For your web-surfing convenience, past months of "THE ARTIS BLOG" are now listed as part of "THE ARTIS BLOG" sub-menu. To read past months of "THE ARTIS BLOG", go to "THE ARTIS BLOG" link at the top of this page and click on the month of past editions of "THE ARTIS BLOG" you'd like to read.
I've also made changes to the pages in jeffartis.com concerning the Roanoke Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the Roanoke SCLC. I've added a sub-menu to the "ROANOKE SCLC HOME PAGE" of jeffartis.com. For more details, please click on the "ROANOKE SCLC HOME PAGE" link posted above.
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/30/07
* The 11/29/07 SCLC RADIO SHOW is now online. You can listen to THE SCLC RADIO SHOW by clicking on the "SCLC RADIO" link posted above. This week's guest, Stuart Revercomb, Publisher of the Roanoke Star-Sentinel.
* Thursday, I met with Mr. Luke Pugh, Project Manager for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge in Downtown Roanoke, Va. We met at the bridge to talk about concerns people had about the bridge. We discussed the rock wall on the downtown side of the bridge, the construction of the bridge overpass, bridge security, signs to prevent skate boarders from defacing the bridge and additional sayings of Dr. King that I understood would be a part of the bridge. It was a productive meeting. I will keep you posted on the outcome of our meeting.
I have also posted new pictures of the bridge on the "PICTURES: THE MLK BRIDGE" page of jeffartis.com.
* I hope you got to see the Republican debate Wednesday night. Mike Huckabee clearly won this debate. Mitt Romney finished second. Mayor Rudy didn't have a good night. John McCain looked like he really didn't want to be there. But, I liked McCain's answers. Fred Thompson didn't do too bad, either. I liked Thompson's and Romney's answer concerning the Confederate flag. The Confederate flag should not be flown in public places.
And let's be honest. For the "Confederacy Is My Heritage" people out there, there are plenty of symbols of the Confederacy that can be used to celebrate Confederate heritage that are not as racially offensive as the Confederate flag is; the flag that is flown whenever White folks want to show just how much they hate minorities, especially Black minorities.
* For the second time in this Presidential campaign the Hillary Clinton campaign got busted for planting questions, this time about gays in the military. Brigadier General Keith Kerr asked a question about gays in the military and the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy the military uses. Kerr is a member of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Americans For Hillary Clinton Steering Committee. You'd have thought that Hillary would have learned her lesson about planting questions by now. Guess not.
* I could see myself voting for Huckabee, Romney or McCain depending on who the Democratic nominee for President is in November, 2008. I don't vote for a political party. I vote for the best candidate running for office. To me, voting for a political party instead of voting for the best candidate for office is just plain stupid. When you do this, all you are doing is setting yourself up to eventually be taken advantage of. As I've said before, in 21'st Century America, the only difference between the two major political parties is their mascots.
* I will pay attention to all of the candidate's views on potential Supreme Court nominees. I'd hate to have to vote for Hillary. But, with the future direction of the United States Supreme Court up for grabs, I may have no other choice but to vote for her.
* Why is Bill Clinton trying to rewrite history concerning the run up to the Iraq War?
* Another college football season ends. Another college football off-season begins where colleges and universities refuse to interview Black candidates to coach their football teams. Here's what I say. If a college or university refuses to hire Black head coaches for their football teams, then we need to tell our young Black men not to go to that school. We need to tell our young Black men to go to school somewhere else. That's the only way these schools will start to hire Black college football coaches. That's the only way to end the racism that is taking place in major college football programs across this country.
* Did you see the Cowboys/Packers game last night? Neither did I. If we have to pay to see NFL games on television, the NFL should lose its federal anti-trust exemption.
* December 1 is World AIDS Day. There is no reason for anyone to catch HIV/AIDS. In this day and age, if you are having casual, unprotected sex, you are a fool. HIV/AIDS is preventable. Don't be a fool.
WE THE PEOPLE
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/28/07
* I'm meeting with Roanoke, Va. city officials Thursday morning to take a look at the new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge to see if concerns about the bridge can be addressed. I'll let you know how everything went on Friday's ARTIS BLOG.
* Oprah is campaigning for Barack Obama. Good. That's her right as an American citizen. However, I'm not sure how much of an effect she will have on getting people to support the Obama campaign. Oprah will be a positive. No doubt. However, I don't think we will see a huge surge of support for the Obama campaign because Oprah is supporting him.
