing abuse and torture in their home countries. Some have been sexually abused or assaulted, or forced into prostitution. As a matter of law, the U.S. cannot deny reproductive health care to these teenagers, and as a matter of compassion, the U.S. should do everything it can to ensure the health, safety and well-being of these teens that have no one else to turn to."







Brought to you by:

A Message From The Feminist Majority Foundation:

Dear feminist,

Help us gather thousands of feminist voices now to demand that Proposition 8 in California not be enforced. Act now by signing this Feminist Petition for Love and Equality and forwarding it to friends and family. We don’t have a moment to lose.

The California Supreme Court has just agreed to hear the cases challenging the constitutionality of Prop 8. However, the court has said the gay marriage ban can be enforced in the mean time. Urge California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to delay the enforcement of this mean-spirited and discriminatory proposition that will hurt loving couples. Sign the petition now!

We worked hard to defeat Prop 8 in California, mobilizing record numbers of voters across the state. But on November 4, Prop 8 passed by a narrow margin, taking away the right of same-sex couples to marry. We will not accept this blatant discrimination.

Sign our Love and Equality Petition now and forward this message to your friends and family and urge them to also sign. We will deliver your signatures to the Governor and Attorney General.

We will not stop fighting until Prop 8 is overturned. All people should be able to marry who they love. Help us stop the enforcement of Prop 8 - sign the Feminist Petition for Love and Equality.We feminists will not quit until all people are equal under the law.

For equality,

Eleanor Smeal

President

P.S. Please sign our Love and Equity Petition today and forward it on to your friends and family. We have very little time before the California Supreme Court might act.

The New First Family

The myth of the nuclear family
By Mark Steal

ONE OF the strange twists about modern science is that it sometimes gets used by the utterly irrational, who claim they've found scientific proof to back up their bonkers theories.

So you get creationists who announce that they've found geological evidence for the great flood, or some fundamentalist Christian will reveal that "new studies of whales suggest they have a larger stomach than we thought, so there was ample room for Jonah to live in one quite comfortably, perhaps creating a kitchen area near the intestine, and he could even have arranged a spare bedroom for guests by knocking through into the liver to create more space."

The latest discovery seems more convincing, because a Stone Age grave has been discovered in which a genetically linked family is placed together, so they've become known as "the first nuclear family." And one newspaper says, "This suggests family values have been thriving since before the time of Stonehenge."

So that settles it. The traditional family is so natural they were doing it in the Stone Age. The skeptical might wonder how we know this grave contains the whole family, as there could have been loads more of them who all lived together communally, but are buried somewhere else. And then it turns out that there is another body buried there that isn't genetically linked, but the discoverer, Wolfgang Haak, explains this was "probably an aunt or a stepmother." Yes, that must be it.

Or it might have been the friendly neighbor from the nuclear family in the hut next door, who'd popped round to borrow a piece of flint because he was putting up shelves. And the two men were probably discussing that week's Top Gear, which featured a new type of wheel you could push from nought to eight miles per hour in nine seconds because it was made of fuel-injection rock, while the women flicked through a catalogue for sabre-toothed tigerskin coats. And if they discover the bones of a rabbit somewhere nearby, that will probably have been the family pet, who was probably called Mister Munchkins.

Even better, the buried people appear to have all been killed in a neolithic raid. So this was probably done by some rival permissive liberal tribe full of single parents and transvestites complaining, "I'm an Iron Age man trapped in a Stone Age body," in which all order had broken down, as will probably be proved soon when a cave painting is discovered showing loads of them on the Jeremy Kyle show above captions such as "My stepfather keeps leering at my mammoth," and so they all went on the rampage.

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NO MATTER how far society moves from the "traditional" family, we still seem determined to impose it on all history. I went to the Viking museum in York a while ago, in which there were models of a supposedly typical Viking family, in which Viking dad was working while Viking mum was making dinner in a pot and the Viking kids played with a Viking dog and cat. They should have had a commentary, with the dad saying "Hello darling, I've had such a hard day at the pillaging office, that darned South-West division missed their target yet again, they've barely massacred more than three villages since the new tax year."

This might have pleased campaigners for the "traditional" family, such as Melanie Phillips, who complains that the current methods for teaching in schools "destroys the unique place of marriage in our society" by "teaching that families include single parents and children in local authority care." So to maintain our values, we should not only disapprove of such people, but deny they exist.

A glance through history suggests there's nothing natural about the "traditional" family, and societies have found countless different ways of organizing themselves. In hunter-gatherer societies, it appears that tribes lived and mated communally, as they depended on a communal effort to hunt and gather collectively. If Jeremy Kyle had been around, then he'd have interviewed the monogamous, glaring at a hunter while sat on his haunches and scowling, "So--you only have sex with one other person, do you? No one else in the tribe good enough for you, is that it? You make me sick."

The modern family as we know it arose quite recently, as a product of towns and cities. But even then, the "traditional family values" weren't always as we'd understand them. In ancient Greece and Rome, for example, it was deemed healthy and proper for male citizens to have male sex slaves, and anyone objecting would have told they were arguing "against nature."

So come on Melanie Phillips, sign up to be a sex slave, and you'll be true to your word in upholding traditional family values.



First published in the Independent.

Mark Steel is a comedian, a columnist for the Independent newspaper, and a socialist and activist in Britain. He's the author of two collections about contemporary Britain, It's Not a Runner Bean: Dispatches from a Slightly Successful Comedian and Reasons to Be Cheerful--as well as Vive la Revolution: A Stand-up History of the French Revolution.

Another Dig to 'W'.....

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