I’m not a meme guy, forilla, but Duke asked, so it is given. But let me get the rules outta tha way:
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.Bam:
1. I’m a psychic. No, seriously.
2. Blew a full scholarship to Howard U. The cause: excessive drinking and whorishness.
3. Bought my first car at 37 years old. I’ve since gotten rid of it for public transpo and biking.
4. Do not pay war taxes. I believe in taking my reparations upfront.
5. I have a total of seven tattoos: Mingus, Miles, the AA logo, “love” in Chinese script, my daughter’s name and two Yoruba symbols: Gye Nyame - except for God/the supremacy of God; and Aya - symbol of defiance, independence and fearlessness. And my daughter’s name tatted on my chest, which is the smallest, yet was the most painful of all.
7. I’m an anarchist. I do not believe in government of any kind, do not believe that government was created to “help” people in any way, other than for those who control governments to divest the people of their money and their liberty. Government can NEVER solve that which it is dedicated to oppose: the authentic rule of ALL of the people. Government is artifice, illusion, the Matrix, ‘a prison made for your mind;’ and we wear it well.
8. I have played tennis for 42 of my soon to be 47 years.
Follow the rules, ya’ll and lemme have EIGHT!!!
25 comments
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July 9, 2007 at 17:9 p
Changeseeker
Okay, you’ve got my eight. Thanks for the opportunity.
July 9, 2007 at 20:9 p
b. medusa
daaaaamn! you’re almost as close to the big five-oh (next year for me) as i am! somehow i thought you were younger, but very wise for your years.
still very wise regardless…
July 9, 2007 at 20:9 p
The Eseteemed Three
Peace to you:
An interesting list. We have a question: What do you propose be set up in place of government? Do you think there should governing structures at all…or should they be done away with all together?
Peace to you.
July 9, 2007 at 21:9 p
thefreeslave
Changeseeker: Thanks and they were good ones too!
Medusa: I am younger, its just my body that’s old. LOL. I’m amazed I am the age that I am cuz I don’t feel it. And I appreciate your wisdom as well.
TET: I don’t know where I read this but it was recently and by an anarchist of color, I believe. Basically, this person was saying that the word “govern” means to “rule” or “control.” I don’t think any governance scheme that exists truly empowers the people. Government enslaves.
I went to Brazil once and a couple of weeks before I got there, there was a police strike. The strike itself lasted two weeks and was in Salvador, a town I was going to visit. 34 people were murdered. It was rumored (and I don’t doubt it) that many of the murders were perpetrated by…the POLICE…in order to “dramatize” how needed they were.
So, I believe that governments and nations should be abolished/ignored, that people should increasingly live off of the grid, not pay taxes, educate themselves, their children. The most intelligent folks do that anyway.
We should secede from the union of world governments. Why can’t like minded individuals live amongst themselves, bartering, sharing and creating community without an overarching superstructure, without ‘jobs’ and ‘mortgages?’ I think it can be done. It will take real courage, maturity, awareness and a willingness to be aware in order to see the possibility.
Peace to all of you.
July 10, 2007 at 00:10 p
b. medusa
TET said:
What do you propose be set up in place of government?
alternative structures like collectives. there is no leader, everybody isn’t sittin around waitin for someone to leader them out of the wilderness, they rise up & make their voices heard (see oaxaca or chiapas). everyone has a say in how the collective is run. if there isn’t full agreement, then (& only then) the collective resorts to a majority decision. for micro-management details there are committees and/or coordinators, who still report back to the full collective. and collectives network w/ other collectives.
this isn’t perfect mind you, @ least not while you still have to work within a capitalist, patriarchial, white supremacist system. but the potential is there.
something i’d like to see happen also is some form of this: guaranteed livable income
July 10, 2007 at 02:10 p
Angie
Free, I came over here to see what you were blogging about, and look at what I found. Hmmm… I’ve never been tagged before. I’ll have to sit down and decide which 8 things I want someone to know that I haven’t already made mention of on my blog.
Now, you know I have questions about a couple of things on your list. But I’m sure you already knew that was coming. (smile)
July 10, 2007 at 04:10 p
thefreeslave
Bring it Medusa, bring it. If we aren’t thinking outside of the dominant paradigm, but rather, concern ourselves with the deadend mechanisms of indoctrination (elections, etc), then we’re just treading water in a shark tank.