* As many of you know, I'm a Washington Redskins fan. I'm shocked by the murder of Sean Taylor.
* Sean Taylor was the best young football player I've seen come along in quite some time. Barring injury, Taylor would have become one of the all-time greats to ever play the game. He was that good.
* Yes, the young man had some problems in the past. However, Taylor had recently gotten his act together with the birth of his daughter. Taylor's friends and teammates all say he had matured and had become a new man.
* Hopefully, the police will find the person who murdered Taylor.
* Hopefully, what happened to Taylor isn't a case of Taylor's past catching up to him. We will see.
* I'm just tired of senseless violence. I'm tired of seeing young people losing their lives over stupid, ignorant stuff.
* As we mourn for Sean Taylor, let's also remember that there are hundreds, thousands of young, unknown Black men who are in the cemetery before their time all because of senseless violence.
* Until we are as outraged over their deaths like we are outraged over the death of Sean Taylor, the carnage of our young brothers on the streets of America will continue. The time has come for all of us to yell at the top of our lungs, "ENOUGH! The self-genocide of young Black men can no longer continue."
WE THE PEOPLE
SEE YOU FRIDAY
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/26/07
* I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving. I know I got my grub on. Let me be the first to wish you a Merry Christmas.
* I've also updated the "GOT PICTURES" page and the "PICTURES: THE MLK BRIDGE" page of jeffartis.com. Be sure to check them out.
* A number of you have contacted me concerning the comments of Walter Ring which I posted in the 11/14/07 edition of "THE ARTIS BLOG." Ring's comments were followed up by an e-mail from Roanoke, Va. White supremacist Bill White.
* I don't worry too much about the lunatic fringe living in America. People like Ring and White have followers. And yes, those followers have been known to do some real dirty deeds. However, people like Ring and White are only effective if you buy into their threats or are scared off by their tactics of supposed force and intimidation.
White's latest stunt is to declare "total war" on "The Roanoke Times" newspaper. White listed the names of reporters at the paper, their addresses and the names and addresses of relatives of Times' reporters. Like I said, threats and intimidation. You can see what I''m talking about by logging onto www.overthrow.com.
* On the other hand, I do worry about the legitimate Walter Rings and Bill Whites. I do worry about the White racists who hide in plain sight who wear a police uniform, a judge's robe, a politician's suit or a preacher's collar. I worry about the racist landlord/slumlord, the Roanoke, Va. Patrick Henry High School history teacher who compared Mexicans to cock roaches and then retaliated against her students who complained about her comments to school administrators.
* I worry about the media people who slant their news reports to perpetuate negative stereotypes associated with certain groups of people. I worry about people who exploit race and racism for personal, social, political and economic reasons.
* And let me add that racism comes in all shapes, all sizes, both sexes, all age groups, all political ideologies, and all races of people. Racism is not just reserved for White people and White extremists like Ring and White.
* No, I don't worry about people like Ring and White. I do worry about the racists who hide in plain sight, who work in the shadows, who support people like Ring and White behind closed doors. Those people are the real threats in America.
* There's a new piece of legislation being debated in the United States Congress, "The Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Act." Readers of jeffartis.com know exactly how I feel about gangs and gang violence. Readers of jeffartis.com also know about my ongoing battle to get the different governments in the Roanoke Valley to address this problem.
"The Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Act" is a bad piece of legislation. There is no question that gang bangers should go to jail for the crimes they commit. Do the crime, do the time. However, putting gang bangers in jail doesn't solve the problem of gang violence. In fact, given that gangs are an American institution, simply locking up gang bangers won't even put a dent in the problem of gangs and gang violence.
There's another piece of legislation being debated in Congress, "The Youth Promise Act," by Congressman Bobby Scott of Virginia. "The Youth Promise Act" provides much needed money for gang prevention and gang intervention programs. This piece of legislation is good legislation that is sorely needed.
In the coming months, I'll be writing about both pieces of legislation. In the meantime, call your Congressman and U.S. Senator. Tell them you are against "The Gang Prevention, Intervention and Suppression Act." Tell them you are for "The Youth Promise Act." Better yet, tell them to send you a copy of both pieces of legislation. Then, let me know how you feel about these two pieces of legislation.
* I appreciate the feedback you've sent me concerning my column in the new "Roanoke Star-Sentinel" and comments concerning the paper itself. If you haven't read the paper, a link to the "Roanoke Star-Sentinel" is posted above.
SEE YOU WEDNESDAY.
WE THE PEOPLE.
