Why, Jesse?

Can somebody tell me what the hell Jesse Jackson is doing protesting THIS video?

Some background: The voice in the animated rap video posted above is a dude named Bomani, and I had his song "Read a Book" up on my MySpace a few months ago. Betts performed with him, and he sang the song at the gig. It's interesting to me, because Bomani routinely calls himself a poet, and not a rapper. www.notarapper.com. Yeah, that's him.

Now in all fairness, I can understand where some people are hot at some of the images in the video. I am reminded of certain racist images like the sambo, and maybe seeing the "b-o-o-k" on the girl's ass was a bit much. But for real. Satire is one of the oldest devices in art. If an artist can't satirize something as ridiculous as Lil John and the whole Southern Crunk rap phenomenon, then what the hell are we sentencing Black people to? I've heard Jesse Jackson say that this video empowers the Michael Richardses and Imuses of the world. To which I say: Since when did Black people have to empower White people to be racist?

I'm at a loss to understand why Jesse is coming out against a nice young dude trying to say something NEW in the midst of all this ridiculous commercial hiphop. Maybe y'all get it better than I do. If so, tell me.

COMING SOON: The Spaceship Casita, Jersey Edition

My father keeps a 16-inch machete by his bed. For security purposes. He's done so ever since I was a little boy.

Not being into sword-like implements, but definitely into home security, I kept the tradition alive by keeping a bat next to my own bed: a good sized Louisville Slugger that I have named (with some help) the tati quieto stick (roughly translated: the shut-the- fuck-up stick). For a long time, I didn't actually have a homestead of my very own to defend.

But dig this, Daddy-o: The Betts and I have acquired an apartment. It is a decent little abode, near the top of Branch Brook Park on the borders of Belleville, Newark, and Bloomfield in New Jersey. It's not quite like living in the center of the Transportation Heaven that is Jersey City, but it'll do quite nicely. It's about a 10- minute Newark subway ride to my new home at Rutgers-Newark, and a 15-minute ride to the PATH and NJ Transit at Penn Station. Plus, there's a big-ass A&P across the street from me, so I get to practice my burgeoning cooking talents on the stove. Betts has a cookbook called The Ethnic Vegetarian which I intend to put to good use. Yeah that's right, I said it. Grilled vegetables, bitches! Plus, we'll have access to a good-sized backyard, so I'll likely fire up some grillage next summer if the heartier folks are cool with that.

Yes, folks, Jersey beckons. NYC, I got mad love for ya, but really, y'all can keep the crowds and the exorbitant fucking rent.

Now then...anybody got some houseplants?