Come on, Angie, fire away. Gimme eight!
July 10, 2007 at 14:10 p
Changeseeker
On the thread of governmental forms (or removal of them), I just read a fascinating article in a scientific journal (something I rarely do). It was “Rethinking the Zapatistas: Frantz Fanon and Resistance to Neoliberalism” by Daniel Egan of the University of Massachusetts-Lowell (Humanity and Society, Volume 30, No. 1, Feb. 2006, pp 67-83). If you can get this somehow, I think you might find it interesting as well, Max. It’s kind of a reader’s digest of writings by the Zapatistas, discussing their perspective on governance. What you say here, what they say, and what I think about it dovetail pretty much. Cool.
*nods slowly with soft smile*
July 10, 2007 at 18:10 p
pattricejones
SuperWeed here, reporting in from a chicken sanctuary in rural Maryland, where it feels like 100F in the sun today. My brain is overheated from my outdoor chores, so I’ll have to wait until after dark to give up my eight. Meantime, let me second that emotion about anarchism. Speaking of anarchists of color, do you know about Ashanti Alston, “the Anarchist Panther”? I’ve been lucky enough to be on panels with him and also to hear him give a couple of longer solo talks. He went to prison as a Black Nationalist and then discovered anarchism, feminism, and other paradigm shifting ideas during his years of incarceration. Now he also works in coalition with environmentalists and animal liberationists. So, while you’re waiting for my eight, check out anarchistpanther.net.
July 10, 2007 at 19:10 p
Kevin
“4. Do not pay war taxes. I believe in taking my reparations upfront.”
Bless you.
“5. I have a total of seven tattoos: Mingus, Miles, the AA logo, “love” in Chinese script, my daughter’s name and two Yoruba symbols: Gye Nyame - except for God/the supremacy of God; and Aya - symbol of defiance, independence and fearlessness. And my daughter’s name tatted on my chest, which is the smallest, yet was the most painful of all.”
No Coltrane? No Kirk?
But seriously, I have long held that Mingus’ “Blues & Roots” and Coltrane’s “A Love Supreme” must be listened to at least once a week to ensure a happy life. As for the Aya tat. You just gave me an idea for my next one. Either that or the Ako-ben symbol.
And yeah, Medusa. Keep bringing it.
July 10, 2007 at 19:10 p
aulelia
i love that this tag is doing the rounds around the blackosphere! reply to #3 = i am intensely jealous of anyone who has a car. i once walked to town from my house. it took 2 hours. not a good look.
July 10, 2007 at 19:10 p
Bygbaby
“I’m a psychic. No, seriously.” What the hell am I thinking now!!!
“I have a total of seven tattoos” That’s a lot of ink!!! I stopped @ 3 and swear to get no more but who knows.
Peace,
Bygbaby
July 11, 2007 at 02:11 p
thefreeslave
Pattrice: Look forward to it. It was 102 degrees today so we’re with heat if not humidity.
Kevin: So you’re a Mingus man too. My first Mingus disc was ‘Live At Antibes.’ I read the liner notes after digging the hell out the record and saw that it had been recorded on July 13th, 1960 - the day of my birth. I was hooked from then. I have a spiritual connection to the man. I love Coltrane and have listened to a bit of Kirk (Bright Moments) and with Mingus. I’ll have to research the Ako-ben.
Aulelia: You aren’t missing much on the car front. Its a lot of aggravation. I wished I lived in a place with a bus/subway system like New York or Paris. That shit is the bomb. Of course, cars are extremely convenient.
Byg: You’re thinking about getting another tattoo. Don’t stop, baby!
July 11, 2007 at 03:11 p
asabagna
I have the same symbol “Gye Nyame”, tatooed on my right neck. I first saw it in Ghana as an Adinkrah symbol…. interesting that it is also a Yoruba symbol. It means the same thing “except for God/the supremacy of God” in Ghana.
Peace.
July 11, 2007 at 04:11 p
Bygbaby
Damn you are good. You are officially a magical Negro on the psychic front LOL.
I do not know how to get a small simple tattoo. My last 2 took 3 hours to complete & doing that again makes me get a headache but hey I will be in NYC this week so who knows.