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/19/07
* Somehow, I've become "pen pals" with a couple of White supremacists. These folks are upset over the new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge in downtown Roanoke, Va. These folks are also upset because I don't live in fear of them. As a Christian, I don't live in fear of anyone. When God and Jesus have your back, fear just goes away.
* Barack Obama is leading in the polls in Iowa by 4%. Remember one thing about minority candidates and polls. Minority candidates, (both men and women), have a built-in negative 5% margin for error in any given poll. Simply put, if a minority candidate isn't leading in a poll by at least 6%, they're actually behind in that poll.
The polls also say that Obama is also catching Hillary in New Hampshire, cutting her lead in the polls from 23% to 14%.
While this is good news, don't forget about the exit polls for the 2000 Presidential Election. The exit polls said Gore would defeat Bush. We know what happened there.
* I'm not too worried about the supposed "dirt" the Clinton campaign announced they have on Obama. Clinton's claims sound like a desperate candidate trying to sling mud without appearing to sling mud. Richard Nixon used to do the same thing. Nixon would say he had information on so and so, but, it would be improper to release that information to the public. Hillary and her campaign simply took a page out of the Nixon play book.
* The Barry Bonds prosecution is a persecution. The Bonds case is nothing more than a racist witch hunt.
* According to the FBI, hate crimes are on the rise, up 8% in 2006. In 2006, there were 7,722 criminal incidents in which 58.6% of the known offenders were White, 20.6% were Black and the rest were of an unknown race. For more information on this problem, please click on the following link.
No word on how many of these cases ended in a successful prosecution.
* The Roanoke, Va. Police Dept. should be ashamed of themselves for their take on the rise in home invasions in the city, a problem first talked about in THE ARTIS BLOG several months ago. According to the RPD, the problem of home invasions is really nothing to worry about since these home invasions are usually cases of crooks robbing crooks.
Bull. Law abiding citizens, as well as, senior citizens are having their houses invaded, too. For more on this story, please click on the following link.
* Is it true I'm not happy about the new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge in downtown Roanoke, Va.? Yes and no. The downtown entrance and Henry St. entrance to the bridge are flat out beautiful. I have some serious problems with the bridge overpass. I am meeting with some folks to discuss my concerns.
* Dr. King died so I can live free. I owe it to the memory of Dr. King to make sure any memorial dedicated to him is worthy of the man and is done first class. If folks want to get mad because I feel that way, so be it.
* Is it true I'm moving back to Roanoke, Va.? Yes, I'm moving back to Roanoke, Va. I'll tell you what, though. I'm going to miss living in Vinton. Good schools, good government, good people. I've really enjoyed living in Vinton for the past three years.
Will I run for Roanoke City Council in the upcoming spring Roanoke City Council Elections? We will see.
* Is it true I'm not going to run for re-election as president of the Roanoke SCLC next year? Yes. The time has come for me to step down.
I'LL SEE YOU MONDAY, NOVEMBER 26.
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
KEEP THE FAITH, BABY!
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/16/07
* I try my best to watch the Democratic and Republican Presidential debates whenever they come on tv. But, I have to admit that watching these debates is like watching paint dry. Last night's Democratic debate was different, for the first 15 minutes anyway. Finally, there was some action and some fireworks. Then, it was like watching paint dry.
Hillary Clinton won last night's debate. Obama and Edwards stumbled. If not for Hillary, the press would be paying more attention to Joe Biden, who finished second. I still like Obama. But, I'll vote for the Democratic nominee for President, even Hillary. (I never thought I'd say that.) Now, if I were running for President and I was on that stage last night, here's what I'd say about the issues.
* Mudslinging? I never thought talking about a candidates record was mudslinging, although Hillary does. But, that's the "Whiner's Club" mentality that has taken over American politics. When politicians get caught flip-flopping, they whine about mudslinging. Me, if I get caught flip-flopping, I want you to tell me about it. Whining is for losers.
* Immigration? People who are caught being in this country illegally should be sent back to their home country. This isn't racism. It's enforcing the law. Still, the road to citizenship needs to be streamlined for illegals who have been in this country for 5 years or more. I don't like this because these people will be rewarded for beating the system. But, the system they are beating is broken and we have to be practical with this problem. These folks are here. Most are hard working, law-abiding people who pose no threat to America, who only want a better way of life.
I'm for guest worker programs. I'd welcome those people in those programs to apply for American citizenship. I'm against driver's licenses for illegals. I'm for fines and jail time for companies and their employees who hire illegals. We must secure our borders for national security reasons.
