FOX News – Hamp's Corner of America

Another year has passed giving us time to reflect on what occurred during the last twelve months. I don’t know about you, but I can say it was a good year. No, I didn’t strike it rich, purchase a new mansion of a home, buy an expensive luxury car or lose a large lot of weight. Although I did appreciate the loss of fifteen pounds.

I didn’t become a media personality for whatever reason. Nor did anyone in my family become any more famous than they already are at the moment. No there were no spectacular changes in my life last year. But then, there were no major losses of any kind either. Oh, there were deaths or people who we like to think transition on to a better afterlife. There are family and friends that we will miss and for which we are better off for having known in the first place. All in all, 2015 was a very ordinary year for my family and me. Oh yes…there was one significant discovery but I will tell you about that later on in January.

Now 2016…where do I start? Let me say right off the top, I do expect big things to happen during this particular year. I feel it coming for our country on a national scale. I envision subtle but effective changes in our black communities, both morally and economically. I’ve sensed and noticed a real change in entrepreneurial mood with optimism from the guests on my Blog Talk Radio Show. There is a renewed sense of community responsibility from all the different people I’ve talked to over the last year.

People are tired of the status quo and are willing to put themselves out there for the common good of all. Just check out the news, pay close attention to the conversation and actions taken by the small groups in various cities across the country. Black people are becoming more and more aware of the real black power that is green power. We have begun to realize the value in using economic means to facilitate change within this country.

There are political voices out there that have people recoiling from the idea that we are a nation of people who think like Donald Trump. Not to think of the real silent majority that despises the rhetoric and ideas pushed by the far right wing of the Republican Party and other extremists. Despite all the money spent by those organizations and their supporters in local political races; they are not directing the thought process of the American public.

Regardless of the fact that ultra-conservative white men own most of the largest national media. They who see the future USA population shift of white folks as no longer the majority a threat to their power base. Thus, a lot of the narrative you see and hear in our morning and evening news, national print media and oddly opinionated conversation from our political talk shows is downright self-serving to the status quo. You will note that the National Rifle Association (NRA) and Police Unions are part of that status quo mentality.

It’s as if we ask the police unions to undertake new training, stop and detain techniques, wear body cams, or simply not shoot someone sixteen times because they felt threaten by a knife-wielding mentally ill suspect. Then we are wrong? Where is it in our constitution or other laws that say Americans cannot ask and demand better service from our organizations formed to protect the public? I don’t think the country is going to stand for people telling us not to trust our own eyes or what we see in a video. Changes for the better are required and coming people.

People are tired of seeing or hearing all the tragic and criminal stories on our broadcast news. Especially since there are so many good stories happening on a daily basis. American’s are doing wonderful things, without selfish motivation, because we are good human beings. Check out HuffPost Good News at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/good-news/ or Sunny Skyz at http://www.sunnyskyz.com/ and the Good News Network at http://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/ In fact, some of the same organizations who bring you one-sided conservatively opinionated news have their website links touting good or inspiring news. That very fact itself should validate what I’ve been saying throughout this article.

You can and will play an important part in how 2016 will eventually turn out to you and your family. Join me in promising to be a better person, a better man, a better citizen, better father and spouse, and a better friend. In other words, I intend to be better at each and everything I do during all of 2016. And I will reward myself for achieving these goals by enjoying a movie, concert or other entertainment along the way. I intend to travel to more places than I did last year. In other words, I am going to enjoy life too. I also know if I do all of these things, God will take care of the rest along with providing the necessary means for my family and me.

So it’s full speed ahead for 2016. But don’t forget now, we should promise to keep in touch over the year and share our special thoughts and experiences. Hey, Happy New Year, my people.

Peace, make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II

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“In my latest book, Remember Moz, Gracie & John Hampton’s First-Born, I wanted to tell the world about a unique individual. Not because he happened to be my father but to explain who he was, where he came from, and how he evolved into the man he became up until his death. In doing so, I wrote of his ancestor’s roots back to and through the Civil War. The inclusion of his birth and upbringing in the heart of Arkansas, or Jim Crow country, add southern reluctance to learn why our country involved itself in a bloodthirsty four-year exercise in the first place? Then you begin to understand why, our parents behaved the way that they did. See if I captured the essence of this paragraph.” Get the book via the Authors Page at http://outskirtspress.com/webPage/isbn/9781478766056

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I was struck by the abrupt statement from Morgan Freeman while commenting on the Baltimore disturbances. The headline read F_ _ K the Media. This from such a level headed gentlemen who like many of us are disgusted with the coverage of news regarding black folk’s issues.

You don’t have to be in your senior years, or even middle age to have finally had enough of the obvious distortion of incidents by local and national news people. Reporters, news editors, and station owners are no different than the rest of society; they bring their bag of opinions and prejudices to the party too. How they view, an incident depends largely on their interpretation of the facts leading up to, during, and at the concluding summation.

They will have their cameraman point to certain incidents, like burning and looting as an expert picturesque commentary on a lawless band of people. They begin their narrative of explaining what the viewer is seeing by simply stated something like “And there were people taking Flat Screen TV’s, whatever they could get their thieving hands on while causing destruction of private property.” Often what is not said is these people are wearing mask and hoodies to protect their identities. What is not said is that there are people who patiently wait for a national incident to break out. They purchase plane tickets to fly to these hot spots and contribute more to the unrest than solving the problem. Their mission is simple, cause unrest, creating such an environment as to allow for breaking into a storefront business to help themselves before they disappear into the night. They have taken the merchandise of their choice, sold it for cash or taken it back to their home, wherever that is. They are professional looters. You never hear about those people unless there is a need.