Bygbaby
July 11, 2007 at 05:11 p
SuperWeed
Done! Gave up my eight and sent my tags into a whole nother corner of the blogosphere. Included something about tattoos just to maintain continuity with you. Thanks for including me!
July 11, 2007 at 05:11 p
thefreeslave
Asa: On your neck?! I’m shocked. That wasn’t a jailhouse tat, was it? LOL
Byg: Tats are spiritual.
Pattrice: I’ll check you out. How’s your book doing?
Peace.
July 11, 2007 at 05:11 p
Kevin
“So you’re a Mingus man too.”
Oh man, you don’t even know. On second thought, you probably do know.
After writing my last comment I had to go and listen to “The Black Saint And The Sinner Lady” (another one that should be listened to at least once a week). For reals, the man’s music can bring me to tears.
The Ako-ben symbol is a call to arms. It symbolizes a willingness to take action when necessary. Actually, if you turned Aya upside down, you have a close approximation of the Ako-ben symbol.
July 11, 2007 at 06:11 p
thefreeslave
Damn, Kevin. I’m excited. I’m a freak for Mingus. Alright, let’s do what men do:
Blues and Roots
Black Saint
Complete Debut Recordings
Pithecanthropus Erectus
Mingus Ah Uhm
Mingus Presents Mingus
Mingus, Mingus, Mingus
Live @ Antibes
Town Hall Concert
Mingus Dynasty
Let My Children Hear Music
Changes Two
If you don’t have any of this I’ll burn it for you.
I’m gonna do a net search for that symbol.
July 11, 2007 at 06:11 p
Angie
Free, I went over to Asa’s blog to see his 8 facts. And Asa said that today was his birthday. I told him that the stars must have been extra hot this week, being that all 3 of us were born this week. That is so funny to me.
Please, hip me to how tats are spiritual. I believe you. I just need an explanation from you. There is something interesting about them, being that everybody that i know have one cannot stop with one. It’s almost like it’s an addiction.
My body is clean of tats. But my sisters… (shaking my head) Free, they got you beat. Maybe by 2.
Brotha, you have a nice night. Catch you later.
July 11, 2007 at 17:11 p
Kevin
Actually, I worked in record stores for over ten years. I have all of them. Most of them on vinyl (I’m old school like that). If I were to add a ninth fact about me, it’s that I’m crazy obsessed about music. I have several thousand LPs and 45s, at least 500 CDs, and I’m about to fill up a 500 GB hard drive with MP3s.
Damn, I wish we could hang. I would play you some rare soul and funk jams that would blow your mind.
Angie - I don’t know exactly what it is, but tats *are* addictive. I guess part of it is making art out of your body. And since a tat is forever, people tend to get tats that mean something to them. I have a Mexican-American friend that has two sleeves (tats covering the entire arm, for those out of the loop) of intertwined Mexican iconography. It’s one of the most beautiful things I’ve seen. That, I think, is when it starts to become a spiritual thing. He’s connecting with his roots, his foremothers and forefathers, by acknowledging them on his body, for everyone to see.
July 11, 2007 at 19:11 p
thefreeslave
DAMN, Kevin. I would love to see your collection. I’ve got a little vinyl; stupidly got rid of a bunch and vowed never to do that again. I’m also into “high end” stereo, though my bank account is very low-fi. Trying to get a new (used system) to listen to this music on. For now, the computer rules!
I’ve got TONS of jazz, not as much r&b but a nice slice, world, etc.
July 12, 2007 at 21:12 p
Dave J
Yo Free,
#5, says you’re supposed to hit me up! ^^
I’ve been really busy trying to finish a story I’ve been working on, but was finally able to get some blogging in today. I saw that you tagged me with this, and threw together my list.
I have to say, yours did not disappoint. I expected you were fairly hardcore, and now I know.
July 13, 2007 at 03:13 p
thefreeslave
Dave: just call it cptime, baby. I was curious to see who checked their linked hits.
July 13, 2007 at 07:13 p
pattricejones
Add me to the Mingus mob.
But don’t let’s forget about Monk.
Thanks for asking about my book. The reviews have been good and lots of people have told me it’s been helpful to them. Then again, anybody who didn’t like it wouldn’t be likely to tell me that. And the publisher can’t or won’t tell me how it’s selling. So, truly, I don’t know.