Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos

Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos

I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers
They wanted me for their army or whatever
Picture me given' a damn - I said never
Here is a land that never gave a damn
About a brother like me and myself
Because they never did
I wasn't wit' it, but just that very minute...
It occured to me
The suckers had authority
Cold sweatin' as I dwell in my cell
How long has it been?
They got me sittin' in the state pen
I gotta get out - but that thought was thought before
I contemplated a plan on the cell floor
I'm not a fugitive on the run
But a brother like me begun - to be another one
Public enemy servin' time - they drew the line y'all
To criticize me some crime - never the less
They could not understand that I'm a Black man
And I could never be a veteran
On the strength, the situation's unreal
I got a raw deal, so I'm goin' for the steel

They got me rottin' in the time that I'm servin'
Tellin' you what happened the same time they're throwin'
4 of us packed in a cell like slaves - oh well
The same motherfucker got us livin' is his hell
You have to realize - what its a form of slavery
Organized under a swarm of devils
Straight up - word'em up on the level
The reasons are several, most of them federal
Here is my plan anyway and I say
I got gusto, but only some I can trust - yo
Some do a bid from 1 to 10
And I never did, and plus I never been
I'm on a tier where no tears should ever fall
Cell block and locked - I never clock it y'all
'Cause time and time again time
They got me servin' to those and to them
I'm not a citizen
But ever when I catch a C-O
Sleepin' on the job - my plan is on go-ahead
On the strength, I'ma tell you the deal
I got nothin' to lose
'Cause I'm goin' for the steel

You know I caught a C-O
Fallin' asleep on death row
I grabbed his gun - then he did what I said so
And everyman's got served
Along with the time they served
Decency was deserved
To understand my demands
I gave a warnin' - I wanted the governor, y'all
And plus the warden to know
That I was innocent -
Because I'm militant
Posing a threat, you bet it's fuckin' up the government
My plan said I had to get out and break north
Just like with Oliver's neck
I had to get off - my boys had the feds in check
They couldn't do nuthin'
We had a force to instigate a prison riot
This is what it takes for peace
So I just took the piece
Black for Black inside time to cut the leash
Freedom to get out - to the ghetto - no sell out
6 C-Os we got we ought to put their head out
But I'll give 'em a chance, cause I'm civilized
As for the rest of the world, they can't realize
A cell is hell - I'm a rebel so I rebel
Between bars, got me thinkin' like an animal
Got a woman C-O to call me a copter
She tried to get away, and I popped her
Twice, right
Now who wanna get nice?
I had 6 C-Os, now it's 5 to go
And I'm serious - call me delirious
But I'm still a captive
I gotta rap this
Time to break as time grows intense
I got the steel in my right hand
Now I'm lookin' for the fence

I ventured into the courtyard
Followed by 52 brothers
Bruised, battered, and scarred but hard
Goin' out with a bang
Ready to bang out
But power from the sky
And from the tower shots rang out
A high number of dose - yes
And some came close
Figure I trigger my steel
Stand and hold my post
This is what I mean - an anti-nigger machine
If I come out alive and then they won't - come clean
And then I threw up my steel bullets - flew up
Blew up, who shot...
What, who, the bazooka was who
And to my rescue, it was the S1Ws
Secured my getaway, so I just gotaway
The joint broke, from the black smoke
Then they saw it was rougher thatn the average bluffer
'Cause the steel was black, the attitude exact
Now the chase is on tellin' you to c'mon
53 brothers on the run, and we are gone

PublicEnemy.com

"Everything is Kula in Kula"

I have had a major break through today. What is most funny to me is I have known this for the last 4+ years.
I have a very strong connection to Hawaii, expecially Maui. Upcountry if you like specifics, Kula to be exact. Why you ask? Because "Everything is Kula in Kula".
I know everything happens for a reason so I know my deal falling through 7 years ago has a reason as well. I have not pondered this much but it has been a question.
I was going to transfer with Sears and be the next Tee-shirt company in Maui. This seemed like a good enough plan at the time. My source must have had a good laugh with that plan because it was shut down.
When this happen I went into a state of doubt and that goes against my core as a Kahuna. Ok I don't know if I am a Kahuna or not but I feel like I could be if I get this doubt out of my head.
Kahuna = No Doubt
During this phase of Doubt I changed jobs to be a better earner thinking that would get us closer to Maui. What I have learned is you have to bring the job with you such as Speaker (soon this will be me), writer or some new way of being that creates a living.
One of the jobs was a temp job with no Gurantee of being hired. The other was lead role at Big Box Home Improvment store. I decided on the not popular temp job.
Days before my 1 year as temp the position as Customer Service Rep (CSR) for Latin America opened up. This was great news with the exception of the fact that I don't speak Spanish.
My boss at the time Beth told me she wanted me for the position. That made me happy as well because I needed a win in my life. The only issue is the Sales leaders prefered someone who spoke Spanish. Beth asked them this important question. Do you want someone who knows the system and is good with customers or someone who speaks Spanish and does not know the system or how we do business? They decided on me and they have been rewarded by that decision ever since.
After all of this I have just figured out what the universe has prepared me for. This skill of exporting to Latin America I can use in any country or state that depends on imports. This brings me to Hawaii, everything must be brought in from the Mainland.
I want to say thank you Mother Father God for always providing me with what I need and not always what I want.
The creator of all things is good only difference is the extra "o".
Namaste

