I was intrigued by the collective response by several artists I know concerning the Colorado event at which a "Jazz Singer" was to sing the national anthem and substituted the words of the "Black national anthem," "Lift Every Voice and Sing". I intend to write much more about the affairlater in the week, but I am ashamed at those "black artists", or for that matter, any artist who doesn't understand what happened with this issue. Some idiot from San Francisco says things like: "Why is it that we can't go anywhere and do what we AGREE to do?" But what do you do when you're communicating with an entity that has broken every major treaty that it has been a party for over 400 years?

What this apologist idiot sees as 'One woman reneging on her agreement and calling attention to herself' was actually a brilliant stroke of genius calling attention to something deeper which goes to the heart of America and addresses the great divide between what is essentially "two Americas", one well to do, one increasingly disenfranchised. This reality explains why there was ever even a need for two 'national anthems'.

But the dim witted butt kisser from San Francisco is afraid, probably due to her own self serving, and she's probably afraid that she won't be able to sing for the man now because the sister has messed it up for all black artists, i.e.; "Now they gonna think we aint got no integrity as a people!" I wonder did these thoughts go through Hoody Ledbetter's mind when he was singing for his freedom? I know he didn't want to vex his captor by singing something more radical than that which would get him his own personal reward. But when we see captives or hostages when they are being held, and those captives get a chance to speak, what can we expect? Will the captive say the words that the captor has scripted for the captive, and if she does wouldn't this just increase the possibilities that the captor will receive his reward?

Besides the fact that the artists rendtion of the two songs was genious from an artistic viewpoint, the brave and the strong resists captivity at every interval and with every opportunity and rises to the occasion to cry foul at the most noticeable and public possibility. That is the duty of a revolutionary artist! This aint no Steppin Fetchit shit! This is Paul Robeson, Bob Marley, John Cotrane shit!!!

And for San Francisco Aunt Tomina to say "We have a Black President to elect" shows how banal she really is. First of all if it is true that what one Black person does represents us all, I am bursting with pride at the courage and temerity the sister had to sing what she sung that day. And even if Barack Obama is elected President, he will be president of WHITE AMERICA not black america, and you sure aint gonna see him at no churches where they sing negro hymnals for the next four years.