* Education? No Child Left Behind doesn't work. Get rid of it. I'm for more federal funding to raise teacher pay. Starting teachers' pay should be at least $40,000 a year adjusted for inflation and adjusted for an area's cost of living. Merit pay? I'm against it. I'm for increased teacher pay for teachers who get additional post graduate education and who get additional post graduate degrees.
* Pakistan? It's a huge mess. Still, we need to support Musharraf with certain conditions; free elections and the restoration of human rights.
* Human rights v national security? In a perfect world, if human rights were achieved in any given country, that country wouldn't be a threat to America. But, we don't live in a perfect world. There are people out there who want to destroy us. Because of this, national security trumps human rights 50.1%-49.9%. I'm against torture. I'd close Guantanamo Bay.
* The troop surge in Iraq? As I said at the very beginning of the Iraq War, if we invade Iraq, we'll be there for at least a generation. Bringing democracy to Iraq is a pipe dream. It can't be done. But, that's water under the bridge. The fact is, it's time to bring our troops home. Why? America is now being played by the government of Iraq. However, before this is possible, we must secure the area the best we can by bringing all of the parties in the area to the table, Iran and Syria included, to discuss an American withdrawal from Iraq and it's consequences. And who will police the area after the U.S. has left.
* The Chinese? It's simple. We need to enforce all trade agreements with China to stop defective Chinese products from coming into America. Plus, we send our product inspectors to China and inspect all Chinese made products before these products are allowed to be shipped into the U.S. to make sure these products meet American safety standards.
* NAFTA? Never has worked. Never will work. It is a threat to American workers. Ross Perot was right. It's time to tear up NAFTA and go back to the bargaining table.
* Nuclear power? We need it. If we can put a man on the moon, we can find a way to make the waste from nuclear power plants safe. America is the greatest country in the history of world. We can do anything we want if we choose to do so.
* You know, maybe I will run for President one day. And you won't have to hear me talk for 2 hours to know where I stand on the issues.
HAVE A NICE WEEKEND.
KEEP THE FAITH, BABY.
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/14/07
* The readers of THE ARTIS BLOG have spoken. Some of you like the audio version of my blog. Some of you like the written version of my blog. Everyone seems to like the videos posted on my site. Personally, I like the written and video versions of my blog. I'll mix and match audio and written version of THE ARTIS BLOG from time to time.
* Every once in a while I hit a wall. I just can't think of anything to write about. Then, I check my e-mail.
* To the members of the Onzlee Ware Fan Club; if you can't attach your name and a return e-mail address with what you send me, don't bother. Most of the comments you send me are silly anyway. You are beginning to sound like the jilted lovers on the Jerry Springer Show. But, don't be cowards. Name and return e-mail address, please. If you're scared, buy a dog.
* To the White supremacists who send me comments on the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge, feel free to keep it coming. This is America. People have the Constitutional right to be, well, interestingly racist.
* Walter Ring wrote that I should change my name to "coon artist." Gee, where haven't I heard that before?
* On the new Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge, Mr. Ring says, "honoring St. Lucifer is the best thing Whitey can do to get into heaven. That, and sacrifice his daughter to a gang of niggers to prove he is not racist. Four million dollars spent on naming a White engineered structure after a communist nigger plagiarist in one of the poorest cities in Virginia. Hell, why not spend a billion dollars and rename the whole GD city after the bastard: Welcome to MLK, Virginia - The city of the Reverend Doctor." Now wouldn't that be a scream."
* It's clear Mr. Ring isn't a regular reader of THE ARTIS BLOG or jeffartis.com. Nor, does Mr. Ring know much about what I stand for.
* On my comments about the Dr. King Bridge being vandalized, Mr. Ring writes, "This Jew lackey is much more worried about racist graffiti on a bridge named after his nigger hero than he is about the many problems in his own community. Problems, I might add, that are all disproportionately higher than those of the overall population of any community niggers live in. It is relatively easy to arrest and charge some White person with "hate" for defacing a bridge named after a nigger communist and then say that you are dong something to help the nigger community by fighting racism. It is much more difficult to actually do something about the real problems that plague the nigger community. Of course, incompetent, self-righteous baboons like this Jeff Artis have a stake in conning people into believing he is actually helping the community with publicity stunts like this bridge."