Saggin Pants = Niggas Pants

Saggin Pants

Pass this on to Our Youth, Our Parents, Our Black Men and Women

  Letter from a college student

   The other day, a friend of mine visited me in the lobby of my dorm
just to chat while her laundry was drying.  As we were chatting, two
young freshmen came by. One of the boys wanted to 'talk' to my friend.
She asked him how old they were, and both of the boys replied 18.  My
friend and I both laughed hysterically because we are both 22 years old.


After my friend left, the young men were still hanging around and one
wanted to know how he could gain her interest.

The first thing I told him to do was to pull up his pants!  He asked
why, and then said he liked saggin' his pants.  I told him to come over
to my computer and spell the word saggin'.  Then I told him to write the
word saggin' backwards.

       S-A-G-G-I-N

N-I-G- G-A-S

I told him the origin of that look was from centuries ago.  It was the
intent of slave owners to demoralize the field workers by forbidding
them to wear a belt as they worked in the fields or at any other
rigorous job.  In addition, men in prison wore their pants low when they
were 'spoken for'.  The other reason their pants looked like that was
they were not allowed to have belts because prisoners were likely to try
to commit suicide.  And, saggin' pants prevents you from running.

We as young Black people have to be the ones to effect change.  We are
dying.  The media has made a mockery of the Black American.  Even our
brothers and sisters from Africa don't take us seriously.  Something as
simple as pulling up your pants and standing with your head held high
could make the biggest difference in the world's perception of us.  It
is time to do right by ourselves.  We need to love and embrace each
other. No one is going to do that for us..

It all comes down to perception.  What people perceive is what reality
to them is.  We have to change not only the media's perception of us,
but we need to change our perception of ourselves.

Remember all eyes are on you Black Man. All eyes are on you Black Woman.
All eyes are on your Black Child.  People point the finger at us and
expect us to engage in negative and illegal activities, to manifest
loud, boisterous behavior, to spend our hard earned money in their
stores, buying goods we don't need, or really want.  We have allowed not
only the media, but the government and the world to portray us as a
'sub-culture. '  They have stripped our culture down to the point where
the image of Black people is perpetuated as rappers, athletes, drug
users, and consumers of junk food, expensive tennis shoes, expensive
cars, expensive TVs, cell phones and not investing in homes for our
families.

We are so much more!!!!!!!

To all our Black Men:  It's time to stand up.  There are billions of
Black Women who want to do nothing more than worship the ground that you
walk on.  We are so in love with your potential.  We want to have your
back, we want to love, support and cherish every ounce of your being.
But with that you have to show that you are willing to be the head of
our households.  You have to prove yourselves worthy of our submission.
We need you to be hard working...Not a hustler.  We need you to seek
higher education, to seek spirituality..  We need you to stand!  And
trust us, we will have your back..  We know that it gets hard.  We know
you get weary.  Trust and believe that there is nothing that a Black Man
and a Black Woman can't handle with GOD on their side.

To all our Black Women:  It is also time for you to stand up.  It is
time for you to stop using our bodies as our primary form of
communication.  It is time to be that virtuous woman that Proverbs spoke
of.  You cannot sit by the wayside while our men are dying by the
masses.  You are the epitome of Black Love.  It starts within you.  You
need to speak with conviction to let not only our Black Men know, but
the world, that you are the Mothers of this world.  You are so powerful.
You are so beautiful.  You need to love and embrace every blessing God
has given us physically, emotionally and spiritually.

For all our Black Children:  We need to love them.  We need to teach
them.  We need to stand up for them.  We need to protect them.  We need
to show them that there are no 'get rich quick' schemes.  We need to
tell them that they WILL die trying if they submit to a life of crime
and deceit.  We need to teach our children that no one will love them
the way we can.  And being a basketball player, a rapper, or a drug
dealer is not reality.  It's not realistic and only a small percentage
of people ever make it as a rapper or professional athlete.  We need to
teach our children that we can be more than rappers and athletes.  We
can be the owners of these sports teams.  We can be the CEO's of OUR
fortune 500 companies.  We need to believe in literacy.  I am almost
certain if we were to look back to the 1930's and 40's, the literacy
rates for Black American Children are probably still the same.