Don’t get me wrong, some local black folk are involved in the looting and disturbance too. Most of time, they are living on adrenaline and do not bother with putting on a disguise. Why, because they have a personal interest in the outcome of such incidents. They simply do not care who sees them being disrupting. “Black Lives Matter” they chat. They are angry and lashing out. Of course, we believe rioting, burning or destroying community property is not the way to deal with an incident such as the death of Freddy Gray.

Our complaint is the reporting of the news, incidents, and occurrences are so narrow-minded. At times, it’s as if they are deliberately trying to muddy the waters to prevent anyone from understanding what really happened. You are almost positive the media has gone out of their way to find the most inarticulate bystanders to comment on the incident. That alone feeds into the stereotype of an uneducated race of people. At least, in the case of longer incidents they are finding more credible people to interview. Its just I am reminded of a cartoon I saw the other day. On the one hand, a black man was reading a newspaper headline which read, “Black man killed by Police Officer(s)” so he says…”Again?” The drawing includes a white man reading the headline in a paper, “Black folk rioting in the city” The white man also says “Again” in disgust. The drawing points out the irony and perception of how race is viewed by a black and a white man.

In the Morgan Freeman article, he says MSNBC, Fox News, and CNN are just commentators. Each station shows you a picture followed by what seems like an endless commentary on the subject at hand. What did the perpetrator know, when did he know it, and who did he share it with? What are the laws? Will the president or Congress get involved? Followed by the endless innuendos, action interpretations, and so-called experts in various fields giving you their idea of how it should go. Remember, there are stations like Fox News that subscribe to the tea and Republican doctrine of “hate everything that Obama stands for.”

By the way, why should we not be surprised that the Baltimore Policemen Union has turned on their State Attorney, Marilyn Mosby? She brought the charges against the 5 policemen and 1 policewoman involved in the Freddy Gray case. Monday morning, the Sherriff of Milwaukee County speaking on CNN had a gripe against this young woman. He called it a “Rush to Judgment.” I guess the unwarranted, unnecessary arrest of Mr. Gray was a “Rush to Arrest?” He said he had never seen a case where charges were brought against someone within 24 hours as had Attorney Mosby. Besides having the nerve to issue such a ridiculous statement he was reminded of a fact by the CNN reporter. Attorney Mosby had been conducting her own investigation for two weeks before she got the official package from the police department. As an aside, considering what is going on in the streets of Milwaukee, I would think the Sheriff would too busy trying to clean up his city streets instead of trying to be the voice of fellow officers from another state. Hey, Sheriff, I am Milwaukee raised and still have plenty of friends and relatives there. Please stick to your day job.

And one other thing (is it just me), has the policemen unions in this country become blind to facts and simply out of touch with their average community when they are defending one of their own? Do they remind you of the National Rifle Association? What should we call their tactics, “A Rush to protect their own?” I have no problem with any group or organization in this country looking out for their members except when it comes at the expense of real law and order for all.

What is wrong with the national media, you say? I am glad you asked. I think that they have been on this “Enquire” or “Star” (found at your grocery store rack) reporting cycle for almost two decades. You know; the premise that says the headline is everything. The more spectacular or shocking the better the headlines chance of gaining the interest of a reader. Television Newscasters are no different. They are competing with cable stations that sometimes have a little more leeway than network stations. And most cable stations are directing their rhetoric to specific audiences either liberal leaning (MSNBC) or conservative (almost all other stations) in nature. And the number one station (Fox News) has a tendency to slant every news story while appealing to right-wing Republicans and almost any fringe group that sees the world as black and white. By the way, read the following headline regarding Fox News, http://www.msn.com/en-us/tv/news/fox-news-apologizes-for-misreported-baltimore-police-shooting-%e2%80%98we-screwed-up%e2%80%99/ar-BBjbhSB, and you get a great picture of what I am talking about here.

Add that to the current 15 to 30-second attention span of most people on the left side of fifty-years-old and…well you get the picture. This may surprise you. All this happens before the race issues are added to the equation. Think about that for a minute. Then you will begin to understand why most national media has a credibility problem. Fact checking has given way to who got the scoop out first? Is it tantalizing enough to grab a large audience?

And finally, a lot of the general public is simply burned out from all the negative political ads, mailing, and billboards. As evidenced by the last mid-term elections. They are trying to turn it off which leaves the diehard conservatives and fringe loonies as the majority of people responding to surveys or commenting on internet columns. Every time someone with common sense contributes to the discussion, they are shouted down by some lunatic right winger. Who wants to try and reason with a fool?

One of my favorite quotes attributed to Abraham Lincoln simply says, “I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crisis. The great point is to bring them the real facts.” That is what is wrong with the national media; they have a problem providing the public with “the real facts.”

Peace, make it a day in which Jesus Christ would be proud of you,

Codis Hampton II

Follow Hamp at https://twitter.com/#!/HampTwo

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Tag: FOX News

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