* I guess Mr. Ring told me. Baboon? And all this time my Momma told me I was a good looking man. I have two things to say about Mr. Ring's comments. First, Mr. Ring, should use his "spell check" before sending an e-mail. Using Mr. Ring's logic, he should be correcting my mistakes, instead of me correcting his, you know how that pesky affirmative action is.
Second, Mr. Ring owes a debt of gratitude to Dr. King. Dr. King preached non-violence, which is what I preach. Non-violence is how I live. Non-violence keeps people like Mr. Ring safe enough to express their racist views.
* And I might add that as long as people like Mr. Ring exist, there will be a www.jeffartis.com Featuring THE ARTIS BLOG. I feel an obligation to educate people like Mr. Ring and his pals.
SEE YOU FRIDAY.
KEEP THE FAITH, BABY.
THE ARTIS BLOG
11/12/07
* The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge is open. There is still work to do on the bridge. However, the bridge is now open to pedestrian traffic.
* The pedestrian bridge opened on Thursday, October 8'th. On Friday morning, October 9'th, racist graffiti was found on the bridge.
* Perneller Chubb-Wilson and I began working on the project to name an appropriate landmark after Dr. King in 1995. Congressman Bob Goodlatte let the two of us know that if he could help make this project a reality, he would, especially when it came to finding funding. While other people helped make a memorial to Dr. King a reality, the three of us saw this project through from the very beginning until its completion.
* There is no question that there was a racist element here in the Roanoke Valley working to make sure that any project for a memorial to Dr. King would fail to become a reality. While working to make a Dr. King memorial happen, Ms. Wilson and I received hate mail, death threats, threatening phone calls and other threats in a misguided attempt to make the two of us back off of this project. After one public hearing on the matter, I needed a police escort to my car after racists who attended the public hearing made their feelings known about a Dr. King memorial before, during and after that public hearing.
* When threats against me didn't work, I was offered big money by a group of Roanoke, Va. businessmen to give up my dream to bring a Dr. King memorial to Roanoke, Va. and to sell out Ms. Wilson. Ms. Wilson and I also had to deal with plenty of double dealing from Roanoke City Government, who at the time, did not want a Dr. King memorial in Roanoke.
* Through it all, Ms. Wilson and I stayed true to our convictions. The more folks fought against us, the more we fought back. When Roanoke City Government said no to one of our suggestions for a Dr. King memorial, Ms. Wilson and I came back with another suggestion on a much grander scale.
* Our first suggestion for a memorial to Dr. King was renaming a street in honor of Dr. King. The cost of doing this would have been about $25,000. Our second suggestion for a memorial to Dr. King was renaming a park to honor him, with several improvements to be made to the park. The cost of this project would have been about $750,000. When completed, the price tag for the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge, an idea which came to Ms. Wilson in the middle of the night, will be $4 million. Part of this cost is covered by funding secured by Roanoke, Va. Congressman Bob Goodlatte who stayed true to his word to help with the funding for the bridge.
* I've posted pictures of the bridge on the "TRBHT: THE MLK JR. BRIDGE" page of jeffartis.com. I hope you will one day see the bridge in person. If not, I hope you enjoy the pictures. I'll be posting more pictures of the bridge as more work on the bridge is completed.
* Let me say this about whoever vandalized the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge. First, given the wave of racism that is sweeping this country, I am not surprised. Second, I hope the Roanoke, Va. Police Dept. finds whoever is responsible for the vandalism of the bridge and charges them with a hate crime. Third, I hope the Roanoke courts don't let the person/people responsible for the vandalism on the bridge off with a slap on the wrist for the hate crime they committed. Whoever is responsible for this act of hate should get jail time and should have to pay for the cost of cleaning up the vandalism on the bridge.
* Finally, let me say this. The racist(s), crackpot(s), kook(s) or whatever you want to call whoever is responsible for the vandalism of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge, as well as, those racists who were against any type of memorial to Dr. King here in Roanoke, Va., do not reflect the attitudes of the people who live in Roanoke, Va. or who live in the Roanoke Valley.
For every person who let Ms. Wilson and I know they hated Dr. King and did not want any memorial in Roanoke, Va. to honor of him, 10 other people let the two of us know how much they wanted a memorial paying tribute to Dr. King in Roanoke, Va. I can't say enough about the good people who live in the Roanoke Valley. One act of racist vandalism will not change my mind on how good the people of Roanoke and the Roanoke Valley truly are.
I was interviewed by WDBJ 7 News on the vandalism of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Bridge. To hear my comments, please click on the following link.
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