        

   'This is the year of empowerment. ‘God will empower us to accomplish
things this year that will be mind blowing'.

    Knowledge is not power until you apply the knowledge to yourself.

 

John F. Kennedy: Inaugural Speech January 20, 1961

Inaugural Address

President John F. Kennedy

Washington, D.C.

January 20, 1961

Vice President Johnson, Mr. Speaker, Mr. Chief Justice, President Eisenhower, Vice President

Nixon, President Truman, Reverend Clergy, fellow citizens:

We observe today not a victory of party but a celebration of freedom--symbolizing an end as

well as a beginning--signifying renewal as well as change. For I have sworn before you and

Almighty God the same solemn oath our forbears prescribed nearly a century and three-quarters

ago.

The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all

forms of human poverty and all forms of human life. And yet the same revolutionary beliefs for

which our forebears fought are still at issue around the globe--the belief that the rights of man

come not from the generosity of the state but from the hand of God.

We dare not forget today that we are the heirs of that first revolution. Let the word go forth

from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new

generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a hard and bitter

peace, proud of our ancient heritage--and unwilling to witness or permit the slow undoing of those

human rights to which this nation has always been committed, and to which we are committed

today at home and around the world.

Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any

burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the

success of liberty.

This much we pledge--and more.

To those old allies whose cultural and spiritual origins we share, we pledge the loyalty of

faithful friends. United there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided there

is little we can do--for we dare not meet a powerful challenge at odds and split asunder.

To those new states whom we welcome to the ranks of the free, we pledge our word that one

form of colonial control shall not have passed away merely to be replaced by a far more iron

tyranny. We shall not always expect to find them supporting our view. But we shall always hope

to find them strongly supporting their own freedom--and to remember that, in the past, those who

foolishly sought power by riding the back of the tiger ended up inside.

To those people in the huts and villages of half the globe struggling to break the bonds of

mass misery, we pledge our best efforts to help them help themselves, for whatever period is

required--not because the communists may be doing it, not because we seek their votes, but

because it is right. If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few

who are rich.

To our sister republics south of our border, we offer a special pledge--to convert our good

words into good deeds--in a new alliance for progress--to assist free men and free governments

in casting off the chains of poverty. But this peaceful revolution of hope cannot become the prey

of hostile powers. Let all our neighbors know that we shall join with them to oppose aggression or

subversion anywhere in the Americas. And let every other power know that this Hemisphere

intends to remain the master of its own house.

To that world assembly of sovereign states, the United Nations, our last best hope in an age

where the instruments of war have far outpaced the instruments of peace, we renew our pledge

of support--to prevent it from becoming merely a forum for invective--to strengthen its shield of

the new and the weak--and to enlarge the area in which its writ may run.

Finally, to those nations who would make themselves our adversary, we offer not a pledge but

a request: that both sides begin anew the quest for peace, before the dark powers of destruction

unleashed by science engulf all humanity in planned or accidental self-destruction.

We dare not tempt them with weakness. For only when our arms are sufficient beyond doubt

can we be certain beyond doubt that they will never be employed.

But neither can two great and powerful groups of nations take comfort from our present

course--both sides overburdened by the cost of modern weapons, both rightly alarmed by the

steady spread of the deadly atom, yet both racing to alter that uncertain balance of terror that

stays the hand of mankind's final war.

So let us begin anew--remembering on both sides that civility is not a sign of weakness, and

sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to

negotiate.

Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which

divide us.

Let both sides, for the first time, formulate serious and precise proposals for the inspection and

control of arms--and bring the absolute power to destroy other nations under the absolute control

of all nations.

Let both sides seek to invoke the wonders of science instead of its terrors. Together let us

explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths and encourage

the arts and commerce.

Let both sides unite to heed in all corners of the earth the command of Isaiah--to "undo the

heavy burdens . . . (and) let the oppressed go free."

And if a beachhead of cooperation may push back the jungle of suspicion, let both sides join in

creating a new endeavor, not a new balance of power, but a new world of law, where the strong

are just and the weak secure and the peace preserved.

All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one

thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this

planet. But let us begin.

In your hands, my fellow citizens, more than mine, will rest the final success or failure of our

course. Since this country was founded, each generation of Americans has been summoned to

give testimony to its national loyalty. The graves of young Americans who answered the call to

service surround the globe.

Now the trumpet summons us again--not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need--not as

a call to battle, though embattled we are-- but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle,

year in and year out, "rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation"--a struggle against the common

enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease and war itself.

Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North and South, East and

West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind? Will you join in that historic effort?

In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been granted the role of

defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not shrink from this responsibility--I

welcome it. I do not believe that any of us would exchange places with any other people or any

other generation. The energy, the faith, the devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our

country and all who serve it--and the glow from that fire can truly light the world.

And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you--ask what you can do

for your country.

My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can

do for the freedom of man.

Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world, ask of us here the same

high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of you. With a good conscience our only

sure reward, with history the final judge of our deeds, let us go forth to lead the land we love,

asking His blessing and His help, but knowing that here on earth God's work must truly be our

own.

 

Barack Obama: Inaugural Speech 20 Jan 2009

My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by

our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown

throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity

and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these

moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people

have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and

hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our

collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses

shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we

use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of

confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its

sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or

in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out

dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come

to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on

from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their

full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has

never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure

over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things

— some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path

towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a

better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or

wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less

productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they

were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting

narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves

up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act

— not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids

and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield

technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to

fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of

a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big

plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can

achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have

consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small,

but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is

dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us

who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the

light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom

is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a

nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just

on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every

willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers, faced

with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by

the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all

other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was

born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and

dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy

alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as

we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our

cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even

greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its

people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the

nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its

defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now

that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews

and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and

because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more

united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as

the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new

era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around

the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what

you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent,

know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to

nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no

longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to

effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this

very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who

lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because

they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this

moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon

which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would

rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage

to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our

success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these

things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded

then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every

American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather

seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our

all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join

in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been

served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the

coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was

abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution

was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city

and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With

hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's

children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with

eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future

generations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PuHGKnboNY

Nelson Mandela: Inaugural Address, May 10, 1994

Nelson Mandela was trained as a lawyer, and joined the African National Congress in 1944 to aid in its struggle against apartheid. During over 25 years in prison he became the world's most famous political prisoner. After a long campaign of resistance within South Africa and political and economic pressure from without, President F. W. de Klerk ended the government ban on the ANC and freed Mandela in 1990, whereupon he assumed leadership of the organization. He worked tirelessly over the next few years to negotiate an end to apartheid and minority rule, gaining widespread respect and support in the process. National elections were held in April 1994, and on May 10th of that year Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as the first Black president of South Africa.

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Your Majesties, Your Highnesses, Distinguished Guests, Comrades and Friends:

Today, all of us do, by our presence here, and by our celebrations in other parts of our country and the world, confer glory and hope to newborn liberty.
Out of the experience of an extraordinary human disaster that lasted too long, must be born a society of which all humanity will be proud.
Our daily deeds as ordinary South Africans must produce an actual South African reality that will reinforce humanity's belief in justice, strengthen its confidence in the nobility of the human soul and sustain all our hopes for a glorious life for all.
All this we owe both to ourselves and to the peoples of the world who are so well represented here today.
To my compatriots, I have no hesitation in saying that each one of us is as intimately attached to the soil of this beautiful country as are the famous jacaranda trees of Pretoria and the mimosa trees of the bushveld.
Each time one of us touches the soil of this land, we feel a sense of personal renewal. The national mood changes as the seasons change.
We are moved by a sense of joy and exhilaration when the grass turns green and the flowers bloom.
That spiritual and physical oneness we all share with this common homeland explains the depth of the pain we all carried in our hearts as we saw our country tear itself apart in a terrible conflict, and as we saw it spurned, outlawed and isolated by the peoples of the world, precisely because it has become the universal base of the pernicious ideology and practice of racism and racial oppression.
We, the people of South Africa, feel fulfilled that humanity has taken us back into its bosom, that we, who were outlaws not so long ago, have today been given the rare privilege to be host to the nations of the world on our own soil.
We thank all our distinguished international guests for having come to take possession with the people of our country of what is, after all, a common victory for justice, for peace, for human dignity.
We trust that you will continue to stand by us as we tackle the challenges of building peace, prosperity, non-sexism, non-racialism and democracy.
We deeply appreciate the role that the masses of our people and their political mass democratic, religious, women, youth, business, traditional and other leaders have played to bring about this conclusion. Not least among them is my Second Deputy President, the Honorable F.W. de Klerk.
We would also like to pay tribute to our security forces, in all their ranks, for the distinguished role they have played in securing our first democratic elections and the transition to democracy, from blood-thirsty forces which still refuse to see the light.
The time for the healing of the wounds has come.
The moment to bridge the chasms that divide us has come.
The time to build is upon us.
We have, at last, achieved our political emancipation. We pledge ourselves to liberate all our people from the continuing bondage of poverty, deprivation, suffering, gender and other discrimination.
We succeeded to take our last steps to freedom in conditions of relative peace. We commit ourselves to the construction of a complete, just and lasting peace.
We have triumphed in the effort to implant hope in the breasts of the millions of our people. We enter into a covenant that we shall build the society in which all South Africans, both black and white, will be able to walk tall, without any fear in their hearts, assured of their inalienable right to human dignity--a rainbow nation at peace with itself and the world.
As a token of its commitment to the renewal of our country, the new Interim Government of National Unity will, as a matter of urgency, address the issue of amnesty for various categories of our people who are currently serving terms of imprisonment.
We dedicate this day to all the heroes and heroines in this country and the rest of the world who sacrificed in many ways and surrendered their lives so that we could be free.
Their dreams have become reality. Freedom is their reward.
We are both humbled and elevated by the honor and privilege that you, the people of South Africa, have bestowed on us, as the first President of a united, democratic, non-racial and non-sexist South Africa, to lead our country out of the valley of darkness.
We understand it still that there is no easy road to freedom.
We know it well that none of us acting alone can achieve success.
We must therefore act together as a united people, for national reconciliation, for nation building, for the birth of a new world.
Let there be justice for all.
Let there be peace for all.
Let there be work, bread, water and salt for all.
Let each know that for each the body, the mind and the soul have been freed to fulfill themselves.
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer the indignity of being the skunk of the world.
Let freedom reign.
The sun shall never set on so glorious a human achievement!
God bless Africa!
Thank you.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=grh03-NjHzc

DAILY CONFESSION

DAILY CONFESSION

(SPOKEN BY BISHOP JAKES “CONSISTENCY” CD)

 

LORD IT’S ME AGAIN!

I DARE NOT EMBARK UPON THIS DAY WITHOUT YOU

I KNOW THAT YOU ARE THE MASTER OF THIS DAY, AND YOU ARE IN

ABSOLUTE TOTAL CONTROL.

AND SO LORD, AS I GET READY TO GO INTO THIS DAY

I WANT YOU TO RIDE IN THE CAR WITH ME, AND BE MY JOY, BE MY

STRENGTH, BE MY PEACE AND BE MY DEFENSE.

I WANT YOUR WISDOM IN MY MOUTH WHEN I SPEAK.

I WANT YOUR ANOINTING IN EVERY DECISION I MAKE.

I WANT YOUR ANOINTING TO COVER ME.

 

I’M GETTING READY TO GO TO WORK TODAY.

I WRESTLE WITH UNREASONABLE MEN, BUT BECAUSE YOU ARE WITH

ME, YOU ARE MORE THAN ENOUGH TO TAKE ME THROUGH.

COVER ME WITH YOUR BLOOD AND WITH YOUR SPIRIT.

I THANK YOU LORD THAT NO WEAPON FORMED AGAINST ME SHALL

BE ABLE TO PROSPER.

I WILL MOVE AROUND WITCHES AND NEVER BE HEXED.

BECAUSE GREATER IS HE THAT’S IN ME THAN HE THAT IS IN THE WORLD.

 

 MY MIND SHALL BE LIBERAL

MY HANDS SHALL BE QUICK

YOU HAVE ANOINTED MY FINGERS TO WAR AND EVERYTHING THAT I

TOUCH SHALL BE BLESSED.  I’M BLESSED IN THE CITY

BLESSED IN THE FIELD, BLESSED IN MY COMING IN, MY GOING OUT

MY UP RISING, MY DOWN SETTING

BECAUSE YOU ARE MY SHEPHERD, I SHALL NOT WANT. YOU WILL MAKE ME TO LIE DOWN IN GREEN PASTURES AND LEAD ME BESIDE THE STILL WATERS, AND WHEREVER YOU LEAD ME IS GOING TO WORK BECAUSE YOU HAVE ANOINTED MY HEAD WITH OIL, MY CUP

RUNNETH OVER.  GOODNESS AND MERCY SHALL FOLLOW ME ALL THE DAYS OF MY LIFE, AND I WILL DWELL IN THE HOUSE OF THE LORD

FOREVER.  BECAUSE I WAS CREATED TO PREVAIL!

DESIGNED TO OVERCOME!

CREATED TO BE A WINNER!

AND I THANK YOU LORD, AS I STEP OUT INTO THIS DAY,

I STEP OUT DRESSED UP WITH THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

FEET SHOD WITH THE PREPARATION OF PEACE

SWARD OF THE SPIRIT,

SHIELD OF FAITH

I’M READY!

 

GOOD MORNING!